At what age would you worry about a non-talking child?

[snickersnack]

ds is 15 months. Doesn't talk. He says "da" and "der" a lot, and is a pretty effective communicator with pointing, tugging and the monosyllables he does have. I think he says "dox" for "socks" but that's absolutely it. Definitely not "mama" or "dada".

I know he understands what we're saying - he follows instructions, fetches things, joins in games when prompted etc - so I'm not worried about his hearing.

He does have a very articulate and loud older sister, which I know can slow things down. I'm not particularly worried at the moment, but a couple of people have expressed surprise he's not yet saying words. We fell out with the HV long ago, so I'm not going to ask her...MN is a far more reliable source of info as far as I'm concerned.

DS1 first said actual words at about 20 months.
He's nearly 3 now and a bit of a chatterbox.

As far as I know he was pretty average. HTH

WEll understanding of language and pointing are very good signs indeed and he is young

but my experience is that the earlier you get on any waiting lists the better- and you can always cancel

HV normal first call- is there anyone else you can approach at the surgery?

My DS hardly had any words at 15 months either - maybe 'mama', 'gaga' (daddy) and 'gigis (Thomas). Tbh, this was pretty much is vocabulary for quite a while.

I was also worried about it and by the time he was 2, he still only had a few more words and was just about stringing 2 words together - however, he is now 2.2 and his speech has come on leaps and bounds. His vocab is huge, he knows (some) colours, can count to 10 and puts 3 or 4 words together quite regularly - and all this in just 2 months!!

So, I think it comes in time - some children speak early and some don't!

I would say it is perhaps too early to worry and it will come - that is what everyone told me and it is true

DS had less than five "words" at 15 months. By 18 months I had lost track but it was in the hundreds. Now at 2.3 he speaks pretty clearly, loads of words, sentences up to 12 words, and questions. I wouldn't worry yet at all, amongst DS's peers he was "fast" so 15 months is so young.

At 15 months I think we had barely mama, dada and bin. Yes, bin. Don't ask me why, I never worked it out but bin day on our street was happy time for him! By 18 months he'd added doggy and bye-bye, and by 20 months it was nearly 100 words. I wouldn't worry till 2+ years tbh, and then only if there was nothing at all.

It all comes in fits and starts, nothing for months and them bam! 5 words in a day for example.

ds didnt say anything apart from our dog's name (which helpfully begins with d - otherwise he'd never have managed it) until about a week ago and he is now 16 mo. now all of a sudden in the last four days he has added about three new words. as far as i know that's totally normal - my nephew didnt really say anything at all til about 18 months and the boys in our nct group are similar. (girls seem to talk a bit earlier). i was a bit worried for a while but now everything seems to be clicking
if your ds understands instructions (like give mummy the book, or whatever) then he recognises and is processing words. you'll probably find it all comes suddenly in a rush. with ds it seemed like he knew loads of words - he probably recognises upwards of 30/40 words, it just felt like it took him ages to realise he could actually SAY them as well as hearing other people say them.

At 15 months - DD just about said 'ma' and 'da' and 'ca' (cat) - you can see a pattern can't you?

Now she's 23 months, still not many words but she too understands everything and now and then comes out with remarkably clear sentences like 'look mum a belt'.

I think they pretend they can't speak a lot esp if you interpret their signs and actions so they don't have to ask.

My friend's dd didn't really speak until about the last months or two and she's over 2 and a half.

She understood perfectly well and you can tell she knows words. It's all in there she just chooses not to share!

crikey all your children talk early!
i have quite a big group of friends with children around the age of my DS (17 months, has perhaps 20 words - ear of love needed though) and he's one of the ones with the biggest vocabulary. So I wouldn't worry for ages yet.

My dd still has no proper words at 21 mths - she says "ya" for yes and otherwise generally babbles nonsense. She understands well (huge vocabulary in terms of pointing at pictures of things) and follows instructions. The paediatrician we are seeing for delayed motor skills didn't seem concerned but has got us added to the waiting list for speech therapy just in case.

Ime kids are all very different.

Ds1 at age 2 had maybe 50 words or so, but was fairly unclear. However, his speech came pretty soon after that. By 3 he was understandable by everyone, speaking well.

Dd was very early - first word at 9 months, by 15 months was speaking in long sentences (somewhat freakily I may say).

Ds2 is 2.4 and doesn't say a lot. He is JUST starting to put 2 words together - so things like 'Tea - hot', 'Danul-boo' (if he wants ds1 to read to him). But he is using language appropriately - so if he wants to use the phone he says 'hello, hello', if he wants a drink he says 'dri dri', yes and no are pretty clear. And his understanding is spot on - he knows exactly what we are saying, points/communicates very effectively. I would say he probably has 100 words or so, but they are not clear yet. He is JUST starting to say numbers and colours.

I am not particularly worried about his speech, although he is way behind most of his friends - if he doesn't start to catch up I will request a hearing test, as that is the most likely source of any problems.

I wouldn't wrry at all, although actually I did. My PFB son talked very late (about 2 and a bit) and by three he was more articulate than many of the early talkers in my antenatal group. Careful you don't fall into the trap of thinking he's any less clever for talking late.

Twelvelegs - that is so true. And the reverse is true - if you have an early talker/reader then don't assume they are genii!

(or should that be geniuses?)

I didn't talk till I was 4 apparently, my parents took me to speech therapists and they studied the family and worked out that I just couldn't be arsed because I had three older brothers at my beck and call who were responding to my sign language. Yet I have a really high IQ (not that that means anything) and was accelerated through school and ended up a journalist for a fair few years (which for someone so reluctant to involve themselves in words is quite surprising). So try not to worry, kids do things in their own sweet time.

'if you have an early talker/reader then don't assume they are genii!'

absolutely- ds1 was a very early talker, way ahead on tests (over a decade agead!) but is in bottom sers at school (does have sn)

(otoh hv kept telling me ds3 would catch up- at 3 they finally referred him, started talking at 4 and it has been a sign of definite problems- I still advocate getting waiting list places as a result!)

Anyone out there know of a swimming lesson for kids in Alyesbury, bucks, teacher Janet, who is also affiliated to Waterbabies. But I am not looking for the Waterbabies class - just Janet. Thanks

dd2 could only say mama and dada at 2, she had speech therapy from hten and is a non stop chatterbox now aged nearly 12

they said at the time nothing is usually done until that age, but i dont know if things have changed now

DS2 is 15 months and doesn't say much, but gestures etc. None of his friends do either really. Mind you they all have big brothers so probably can't get a word in.

Thanks everyone, feel a lot better now. I think he is lazy - he knows we know what he means, and that "da" will do the trick, plus his sister never stops talking. I think, as well, I have unrealistic expectations - dd talked very clearly, very early, and I don't know many other children his age. I work part time, then on the days I don't work we see friends with older or younger children, so I've forgotten what's normal.

I'm pretty sure he said "dat" yesterday, pointing at our neighbour's cat, so maybe we're making progress...

15 months is too early for talking imo. You'll have to wait a bit. Hold your horses and do lots of singing and chatting and books.