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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Concerned about DS speech again - should I be?

38 replies

Flossam · 16/05/2006 17:03

DS is 18 months. He can say around 15 words. I have just had my MN email and they said 5-20 words was about right at this age, but have just met new HV who was a little concerned he wasn't stringing words together yet and also at the size of his vocab. I thought he was normal - is he?

OP posts:

Hattie05 · 16/05/2006 17:06

Sigh - health visitors - where would we all be without them? in a much happier place perhaps?

I'm sure your son is fine. Children vary.

I don't like stereotypes, but it does seem true to me that all boys i know take a lot longer to develop their vocab and get clear pronounciation than girls i know. I have two friends whose sons were question marked by the HV and both boys now can talk for Britain. Take it all with a pinch of salt.

shazronnie · 16/05/2006 17:07

At age 2 my son could say "yuck" and nothing else!
Now he is 2.10 and I can't shut him up!!!

hana · 16/05/2006 17:09

your hv is talking nonsense - he's only 18 months
speech varies greatly - my dd2 has about the same number and is almost same age as your son and I'm not worried at all
( I also ahve a dd1 and she was the same and she is a chatty chatty nearly 5 year old
please don't be worried!

Mercy · 16/05/2006 17:14

Flossam, I have been worrying for the last 6 months re ds' speech/language (he's now 2.3). I was constantly comparing him to dd and I think it was PrincessPeahead who said don't compare to girls, first-borns or any other child in fact! Or something along those lines.

In the last 6-8 weeks ds' speech has really taken off, 3 word sentences - mainly consisting of " don't like xxx". He is now at that parroting stage and it drives me mad!!

Your ds sounds fine to me.

blueshoes · 16/05/2006 17:14

My dd said zilch at 18 months. One year later, she is stringing words, using simple grammar, exploding vocabulary.

Original poster

Flossam · 16/05/2006 17:17

Thanks all - I have been quite happy with his progress TBh - he was a little late babbling, and also has mild tongue tie, hence my ongoing concern! Just nice to hear he isn't abnormal and I'm not a terrible mummy!

OP posts:

mummy23 · 16/05/2006 17:26

I wouldn't be to concerned about ds's speech! If he isn't saying much at 4 then i would be but not at this age, all children develope at there own pace.
My ds1 was putting words together at about 14 months but ds2 will say the basic words (momma, dadda, nanna and DUCK-so cute) and ds2 is nearly 13 months, but if his speech does progress by the time he is 2 then i will grow concerned but until then, i will enjoy the peace while i have it

Piffle · 16/05/2006 17:30

My dd has had an official speech delay
She could say 5 words at 34 mths. She has had speech therapy since age 2. But it has been largely unsuccessful. It then turns out that at 38 mths she just suddenly decides to speak and now is so good ( 3 mths later only) that she ahs no delays at all, infact has very advanced speech.
Certainly under age 2 I'd not worry a jot, keep talking, so long as you know they understand, then it'll come and then you'll wonder when the next 5 minutes peace is ever turning up from :)

Kittypickle · 16/05/2006 17:37

My DS was seen by the paed a few times as he spectactulary failed his hearing test at 9 months and then took ages to pass one. At one of the sessions we did discuss speech in passing. She said as a boy and a second child not to expect a lot. Less than 6 words at 18m would be when she would have worried apparently.

kayzed · 16/05/2006 17:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sugarfree · 16/05/2006 17:58

Wow Piffle,that's amazing.

Ds3 has a moderate delay(assessed at exactly 2,when he could say mum,nah,yup. Understanding was then at 15 months,speech and language usage was at 12 months)
He's now 31 months and has about 40 words and 20 signs.We get reassessed in July.
Progress feels so slow.

sleepingbag · 16/05/2006 18:19

My Ds is 21mth and knows about 50 words at present but does not put words to gether, new about 15 - 20 at 18mth. i also have three friends withs sons i see regually who are of similar age 20 -23mths, and none of them put words together yet , have vocabs of between 1 and 50 words, they all seem perfectly normal to me.

tribpot · 16/05/2006 18:31

I have two nephews of a similar age, neither of them had much to say at 18 months, and neither of them are big talkers at 2, either - notably, both are second children so can barely get a word in edgewise with their older siblings talking all the time. My SIL (mum of the older of these two little boys) has noticed his speech picking up considerably since he moved from the baby room at nursery to the 2-3 room.

