Worried about lack of speech

[fireandbrimstoneetall]

Hey, just wondering if I should be worried? Dd is 22 months and is only saying single words. Or short phrases like 'bye bye plane'. She seems to drop the end of her words too, so bottle becomes 'bot' and friends are 'fre'...

Her other baby friend are speaking in sentences and I am getting more and more worried...

She's a very active child and physically she is way beyond her peers, thinks nothing of scaling big kid's climbing frames and throwing herself down massive slides, she's a good swimmer (as much as a nearly two year old can be) etc.

Not sure whether or not to be worried that her speech seems to be so far behind? I'm a single parent, working full time and her father is not allowed contact for safeguarding reasons.

How can I encourage her to speak more?

Thanks.

Some kids are late walkers, others are late talkers. This said, if there is an issue, early intervention is better, so you might want to take some things into consideration:

The first thing that comes to my mind is screen time. Does she watch 2 hours or more screens during a 24 hour period, from 15 min tv during breakfast, a video on a phone in the car or supermarket, some "educational " games on the iPad? Even background television, so having the tv on while you cook or tidy the living room.
Who does she stay with while you work? Do they interact with her? talk to her? or do they have tv in the background?

Because screen time has been linked to speech delay. So f this is the case, put the screens away and unplug the TV so if she wants it, just say it is broken. Read to her, a lot. Talk to her.

If screens are excluded, and believe me , reaching two hours from when you wake up to when you go to bed if so easy to reach, look at her diet. Does she have lots of soft food? To speak you need muscles in the jaw, mouths, tongue, throat, ..... a lot of children, never have crunchy or hard food, from a simple apple to a hard baguette. Did she have or still has a lot of pouches ? Does she drool?

If you re worried, go to the GP. Trust your instinct.

I think generally as long as they’re not saying nothing at all by the time they are two there isn’t really a cause for worry. He’s making an effort to say some words and he’ll probably catch up soon. But as a pp said you can always get a professional opinion if you’re concerned - I would see the HV first.

Do you like/trust you pr local HV team?

Mine took my concerns about my sons late speech very seriously at his 2 year (ish) review - do you have that check up in your area?

As such we were given a few referrals which actually haven’t improved his speech very much (he’s 3.5 now and we can understand him but he’s considerably less coherent than his peers) but did put our mind at ease re: hearing difficulties etc

Might be worth seeing them soon?

Oh god, now I am freaking out.

She has about fifteen mins of tv in the morning whilst I try and get everything to the car, she is at nursery four days a week and with my mum for the fifth.

I would say that she has about another half an hour of tv in the evening as I need to get her dinner sorted... as I said, I'm a single parent so really, there is not much I can do about that 😢

I am obviously waiting for her two year check up letter.

She just seems very behind. Physically she's streets ahead.

I did try and establish a routine of a bedtime story with her, and I did read to her, but she seriously isn't interested. Just used my bed as a trampoline, dropped her evening milk and used it as an opportunity to go a bit nuts.

I’d ask gp to refer for hearing test, 2 of mine had glue ear ( fluid in the ears) they can’t hear properly so effects their speech

Does she understand instructions? And what you tell her? I think they worry more about the understanding at this stage? When I first read your post she sounds age appropriate. Obviously if you have concerns get her checked out. Has the nursery mentioned anything to you?

Apparently Einstein didn't talk until he was four.

Second the hearing test suggestion, as speech error sounds like could be from glue ear.

To encourage her language development try special time, 5-10 min daily when you play 1 to 1 following her lead with items she chooses and you comment on her play.

To help her speech when she says a word wrong repeat it back to her several times correctly so she says "bot" and you say "oh you want your bottle? Let's find your bottle, here's your bottle!" Etc.

Please don’t freak out. At 22 months it’s absolutely nothing to worry about. (Source: a paediatric speech therapist in the family!) We have a 29 month old niece who has very few words and isn’t even putting two words together but no one is concerned yet.

Talk around them as much as you can but involve them in conversations. Make them ask for things instead of automatically giving it them (eg a drink). Most importantly- get rid of the dummy!

No need for concern until 36 months.

Yes she can follow instructions. For example 'put that back','where is...' or 'please get your shoes' or 'can you find mummy's shoes'. If she is asked to tidy up her toys though, she seems to pretend she can't here.

She recognises her name, she can name friends and family from photos, say hello on the phone etc.

As I said, she's very active child. But I am noticing more and more the gap between her and her peers... and the pitying 'oh, she'll catch up' etc when their kids are speaking in full sentences and having actual discussions...

