Not really saying that much that sounds like proper words..

Elliot is like a parrot. He can copy everything you say - he really is excellent - he pronounced Maxi perfectly this morning. He wants to talk - he looks at my mouth and tries to say everything.

Max on the other hand is a bit different. I know he understands everything I say and as much as Ellie but when it comes to actually speaking words he is still in the 'noise' stage. He can say mama dada ball and a couple of others not very clearly but that's about it. He doesn't seem very interested in saying things and just likes to make a lot of noise!

Is that ok? When should I start to worry? Thanks for any replies in advance.

 

DS2 had about 3 words at 22 months, and my girls did not talk until 25 and 27 months. At all. So if he is trying some words and does understand what you say to him, I would not be overly concerned. It's really hard not to compare when they're the same age, but kids learn things in their own time. All three of my late talkers suddenly decided to talk and then it was just a cascade of words, to sentences, to really complex sentences. Instead of practicing a little here and there and building up slowly, they just waited and exploded into speech instead.

 

I agree with Ruby, my BF went through the same thing with her two boys, they were late talkers and they just suddenly had a burst of speech. I would say if he understands what you say, it should be alright but if you are still concerned you could ask your pedi at the next visit. Good luck!

 

One of my DDs had very few words at their 18 month appointment, but by 2 she was talking constantly and MORE than my DD who had lots of words at 18 mos. If you are concerned talk to your pedi at your 18 month app. :hug:

 

If you are concerned, ask your pedi for a EI speech referrel. There is no cost to you for them to come out. They need to be at least 30% delayed and if they are, the therapy cost is based on your income.

We will be starting speech therapy for both the boys in two weeks. They are each 38% delayed.

 

My girls have no words at all right now (not even mama and dada). They babble all the time and have mama and dada sounds, but don't say it to mean DH or me. They definitely understand what I say, but I can't understand anything they say. They already receive EI PT services and I wonder if they will eventually get speech therapy as well. I'm not terribly worried about it right now because they are following simple commands (go get a book, etc.), but we'll keep working with them and watch to see if they need speech therapy.

 

Andi, mine are the same as yours! Claire will attempt to say things as close to the way I say them as possible & she's constantly learning new words. Ashley on the other hand, understand everything that Claire does, but she does not attempt to say them clearly & she doesn't really try new words. Everything to her is "B", or else dada or mama, but she'll point to different things so we know whether she's talking about bird, ball, baby, etc. Even things that don't begin with B are "B" to her. It's frustrating and I hope that both of ours are OK!!

I hope your little Max will begin expanding his vocabulary on his own, soon

 

Since he does have SOME words, I wouldn't be too worried - that's a great sign! My cousin's daughter didn't have ANY words until 22 months and now at 24 months she has several. She's very intelligent and responsive non-verbally - just didn't want to talk! If you are concerned, ask your pedi - you can get an evaluation for free and the peace of mind is priceless.

 

At this age, pronunciation is not so important. If he has has a sound that you and he both know means something, that is a word. So are animal sounds when he consistently associates it with the same animal. Based on that criteria, I bet he has 10+ words, which puts him right on track developmentally.

 

I wouldn't worry... My older daughter didn't really get rolling with speech until she was, oh, 20 months? Then it snowballed really fast. She, like yours, obviously understood everything we were saying and could follow directions.