It sounds fine to me, I am sure your HV is just looking for things to pick up on, you know how they like to!

FairyMum · 16/05/2006 18:49

Sounds fine to me. My 18 month-old certainly cannot say 15 words and I am not worried at all. Hell would freeze over before I seek advice from a HV!

CarolinaMoonfish · 16/05/2006 18:57

sounds utterly normal to me. at your HV though. Isn't the requirement at the 2-year check just that they should have a handful of words?

Ds is 18mo now and can do about half a dozen animal noises on request and say Mummy and Daddy fairly clearly, but that's it really. It doesn't seem any different from most other children his age, and it wouldn't have occurred to me to think he's behind.

legophobe · 16/05/2006 19:14

My ds2 is 18months and says 2 words. ds1 had a huge vocab and strung words together in 2 languages (we're bilingual) by that age. Both boys, both bilingual (I hope :)), no point comparing. I often ask ds1 if he would stop talking for a couple of minutes but he never does.....

That hv should be struck off.

HappyMumof2 · 16/05/2006 19:21

is he your first? First children do tend to be slightly slower in their language development.

Ds had 15 words at 16mths. He was quite average I think, developmentally for a long while but lately, at nearly 7 has really taken off!

Dd had 40 words at 16mths but she has always been very verbal.

I also know a child of 17mths who only has a few words and I have looked after a child previously who only had a couple of recognisable words at 18mths.

I do think the HV is being a bit quick to judge his development. He's still very young. Is he developing well otherwise?

Original poster

Flossam · 18/05/2006 08:14

He is my first, yes. He can now say two more words! I think he is fine. He will get there. Thanks all.

OP posts:

Bozza · 18/05/2006 08:37

Hmmm trying to remember how many words DS had. He was slightly behind but had glue ear. He is now (3 x grommets + adenoidectomy later) a 5yo chatterbox - full of "actually"s and "in fact"s. I think he had 30 words at the point where he should have 50.

DD is 24 months and not really doing much in the way of stringing but has a massive vocab - probably about 200-300 words including lots of names and items of food.

If he has just learned two words it sounds like he might be on a bit of a developmental leap at the moment.

kitbit · 18/05/2006 09:59

Don't worry - ds is 18mths too and has no words. He's communicating all the time in others ways, babbles all the time, makes his own noises for things and says "oh!" when he drops something...that tells me he's alert and understands the concept of communicating, he just hasn't got round to forming the same words as us yet! It'll happen.

ruty · 18/05/2006 18:05

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

beckybrastraps · 18/05/2006 18:07

Dd is 2.3. At 2 she had one word. At 2.1, she had 3. At 2.2 she got the hang of it and now she has over 100, and is putting them together. Fortunately I have a fab, and very reassuring HV.

flowerfairy · 18/05/2006 19:52

Can i just hijack this thread, as \i'm stewing about the last 2 days. Yesterday hv tells me not to be too concerned about 2.2year old who hs a vocab of around 20 words, as long as he could-

understand simple instructions/questions
maintain attention while playing with a toy for a few minutes at a time
p\oint to body parts

Which he can do all of the aboove Then today pick up ds from nursery and he has been pushing children and squeezing faces out of frustration with other children. THen had lengthy discussion about trying to get speech therapy. But hv told me there was a 2 year waiting list for this area.

So now don't know who is right or what to do. Feeling like i'm going through an emotional wringer just lately so now am feeling upset.

frodofitz · 18/05/2006 20:04

Sorry to interupt but what is an HV?

frodofitz · 18/05/2006 20:11

I was just about to send what is an HV until i thought harder about it...health visitor..right?
I have a 3 year old stepson who didn't start to use understandable language until about 4 months ago. He has always had a secret language which fortunately me and my husband could understand but to everyone else it was complete nonesense..words included for any type of food..jam, Thomas the Tank...doodoo, Scooby Doo....Woowoo, Bruce the cat...baby char??? It has been very comical but my father in law has maintained that he was slow developing. I think now he's started he won't stop and those little words have made him even more special...so slow learning..bugger off...enjoying childhood!

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