Is DS behind on communication?

[Gigi00]

DS is 18 months, he cannot yet point, he can clap and sometimes waves.

He can say - Mumma, Dadda, Baba and a couple of times has made a "no" sound but seems to have stopped that one. I do encourage him to speak by pointing to things and naming what it is. We also read lots of books.

Should he be able to point and say more by now? Do i need to take any action on this or when would you if there is no improvement?

Every child is different, ds 1 was a slow talker.. by the time he was 3 he wouldn't shut up. Ds2, 16 months younger than his brother was talking in sentences by the time he was 18 months.

My Ds had delayed speech .. Things I learnt along the way .. I needed to give Ds more space to speak . I would be like what shall we do for tea? I know let’s have pasta .. no real space to answer .

Also was encouraged to focus on using one sign ( makaton ) for a few weeks . Signs like yes no drink.. all helped

Yes, he is delayed. At 18 months he would be expected to have a minimum of 10 words. And pointing typically develops around a year. However, children do develop at different times and he may catch up with no additional support.

Does he understand you? Can he follow a story such as “The Gruffalo”? And instructions like “Find your shoes”. Can he make his wishes known, does he use gesture to choose what he wants for breakfast, or what colour train he wants to play with?

If he understands you well and you understand him then, although he has a speech delay, he is likely to catch up. Children often have a language explosion around 2 so maybe waiting until then to see how he is doing would be good?

If he doesn’t understand you and isn’t attempting to make himself understood through gesture then I would be more concerned and contacting the Health Visitor now.

The only instruction he seems to understand is "can i have a kiss?"

He doesn't understand anything else yet.

If his understanding is also delayed I'd definitely talk to your GP and health visitor. I'm wondering if you are using gesture or kiss facial expression when you ask "can I have a kiss?". Makes me wonder whether he is hearing properly and needs a hearing test. Lots of children are delayed in speech because of treatable ear conditions such as glue ear that limit hearing.

Yes he's delayed (ex nursery nurse) but that doesn't mean he won't catch up.

Lots of opportunities for language reading, pointing etc, keep questions short, give a pause for him to answer, then give his answer ie-
Would you like a drink?
Pause
Yes a drink please

You could get some picture cards (ideally real life pictures of animals, people, day to day objects etc) and play posting games. Make a post box out of a cardboard box and take it in turns to say what's on the card and post the picture.

He will have a review at two years with health visitor. If you are really concerned ask for an early appointment or request a referral to speech and language (or in some areas you can self refer to salt)

Also to mention two of my children had delayed speech. Eldest I didn't worry (pre Google) her two year review was delayed by 6 months and by then she was hitting targets.

Youngest I contacted hv and referred to speech and language. They ruled out hearing and he had speech and language appointments for four years. There's been other health issues but his speech is totally fine now

Do you sing nursery rhymes with him? This is another good way of developing language skills. Libraries do story and rhyme times which are great for toddlers. You could ring your HV as well to get advice.

Given his understanding delay I would definitely contact your HV now and get them to refer to Speech and Language Therapy and Audiology for a hearing test.

Makaton is a really good thing to do in the meantime. Maybe pick 5 key words to sign, something like - eat, drink, sleep, cuddle, and a favourite toy, - and use these repeatedly, whilst still talking.

Use as short sentences as possible. Just one or two words.

The PP idea of a postbox with pictures is really good.

Look up Intensive Interaction. It’s basically what speech and language therapist will recommend you try first as they are unlikely to do any therapy with him has he is so young. It’s a method of playing where you comment on the child’s play using simple language and copy what they are doing.

Thanks all for your advice