DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

DC is smart cookie, and if asked to go get his shoes, a book, a diaper, or asked if he is hungry, or anything, he will get item, or he will shake his head if he is not hungry.

he makes noises, and laughes, and coos in excitement, and says "mmmm!" to food...but doesn't say mama or dada...or anything else

the one phrase he says sounds like "whats that?" and he says it as if he is questioning something, and sometimes points to an item as he says it.

if you ask him to point to your nose, eyes, mouth, he can identify stuff..

i usually am laid back on this stuff, and not in a rush for the next stage, but this is starting to worry me...

thoughts/advice?

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

I personally would ask the Ped about it.

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

i did, at his last appt, the last one he goes to before the 24 month one, and she said to wait till he was 2 and then if he was not talking, to take it from there.

but i'm impatient. ;)

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

i would have him evaled by EI.. it can only help

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

You can call early intervention and have an evaluation on your own, if you want. My doctor referred us for the same reason at 15 months, which she said was on the early side. She said most doctors will recommend an evaluation at 18 months if they aren't saying any words.

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

My sister had this happen with my niece, she wasn't talking, although you could tell she understood everything. She also developed major motor skills early, which apparently combined with no talking can be a sign of Autism. She was very concerned, then right around 2 years she started talking in complete sentences. ....now we can't get her to stop!

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

Posted by NinaLemon

My sister had this happen with my niece, she wasn't talking, although you could tell she understood everything. She also developed major motor skills early, which apparently combined with no talking can be a sign of Autism. She was very concerned, then right around 2 years she started talking in complete sentences. ....now we can't get her to stop!

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

DS was almost exactly like this at 22 months--he said mama and dada, but that was it. But he understood everything we said, or almost everything.

I called EI for an evaluation at 21 months, and he qualified for speech therapy. He is saying (or trying to say) so many more words than he was before, and I think a lot is due to the therapy. Some may have been developmental, but I think therapy has made a big difference. Even so, he is still way behind a lot of kids his age, so I am glad I did not wait. BTW, he qualified mainly because the gap in his responsive and expressive speech was so big.

You don't have to wait until 2 years if you are concerned. You can contact EI yourself now, they are part of the County Health and Human Services division. An evaluation doesn't hurt, and by the time everything takes place, DC will probably be 2 or close to it anyway. The evaluation is a lot of fun for kids--the evaluators bring toys, and it may be helpful for you to see what the therapists do to encourage speech even if DC does not qualify.

Good luck!

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

I was nervous at 15 mos - called EI - they said that they could eval him but its just 1 test until 18 mos, at 18 mos its developmental and a verbal test.

DS is smart too - gets things, points to nose. They sent me some ref material to work with him at home. About 2 weeks before he turned 18 mos he started talking.

He is 21 mos now - somethings he mumbles, some things he says clear as day - depends on how tired he is.

He has had a lot of ear infections - went to the ENT and they did a hearing test - he has some hearing loss.
Something else to worry about.

I went to Borders and got some sterdy flash cards and quizzed DS. Started w/ the easy ones like fish, cat , dog. I put a few on the floor and he picked them up. I repeated them to him over and over again. He loved the tractor - still one of his favorite words.

If you can't wait, call EI now. Until then, try to elicate words from him. If you know he wants his cup - say CUP, CUP. Make him make an effort to say it before you just give it to him - you could be making it too easy for him. If you know he wants the cup without him asking for it - why should he ask for it? KWIM?

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

DD is 21 months and I just had her evaluated by EI and she did not qualify. She does all the same things as your DS does and they told me her language foundation is very strong. She needed to have a delay of 33% or higher and did not come close.

ETA: I went through Suffolk County EI, not through my Ped.

Message edited 11/24/2009 3:31:14 PM.

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

Message edited 11/24/2009 3:39:44 PM.

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

I would contact EI. My son was evaluated when he was 18 months and did not qualify. I had him re-evaulated at 27 months and we qualified.
Right before the reevaluation tho he started to say some words and call us mama and dada and now with the speech therapist coming over, his speech is coming along.

My son is like your DC, where he understood everything we said and did not qualify because of that, because he knew everything the evaluators were asking him and pointed to all the right things. He just wouldn't speak.

Good Luck

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

Re: DC 22 months, not talking..worry?

DD is also 22 months, she just starting saying a ton of words. I am amazed everyday now with all the words she has started to say.
She at a very early age could follow directions and get what you asked her to as well.
She also knows at daycare which shoes and slippers belong to each kid that is there. She just started saying the names of the kids they belong to (as best as she can)

not sure what the answer is because DD just started at 22 months (she will be 23 months Dec. 2nd)