Parents of late talkers—how has your child fared?

[Anonymous]

For those with fluid in their ears, what causes this? Is it caused by bath time / swimming and can it be avoided? Sorry if this is a dumb FTM question

[Anonymous]

My son was a late talker and didn't talk until 2. Then it was an explosion. At 2.5 I'd say he's talking just as well as my 5 and 7 year olds. I think our issue was a personality issue. I have a little perfectionist and he wasn't willing to even TRY to say words unless he knew he could say them perfectly. He's like this with a few other things too and I'm pretty sure he gets it from me (the mom).

[Anonymous]

OP, did your ped express concern about expressive language? Your kid sounds just about on track to me. Only a handful of words are expected at 18 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was a late talker and didn't talk until 2. Then it was an explosion. At 2.5 I'd say he's talking just as well as my 5 and 7 year olds. I think our issue was a personality issue. I have a little perfectionist and he wasn't willing to even TRY to say words unless he knew he could say them perfectly. He's like this with a few other things too and I'm pretty sure he gets it from me (the mom).

I also want to post that I read that there's an inverse correlation with talking and physical abilities. My kids all walked at 9 months and were like little monkeys. They were really physical kids, but later talkers. I think their brains can't focus on it all at the same time.

[Anonymous]

DC1 has special needs and is bilingual. He's a teen and still has a rather stilted way of talking and writing sometimes.

DC2, also bilingual, also speech delayed, now speaks perfectly well and is in a magnet school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, did your ped express concern about expressive language? Your kid sounds just about on track to me. Only a handful of words are expected at 18 months.

Agreed. I don't think there is harm in speech therapy at this age but I am surprised at home many PPs sought speech therapy for an 18 month old with limited speech. My DD only had two words at 18 months and was not doing some of the other things they look for to be "on track" (for instance, she didn't make animal noises even though she heard them in songs and at playgroup).

But our pediatrician was not worried after we determined there was no hearing issues, and suggested we just see how it progressed for the next few months. She gained a few more words and got more talkative after starting at a part-time nursery school, and by two she was super talkative. She's now 4 and her PK teacher says she's an unusually verbal child (for better or worse, lol) and she's doing great with pre-literacy skills. No ill effects whatsoever.

Anyway, again, I don't think there's anything wrong with seeking out speech therapy if you are concerned, but I would not panic at 18 months or even 20-22 months, as long as there is progress. It seems like a lot of kids get a rush of language right before their second birthday. I'm not even sure that's considered "delayed" because it's so common.

[Anonymous]

Getting straight A’s in college. He’s still pretty quiet though.

[Anonymous]

My son was a later talker. We started speech therapy at age 2, and also moved him from a nanny into a preschool setting that encouraged him to be social and expressive. He's 11 now. Well above average in math, reading and other subjects. He's just a strong introvert, and saves his words for when he wants to use them. Hates sports and conflict but amazing musician and builder. I wish I had known this about him when he was 2, so that I didn't push him into therapy and an energetic preschool setting that he didn't need.

[Anonymous]

Mine was not ever classified as a late talker, but at 18 months only had a handful of words. She had 20 words by 20 months, as I recall, so we had our eye on things, as she hovered right around the minimum peds like to see.

But like a lot of kids, she had a language explosion around 21 months and has never been delayed per se. She does have some mild articulation problems (lisp, etc.) but nothing else, really. She also read completely within normal limits but later than some others (didn't really click fully until age 7). At 8, she reads 2-3 grade levels ahead.

OP, it's not clear from your post, but I was told to count any consistent sounds as words at that age, as well as signs. At 18 months, my kid had maybe 5 words, but also maybe 5 animal/etc. sounds that referred to those animals, and she did have many, many ASL signs-- maybe it helped that her motor skills were stronger. She was a very early walker (8.5 months) and has continued to have strong gross and fine motor skills.

When you mention comparing to your older child... I was that kid who never shut up, who spoke in complete sentences as an infant and read at 3-- so even though I knew that wouldn't mean my kid would be the same, it was a tiny bit out of my comfort zone when I ended up with the kid who didn't do any of that, but was ahead in motor skills milestones instead. I mean, I never learned to ride a bike. You never know what you're gonna get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was a later talker. We started speech therapy at age 2, and also moved him from a nanny into a preschool setting that encouraged him to be social and expressive. He's 11 now. Well above average in math, reading and other subjects. He's just a strong introvert, and saves his words for when he wants to use them. Hates sports and conflict but amazing musician and builder. I wish I had known this about him when he was 2, so that I didn't push him into therapy and an energetic preschool setting that he didn't need.

Sounds a bit like my son who is now 7. I don't think anyone would describe him as super chatty, though he can be sometimes when he gets talking on a subject of strong interest (currently dinosaurs). He's an introvert like me. But he expresses himself quite well when he wants to. He's analytical and practical. He doesn't like talking about feelings. He did some speech therapy in preschool but aged out of it, and he's fine in school now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those with fluid in their ears, what causes this? Is it caused by bath time / swimming and can it be avoided? Sorry if this is a dumb FTM question

A lot of times it is caused by ear infections. I had one kid who never got ear infections as a kid, and another who seemed to get them everytime he got a cold. Many kids get ear tubes put in for this reason. My kid almost got them, but he was on the cusp of the recommendation for them, and then he grew and aged out of it (as kids grow, the ear grows and they stop being so susceptible to infections).

[Anonymous]

My late talker (only a dozen+ words at 2 years, perhaps 2-4 words at 20 months) started speech therapy shorting before turning 2. At now 7, he has persistent articulation problems and his current SLP suspects mild-moderate speech apraxia. He is also hilarious, gregarious and 1 yr+ ahead academically in both reading & math. So I guess that is my roundabout way of saying, it is impossible to diagnose your kid on the internet.

I would start the ball rolling on investigating speech therapy options (including your state infants and toddlers program) and keep an eye on things--I agree though that there can be an explosion in the between 18-24 months. If, by the time you child is closer to 2, there still seems to be a significant delay, it may make sense to start therapy, though in large part the early years are more "training" the parent to assist than necessarily the child.

[Anonymous]

Mine barely babbled, didn’t say Mama until he was 3 (!!!), and had few words for the year after that.

He’s 11, neurotypical, great grades, and is a happy little guy with friends. Still not a big talker, though! And introverted. Thinks carefully before he says anything. The world has enough talkers...

[Anonymous]

My oldest had only 6-7 words at 20 months. He knew some baby sign language and pointed, etc. Our Ped said to watch him until 21 months. Well, right at 21 months he went from 7 words to 50 words almost over night. No speech therapy or anything. In K, the school almost flagged him as needing speech therapy, but he’d improved so much by the second screening, they did not. He’s now in 6th grade with no issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, did your ped express concern about expressive language? Your kid sounds just about on track to me. Only a handful of words are expected at 18 months.

This!

Mine is 21 months now and has many more words than she did at 18 months.

My 5.5 year old was on a similar timeline and won't shut up now.