2 year old son not verbally communicating

[Aneel786]

Hello,

Just need some help. My son has just hit two and he is not verbally communicating or doesn’t even attempt to. Also when calling him it’s really hard to get his attention or get him to follow basic instructions unless we mention something like game or cartoon then he responds almost immediately. He recently started hold my hand and drag me towards what he wants done but again doesn’t verbally communicate.

When we show him objects,colours,shapes he can name most of them. He can Also count to 1-15 and knows the whole alphabet. I believe he has learnt this through the cartoons he watches which I do admit, he does watch alot.

I was wondering is anyone had had the same experience with a 2 year old? Should I be worried?

Thanks

You need to ring the Gp and ask for a referral for a hearing test and referral to speech and language therapy. You should also ask if he need to see a developmental paediatrician.

I’m confused by you saying he can count and knows the alphabet but also saying he doesn’t verbally communicate. What do you mean?

He can verbalise but not for communication

Health visitor first. Start reading like mad with him too.

My son was like this, he could say all the colours, numbers and letters. But never used words for meaningful communication.

Do you read him stories? We have them breakfast, before nap and at bedtime. Try splat the cat.

He counts and says the alphabet himself. But doesn’t verbally communicate. When he does need things down at times he will just drag our hand to do the task.

Children all develop at different stages. I would initially make an appointment with the Health Visitor and discuss your concerns. She can then do a referral to speech and possibly the child development clinic if needed (which it may not be).

My ds was like that. Was diagnosed with autism when he was 5. His speech has improved since but it is frustrating. Does he make eye contact? Could you teach him some sign language? Try pictograms. Theres a free program called pictogrammer you can download. Also try reading how to talk so kids will listen. Ds resonds very well to information and can work out what he needs to do eg I didnt hear the toilet flush.

Strictly I was trying to be tactful. While there are some indicators of autism it doesn’t mean the child has it. Baby steps and start with the health visitor and reading, limit screen time etc. Google ‘any time is chatting time’.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=zyp48MnYoAI

My DS was was like that at 2 he's nearly 3 now and it's much improved.

He was referred to speech and language which were just at the start of going through however in the past weeks he has started to ask for things instead of dragging me around. I can see an improvement everyday now, I'm now pretty sure by the time they need him the referral might be closed

My son also has autism, he presented much like OPs DS at that age. He’s 11 now and his functional language skills are roughly age appropriate. Early SALT interventions helped massively as did the lovely Portage worker we were assigned.

We don’t read stories but we do go through a book with images of objects

When he enjoys a activity he does give eye contact. Only when he is not interested he doesn’t

Do HV still do 2 year checks? If so you can voice your concerns, they may say they have a ‘wait and see’ policy. Don’t accept this. If you feel he needs assessment then push for it. Early intervention helps massively.

It may be nothing. My son was the same at that age, but soon started talking when his baby sister was born when he was almost 3. I think he thought he ought not to be baby like any more! At nursery/reception they were a little worried about him, and after a raft of tests concluded that he was lazy!
He soon perked up, did OK in school and has a good job now.

Agree with others that you should read stories with him. Lots of lovely books at bed time.

Maybe look at the Hanen More Than Words programme. It might help you to help him communicate. It is designed for children with ASD but I'm not in any way suggesting your child is on the spectrum; the advice holds true for helping a lot of children with language development.
Id maybe check with your health visitor also though, see does he need referral to sppech language therapy.

Also what everyone else said about reading. It's so important in language development.

My son was also like that and he's now three next month and has improved massively. Keep talking to him.

Also they learn a lot through play, for example, say things like "look the red bus is going over the bump, the green train is really fast" etc.

Thank you everyone for responding, I really appreciate it. I will definitely speak to the health worker and gain a professional opinion. I will definitely take up the advice and read to him. Thank you again.

Hi,

My ds (25 months) is also showing similar symptoms almost identical...did you manage to get him seen to if so what did the drs say? (If you don’t mind me asking).

We are in the unfortunate position of waiting to see the paed due to Covid we had an initial discussion and he was referred for an assessment and appointment but have been told waiting times could be almost a year

Sorry to bring this post back up but just felt so close to what I’m experiencing.....