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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

How can I encourage my son to speak?

30 replies

colditz · 15/04/2005 23:03

He is 2, he saw a speech therapist a couple of months ago, she said he's fine, but he says so little!!!!

He rarely copies me, he doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone. I have even tried to pretend I don't know what he means when he points, he just gives up and wanders off! I know he hears me, I know he understands insructions like "Find your cup" but he will not speak!

Has anyone got any ideas? Conventional or non- conventional, I am at my wits end, I just don't understand why he doesn't want to talk.

OP posts:

debs26 · 15/04/2005 23:05

ds2 started repeating nonsense words. fetang eckie was his favourite, closely followed by wibble!. overnight he seemed to decide talking was fun

Original poster

colditz · 15/04/2005 23:09

He will do animal noises, and point to body parts, but it makes me want to weep when I hear much younger children stringing sentences like linguistic experts!

OP posts:

Nemo1977 · 15/04/2005 23:12

cold how old is ur son.mine is 18mths and sounds similair to your son does animal noises and thomas tank. Understands your requests for things and basically says yes no mum dad and dog. I have a couple of friends with kids around his age who are so much more advanced it is scarey/ But ds is happy grunting and pointing for what he wants

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:13

Have you / would you consider signing / Makaton? It is a great bridge to the spoken word prevents frustration and makes learning new words fun. Rather than just having to hear a word, having the confidence to copy it and then getting it understood, it's a visual aid and all the parents / kids I know that use it have huge success. If you want to know more just ask. I highly reccommend it.

jamiesam · 15/04/2005 23:15

Colditz. My ds2 is also slow to speak, 21mths now. Fortunately, ds1 was also slow to speak (not quite so slow to be fair), but now at 3 1/2 has far too much to say and when he's in his 'non-stop question' phase, I just have to find an excuse to leave him for 2 mins! Ds2 finds that we (me, dh and ds1) translate enough for him to get by, I reckon - he'll talk when he needs to. I presume from your post that your does speak in his own way?

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:16

Another good thing to do is when he makes a noise, says something that you think sounds like biscuit'r whatever, even if it isn't biscuit then just say what you think it could be. dykwim? So if he say 'baf baf baf' then say 'Bath, you want a bath, do you?' Are you getting me?

Original poster

colditz · 15/04/2005 23:18

I wouled do it Thomcat, but to be honest it's me who is getting frustrated, not my ds, he really doesn't care! I might give it a try if he shows the slightest interest in communicating with me though.

Nemo, my son is 2 years old, that's why i am worrying now.

OP posts:

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:19

Yeah same here, my DD is happy to just go 'oh okay not being understood, i'll leave it' but i hate that. Signing is fab and really helped us.

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:20

Does he have siblings and if so younger or older?

Original poster

colditz · 15/04/2005 23:20

He honestly doesn't make a lot of sounds at all. His most common response to an attempt to start a conversation is "Do", ie

"shall we have some dinner now?"
"do"

"who's that at the door?"
"do!"

"where's the cat?"
"do"

OP posts:

Original poster

colditz · 15/04/2005 23:22

No, he is an only child. We do make an effort to mingle though, and he has a good friend who is slightly older, whose speech is fantastic.

He says "Do" to him, too

OP posts:

Dior · 15/04/2005 23:24

Message withdrawn

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:25

okay. So let's think of other things. I do think signing might be good. But what else? Why don't you post in special needs where all the mums have experience in helping kids develop their speech. I know he doesn't have SN but some of the ideas they will have will still work for you?

Nemo1977 · 15/04/2005 23:26

i have done some sign wiht my son and it has worked as now when he does animal noises he does signs to go with them so it does help with clarity.

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:26

Exactly some kids just take a while to talk, my friends little girl was the same but it would be nice for you if he was able to 'chat' to you so no harm in finding ways to help.

flashingnose · 15/04/2005 23:27

Could he have glue ear?

Original poster

colditz · 15/04/2005 23:27

Will do, thanks Thomcat. I didn't think of that.

I will do it tomorrow, I must go to bed now.

Thankyou everyone for your helpful and reassuring responses

OP posts:

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:27

i think signing is fab and shouldn't be a SN thing. Its fab.

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:29

dave Benson has a video that signs nursery rhymes that is fab, good place for you to start.

Do you have the time to read a lot together as well, that really halps vocab.

Anyway try SN and speak to you another time, night, TC x

soapbox · 15/04/2005 23:32

Colditz - My DS's speech issues were what brought me to MN a long tme ago now

I was fobbed off right left and centre for months when I knew somethign wasn't right. Eventually I got in touch with an independent SALT and as I expected things were far from right

3 years later I am still forking out a small fortune on SALT but finally we are nearly there

I would say that you really should go with your gut instinct and get things checked out! You still have time on your side as they would be unlikely to do much until he is 2.5 at the earliest, but you should get a view now so that you can start planning if you need to.

I hope you don't but forewarned is forearmed as they say!

Jimjams · 15/04/2005 23:33

Does he go to nursery?

DS2 didn't say much at 2. Then his speech was very weird when it started to come. He was diagnosed with a language disorder. Then after stating nursery he just began to talk properly (went from being incomprehensible to talking almost properly within a week- very odd). Now everyone thinks he was copying his non verbal autistic brother. Actually a year and a half later and completely comprehensible in a doesn't shut up type of way- he will still copy his autistic brother now (was doing it this afternoon- 2 of them going yee oo aa ee round the front room).

Agree that signing may help, but if you don't have any other worriees about hearing or anything, and he's pointing out things of interest then I suspect it'll come in its own time. Speech is the least important aspect of communication anyway.

Jimjams · 15/04/2005 23:34

ahree with soapbox as welll- go with your gut instinct.

soapbox · 15/04/2005 23:36

And just to complete the circle - it was of course JImjams who gave me that advice many moons ago!

Jimjams I am feeling very guilty as I have a pile of mags to send to your DS1 but haven't got round to it yet! I'll try and post them this week, said knotting a hanky round my little finger

Thomcat · 15/04/2005 23:36

if you think a speech therapist might help initially, help you to help him then this might help

Judd · 15/04/2005 23:37

Colditz, my DD didn't speak until 2years 8 months. I've got some suggestions that a speech therapist gave us - it's really games to play that encourage speech. They did work for us and her speech is really coming on now - sentences of 8 words or more - and she's now 3y3mos. I'll try and post over the weekend, probably tomorrow evening. Please give me a prod if I forget though.
PS. I really do mean didn't speak. No was her only word!

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