2 year old- no words!

[Pieface123]

DS turned 2 in July, no words yet!

He responds to his name (most of the time anyway!)
I've been reading some zombie threads and posters there say their non verbal 2 year olds respond to more instructions or other words, DS is happy in his own world most of the time and doesn't tend to respond to most instructions at all.

Trying to book an appointment with the GP atm for him, but not sure of where to go from there or what to ask for at GP!

The only thing he does 'say' is "mum" and its not as a clear cut word really, more of a sound if you see what I mean.

Does anyone else have any positive stories of their non verbal 2 year olds who have gone on to talk without need for any speech therapy or with??

My then two year old ‘only’ said two words... I remember it clearly as he started nursery when 2 and I remember telling them. He did understand well though and respond to what I said. He’s now 4 and talks well.

I think a GP app is a good idea and they can signpost you to support. Does your son attend a nursery or anything- have they mentioned it?

He went to a childminders twice a week before lockdown, playgroups and things like that. But he was barely 1 and a half then so a bit less of a concern.

I imagine they'll test his hearing first, at least that's what I'd suggest pushing for if he isn't responding when you talk.

We thought it could be hearing related at first, but he's got loads of noisy toys and he has no trouble hearing any of them, he loves ones with buttons that make noises and if you find his toy remote and press the buttons he'll come running no matter where he is in the house!
No trouble hearing that :p

Your son will have his 2 year development review soon(if you are in the UK). At this review things like speech and language will be assessed and referrals made if needed. If you wish to have the review sooner rather than later I would suggest calling your Health Visitor as I was in a similar situation with my daughter and the GP just told me to wait for the review.

He should be due his 2 year check, definitely suggest a speech referral-waiting lists are long so it's better to get him in the system now!

How is his understanding? Can he follow instructions? For example "go and get your shoes" "give me the car".

Will he point to an aeroplane flying in the sky? Or to show you something he wants?

Will he make animal noises or point to his eyes/ears/nose on request.

My eldest didn't really talk until 3, he's 4.5 now and can occasion be difficult to understand but has a vast vocabulary and speaks in beautiful sentences, he is actually very articulate.

He is under the paediatrician and speech therapist and is undergoing assessment for possible asd but he's doing great! He copes well in different situations and is broadly where he should be (advanced in maths) so I'm viewing as supporting him to be the best he can be!

I'm not saying your child has asd so please don't focus on that part of my post btw!

My youngest is 2.5 and the contrast in his understanding, talking and behaviour compared to what my first was like is massive! He was putting 2 words together at 2, started saying more single words (other than mamma, daddy etc) and doing animal noises around 16/17 months.

At 2.5 we can have simple conversations, he speaks in sentences (eg "I put my shoes on I'm going to the shop"), will ask questions ("mammy you finished in the shower?" "Where has daddy gone?" Etc) and can answer questions appropriately ("what would like for dinner?" "Sausages and chips please", "what do you want to play on at the park? "I play on the swings and slide").

Speech therapy is not a bad thing at all op, urs amazing and nothing to be worried about.

He is also still very little and developmentally he might just suddenly start chatting away!

Try not to worry too much (it's hard I know I posted about my eldest so you may well have read one of my zombie threads!)!

Definitely chat with your health visitor at the 2 year check, try not to compare him with other children and also lockdown may well have had an impact with no childminder or other children.

He needs hearing test regardless of his hyper hearing you need to check
M CHAT assessment
Referral to speech therapy for assessment
Do signs with him mr tumble makaton
Use photos for him to point to
Give clear choices juice or milk? Toast or cheese?

It's good you're trying to get him checked out, but at the same time, try not to worry.

I think many children are going to be slower talkers after being home so much.

Talk to him SS much as you can & read books with him

You asked for stories...

My Godson didn't talk at all (Like your DS, he had a Couple of sounds for his parents & sister, but they weren't words) His first word when he was almost 3 was 'train' and he went from that to full sentences about a week later. It was like he was storing it all up until he had something worth saying!!

Until he got to 14 he didn't shut up 🤣 the most long & convoluted stories you've ever heard! But obviously once he hit 'teen' he's turned into a 'grunting' shape in the kitchen! On the odd occasion he exits his room🤣

Look at
ican.org.uk/

Maybe he will suddenly spesk but you should not wait to get the appojntments rolling. You can always cancel them but get on the wait lists now

Dd had no words until nearly 3. I was soooooo worried. Pestered HV and she had 6 weeks of speech therapy which involved just dd and myself under the supervision of therapist just playing opposite each other with a toy like a dollhouse, next week a garage, the week after a farm etc and the play involved one word interaction for example dd would pick up the farmer and I would say "farmer" dd would pick up a dog and I would say "dog" with the idea being not to over load on words.
Eventually we would increase words to "man is climbing" " dolly is sad"
I found it really helpful and would do this one to one play every day for an hour.

