Speech Delay on Toddlers

Philippines
August 17, 2009 2:59am CST
Hi everyone! My daughter just turned 20 months and right now I'm starting to get worried. I've read somewhere that at 18 months, a baby should know how to say 10-50 words. My baby seldom speaks and I've counted the words she knows how to say and it's only about 15-20 words. Should I really be worried at this point or should I wait a few more months before I really start to worry? In terms of comprehension, I think my daughter is okay. I know she understands the things I say coz she reacts and replies to them. And her pediatrician says if that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about. But I can't help but get worried that my daughter doesn't talk that much.
2 people like this
5 responses
@Shar19 (8231)
• United States
18 Aug 09
Too many people worry about this when they don't need to. Try and relax. Everything is going to be alright. From the sounds of it she is doing very well. Your doctor will let you know if you have cause for alarm.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
18 Aug 09
Hi! Thanks for your reply. It's very hard not to worry because I'd really want early intervention in case (just in case) that my fears are right. I want to give her the attention she needs and be able to take care of the problem if ever there is.
@Raven7317 (691)
• United States
17 Aug 09
Good morning. I know exactly how you feel and I hope I can help... When my son was 28 months old, he wasn't speaking very much either... I ended up having him evaluated by a speach pathologist and they rated him at only 18 months! So he was ten months behind! I got in contact with Early Intervention and started home visits for speach therapy. I also enrolled him in individual and group speach therapy sessions. For 8 months, he had speach therapy 3 times each week. At the end of this 8 months, my son had over 75 words - up from 10/15! I can not possibly tell you how beneficial this was and I hope that you will do what you can to see that your little girl gets these services. IN MA, Early intervention is free, it's a state service and they serve children up until their 3rd birthday. THEN with their help, they assist in enrolling 3 YO in preschool to continue getting the therapy they need... for free! Now, at 4 years old, my little guy NEVER shuts up! LOL I have seen such leaps and bounds in his language and his social skills that I can't help but to encourage others to follow suit! He's still behind, but only by a few months... actually I have his re-eval next week... He's going into P-K again and will still recieve therapy at school... One thing I also think is important to note; always have an eval done by a second party... For example, if the school evaluates your daughter, and/or Early Intervention, they most likely pad the numbers for budgets and enrollment. So even though I knew my son was behind, I knew he wasn't as behind as they said - I just knew it because I'm his mom! That's why I had him evaluated by another. The differences in the reports supported my suspicion... It's not a bad thing, but if you can, use your insurance company for that second opinion eval so that you get a clear picture of just how far behind DD is... So this is why I'm having him re-evaluated next week. Oh, and BTW, don't let your pedi tell you 'don't worry about it' for too long. My pedi said the same thing to me... You're her mother, it's your job to worry, and tell your pedi you WANT an eval and YOU want a referral. PERIOD. I hope that I've helped and I wish you the best of luck.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
18 Aug 09
Thanks so much for your reply. As i've said, as a mother, it is very hard not to worry about things concerning the development of our children. I was thinking maybe I should just give my daughter a few more months. If, after her second birthday, she still doesn't talk too much, maybe I'll consider the options you mentioned. As for the insurance company, I come from a country where insurance doesn't cover things like that for our children. Thanks again for the help. I'm happy about the development of your son.
• United States
17 Aug 09
I wouldn't worry too much. She's speaking you said so it doesn't sound like she's not learning any words. The best way to really help up their speech skills is to literally drive yourself crazy talking to her all day. Name everything you see, talk to her about what you're doing around the house during the day or our grocery shopping. I know it will get annoying, but it will help. And skip the baby talk (not saying you do it but it's just an FYI) cause baby talk does nothing!
• Philippines
18 Aug 09
Thanks! It's quite a relief to hear that, and yes, she does knows some words and she responds to our questions. So, I guess her comprehension skills are ok. Sometimes, I think she just gets lazy that's why she refuses to talk. There was one time when her dad stepped out of the house. She called out to her Dad and pointed to the door. Then, I said, "Yes, baby, daddy is outside. Can you say outside?" She just pointed to the door again. So, I repeated the question, "Where's daddy", Then she said, "No more!" It's the same thing, right? And it answered my question. So, I can't say she doesn't understand what we say. And about baby talk, we never used that on her, even when she was an infant. So, I guess that's not the reason why she's finding it difficult to talk.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
18 Aug 09
hi rakittera hatley here so many times we anticipate a toddlers needs and rob them of saying the word, so try' touching something and say the name of it,like chair then repeat it and see if your daughter wont repeat it. kids are like little sponges they love to learn. if she get things by pointing you can sayno, you have to say it for example she wants a toy,you say no,tell me what you 'want,you can cue her by saying.tell mommy you want a dog? if she just grabs say no , then say dog? she should start to imitate you.good luck And god bless
• Philippines
18 Aug 09
Hi! Thanks for your reply! I tried doing that before. I would not give her what she wanted until she's able to say the word. However, she just gets frustrated and cries and becomes even more resentful of learning new words. So, I decided to let her learn at her own pace.
@webearn99 (1742)
• India
18 Aug 09
You have nothing to worry. Just sit back and enjoy the gift of quiet your baby is giving you! Because when she feels the necessity of talking full fledged you will be flooded and will run scared. She will definitely make up for the time lost and then you will be in trouble. Until then, relax and enjoy some peace and quiet. Cheers.
• Philippines
18 Aug 09
You made me laugh! But really, at this point, I wouldn't mind her blabbering on about anything at all. I'd love to listen to her little voice and count the words she mispronounces. As long as I hear her talk, I'd love some noise from her. Also, I feel that it would be easier to toilet-train her if she starts to talk. Thanks for your reply!