20mo doesn't speak

[Scotabroad24]

Not sure if I'm being too cautious here but starting to get concerned about ds lack of speech, no idea if its 'normal' or if i should be worried.
Ds points, does actions to songs, copies and imitates everything we do, but barely has any words other than 'no' and very occasionally 'bamama' for banana

So as not to drip feed, we live in Portugal, dh is portuguese i am British. I speak English only with ds, but he is in full time childcare which is fully in portuguese. His understanding is pretty good, if we tell him to get his shoes, coat, Teddy etc in both languages he understands and will bring the item. He waves hello and goodbye, and copies a lot of sounds of a word but can't seem to form the actual word. I know that bilingual children can sometimes be slightly slower to talk but our gp said he would have expected ds to have some words in either language by now. We have been referred for a speech assessment, have already been waiting 2 months and likely to wait another couple at least.

Just basically looking for opinions on people who had slow talkers, and if I should be worried or not. Think part of the reason I'm getting concerned is that ds has a few sensory issues too, he can't stand having anything on his hands or feet like crumbs etc, we recently took him to the beach and had to leave as he wouldn't touch the sand, even with shoes on he wouldn't stand on it. He's also funny about food textures, and will only eat one food at a time, if 2 foods are touching on his plate he has to separate them and eat just one at a time.

Any opinions welcome, thanks for reading my rambling post.

Hopeful bump

Hi - I'm a childminder so a fair bit of experience with early years.
20 months is still very young to expect lots of words - especially as he is growing up in a bilingual environment.
I've had so many kids that aren't speaking well even at age 2 and older - then they suddenly start to speak in full sentences.
His sensory issues are not that unusual either - lots of children have issues with sand etc, it doesn't necessarily point to autism/adhd - I assume that's your concern.
I'd encourage more sensory play at home - play dough is great to start off with, as are bubbles in water.
Please don't worry, he will catch up xxx

My DS wasn’t speaking apart from making ‘noises’ at that age, so he’d kind of sing the tune of what I said without any words on certain used often phrases like I love you.

He had/has speech delay, and still does at 4.5. However, his language explodes regularly, and has done since he was about 2.5/3. He was 2.5 when he finally said Mama crystal clearly, having been trying to say it for months.

I’d make sure to praise every little attempt at speech whether a word is said correctly or not, keep talking as much as possible about everything so he’s learning as many words as possible (my DS couldn’t speak at all, but that boy sure could follow complicated for a two year old instructions!) and hassle the speech department as much as possible, or look in to private therapy if funds allow. Encourage him to show you what he wants (this will help anyone else who looks after him and help keep his frustration levels down) or look at sign language.

It’s pointless saying you shouldn’t worry, because you will, same as every other mother would worry. I did, still do. In my little experience of 1 child with speech issues it does get better over time, but it’s horrible to go through and at times can be heartbreaking.

My DS had no words on his second birthday, not even ‘mama’ or similar. He’s a completely normal 15 year old now.

Regardless of the reason for his speech delay, Makaton might help. It did wonders for my son with his delay.

His aversion to sand/crumbs on his feet sounds like tactile hypersensitivity. I think skin brushing can sometimes help with that.

My daughter is 18 months and she just says mama, dada and more on repeat 😆
my stepson speaks 2 languages also and he didn’t speak at all really until he was 2 my husband tells me. Then he just suddenly was talking loads one day

i wonder if the 2 languages just takes a bit longer to grasp 🤷‍♀️

sorry not giving any facts here just thinking out loud?

OP, I've been on the other side of this. I had a 20 month old who didn't speak but who also didn't point, wave, follow instructions. We got an ASD diagnosis. Nothing you've said about your child would raise any concerns for me at all.

I've done a fair few speech and language courses, bilingual children will speak later in most cases. I don't think you need to worry 😊

Have you had his hearing tested? Glue ear is often missed now as routine hearing tests no longer carried out. However he is still very young and if he is copying sounds that is great. Model animal sounds, other sounds such as 'oh-oh' when you drop something, car noises etc. If he makes a sound, repeat back to him. I wouldn't worry about the sensory things- common in toddlers and his other development sounds normal.

My dh did some modules from an english language degree about ten years ago. Anyway, one published piece on language development of children he was reading as part of an assignment spoke about bilingual children. It said, roughly, the best way was for each parent to speak their language to the baby and that bilingual babies will speak later, which makes sense. Im sorry i have no idea what the document was.

Bilingual children are generally slower to speak. Doesn't mean they never do.

I had one child who spoke ridiculously early and one who was late to speak. My youngest who was the late speaker went on to have select mutism and develop a stammer. He is 7 now and talks well. Occasionally he will struggle to get his words out, but it is rare. He did have help from speech and language therapy, but I think it mainly improved with time as he built confidence.

Thank you everyone, you've all put my mind at rest a bit.
Ive been trying to be chilled about it all, I know all kids develop at different times and language is so complex especially with him hearing 2 constantly.
Will keep on for speech assessment in the meantime, if it helps him then it cant be a bad thing.

Thank you, his hearing hasn't been tested but I will push for that along with the speech assessment. He's great with sounds, chatters a lot just no actual words, and as pp said he kind of mirrors the tune of certain phrases. I think with nearing the terrible 2s he's getting frustrated when someone doesn't understand what he wants, although luckily i can decipher it most of the time

Yes always good to rule out hearing issues however mild as they can affect speech and language development. Good luck!

Use signs and visuals like photos to supplement
Watch something special on youtube
But he is only 20 months
If play etc developing fine
And understanding is fine
Then watch and wait

So if he trying to say what food or toy he wants
Show him the photos
You can make choice boards
Have him point

You can download free trial gridforipad which has preset animals food etc grids