2 year old not speaking

[Mondayblues23]

I am a bit concerned about my 2 year old not speaking much. He says the odd word (probably about 15 words) but not sentences yet. He points to show you what he wants. He babbles a lot, shouts & talks in a language we don’t understand.

He has great eye contact & good imaginative play. He can point out all body parts and all animals/items in a book.

I feel like it might be a confidence issue, it took him a bit of time to be brave enough to walk etc.

The HV says wait until his review & that it’ll be his dummy getting in the way.

I think the worst part is people and their continual comments, it puts me off going to social events as I feel we are being analysed and judged.

I don’t know why I’m writing this post really. I guess I wondered if others had been in the same position.

Definitely cut out the dummy or reduce it to just at night. As a teacher 100% it’s the children who had dummys (or still have them when at home) who develop linguistically the slowest because they can’t practise speaking with a dummy in their mouth. I know that’s tricky to remove but either phase it out or go cold turkey. It will definitely help.
don’t worry thoughOP as your boy is still very young.

My cousins DS was the same it turned out he just couldn't hear anything. After surgery he started to catch up.

Ask HV re referral how long the current wait is, because it might take ages. Why has he got a dummy during the day? Just because he always has, or comfort, or reassurance? Does he get upset without it? The reliance on the dummy needs thinking about.

Id request audiology and speech therapy as there probably a wait time and you can always cancel if not needed. Keep your sentences short, ask open questions. Lots of repetition and do naming activities. Posting works well- simple word cards ideally with real life pictures on and say the word post the card(can use a cardboard box) take turns and give him opportunity to say the word then you say the word

@Mondayblues23 Absolutely no harm in getting hearing checked just to rule anything out 😊
My DS is also 2 (he’s 27 months). He’s definitely the most advanced for speech of all the 2 year olds that we go to toddler groups etc with - but he’s not as social as the rest 🤷🏻‍♀️ They all do things in their own time. Going by the group of 2 year olds that we’re around I’d say there’s a huge variation in the speech ability at this age. There are still some among my friends who don’t speak at all, some with limited speech (single words, not linking 2 words etc), and some that link 3/4 words at a time in basic sentences.

A few things that have helped us with speech:

• This book! Loads of real pictures so ideal for object recognition too.
• repeat, repeat, repeat 😅 and narrate everything you do no matter how ridiculous you feel you sound 🤣 sometimes I feel like a broken record 🙈 even silly things - “let’s change your nappy! Get a nappy, we need a wipe, lie down, clean clean clean, new nappy on...etc etc”
• books with repetitive language - we love all the Julia Donaldson stories. Read to him as much as you can 😊
• Definitely get rid of the dummy. We got rid of ours during the day before DS turned 1 but he had it at night until he turned 2. I was dreading taking it away but after a day or 2 he genuinely didn’t mention it again 🤷🏻‍♀️
• Screen time - I don’t think you’ve mentioned it at all and I know it’s a bit of a controversial parenting topic 😅 personally, we had absolutely no screen time until DS was over 2. I didn’t even have the tv on in the background when he was awake. He now watches some of the Julia Donaldson stories - maybe 2 or 3 a week at the very most. I sit with him while we watch and we chat about what he can see etc. Everyone has different views on the topic and each to their own 😊 but I do feel like less screen time has helped DS with speech.
• Ask lots of basic questions and give him choices. Water or milk? Peas or carrots?
• Make sure you pause to allow him time to respond after you’ve spoken 😊

Thanks so much for all these helpful replies. You're all so lovely and I'm noting it all down.

For those in the same boat as me right now, thank you for sharing. It's good to not feel alone in this and I think you're right, we will forget we ever worried when they suddenly start chatting away!

Will try all of these things, the website, the colours, the no daytime dummy, the hearing tests, the books and all the handy little tips to try on him,

I am guilty of trying to get him to talk more than I should. Will let him take the lead more.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply, I already feel so much better after a sleepless night Sunday worrying!

Our eldest only had a few words at 2 but seemed to understand everything , then at about 2.5 he suddenly started speaking in complete sentences - it was as if he was waiting until he could say something worthwhile . It did eventually pan out that he has bilateral moderate deafness but that wasn’t diagnosed until he was 6 by which point he had taught himself to lip read quite effectively . We had no idea he had a problem it was picked up by the school nurse at screening .

