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Original poster

2 year Olds speech delay

28 replies

Kcass1269 · 14/10/2021 02:00

I've been trying to come up with how to help our little sir to talk. He's very bright, able to associate words to images when we use flash cards. He understands almost completely what we ask him to do. Even up to 3 tasks laid out in one ask. He just hasn't started talking yet. He doesn't babble so much as he makes a series of noises ranging from a woo noise to general grunts and literal growls. I'm at a loss, I'm sure he'll talk when he's ready but, at this point I'm fairly concerned. He's my first child and I have no idea how to deal with this.

OP posts:
MalteseBubs · 14/10/2021 02:13

When my DS was around this age his nursery referred him for speech therapy. He only needed to go once and they gave him some physical mouth exercises to do and said he'd be fine and not to worry

If I were you I'd contact my GP to find out where he can be referred to.

Tuliptulip · 14/10/2021 02:15

Have you checked his hearing? Glue ear can come and go but have a serious effect on speech development.

MalteseBubs · 14/10/2021 02:15

Also get his hearing checked. He might need grommets or something.

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Tuliptulip · 14/10/2021 02:16

@MalteseBubs great minds Grin

MalteseBubs · 14/10/2021 02:17

Ha Yes Grin I thought that too

Original poster
Kcass1269 · 14/10/2021 02:59

We had his hearing checked out a few months back and they said it was good. He's been referred for speech therapy, but thus far it hasn't really taken off. It's a couple weeks between each visit and they haven't come up with a plan yet. I know I'm being impatient but I'm truthfully pretty worried.

OP posts:
Original poster
Kcass1269 · 14/10/2021 03:13

We had his hearing checked out a few months back and they said it was good. He's been referred for speech therapy, but thus far it hasn't really taken off. It's a couple weeks between each visit and they haven't come up with a plan yet. I know I'm being impatient but I'm truthfully pretty worried.

OP posts:
hernameis · 14/10/2021 03:19

My ds had very delayed speech, we had moved to canada and at his 2year check the Dr was appalled he didn't have 50 words and flagged up speech therapy. My son understood everything and used his hands and expression to help make him understood. At Speech therapy they said he was fine he just needed time. I found the book It Takes Two to Talk by Elaine Weizel (might be misspelled) really helpful.

DS had issues with certain sounds like f, th and his r's. If he tried to say fish it came out as sick. He was great at g's and s sounds!

From age 7 his Speech was fine except for r's, especially in a word like bird or work. He sounded like a New Yorker eg 'boyd' instead of bird. From age 9 his Speech has been perfect and while he can't roll his r's he can pronounce them easily.

I don't think Speech therapy did anything amazing, it just took him a little longer than his peers. He did Speech therapy at school for about 30mins every other week in the school year (maybe about 15 sessions in each year for 3 years).

Temple29 · 14/10/2021 04:11

My son is 2.5 and has a few words but nothing particularly clear to anyone but me.

Started speech therapy at 2 and the best thing they told us to do was use only 2-3 words when talking to him. So if you want him to get his shoes just say ‘ shoes’ and never talk to him in full sentences because he might only understand some of what you’re saying. Really helped our DS.

BlankTimes · 14/10/2021 04:14

Talk to him a lot, narrate things you're doing. Will he 'sing' along or make rhythmic noises to a tune?
Does he eat solids, does he chew much? The muscles used in chewing are important for speech.

The main thing is he's alredy communicating with you, he understands you and he lets you know what he wants and thinks too, which is great Smile

Original poster
Kcass1269 · 14/10/2021 04:50

He will "sing" along occasionally if I'm doing a random tune (like walking up the stairs) or while he's playing. And he eats plenty of solids. To the degree I'm sure he's going to eat me out of my retirement lol

OP posts:
MalteseBubs · 14/10/2021 19:03

Make sure you don't try and overdo it to the point he'll just retreat and get a bit introvert. Some people just go quiet when eveyone around them is too expressive and chatty, they just can't find the space to express themselves at their own pace when theyre ready.

MalteseBubs · 14/10/2021 19:04

How does he play and interact with other DC at nursery?

MalteseBubs · 14/10/2021 19:05

You haven't mentioned nursery at all.

Does he play much with other DC.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 14/10/2021 19:06

How old is he? Just 2? Almost 3?

moonshine3600 · 14/10/2021 19:11

Does he go to nursery op?
My 2 year old wouldn't talk, we put him in nursery at 2.2, he's now 3 and talking great.
Being around other children does wonders for them.
My HV said to me, don't say to them 'say this' that's too much pressure. Instead, repeat words 3 times eg; 'X look at the red bus, that's a fast bus, isn't it a big bus'
Repeat, repeat, repeat, you'll sound like a broken doll but it helps.

Original poster
Kcass1269 · 15/10/2021 01:52

My wife is a stay at home mother. He has 2 siblings (8 months old & 7) and every couple weeks he has a play date of some sort. He "talks" and plays with other children fine when they're around, if in his own language. He is 2.5. We haven't tried the repetition of words as of yet. I'll have to start implementing it. We haven't as of yet because he understands what we say so well.

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 15/10/2021 02:08

If he has a speech therapist he's seeing, I'm not sure what you're worried about. He's only just started seeing them, he's still young.

I don't mean that harshly, DS wasn't talking at gone 3.5. I know it's frustrating. He's still under speech therapy now in theory, if we ever see her.

But at 2 and already seeing a speech therapist, you just need to do the exercises when she sets them and give him time

tigertummy · 15/10/2021 02:23

I completely understand your concerns as I was worried about my son too! He "babbled" until he was 3. He had no obvious words and I was the only one who could understand what he was trying to say. He's now 4 and his speech is on the same level as other children his age. Somewhere over the last year it just clicked for him and the words came out. He was obviously busy working on other skills until then. Try not to worry just yet. Keep talking to him, singing to him and repeating words and phrases and I'm sure when he's ready he'll surprise you!

Wagglerock · 15/10/2021 09:05

Mine didn't say anything till 2.5 and you'd never know now. I'd just carry on as normal with no pressure (easier to say than do) and just have fun. I will say nursery really helped in terms of giving lots of opportunity to speak with others all day and his language rapidly developed once he started there. I was a SAHP prior to that and we were mixing with other kids every day but nursery was the big boost.

Fallagain · 15/10/2021 11:17

@Kcass1269

My wife is a stay at home mother. He has 2 siblings (8 months old & 7) and every couple weeks he has a play date of some sort. He "talks" and plays with other children fine when they're around, if in his own language. He is 2.5. We haven't tried the repetition of words as of yet. I'll have to start implementing it. We haven't as of yet because he understands what we say so well.
Does he regularly go out and about places? Doesn’t have to exciting just the park, supermarket, toddler group, feed the ducks. It’s important to offer different stimulus for conversation. Lots of songs, books and talking.
Tibtab · 15/10/2021 11:26

My DD is 18 months and doesn’t use words for anything, just hand signs. She occasionally babbles but doesn’t say what she wants, she has never called me Mama or Mummy.

She understands everything I say though, she can identify objects if I ask her to get something and like your child can understand strings of actions. It’s just so stressful.

ThatsWhatI · 16/10/2021 02:29

Oh ok I have a friend who's younger brother barely spoke because she was such a chatter box so he he was just used to not talking.

He be fine once he's at nursery or at School and can be his own person in a different environment to home

ThatsWhatI · 16/10/2021 02:34

Why isn't he at nursery ?

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 16/10/2021 07:39

@ThatsWhatI

Cause he has a SAHP and maybe beachside nurseries are bloody expensive