2.1 year old with very limited speech

[Mydarlinclementine]

My 2.1 year old has really not made any progress with his speech. We have had 4 sessions with a speech therapist who has given me some good techniques to encourage his development and saw some positive changes but the gap with his peers is quite noticable and widening.

He never really babbled much although is now doing that more now when he is in his cot at night. He has two clear words - "more" and "no" which he uses repeatedly for everything. Words that he was using relatively clearly such as 'go' and 'star' have pretty much disappeared again and he becomes frustrated with any attempts to encourage new words or get him to say them.

He now only gestures for what he wants or pushes me to where he wants me. His vocalisations tend to be squeals and random noises but he also uses 'da' for almost everything that we point to or talk about.

He doesn't say 'mama/mummy' at all - however he is adopted (placed 18 months ago) so had several female carers prior to being with us so may not fully understand / feel safe yet saying mama.

I'm worried that I see his peers talking about colours and numbers and my little boy is so behind that level. He also doesnt use sounds to replicate things he sees like other children (eg brum brum for cars or woof for a dog).

His hearing has been tested and is fine. I read recently about verbal dyspraxia which rang some bells. It mentioned drug exposure in utero and low birth weight as possible contributers, both of which are factors in his history.

Has anyone experienced similar? His HV and local sure start centre just talk about 'lazy boys' and how it will come but I simply don't hear the range of sounds from him that even much younger children make.

I'm just an elderly Dad, but worked in primary schools as a TA for twenty years, so no real relevant experience.

But your mention of drug exposure and low birth weight, surely point towards some clues for his lack of speech.

Does he seem 'happy', does he play with toys (Duplo, teddies, cars, trains), does he enjoy sharing books, can he do simple jigsaw puzzles or shape-sorters, will he thread large beads/buttons on a lace?

In view of his early experiences, I think getting him to share in activities, or play ball or running games, is probably more important than 'communication' from him at this stage. Please don't be tempted to give him too much 'screen' time - TV, video games, phones or tablets, etc. He needs REAL things at the moment, not 'virtual' entertainments.

TALK to him as much as you possibly can, describing everything around him - garden, park, shops, animals, birds, insects, river or seaside if possible, and don't expect any reply or response yet.

His 'communicating' peers haven't been through what your child has been through, hence they can be a year or two ahead.

Patience, TLC, and lots of love, hopefully will help him 'recover'.

I wouldn't accept your HV's analysis.

It's true that 2.1 is still really little - he's only just coming into the 'language leap' period - and if he didn't have a difficult early history then you'd probably give it another 6 months. Not many of them are naming colours and numbers at this point - I think your worry is making you extra aware

BUT, he HAS had that history, and you're right to take that into account and act on any red flags as soon as you see them. And the things you describe are red flags - not definite problems, not things to panic about, but certainly red flags.

You've had SALT early - which is fantastic. Many parents are only just starting down that route at 2. What does your SALT say? They should have a better understanding of whether more help is needed, and should be able to tell you how to access it.

If it was private SALT (just wondering because it's earlier than you usually get it on the NHS) or if the SALT isn't being helpful about next steps, then I'd be pushing for a paed referral. They'll be able to see whether he needs any extra help to catch up, or whether all is well and he'll just do it in his own time.

Also, might be worth asking your SALT whether baby signing could be beneficial.

My eldest didn't talk much at 2.1, but he understood everything - I could give him directions like 'go and find your shoes and put them on' and he'd do it. By 2.3 he suddenly started talking in sentences.

We did baby signing with him, so I think he partly used signs to get what he needed, so didn't need to try and talk. He also turns out to have the kind of personality that doesn't like doing things until he's competent at them IYSWIM. Nothing to do with 'lazy boys' - that's more of a lazy HV opinion I think!

So I think it's not necessarily a problem that your DC isn't talking yet. But the crucial difference is that I never felt there was anything wrong. You do, and therefore there's reason for exploring all the possibilities.

I'd second doing baby signing with him - that can massively reduce frustration for him as he can express what he wants to you more easily. And if you are talking and signing at the same time (which is the way it's taught and what's recommended) that reinforces 'what talking is' for him.

Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated.
To answer your questions, he seems fairly in line with where he should be with fine and gross motor skills with a few very late glaring exceptions - clapping and waving were both VERY late and only appeared a few months ago. Both are now used regularly and appropriately. He isn't great at threading / holding crayons etc but is getting better.
We've been seeing his speech therapist privately but the HV has now agreed that since he is 2, she will start the ball rolling with the nhs. We decided with the SALT to give him the summer break to see if the work we were doing would bring him on but with the exception of him saying "more", we really don't have any progress and in fact have lost some sounds.
I think I need to arrange to discuss it further with her.