To think WTF? Speech development

[starfishcoffee]

DS is 14 months. This is pretty petty and could be meaningless but something the HV said has stuck in my head and I'm wondering if there's any truth in it or if it's utter crap.

In May DS had his 1 year check. The HV was happy with him, told me to keep an eye on his "talking" and that by 14 months he should be putting together 2-3 word sentences and to watch for delayed speech. Is that true?

DS spends most of his time chatting away, but I've no idea what he's saying. He says 'Dada', and 'no' but only after I've said it - so repeating what I say. He's been walking since April, he waves, high fives, kisses etc. so I've never felt there's an issue but the comment about his speech won't leave my conscious.

Absolute bollocks - and I’m married to a speech therapist!

A paediatric speech therapist that is!

No it's a load of rubbish , I would expect a 2 year old to be doing that maybe but not a 14 month old

If that’s true then my child and every child I’ve come across is severely delayed! Have you looked it up? I’d say they start saying a handful of words from 1 and at 2 put words together into sentences

That sounds like nonsense to me! My DS (17 months) has only in the last few weeks started saying identifiable words: mama, nana, dadad (grandad), and simple things like moo for the cow, door etc etc. He is constantly "chatting" but mostly incomprehensible, and is ages away from 2-3 word sentences! His nursery worker says he is spot on for his age with speech.

Use lots of conversation around him.
‘Turn take’ with him in a conversation even if he doesn’t reply
Narrate what he might be thinking (oh so you’re thirsty and you are drinking your water, I see, well it is very hot isn’t it!)
Get rid of the dummy as soon as you can (sorry, I know this one is hard)
Sit him down and read to him
Don’t be too quick to respond to him when he wants something, what I mean is you will be very attuned to what he needs or wants, but instead try to make him ask for it eg milk, rather than just going to get the milk.

At her 2 year check DD1 had five words. They were only slightly worried. That was bottom end of the 'normal' range apparently.

Dd could at 12 months, ds not till at least 24 months. Can’t shut him up now.

One of mine was doing proper sentences at 14 months, the other wasn't using a single word. Both of them were fine. They're older now with clear speech and good vocabulary.
At most it's an average stage but that doesn't mean that every child who isn't exactly average is 'wrong'.

I’ve never known a 14mo to put 2-3 words together. The longest words my 17mo does is “I do” “Hank ooo” (thank you), buhbye, and can say about 15 words but not all correctly. At 14months it was just mumma, dadda, “og” when he saw a dog and his sisters name

At 14 months most babies are producing 0-10 words and not putting any together. And I wrote the academic paper to show this, so I know.

HV is talking nonsense so ignore. Just keep chatting to your baby.

Not my experience at all. My children are very good communicators now!

My daughter was a very good talker when she was one and could speak in short sentences but she wasn't walking for ages. My friend's son didn't start taking in proper sentences until he was 3 but was walking at 9 months, her HV wasn't overly concerned. They are all different. It's absolutely nothing to worry about, the HV is talking crap.

When I was fostering I took a little girl for an 18 month check. The HV showed her a picture in a ladybird book, pointed at the taps on a bath and said, "What's this, F?" F got very excited and said "Ooh! bath! duck! splash!". The HV looked at me very disdainfully, and said "Doesn't she know what a tap is?"

Absolute rubbish. I’m in a FB group who all have kids turning 2 around now and loads are still barely saying anything. My daughter learned about 10 words over the space of about a week when she was 13 months, then stopped saying them all until she was about 18 months but didn’t start saying any more than 10 until about 21 months. 2 word sentences started at 23 months. I know she’s nowhere near what some children are saying at her age, but she is ahead of lots of little ones her age. So 2-3 words at 14 months to be ‘expected’ is absurd.

I had this at 1 year check as DS only saying a couple of words, I explained my oldest was same and is usual in bilingual children but she would have none of it. She called me back after 2 months and I lied and told her he had caught up. He's now 3 and speaks very well, I think 1 is too young to be making much of a judgment on language.

This reminds me of when my mum took me in for a development check when I was a kid. Apparently the health visitor or whoever it was had made some snidey comments about my lack of ability/interest to build a tower of blocks. My poor mum was feeling terrible. She then moved on to a book, where she pointed at things and I had to name them. She opened the page of birds and waited for me to say 'bird'. I paused for a moment and then pointed and said 'blackbird, robin, sparrow..' Apparently she shut the book abruptly and said 'That's enough of that'

@81Byerley that’s equally cute and maddening at the same time. I can put it in the context of her communicating badly (she could have laughed and said ‘well I meant the taps but yes well done!) but I somehow think that was probably a less lighthearted exchange.

I think health visitors have a hard job when it comes to child protection or supporting families with difficulties but I will never understand how some of them never seem to take the opportunity to enjoy the babies and toddlers when it arises. You’d think they’d get some pleasure from it.

OP don’t worry, your ds sounds completely normal to me. I will say though, I’ve watched videos back from when dd was younger and I can clearly hear her saying words that I wasn’t catching at the time. I think my ear has become more attuned to her the more she’s spoken.

Utter bullshit. What the heck is this person talking about!? If a child is able to talk in 2 word sentences at 14 months, it'd be very advanced.

My dd could string a short sentence (2/3 words) by 12 months but she was unusually fast and we knew this - my son started at about 2 (2/3 word sentences) my nephew didn’t speak until he was 3.

Agreeing that it's crap. DD(5) didn't have many words until she was 18 months, then I swear she woke up one morning talking in full sentences. She hasn't stopped chatting since, has a wide vocab and has been reading fluently since before she started school. DS is just 1 and has no proper words, just mama, dada and baba, none of which mean anything. He'll get there!

Don't worry OP, your DS has plenty of time!

@Celebelly apparently when I was little a lady at the doctors surgery said to me, “what do you call your bunny dear?” I very seriously replied “Rabbit” 🤣

In May DS had his 1 year check. The HV was happy with him, told me to keep an eye on his "talking" and that by 14 months he should be putting together 2-3 word sentences and to watch for delayed speech. Is that true?

It is utter crap, as you said. Your HV is definitely in need of some retraining! She should not be going around putting these ideas into parents' heads. 2-3 word sentences are more normal around 2 - so 24 months. But even if they are not doing it then, I don't think there is anything to worry about.

At most it's an average stage but that doesn't mean that every child who isn't exactly average is 'wrong'.

But it isn't average - it would be very advanced!