25 month old daughter not talking......

[hbull]

hi everyone, i'm new to this so please forgive any mistakes

my dd is 25 months old and although she is speaking as such, i just feel in my gut that she has an issue with speech. the words she says are:

hello
hiya
bye bye
ta-ra
ball
cat
dog
gone
boo
yes
no
no way
oh oh (when she drops something)
night
there it is
there you are
oh wow....

there it is, there you are are not very clear words but you can understand perfectly what she is saying from the tone she uses. she used to say all gone but now only says gone.

she understands perfectly what i am saying, if i tell her to go get her shoes and put them on she will, if she is looking for something and i say "under the table" she will look under the table.

i have no worries with her on any other score at all, she can undress and is getting pretty good at dressing herself with a little help; she is very socialable and has a lot of little friends who we frequently visit and play with. she's also with a very experienced childminder 3 days a week when i am in work, along with two other children of similar ages so she is socialising pretty much every day, and i have discussed her speech with the childminder and she has told me not to worry and that she is doing ok, the same as everyone else.

i took her to the doctors last week to discuss my concerns but was told that she was on track and i really shouldn't worry.

if i ask her to point to any body part, she will, if i point to the body part and ask her what it is i'm greeted with silence. she gets her point across very well with gestures and her limited speech.

i know i have been told not to worry but something in my gut is telling me she has some sort of delay/issue with speech. i have watched her mouth when she is talking and i know it sounds daft but her tongue and her mouth just seem to make a funny shape when she is talking, and i'm wondering if she is just having trouble with putting her tongue in the right place if that makes sense?

sorry for the long explanation, all answers/advice gratefully received

hx

I think she's very much on track from your list and description of how she sounds when she talks. It sounds like you are worried about an oro-motor problem - a key sign of any oro-motor difficulty is eating and drinking - has she had any issues in that area? Can she elevate her tongue to lick her top lip if you ask her? Move it from side to side etc?

thanks for your reply.

i've never actually asked her to do that, i shall give it a go tomorrow. she has no problem eating or drinking i don't think. she can sometimes be a bit of a messy eater but it depends on what she's eating and whether she chooses to eat with her spoon/fork or her fingers

hx

My DS is a similar age and says less than your DD. I really wouldn't worry, he too can understand a lot and is processing all the information around him. They all do it in their own time, my nephew hardly said anything until about 3 and then he just started chattering away like anything.

I don't think you need to worry yet. Some children do suddenly "get" speaking as late as 2 1/2 or 3 and then catch up very quickly. My friend's dc went from no speech at all to speaking in sentences at 2 1/2. Another friend's dc didn#t really speak until 3 but had caught up with peers within 6 months. Understanding is there as well so that is a positive sign.

Have you spoken to a health visitor? It might be worth mentioning your concerns and you might get a speech therapist referral. There is likely to be a wait so getting a referral now might be a good idea then you won't need to wait if things aren't improving over the next few months.

You could also consider baby signing. It should't either help or hinder the speech but if she is getting frustrated about being unable to communicate, it might make life easier for you both.

I taught my DD baby sign language from a young age and honestly feel it has pushed her speech along wonderfully. Look up 'sing and sign' they do DVD's that you can self teach with funny songs. It's a great way to spend time together, helps avoid so many tantrums ( she can tell me what she wants easier), and helps you know what's on her mind.

I can add my agreement to the above posters. My DS was much the same as your DD at the same age, and even a month or two ago I was quite worried, but he's suddenly had a chat explosion at 2 1/2!

hi guys. thanks for all your wonderful messages of support, it helps a lot to know others are/have been in the same situation .

@surviving winter - i got her to do the moving around with her tongue no problem at all today, she was moving it in all directions to don't think its an issue?

i'm going to see the health visitor next week to discuss my concerns and just to see what she has to say. if my daughter does need speech therapy i can cope with that, i just don't want to wait too long as a few months is a long time in a little one's life.....but i'm happy to see how things go for a little while at least x

That's good! I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine. Just keep doing what you're doing, give her lots of choices so she has to answer you and model back, without correcting, any words she has trouble pronouncing. As others have said, some children have a big explosion of words and catch up really fast

One thing to do also is to do lots of noises, such as car noises, animal noises, play lots of games that will involve 'ready steady, GO' and praise her for sounds that she makes even if they are not words. Lots of nursery rhymes, one trick is to sing one nursery rhyme often every day and after a few days, skip a word and wait for her to say the sound/word and give her lots of praises. Use lots of expressive words such as 'POP' if you blow bubbles and she pops them, or Up Down, or 'One Two Three..... weeee' on the swings, etc.

thanks guys, a lot of reassurance and good tips....
today, we were watching and singing along to Mickey Mouse and it actually sounded like she said "hot dog" when the song came on at the end...i was so proud i almost cried
also, it really sounded like she was trying to say her name earlier when my mum and dad were here and my dad asked her something....looks like a bit of breakthrough and she looked suitably proud with the praise lol xx

@hbull Hi I know this thread was a long time ago it’s just, I was reading your post and my dd is almost identical to what you were saying. I just wondered what the outcome was? Many thanks

At your DDs age I think that's pretty much what both my DDs said. Not much more at all. And rh n come about 2.5 they started to come our with a lot more. Sounds normal to me, especially since she understands you.