Getting myself in a state about 2yo speech delay

Op don't stress just try and use stragety.

Hey OP,
I saw your reply about glue ear. My son had it in both ears and had same issues as your son. He was seen by SALT and they said until grommets are done there's not much more they can do as the sounds are all muffled etc so no progress can be made. My son couldn't speak or hear and then ended up with repetitive ear infections from age 2-3. In the end he was having ear infections every week that antibiotics didn't stop.
He had grommets done and adenoids out at 3 1/2yrs old privately after the NHS well and truly screwed us over with every excuse in the book they could think of and delay after delay.
As soon as my son had his surgery he could instantly hear and smell and taste properly so it was extremely overwhelming for him. Some noises even now are. A year on his speech has basically caught up and now he is obsessed with numberblocks, alphablocks and starting school next week.
Keep pushing for help for him. Youre doing amazing. I had a newborn going through all this with my son and hormones definitely didn't help but keep going. You're doing a fab job and be kind to yourself 🫂

NHS advice on helping your child to talk is to aim to not use a dummy after age 12m: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/play-and-learning/help-your-baby-learn-to-talk/ so definitely stop that. Otherwise just make sure you talk to him most of the time you're together (even if it's just "look there's a yellow bus", "shall we go to the library?", ie don't spend all your time on your phone - sure you don't but it's noticeable how parents talk less to their kids these days due to phones. What about singing? Can you get him to join in with some nursery rhymes etc, whether it's at home or at something like RhymeTime - some kids will sing more words than they will say.

DS hardly talked until his sister started school when he was 2.5 (she talked a lot and so he didn't get much chance!) but when he did, he went from almost nothing to full sentences immediately. (Unfortunately he has selective mutism, so speaking outside the home is a constant issue, but that's anxiety causing him not to be able to speak rather than a physical or intellectual reason.)

*didn’t 😱

My eldest didn't speak till 3 except maybe , 5 words
2nd from young
3rd from really young but not clear
4th 2.5

*shuts

My son was a late talker. He just listened to everything. He never shouts up now so don’t panic. He don’t really start speaking much until almost three.

amzn.eu/d/cfUTxM2

This one! He absolutely loves it and even plays with it independently of us at times.

Oh yes, I remember goggling how to teach your child to suck through a straw! Great website - otmum if I remember correctly.

my dd was like this 30 years ago in her case it likely was verbal dysphraxia but doesn't stop her talking now lol and she is now a primary school teacher! He will be fine I know easier said than done but try not to worry she had problems sucking through a straw and delayed sound whistling etc etc but she got there in the endx

Can I give you another story about a late talker / slow developer? He's now 11 and oh my God he does not stop!!!! Lots of input from Speech and Language over the years including sound production (which was awful) but totally fine now except a slight issue with l in the middle of words.

I've been where you are and know what it's like. Please don't completely panic, hard as it is, because it's amazing what can be done through early identification and intervention.

Wishing you and your dc all the best.

Does he make animal sounds? So many kids I met who were just a bit delayed didn't speak but they did all seem to make animal sounds.

I'm not an expert at all but my son was one of those who hardly spoke until maybe 2 1/2. I looked at a video at his 2nd birthday recently where he is just pointing to things. Meanwhile my daughter exploded in her speech just ahead of 2 and 1 month after 2 puts words together. It could be something if your speech therapist is concerned but do try to keep in mind there's no point really worrying when he's still just a little way past his 2nd birthday and it's relatively common for them not to be talking then. You might have more cause when you know it is a problem (maybe very close to 3 from what I've experienced since they mostly all are talking by then).

My son (2ys 6mths) also had glue ear that cleared. Only I got told it very much impacted his speech because until it cleared he couldn't make "sharper" sounds because he simply couldn't hear them as he was growing. Which in my mind is obvious as it's during those first 2 years they are listening and picking up speech so if your DS couldn't hear properly for glue ear then of course it impacted his speech! It's odd they would say differently for your DS.

Our boy is on a speech and language course through the health visiting service in line with nursery. At home he have some large picture cards and try and sit with him and go through them, only 4 at a time til he gets them. I also bought small ones with a little device he can put them in himself and it's speaks the words out loud to him (I'll find it and link it here).

Remember, he will be learning almost from scratch if he couldn't hear properly before. It will take time but with therapy and help at home he will get there. Patience and persistence is key.

I remember being in your shoes and not being able to imagine hearing DS say a sentence. He got there in his own time though. What he needed was practice but because we (and nursery) were putting well-meaning pressure on him to speak, he just clammed up and would go for weeks without saying anything.

Two things helped - learning some simple poems/books by heart (Bear Hunt and Gruffalo were two favourites) because he was happier just speaking the words to himself or acting out the poems with his toys and also starting school. Being in a new environment with no expectations on him and nobody who had been trying to get him to speak for the last year allowed him to become his own person and find his voice.

Are you speaking two languages at home.
Bilingual children are late speakers.

Does he have a dummy or suck his thumb? That can cause weaker mouth muscles

Have you had his hearing checked?

Even if you think it's fine, it might be worth double checking. I imagine at that age the GP will be more than happy to refer based on the speech delay (DD2 was referred at about 22 months because she had no words).