My little one is 2 and although saying words, not sentences. The health visitor and nursery aren't concerned. Ive got flash cards and bright first word books which have helped. DD has a floppy pallet though which could be making it harder to form words. I think like others have said they all develop differently.

I really wouldn’t worry OP. Putting two words together is a 24 month milestone, so she wouldn’t even be classed as behind.
Really, really don’t worry about the TV. I do the same. CBeebies is great anyway!

Try not to worry. Talk to her as much as possible and wait for your 2 year HV review. Call your HV if you’re really worried but based on what you’ve said, there is no reason to worry.

The dropping of syllables is normal too. I think it’s meant to disappear by age 3.

I do repeat things back, like 'oh you want your bottle' and 'here are your friends' and 'look at the plane' etc. I sound like a manic weirdo for repeating myself over and over again.

It's like she feels she has said it once, and that's enough. She will just drop the second syllable. Almost like she slurs it, if that makes sense?

Comparison is the thief of joy! Try to stop. Ignore any pitying - they are brewing ridiculous.

I find this website very reassuring about actual speech development rather than comparing which will always make you worry unnecessarily. www.talkingpoint.org.uk/

I remember DS1 started at a childminder a few days before his second birthday, and he wasn't putting words together. Within a week he had started running two or three together at once, I think he copied the childminder's daughter.

15 mins of TV in de morning and half an hour when you're making dinner is not enough to harm her development, please don't worry! It's a problem if they are parked in front of it all day.

I know comparison is the thief of joy and all that! But I feel really sad that people think she is behind. And I am so worried now!

Thing is I do work full time and I am a single parent, so she probably has more screen time (tv only) than a child in a two parent family. But I don't have a choice, I have no-one else (no family) to help.

But I feel that I am failing her. She has flash cards, books, games etc. But still can't say more than three words consecutively

Once again op look at a hearing test

Your child sounds fairly age appropriate in terms of word used. In terms of process, it sounds like she had some fínal consonant deletion. She's still a little young for direct therapy. I'd see where she is at 2 1/2 and, if not resolved, get to a Speech Therapy Drop In or ask HV for a referral. As PP have said, repeat back what she has said so that she hears the correct way to say it, but please don't actively correct her or put any pressure on her to say it again.

Her screen time is fine! Honestly, that really is not a problem. I am married but my first DS watched a lot more tv than your dd. Please try not to think that screen time is causing delayed speech. Loud tv on all day every day and no one bothering to interact with the child is what causes problems, not some age appropriate tv turned on once or twice during the day.

She sounds fine to me. I have had one late talker, one early talker and one with massive speech delay so I am used to thinking about what is appropriate and three word sentences sound age appropriate to me.

BertieBotts thanks for the link! I just entered my answers honestly and it cam back fairly ok. Perhaps I am just being paranoid.

Justthecat - I will look into it. But I seriously don't think her hearing is the problem. She can follow simple instructions and reacts to her name?

oh, and my late talker has turned out extremely able. Just to add that perspective, I worried that as he struggled with speech he might struggle academically but this is not the case.

Really think, do you think your friend who has an early talker is worrying about her child's physcial developement as they are not as advanced as your dd? I bet they are not, and you shouldnt worry either. I know this is easier said than done.

If you continue to worry talk to your HV and enquire about a hearing test.

PontiousPilates - the final consonant deletion is basically it, it's almost like she can't be arsed to finish her words!

I will keep an eye. But really? It just worries me. She said 'mama' when she was seven months old, and 'dog' when she was eight months... I am just concerned that there seems to have been some sort of developmental block?? Maybe it is her hearing. Argh!

Please don’t worry. My DS barely said more than 4 or 5 words at 2, and never more than one word at a time. It all came together really quickly from 2.5. Now at 3.5 he is a great talker with a huge vocabulary.

Mine was/similar and only had about 5 regular words at that age, no sentences. She got by on gestures instead. She’s in ST now at 2.5yo as assessed as needing it and due to family history. The ST is play based and we’ve ended up in group therapy as she wasn't happy with one on one. One of the things I have to practice is offering two things, do you Want apple or orange, then helping them say which they want. Same with colours, do you want to draw with red or blue then help with the word when they point to it or say that. We’ve just introduced trying to say I want.... it’s all said in a sing song kind of voice. She réponds well to songs and will sing along, but not talk. she is improving and starting to put 2-3 words together after about 6 weeks of therapy.

She also does the “I've said that word, why would I have to say it ever again?’ thing, very frustrating, And is also very good physically