21 month not saying one word

[Harls123]

Hi,
My little boy is 2 in October and isn't talking or not really communicating. He doesn't really say bye bye, or hello. No mama , he makes noises so his voice is there. He does a bit of playing but not really bothered with people.
Is this an autistic trait? Or are boys actually lazy like everyone says?
Just feeling the mum guilt he's not getting enough one and one time with me having a 4 year old also.
A y reassurance or tips would be greatful.

Thanks ☺️

How does he communicate with you? Tell you he wants a drink or help with a toy or whatever?

Boys aren't lazy, please do not encourage that myth. Some children will be ahead with their physical skills instead and behind with verbal but I would def speak to your health visitor about no words whatsoever at almost 2.

Is he good at listening to you and understanding things? It might be worth getting a hearing check just as a starter?

Has he had a hearing test?

He communicates so when he wants his drink lid off he'll pass it me or wants to play with a toy He will give it me.
I would say he's hearing is fine, so he does nursery rhyme actions such as incy wincy spider... just no words.

I have a similar 19 month old boy, very few 'words', but he does make it known what he wants and his understanding seems to be there. He's been going to a 'talking tots' group locally for assessment and they're absolutely not worried about it, they think it's clear he's picking everything up and we should expect it all to happen very quickly when he does start chatting.

I know it's tough though when you see/hear other similar aged kids seemingly speaking near sentences!

It doesn't help that I compare which I know you shouldn't but we all do it.
I just could do with some extra support he's in nursery 3 days a week I do everything they advise you to do but still nothing.
Its the constant mum guilt I'm getting which is making me worry about it all

I would ask the GP for a referral for a hearing test. That was what the GP advised for DD2 who was the same. We didn't think there was anything wrong with her hearing, but the GP advised that speech and language would want confirmation that her hearing was ok before going on with any referral anyway, so better to get the ball rolling with that sooner rather than wait until you need a speech referral and then have to wait for the hearing test. Plus of course we didn't know for sure her hearing was fine, and it can be a common cause of delayed speech.

In our case, her hearing was fine and she's now 26 months and you can't shut her up!

I don't know if it's just in our area, but here the speech and language team have a couple of hours a week where they open the phone lines and you can call and speak to a S&L therapist. I spent half an hour on the phone with one who gave me loads of really useful advice on little things at home to try and help develop speech. She also recommended the hearing test. Maybe see if there's anything like that around you?

So do you do as he asks or pretend you don't understand so he has to try to ask verbally?

Does he react to sudden loud noises?

Does he understand language? Ie look at the cat if you say ‘where’s the cat’? Does he point to things to show them to you, like a car or dog?

Thanks for your advice and tips. I've managed to get a referral to a speech and language clinic

Do not worry, our little GS did no really talk until about 2 1/2, lots of babbling but no words. He is 3 in Sept and we can't shut him up.
All children are different and develop at their own pace.
If he is meeting other milestones, do not be too worried.

He was slow to walk, potty train and talk, But when he got started there was no stopping him. He is a bright little thing!

Good advice above but I’ve heard from several people that their second children fairly close in age to siblings were much slower to speak.

My daughter didn't speak at all untill she 3.5 and now at over 4 she only speaks in learnt phrases she s gesalt language processor and has autism.

If you want to message me privately I'd be happy to share the traits I noticed at a young age. For context I called the health visitor when she was 22 months old because by that point I was sure she was autistic, and she was.

Glad you've got a referral. Do get a hearing test organised too - children with hearing difficulties can be incredibly attentive visually and it is surprisingly easy to miss that they can't hear you. Also, problems such as glue ear can cause fluctuating hearing loss that often has a bearing on speech development. My mother found it difficult to get her concerns about me taken seriously until I was still not speaking at 3 - I was lipreading (surgical intervention age 4 had an excellent outcome eventually).

Paediatric audiology services can be very understanding. Ours locally were happy to review on parent request after initial referral - I must have had my youngest tested about 4 times (over a few years) due to concerns about behaviours that could have indicated a hearing difficulty, and they were very supportive each time even though his hearing turned out to be excellent.

My daughter had 3 words at 9 months by 20 months she still had 3 words but different words. She lost a word each time she learnt a new one. This was a bigger concern than her only having 3 words. We had an assessment with HV and we were given exercise to help bring on her language
By 2 she had about 10 words and only communicated by pointing but by 26 months her language had blossomed and she communicated with words. We didn't get a salt referral as we were mid house move. By the time we moved and had an assessment with her new HV she had improved and didn't need the salt referral

She is August born and at 2 we thought we would have to defer her entry but she starts this September at 4 with no concerns about her language in any way.

Hey, how’s your son’s speak now? I’m going through similar with my DD and not sure whether to be concerned or not. I’ve tried everything and not seeing any progress with speech.