Should I Be Worried?

M

miaka

Registered User
My 18 mos old isn't talking yet. I know some babies develop later and aren't all on the same time scale. But she just doesn't seem to have an interest in talking. I've taught her some baby signs so at least we are able to communicate a bit.

The gov't nurses are encouraging us to stop using baby signs to force her to try to talk. they're worried. should i be? it just doesn't seem right to force her to follow a timeline. we're scheduled to see the doc when she turns 2 if she's still not talking by then.

however, if it's not just delayed development, what could it be? what other possibilities should i be aware of?
 
just jibberish. tho when she was younger she didn't make much noise ... more of the silent observer. and now she is more vocal ... which is why i'm leaning towards delayed development, but thought i'd make a post to see what other possibilites are out there.
 
our son is 17 months old he says about a dozen words and jibberish , and is quite vocal i think it i snormal. but if u need a little assurance u can check it out with her ped first.

Best of luck
 
my son didn't talk properly until he was 2. if you have more than one language at home this is perfectly normal. at 2 he could say about 10 words, but he understood everything. how much does your little one understand? can she give you something if you ask her for it? now my son is 3 he doesn't stop talking!

i wouldn't worry too terribly much, if it doesn't improve by 2 years, then maybe seek an opinion from a doctor. my 15 month old will give me something that she is holding if i say, " give it to me" she can point if i ask her where is daddy, helper, brother etc. she can clap and cover her ears when asked. she can do the "kung hei fat choy" praying motion when we say the words, so she knows and understands what we are saying, but her vocabulary consists of "duh" for "done" and "ba ba" for bye bye.

maybe your little one HAS words that you just haven't been able to decipher yet or haven't recognised for what they are?
 
Hi miaka --

I am a certified Baby Signs? instructor and I've used (and still am using) signs with both my little ones. I wouldn't suggest that you stop using signs with your child. Right now that's all she has to communicate with you; imagine the frustration if she doesn't even have that to help express her wants, needs, etc.

Over 20 years of scientific research have proved that using signs does NOT delay speech development. You are right in that all babies have their own unique timetable and some hit milestones earlier or later than others.

The son of Dr. Linda Acredolo (author of the bestselling book, BABY SIGNS: HOW TO TALK WITH YOUR BABY BEFORE YOUR BABY CAN TALK) had 7 words at 19 months—but he had 40 signs. Then, in the 4 weeks between 19 and 20 months, he added 67 new words! The signing had helped set the stage so that when the neurological foundation was ready to enable him to conquer the articulation problem, he had lots of general language knowledge already in place.

An important thing to remember when you are signing with your child is to always SIGN and SAY, so that she also hears the words. Talk /read to your child often. It is through listening to us speak that children learn to talk. A good book on the subject is How Babies Talk: The Magic and Mystery of Language in the First Three Years of Life by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.d. and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.d.

If you wish, you can pm me. I'd be happy to share more on the subject.

Good luck.
 
I'm so sick of HK doctors and nurses who are not trained in developmental issues bandying 'developmental delay' around. Quite frankly, the nurses at HK Child Health Centres often don't know their a** from their elbow. My friends and I have had so many issues with comments made about our children.
My son didn't start talking clearly until nearly 2. He is in no way delayed - we had him assessed at 2.5, and he was ahead on most areas.
Children thrive on repetition - whether it we spoken or sung. Read to your child as often as you can, sing songs, and create your own patterns. "What do we put on your cereal? Yes - we put milk on your cereal!"
If you're really worried, maybe try Annerley midwives - they do developmetal checks at various ages, and if there are any issues, they will know who to put you in touch. And it sure as hell won't be a nurse at a public health centre.
Good Luck
 
I agree with HappyV. A lot of times doctors and nurses make us worry even more. I think babies develop differently and on their own pace. 18 months is quite early to be talking a lot, mine had a few words at that age but didn't really start talking until she was 2. Then she just won't stop!
 
Agree with HappyV. My son will be turning 2 next week and he doesn't talk yet! He can say basic things like, please, thank you but his pronouncation is quite bad even though I talk/read to him everyday. However, he totally understands everything I say, from washing his hands to putting his shoes on when we go out. He just doesn't want to speak.
I'm not worried at all as my daughter who is now 7yrs, was very similar to my son and now I can't stop her from talkling!
We are raising our children in a bilingual environment and understand that they may speak later than most children, but then again, all children are different.
I really shouldn't worry.
 
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