Two year old not talking

[Mahony76]

Hi there

I'm new to this site so apologies if I've posted on the wrong section, my friend recommended Mumsnet to me. I have a little boy who's just turned two last week. The problem is he does not seem to want to talk to us although he is very social and can communicate with us easily by pointing, or shaking his head yes or no! If you ask him to say something back to you he just shakes his head and gets annoyed. He can say Mama and I've heard him say Da and Na but that's as far as it goes. He makes lots of noises but no real words. I'm not sure what to do and am considering taking him to the Doctor. He understands us all really well, even complex instructions, it really is just him opening his mouth and talking that is missing!!

He is also the fussiest eater in the world...but that's a topic for another thread I suspect

Thanks for taking the time to read this

My niece is like this and I guess they do not have anything to comment on yet .

Do not worry, if the understanding is there, it will come.

Does he interact much with other children?

Just keep encouraging him and give him lots of praise when he communicates well. Books are brilliant for encouraging speaking.

do you get a 2 year check in your area? if so speak to your HV then. if not then get an appt with HV

i had the same issue with my 2 year old. when we had his check he was starting to say a few things, so we decided to leave him and keep an eye on it. 6 months later he was still hardly talking so i saw an HV again who referred us for hearing tests and speech therapy.

hearing tests showed up lots of fluid behind the ear drum (glue ear) and some hearing loss due to this.

speech therapist said he was very keen to communicate, and by the time we actually got the appt he was saying more words anyway which helped.
communicating non-verbally is good, and the fact that he understands what you say is good too, so hopefully the speech will come in time!

IME doctors aren't always that helpful. a HV can refer you and would be who i would advise you to speak to

Hi there, welcome to MN.

Quick question - when did he last have his hearing checked? Some children are masters at hiding mild ear infections which lead to loads of fluid on the ear and are not hearing a full range of sound.

Your HV should be able to refer your son to a hearing clinic for a check. The fact that he's pointing is good as it means he is involving you in communication.

hi my ds2 is 3.11 and does not talk he has gdd :)

Second all of what thisisystd said def ask for a hearing test as my dd was in the same position with very few words and words that lacked clarity and it turned out she had really bad glue ear and has needed gromits twice! But also some kids do just start talking later, apparently Einstein didn't talk until he was 3!!!!

I'm overwhelmed by all your responses - thank you so much. I think I will take him to see the health visitor and maybe get him referred. I don't know if glue ear is hereditary but I suffered with it when I was young and I know my hubby had ear problems when he was little.

I'm new to all this so excuse the dopeyness (!) but what does gdd mean?

Thanks again you're all stars

i think gdd is global developmental delay?

Oh right, thanks!

hi there,
i have a little boy who s two ,the problem is lately he start biting his under lip i don t know why ,i checked his teeth they all fine ,so i don t know what is it! can you help me please.
thanks for reading my add.

mahony - my DS was just the same he is now 3.2 and only has a couple of words. He has severe speech delay and it's bloody hard work! fortunately I got good SALT and got in early (a year now)) he cannot join any words togther but has fab understanding. He is due to go to a speech unit in september all being well.

I know people say things so you don't worry, but if one more person tells me oh don't worry it will come, I will scream i can tell you!!

He had some words when he was little then lost them. he has had a couple of new ones this week but then others start dropping off or changing!!

Can I recommend a book called Baby Talk by a SALT called Sally Walker.

She specifically says don't ask your child to say something as it puts pressure on them. Maybe he's responding to your anxiety.

Lots of tips about child-guided play and how to encourage them to speak.

Might help in between getting an appointment. Certainly won't do harm.

The pointing and non-verbal communication is gfo

communication is 'good' I meant (my typing is bad)

Good luck

Firstly, I would get his hearing and ears checked but if all comes tests come back fine then I just wouldn't worry. I know that sounds like poor advice but my sister had the same problem her little girl. She had one or two ear infections and I think this must have originally started the problem. Her little girl began to realise that there was pressure on her to speak and so decided to never say a word. We would catch her in her room speaking to herself whenever she was by herself. Her parents decided to relax and sure enough whenever she is quite excited or animated her words have stared to flow. She has just turned three and it looks as if she will be just fine.
The other thing is that I have a friend whose child is three months younger than my two year old and she is speaking like an adult. It?s quite scary as it made me begin to think that my toddler was so behind. However, I realised that it?s silly to compare children to each other as they all catch up with each other in the end ? at least I hope so.
I hope you manage to get it sorted out. Good luck

Obviously get all the physical side checked out, but honestly it's not necessarily a problem at all.
My niece only really started speaking just before she was 3, she's now 3 1/2 and we can't shut her up!! It does happen