I am guilty of trying to get him to talk more than I should. Will let him take the lead more.

@Mondayblues23 I don’t think you’re alone in this at all OP! I’m sure most of us have done that too. When DS first started talking it was ridiculous the amount I’d find myself telling him to say things 🙈 or asking him to repeat what I’d said 🙈”a doggy! Can you say dog? DOG. Say ‘dog’!” 🤣 It’s a learning curve for parents too!
I definitely got the most progress in speech with DS by just repeating words a few times and then being quiet and giving him the chance to respond, eg...”a big dog! Dog, dog, dog!” or “a dog! The dog says ‘woof, woof’ woof’!”

@Mondayblues23 my little boy was exactly the same at just turned 2 and I was worried too! He is just under 2.5 now and you honestly can't shut him up. FWIW other than narrating everything and chatting to him a lot, we didn't do anything special. I could tell from way before 2 that he understood a lot, and could follow simple instructions etc, so I think he was just taking his sweet time. Today when I asked him how his day was he told me "a dinosaur flied up in the sky and ate the moon cos it was sad, and then we all at some cake" and it makes it very hard to remember that 5 months ago he communicated exclusively by roaring like a lion and saying "no"!

talks in a language we don’t understand.

Get referral to speech therapist
They can assess if level or receptive to expressive are the same or drastically different
Ask abput speech disorders (different to delay)
Teach signs makaton
Use visuals photos pictures
Which do you want? Point

Seriously, stop pathologising normal development. The “language we don’t understand” is probably jargon, a perfectly normal and desirable stage of development. No SALT is going to assess to see if his speech is delayed or disordered at 2. Use natural gesture but he doesn’t need Makaton or visuals.
One of the reasons waiting lists are so long is this attitude of “get him on the waiting list just in case”.
Op, if you brought him to my clinic, I would ask you and look for evidence that he is understanding what you say and check that he wants to communicate and what he is communicating about. I might contact your health visitor to ask her to keep a closer check on his development. Then I’d give you the advice you’ve been given here, simple language, leave space for him to talk, reduce questions, comment on what he is doing etc. and send you off. I’d say to contact your health visitor if he hadn’t made progress in a few months.
If he wasn’t trying to communicate, I might do something different and have a closer look at his development to consider if there might be an underlying reason for his lack of speech.

@Awayyego Thank you. Perhaps it was my wording, it seems many 2 year olds talk in a language that is understood, at least by their parents. I understand what you're saying about the waiting lists.

I think it's because it's drilled into us that early intervention is key and I don't want to not help him, if that makes sense.

Will take the advice on board. Thanks again everyone for your advice.

@Username24680 your post made me laugh. That is definitely me. I've had dogs giving me dirty looks as I'm continually pointing them out "dog, dog, dog" 🤣

Hi, @Mondayblues23 do you mind me asking how your little one is doing now? In a similar boat with my ds at the moment xx

Hey @Mondayblues23 do you have an update?

My son is 22 months old so nearly two and I’d say he has a good 15-20 words he uses consistently, a few he will sometimes occasionally say and others he says once then never again really.

He sounds a lot like your son and he points to everything to share interest, his receptive language and understanding is fantastic but he just doesn’t use much speech. He plays with us all the time, shares his toys and is interested in other children etc so I don’t really have many concerns other than he just doesn’t seem to speak as much as other children his age.

I have a nephew who was born 2 days earlier than my son and his speech is amazing, he says sooooo much more than my son so that’s the only reason I worry I suppose. My eldest has autism so I’m always on high alert for any red flags.

@Mummybobs123 Do you also have an update? I see you wrote asking for one 9 months a go! How is your child’s speech now?

Hello @Lefmry I’ve only just seen this. He is now almost 4 (in Feb) & his speech is the same as other children his age. In fact, we said the other day we can’t even remember what it was like when he didn’t speak much. Everyone said to me when he turns 3 I bet he’ll just start talking loads and that has definitely happened in the last year. Your little boy sounds just like mine did at he same age so I bet it’ll be the same. He’ll just start talking more and more and catch up 😊