Toddler isn’t using pronouns

[Soul31]

DS is 2.6 and yesterday I had his health visitor review over the phone. She asked about his speech and I told her that he never uses pronouns to refer to people or himself such as ‘I’ ‘mine’ ‘me’ etc. He will say ‘it’s’ and ‘what’s’ but if he’s referring to a person he will say mummy/ daddy/ persons name.

I noticed it a while ago so was looking up suggestions such as offering him two snacks and getting him to pick one by saying ‘I want apple’ for example but he just says ‘want apple’.

I thought maybe he’d just pick it up soon enough but the health visitor said if he doesn’t start saying these words within the next couple of months he will need speech therapy so it’s made me feel quite worried. I don’t think lockdown helps as obviously he’s not around other children or people speaking to him and my eldest son is 9 and severely disabled so is completely non- verbal.

Has anyone else had this experience with their child of a similar age? Thank you.

My 33MO has been chaotic with this. One of her first sentences she came out with sporadically once or twice at around 18MO was 'I want more' ... then when she really got going at about age 2 she kept referring to herself as 'us' so she'd say 'us sit there' instead of 'me/I sit there' I think within a few months this went away and she now says I/you/we/mine in context. She still quite often refers to herself as her name in conversation though eg 'A is going to the toilet' One thing I've realised is that this is probably because I do this eg I say 'mumm'y just nipping to the shops' so I'm really trying to stop doing this. I think it'll come for your LO tbh. I wouldn't be too worried until nearer age 3

My daughter was 2 this month, she doesn't use any pronouns at all at the minute. I'm starting to get a bit worried about it too. She's also never said her own name. She was a bit slow to speak though but she's picking the pace up now. New nouns regularly. The health visitor had said to me that when he came back for her 2 year review, he would expect her to be referring to herself by her name or saying 'me' or 'I'. She isn't doing any of this so I'm wondering if I should be concerned.

I don't think it's a massive issue and if he's offered any kind of speech therapy then you should take it. Even if he only needs a little input, it could go a long way.

Our little boy started saying them about 2 years and 6 months I think.. it was also a pretty sudden change

Thank you for your replies, I’m wondering if it’s partly to do with how I speak to him, for example I’ve been conscious that I’m saying ‘mummy’s’ instead of ‘I’m’, it’s difficult as I find it comes more naturally to say it that way but it’s probably hindering him.

@Soul31 it’s so weird how we talk on third person to our babies! Yes, I definitely had to consciously switch and make the change to saying I instead of mummy.

Exactly the same as what I was saying and I found it really hard to stop too lol. Don't feel bad it's not going on their CV when they mastered it I don't think it will have done them any real harm. They mostly just crack these things on their own. If he's talking full sentences then he's where he should be at right now is what I understand

And I think all things being equal, if he’s not behind in other aspects of language he will no doubt using pronouns soon. I remember worrying with my little one and then suddenly, like overnight he was using them. It was like he was reading the books that said he should be 🤣. Same with asking questions which came just before three for us.

@Fatas

And I think all things being equal, if he’s not behind in other aspects of language he will no doubt using pronouns soon. I remember worrying with my little one and then suddenly, like overnight he was using them. It was like he was reading the books that said he should be 🤣. Same with asking questions which came just before three for us.

We get lots of what's that? And which one? And where's that? But no whys yet. I find it weird as she definitely knows what why means (if you ask her why something she'll answer 'because....' with an appropriate answer. They like to make us ponder haha xx

@Jannt86 no why’s here or any becauses. I’m fact when I ask him why he does something he doesn’t really explain his motivations. I’m not concerned currently, it will come. He was a little late with his first words and I think in general girks are ahead of boys in terms of language

Hi, just wondered if you have an update?

Hi yes after a couple of months of posting that he did start saying pro nouns, uses them all the time now, he’s now 3.3.

Great news! My son is 3 and isn't using pronouns yet but good to hear that yours got there!

@surreygirl1987 is your health visitor concerned at all?

My daughter will be 3 in January. She says some pronouns like 'I've got it' and 'I'll get it' and it's 'my juice'. But she doesn't use others. He, she, you etc.

The HV did mention it at his last check... was that at 2 years? It was more a 'by the way' thing than a concern. She did point out that the way many adults speak to toddlers doesn't help them. But she didn't say she was concerned. A year on, I wonder if she might be now. However, I can see that he is developing - he says 'me' not his name sometimes (like when I tell him a story and he recognises something about him in it) and he has started to occasionally say 'I'. I'm going to wait until he's 3 and a half and then raise it if he's still struggling with it. But he was a late walker too, and everyone was saying to me 'gosh, aren't you worried he's not walking yet?' and he got there in the end. Some children do just catch on to things more slowly than others.

He has just this week started saying 'why?' to everything, which I understand is another part of language development. So as I can see he is developing, I'm not massively concerned at this stage, though it is obviously in the back of my mind.