to think it's unusual for a 20 month old to not be talking?

[alificent]

My niece is 20 months old and doesn't have any words at all. I know all DC are different but I'm sure mine were starting to speak in 2-3 word sentences by this age. My sister thinks she'll just get it one day and hasn't mentioned, nor does she plan to mention, it to her GP or HV. I agree that she will very probably just start talking a bit later but I do think it's worth mentioning to a professional because waiting lists for SALT are so long around here so it does no harm to already be on it.

I've broached it in a non bossy or judgy way but DSIS thinks it's common for children of this age to not be speaking yet.

[Marsquared]

There should be single words by then. Definitely raise it. I say this as a professional. It's better to be over cautious than not.

[Muddlingalongalone]

They do all develop at their own pace but it is unusual to have no words at all at that age.
My Dd2 is nearly 20 months and has moderate hearing loss and wears aids. At her last audiology appt a couple of weeks ago they said 5-20 words was expected level. (she only has 4 and not very clear).
Her SALT referral had a similar indicator.
I think if her uncued understanding is OK then it's
I think all you can do is encourage you dsis to mention it to hv or gp gently if she doesn't see an issue but as with most things if there is an issue the earlier the diagnosis the earlier the intervention

[Northernlurker]

My oldest was like this. As long as your niece appears to understand what's said to her and responds in a non verbal way I wouldn't worry.

[alificent]

She does point and gesture and have good comprehension. Her hearing seems fine but she mainly shrieks and grunts rather than any babbling. She's becoming increasingly frustrated with anyone other than DSIS because she can't communicate with them so I think mentioning it now is worth it.

[Crasterwaves]

I think that is a good plan. You sound like a lovely dsis

[trixymalixy]

At DS's 2 year check he wasn't saying many words. HV wasn't worried at all. Literally the next week he started talking and hasn't stopped since!!

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

A BIL of mine apparently barely uttered until he was 3, when it came out in whole sentences. He had just been listening and taking it all in.
He went on to be awarded a place at Cambridge.

[zad716]

If your sister isn't worried, why mention it? You shouldn't compare your niece to your own kids as some do start talking later for no reason.

DS had few if any words at 2, starting putting 2 words together at 2.5, and then by 3 wouldn't stop. We had his hearing checked which found no problems and his comprehensive was great so it was just a case of him talking when he was ready.

[HesterBlue]

My DS had 6 single words (no 2 word sentences) at 21 months tho he clearly understood everything. His vocabulary increased massively at 23 months and he didn't stop talking after the age of 2! Your DN sounds like she's still in the normal range of late talking, for the next few months at least? x

[Birdsgottafly]

""she mainly shrieks and grunts rather than any babbling.""

The shrieks and grunts are normally a precursor for babbling, or speech. She may not be getting frustrated, because she can't speak, but because she's entering the tantrum stage.

If your DSis acts now, she'll be told that your DN is within normal development.

She'll have all of the necessary checks, in four months.

It's unfair to compare her to your children, though.

[mygorgeousmilo]

No need to worry.... My 3 DC never spoke until well after their second birthdays. Currently - I've just left the room to look at MN because their in depth conversation about dinosaurs and their capabilities became a bit much! Speak to them, read to them, and speech will pop out when it's ready.

[MrPony]

My just gone 2 year old has no words either but I'm not too worried.
Is she babbling? Is she communicating non verbally? ccan she understand words said to her? If she's doing all of that then I would expect she'll get there eventually

[YouAreMySweetestDownfall]

I noticed My ds's speech delay around that time. Hv aranged speech therapy referral when he was about 26months. He's now 3 and doing well. I was sceptical about speech therapy at first as the classes basically seemed to imply we were all ignoring our kids and dumping them infront of the telly all day.... However the classes have proved to be effective and his talking is coming on. I'd push for an early referral.

[Wildberryprincess]

My dc had no words at 18 mo, though clearly could understand a lot and would gesture for things, he was referred to slt. He subsequently want on to become very chatty by 2.5yr but he also was later diagnosed with ASD. No words at 20 mo is a delay and worth following up on in my opinion.

[branofthemist]

Dd was very verbal at 18 months. Ds took loads longer. Was about 3 before we got full sentences.

Normal is a huge range

[MrsMook]

DS had a cluster of words at 18m then stalled for a long time. I raised it with the HVs when his sibling was born. They did a check and said he was in the lower end of the normal range and they weren't concerned. About a year later he had made little progress, and nursey and I flagged it up around the same time. We went back to the HVs who initially didn't think there was a problem, but checks revealed that there were gaps in the language that he had acquired and he did have some SALT intervention which helped him to fill the gaps.

Although my initial concern was raised on the early side, it helped having that first stage logged when I raised further concerns when the problem was more evident. It also helped to get the help to get his language skills ready for school and learning to read.

[2boysnamedR]

My 22 month DD has only got maybe 7 words. No sentences. She has seen a neuro developmental peadiatrician and been reffered to salt and hearing.

So dd is officially off milestones. But we have ASD in the family. My ds is 4.5 and non verbal.

They DO all talk at different times. I'm not personally overly worried about my DD. There is normally more to a developmental delay than just talking. Understanding what you say, interacting, role play etc.

Yes salt waiting lists are long and normally don't offer any therapy.

You can look up attention bucket - if your sil wants any help with starting language. That seems to be the standard offering from nhs salt

[Binkermum29]

Einstein didn't talk until he was 3.

[NarkyKnockers]

Yanbu. It is unusual for a 20 month old to have no words. There will be some who will completely catch up and be talking up a storm a few months later but others will still be struggling. Imo it's better to get on the waiting list for speech as soon as there is a potential problem. Best case is that the child will catch up and the appt can be cancelled. Worst case is that you wait and they are still not speaking a year down the line and then have to join a waiting list up to a year long before the child can get any intervention. As it's not your child op you can only give your advice but I would certainly gently broach the subject if it was a relative or friend of mine.

[1lov3comps]

DS is 26 months and has about 5 words, none of which I'm even sure I can count as words because they include 'wow' and 'wahoo'
He had a 2 year check up and HV not concerned in the slightest. She said once they are babbling/making noise when playing then that's fine. He's on a waiting list for speech therapy but that's only because it's a 4-6 month waiting list and she said that you wouldn't want a situation where he was 2.5 and only joining list then. She said more than half of people don't take up appt when it's offered because the children have come along so far in the time waiting for the appt so I don't think it's a big deal about your niece...

[Clandestino]

My introverted DH started talking when he was 4. As he explained, he only had to point and his parents did everything he wanted. When they stopped, on advice of the GP, suddenly he found his voice.

[honeylulu]

Is she quite well advanced physically? I've heard some children will tend to focus on physical before verbal and others vice versa but tend to even out equally by school age.

[calamityjam]

Honeylulu, I was going to say the same thing. Ds1 spoke in complex sentences at 18 months, people used to stare as if to say "Did that just come out of his mouth" However, he didn't walk until about 15 months old. My friends ds, who was exactly the same age walked at 8 months but was completely non verbal at 20 months. They are both 20 years old now and both have done similarly well in life. Dp didn't speak a word until after he was 3 and can talk utter bollocks just fine now. As a nursery nurse, I saw a lot of variation with regards to speech and the only children who we had concerns about had other issues, such as no eye contact, lack of understanding simple instructions such as pass me your cup. Also these children tended to not play with toys so much a to bang them against things repeatedly. If your Dn is developing well otherwise, I think waiting a bit longer will give you a better picture.