15 month old speech delay

[tholeon]

Hi

My 15 month old hasn't got any real words at all. He is very social, and communicates a lot in other ways: always pulling me to what he wants, etc. And he understands a lot: 'put the book back', 'get the nappy please' etc. He was an early walker and is very good at all the physical stuff. But he doesn't even say Mummy...

What do you all think? Any good ways of encouraging actual words? I do think he is ok really but I've read stuff which says he should have a few words by now..

DS only had a hanful of words at 2, was consiered to be just delayed enough to have SALT at 2.5 which I asked to hold until he was 3. At three he started talking better and now at nearly 5 he is one of the most expressive (verbally) children in his year.

Of course you worry but you have no need to at this stage.

Thnaks for the replies, I will try not to worry too much!

In all honestly there is probably not a problem.

BUT, you know him best and if you are remotely niggled by this you need to ask for a hearing check and get this on the HV's radar.

thedudesmummy - what are the other traits along with the lack of speech?
My 2 year old doesn't say anything beyond mum mum and that's not in context or frequent.

a main thing to look for is pointing - lack of pointing by 18 months is a bit of a red flag.

He points and makes himself clear as to what he wants and he (mostly) understands what you ask hin to do.
Still a ittle worried tho'.

pointing is very good.

Honestly at this age I really really wouldn't worry. Try not to compare to other children either - they really do develop at very different rates. At age 2 ds2 had no words at all. He's fine now at 4.4, still a bit 'babyish' in speech, but SO much further on than he was, and I'm not really worried about him now. He is coping fine at school.

Get the hearing checked, if you want to ask the HV for a referral for SALT, you can get onto the lists, but bear in mind there is a very long waiting list, and probably all they will do is to recommend a hearing test, give you an assessment and then say you can have a further appointment in 9-12 months, so that progress can be assessed. They also consider that non-intervention in speech has best outcomes.

I honestly wouldn't even consider applying the term 'speech delay' at 15 months - only my dd was talking at this age, neither ds1 nor ds2 had ANY words at all. Understanding is good, that would suggest his language is fine.

Just to add, the best best thing you can do is talk loads, use picture books, talk about what you can see, copy sounds they make, sing lots, try singing a line and missing off the last word...."Twinkle Twinkle Little ......" and encourage them to fill in the gap. Build up sentences - Look. Duck. A duck. The Duck is on the Pond. The Duck is Swimming on the Pond. Boy. Boy and Girl. The Boy and the Girl are Feeding the Duck. Feeding the Duck on the Pond. etc etc. It will drive you nuts, and you have to be careful not to talk to adults like that!!!

Understanding and speech are entirely different elements of communication. It is not too early to have a speech delay at 15 months.

Words themselves aren't a concern at this age, but the crucial thing is whether your DS is babbling well? Lots of vowel sounds initially, then some consonants. If he isn't using recognisable words, but is babbling, with a nice varied tone and clear sounds, then I would agree with previous posters that you shouldn't be too concerned.

However, if he is not babbling at all, or only uses one or two sounds, then get a referral to SALT.

DD1 only had two sounds at 8 months. It was monitored, but ignored because she had improved mildly by 10 months. Now, at 4.9, she is delayed by over a year, and attends a special school. She has a brain malformation, missed until she was 2.9 because nothing was taken seriously until preschool waved a massive red flag when she joined.

I am NOT saying your child has SN but if he has any delay, it is worth getting it checked now, because a little input at an early age is worth months of input later.

Also, you could do makaton signing. My DD3 is 17 months old, and has lots of signs because she sees me doing it with DD1, and watches Something Special. It supports speech development really well, and encourages it.

thanks all, he has started saying 'dare' when he points to things, which I am taking to mean 'there'...and therefore be his first word. Am hoping that counts...

He does babble and make lots of different sounds, so I think he is ok really, was just having a paranoid moment when I posted.

My DS does not point but he does babble, all the time. He is constantly saying mama, dada, baba, oh and ooh, and blowing raspberries. Just not necessarily in context. My DH took him to the weighing clinic this week and spoke to the HV there. She didn't seem too worried and said revisit at 18 mths and see. I am actually starting to get a bit panicky. He doesn't point or wave, but does copy othe gestures such as banging on a drum or turning pages of a book.

Ps he also laughs and smiles, runs away and hides as a game, and says googly googly google.

Ps he also laughs and smiles, runs away and hides as a game, and says googly googly google.

Look, put it this way.. if he had a rash or a temperature, however insignifcant, you would have it checked out.

Do the same with this.

My DS had a slight speech delay at around 18 months. Has a pronounced speech delay at 2.5MO. Not terrible, GP keeps telling me it's not a problem, but we see a (private) SALT anyway and (I believe) helps loads. He wouldn't (again, IMHO) have made the progress he has made without her.

Your child. Your call. But, it's better (IMHO) to be told there is not a problem than to wait for a late diagnosis.

2.5 YEARS old

DH keeps telling me I am overreacting and not to worry, I have agreed to wait to 18mths but if am still at all worried then, will go to a SALT (privately, it is covered by my health insurance). I will be keeping a very close eye on this. Lougle, he is babbling with very clear sounds, words even, just not in context, and loads of inflection and varied tone.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but check your cover... YOu will find you are almost certainly NOT covered for a SALT if it's a speech delay.

I know my DS private healthcare doesn't cover him for that.
I would still recommend you see a SALT.

Hello Tholeon hope you're ok :) (I think you'll figure out who I am by my user name ). If not send me a PM & I'll enlighten you... Great to see you on MN!

I wouldn't worry about your DS. Boys tend to speak a bit later on average than girls, for some reason. And also, the main thing is whether your DS communicates & is social- which he does & he is!- so that's what counts. Children have a very different rate of starting to speak, in any case... But if I were you I might double-check the hearing thing just to satisfy my paranoia :)

Hope we'll be in touch soon. Sorry I've disappeared (will explain)...

Harimo I did call and check my cover and they are confirmed he is covered, as long as he is referred by the GP (AxaPPP). But I will wait a bit longer, as I said. I am pretty sure his hearing is good, he certainly understands plenty of things said to him and can hear when you call him, even from another part of the house. Thanks for all the comments, very helpful.

Oh, that's good..

My cover would only cover referalls for a physical problem but an emotional one and as DS doesn't have any physical impairment to warrent a referall (in fact, my GP wouldn't have referred us for an emotional reason either... as far as GP is concerned, my DS not have a problem... so hopefully you will get the referall)

I would say, regardless of money, I have been happy with the progress we have made with SALT sessions.

GOod luck.. Keep us posted.