So long as family caregivers have been talking to the child during lockdown they will not be hindered. Toddlers pick up speech from caregivers. If you have been communicating with and playing with your baby and toddler during lockdown they will learn from you.

It s the left in a room for hours with no interaction toddlers who wont learn or will be hampered... i dont think lockdown children by and large have been left alone for hours....

You need to ask the GP for a referral for a hearing test and to SaLT.

My son went to school when he had just turned 4 and was not speaking in sentences. His speech is quite good now with just a few pronunciation issues and occasional grammar mistakes. There is not much speech therapy going on atm. At this age the speech therapist will just show you how to play and interact with your child if you do get to see one. Look up some online videos. I thought my son was autistic at one point but it was never mentioned by the professionals.

For every my child didnt speak til 4 and is fine there is another one who needed therapy. There is no shame in that. Seek the help.

Hi OP, I'm a Speech & Language Therapist. Does your child make symbolic noises during play eg. Moo for a cow, woof for a dog etc? In terms of understanding instructions, if you asked him to get his shoes, would he be able to do that? We don't see children under 2:6 at our Drop In sessions as development of speech between 2 and 2 and a half can be immense. Feel free to DM me if you would like some strategies and advice.

He turns 5 this month.

I’ve been in your shoes and one piece of advice I’d give is don’t listen to the dozens of people who will say “don’t worry, he’s a boy, boys are late talkers, they’re lazy, one day he’ll wake up talking in complete sentences, just you wait!”

I was so desperate for my son not to have anything wrong with him (as in autism) I delayed getting the right help and support because I was just waiting for him to catch up. And he didn’t catch up. So if you get offered a paed appointment, don’t refuse it. Take up the hearing test and speech therapy too.

Speech therapy in my area is beyond dire but thankfully my son’s speech did improve with no SALT input. He started to make real progress after he turned 3. He has a great vocabulary now aged 5 but does struggle with some letter sounds and occasionally says things that are unintelligible to even me (and I’m the one who can understand him the most).

He is autistic and I wish I could go back and reassure myself that it wasn’t something to fear, but actually I needed to go on a journey of acceptance (as silly as that may sound) so that would have been pointless. He is brilliant and super smart and I honestly wouldn’t change him.

All my sons speech therapy has been cancelled with no sign of it restarting because of covid. That’s the reality atm.

@Embracelife

For every my child didnt speak til 4 and is fine there is another one who needed therapy. There is no shame in that. Seek the help.

Jesus no one said there was any shame in it (no idea where you even got that daft idea from) and the OP is trying to get him seen! She asked for reassurance in the meantime.

Calm down.

Stairway obviously don't know where you live, but I'm an NHS Therapist and our Trust is delivering teletherapy. I am seeing around 4 children a day and it's working pretty well for most. Obviously won't suit all children, but better than nothing for many. Most private practices are delivering teletherapy and some have adapted for face to face too.

I wish I pushed sooner with my DD. She was on the books for SALT from the age of two, but beyond testing her hearing at assessing every few months, nothing much was done. It wasn't until she started school and her teacher pushed it too we actually got progress (according to preschool she just had an overly anxious mother).

She's 9 now. She can speak. It's all coherent. She's quiet, but that's mainly her nature (she lacks any confidence in her own abilities). But school would have been a lot easier if she had had proper help at nursery/preschool age.

Your HV is a good place to start. My DS was the same at 18 months and had some red flags for poss ASD. HV got me a referral to SALT, who gave me some great advice during lockdown. DS literally started talking this month (at 2.2) and has about 20 words now.

Every child is different and if I was in your shoes, I’d definitely seek advice. HV and SALT said early intervention is vital.

Look up tips op to get him going, there is stuff you can do, as Donna, mentioned to get him going.
Simple words. If you have farm. Farm. Cow.
Cow in field. Cow on table, cow under table.

Make sure he can see your mouth and speak slowly.
Talk to him, ask him question.
Milk or juice? Repeat. Make him say which one, if he points... Milk... You want milk...

This is milk etc!
Talk all the time about everything.

Make time to sit and get to his level. Train. Train... Choo choo

Etc.

Good Luck, don't hang around waiting.
Note down any sounds he makes... Any words at all....

Always try and make him talk with offering choices. Esp around food. Clothes maybe...

Red top? Green top? You want the red top?

My dd had slight speech delay and we had some sessions but looking back nursery dropped the ball. I remember standing trying to explain the tips the speech lady gave us and the bored young girls eyes glazed over and she just kept saying '' nows she's at nursery it will come ''

Dd had been to loads of toddler groups, nct pals etc. Looking back I should have pushed this further and spoken to someone higher up. Anyway!! Good luck op.

How does he communicate with you if he needs something?
Does he point at what he wants, such as a drink or biscuit?
Does he get frustrated a lot and tantrum if he can't communicate with you?
I second getting referrals for hearing test, speech and language, and a communication assessment. Go to your go and don't leave the appointment until you have the referrals.