5 words at 2 years old

[allthecarbs]

My ds only has 5 clearish words, I've just read he should have 50!
He can say ow, no, yeah, juice (still more of a sound) and a hello sound.

He has a bedtime story every night, we attempt to read books during the day but he's not too interested. We're always chatting with him and asking him things but I think we've fallen in to the trap of understanding his little ways of communication too much so he doesn't have a big need to talk.
He understands everything we say and follows instructions. I think he's just not bothered about talking, he's quite happy being quiet.

So should I be worried? What else can we do to encourage him?

[NickyEds]

Has he just turned 2 or nearer 3? My ds had very few words at almost 2 (similar to your ds) and we took him to a SALT drop in session, he's had several assessments and a hearing test since then (he's 2.8 now). He now has 70 or so words but they can be quite unclear so we are continuing with some SALT sessions.

[bomfunk]

Mine is 2.3 and has 3. 'Yeah' 'na' or 'no' (Welsh and English), and 'there'. His communication is AMAZING - he get across what he wants or needs perfectly, but no bloody words. His comprehension is very good too - can follow complex Instructions. Hearing fine: watching with interest.

[Lottapianos]

Hi OP, I would recommend a referral to speech and language therapy (I'm a SLT). You can attend a SLT drop-in session if they have them in a Health Centre or Children's Centre near you, or speak to your Health Visitor to request a referral. Waiting times for an assessment can be several months (or more) so I would arrange it asap. Has he had a hearing test?

Talking to him is great, but try to avoid asking questions like 'what's this?' 'what colour is it?' etc as they won't help him to learn. Add 1-2 word at a time so you're modelling vocabulary all the time, but don't expect anything back from him. Spend time (5-10 minutes is fine) playing with him every day - join in with what he is doing and talk about what you're doing.

[Missgraeme]

Do u watch Mr Tumble together? My ds is 2 next month and says loads of words but has fun signing too. He says the words while doing the sign - seems very chuffed he can do both! Maybe a way to get him along a bit?

[FurryGiraffe]

Mine has about 20 at 2 years. By 2 years 4 months you couldn't shut him up. HV told me that understanding is the key thing. So not necessarily cause for concern but talk to the HV at your two year check if you're worried.

[ThatsWotSheSaid]

50 words and the beginnings of some small combinations such as 'mummy gone' 'more drink' etc is the benchmark they use for SALT services. There is a HUGE difference in this milestone though and some babies will be talking at 9 months and some don't really pick it up till they are two. It mostly doesn't make a difference to where they end up (No one will say 'well he's 25 but he talks like a 24 year old). :)
Look up some early speech and language development strategies in Google thats probably all a SALT would offer for now. Do you have any other concerns? Does his learning in other areas seem okay? Has he had a two year check?

[allthecarbs]

He's 26 months so still very young I guess.

[digitalpaintartist]

I have a DS who turns 2 on Friday. Not a single clear word from him referred to SALT and have been told to wait for hearing assessment and him to start at pre school. Not very helpful so I'll watch this thread with interest.

[allthecarbs]

Sorry I didn't see all those replies.

He hasn't had his 2 year check yet so I will chase that up. Although you don't get tons of support from the HV in this area, they mostly tick you off the list if you seem nice enough.

The signing sounds good. We don't watch it but I will record some now. He's an intelligent little thing so I think he would like it.

With regards to not asking him questions, is it ok to say what things are as I give them to him? A friend who works in a nursery said this is what they do. Eg "look at that red balloon! Here is your blue cup" with emphasis on the item and colour.

[allthecarbs]

He had a hearing check as a newborn but they struggled to do it because he cried over it. It was checked off as normal in the end.
If I whisper sweeties he will come running!

[Lottapianos]

'With regards to not asking him questions, is it ok to say what things are as I give them to him?

Most definitely! Much better to name the thing you give him - 'drink', 'shoes', 'teddy' etc - than to say 'there you go' or 'have this one'. He's learning his words from you and the other adults around him so commenting and naming things for him is really important. Just don't ask or expect him to repeat the words after you

[NickyEds]

Just as Lotta says saying the names/colours/sizes of objects is fine, as is giving a choice (so "milk or water" holding up one of each perhaps) but not what I was doing- "what's this?", "ds say it!" "what do you say ds?". I was just so desperate for hi to start speaking that I was constantly 'testing' the poor little mite. He has moved on a lot in the last two months and that has helped me relax a bit, I was very worried 6 months ago.

[HornyTortoise]

we have hiya, yes, no , nono (dummy...), mam, dad and , whats that

He has just turned 2

DD had a speech delay and still doesn't talk properly at nearly 4..starting to think it must be something I am doing wrong rather than just one of those things.

[seefeld]

I would recommend the book Small Talk by Nicola Lathey. It really helped me communicate better with my 2yo DS and encourage him to start talking.

[ThatsWotSheSaid]

HornyTorroise of course it's nothing that you are doing wrong. I bet with having done it all the first time your doing all the right things for your second.

[strawberrybubblegum]

The guideline with questions is not to ask anything you already know the answer to. So asking which they would prefer is perfect, but testing whether they know something is best avoided (tempting though it is!).

Another guideline is to keep your sentences just a few words longer than theirs. So since your DC is still on single words, you should limit yourself to 2 or 3 and go for lots of repetition. Eg rather than 'look at that red balloon' (where the word balloon can get lost) just say 'balloon! Red balloon!' (waving it at him) "Here. Balloon' (handing it over). Once he moves on to combining words, you can lengthen your phrases too, eg 'here's a balloon! The balloon is red. So pretty. Would you like the balloon?' It does feel a bit strange to start with, but soon feels natural.

The final things are:

1. not to correct when they get words wrong. Just model the correct word. So even if he says the wrong word, say 'yes! that's a ' with enthusiasm
   

1. And finally, to listen really carefully to any attempts he makes to vocalise, and always respond with enthusiasm as above. The main way they learn language is from how we respond to what they say, rather than just by listening to us.

[NickyEds]

Yes, ds has come on since he named me(bubby)! Now he can order me about! He really seem to love the fact that he can say 'ore eeese bubby' (more please mummy) and he gets more. We're so excited still when he talks that he does tend to get things he's specifically asked for hence after 'daddy' and 'car' his next two words were 'choc oc' and 'cake'.

[strawberrybubblegum]

at NickyEds. Arguably the two most important words in the English language.