Speech at 15 - 16 months old

My boy/girl twins are 16 months old today (14 1 /2 months adjusted). I'm concerned about their speech, and don't know if I should be worried or not.

They say a few 'words' (mama, dada, baba, papa, bye, no) and do A LOT of babbling. They 'talk' to me all the time, as though we are having a real conversation. They are very expressive, and understand simple questions/commands (if I ask them where a specific toy is, get your blanket or ball, or where is so and so)

So I'm not really concerned that they are not understanding...just that their language still seems like a bunch of babbling. Their hearing is fine - they can hear a pin drop. And as I said they babble all day. These are my first and only babies, so I'm not sure if I am expecting too much at this age.

Any tips or advice?

Thanks in advance.

-Rose

 

I don't think you have anything to be concerned about. Kids all will develop differently. My girls learning curve really took off at about 13 or 14 months, so by there adjusted age, thats about right. I would give it a couple of months and see how much they have learned...I think as long as they understand and are babbling, that is fine. HOWEVER, I'm no expert...these are my first babies, too. We have no experience with speech therapy or anything, so maybe another mom will have better advice to offer you.

 

I am no expert and a first time mom. My B/G twins are 15 months, 13.5 adjusted and doing the EXACT same thing.

 

That sounds totally fine. I think the ped wants to see 1-2 words at 12 months and 3-5 words at 15 months, but that's just the middle of a very wide "normal" range.

I was in the exact same situation and everyone said not to worry until at least 18 months. At 18 months, if you have seen an improvement since 15 months, then still don't worry. At 2 years, if they are still not really talking or have only a few words, I'd have them evaluated.

Amy had a language explosion at 15 months that made it clear that I didn't need to worry about her, and it picks up steam every week. From "bye bye" at 15 months, she is now (at 22 months) saying things like "Mommy driving Daddy's car" and "Amy see baby deer backyard!" Sarah has been slowly but gradually improving (at 22 months, she finally says things like "bye-bye ball"), though I'm still going to have her evaluated to make sure she's on the right track.

 

12 months: 0 words

14 months: Nick-3 words, Joe-0 words (both boys 2-3 signs)

16 months: Nick-7 words, Joe-3 words (both boys ~10 signs)

18 months: Nick-25 words, Joe-15 words (both boys ~20 signs? I'm losing track b/c they know more than I do now LOL)

They are really taking off now and will give a good attempt at (perhaps just first syllable of) any word we say. At about 16.5 months I put a chart on the frig in preparation for our 18 m appt. and made 4 columns: Nick words, Joe words, Nick signs, Joe signs. I tried to update it about weekly. I couldn't believe how fast the page became covered.

My boys are just now initiating dialog/words, whereas before they would repeat something you asked them to say, but wouldn't run up to you saying (and excitedly pointing) "car!, car!, car!" like they do now.

 

My first son talked up a storm at that age.

My second son had only 3 words until he was 22 months.

My girls did not talk at all (no words) until 25 and 27 months.

All my children were full term, and all of them caught up quickly and then jumped ahead in speech. If they can understand you at an age-appropriate level and interact with you, then I wouldn't worry. I didn't worry with mine, because I knew that late talkers run on both sides of my family. (My dad, my maternal uncle.)

 

mine are 15 months and are not saying any words (one sign)-they are going to start receiving speech in about 2 weeks. they were 5 weeks premature.
i hope that this helps!

ps -my girls talked much more than the boys have.

 

Your two sound fine. Mine now at 19 months have about 10 word each, but like yours babble and talk all day long. I acually had a speech observation for them before their PT released them last month, and they did not qualify for speech.

She even said the babbling and talking were good signs and your two's receptive language is good if they understand you.

 

My boys are almost the exact same age as yours and doing the same thing. I could have written your post for you. I don't think we have anything to worry about. At their 15 month appointment, the ped said they were just fine.

 

I think they are fine. My pedi expected 3 words at their 15 month appointment, and was totally shocked when I told him they had 20 and 25. He was especially shocked since they are twins.

Really, he would have been happy with 3 words. My girls just developed the gift of gab early on, and one of them was so busy talking that she's just getting around to walking.

 

Ali and Martin's speech really started to TAKE OFF at about 18 mos. now it's more and more everyday!! Not quite time to worry, IMO!

 

Our girls don't have many words. They can each say a couple, but they also babble all the time. They clearly understand what we say to them. At their 18 month WBV, the pedi wasn't concerned. She said there is usually a language explosion between now and 2 years old. She said that if they don't have more words at their 2 year WBV, then she would like to have them evaluated. But for now, they are doing good.

 

Thank you all so much for your replies. I feel a little better knowing we are not alone!
Thanks again. I love this place!

 

we just had a wbv last week and dr said 3-5 words at this age is common and as long as they are social and babble and understand what you're saying to not worry...DD seems to be repeating a word a day now and DS is carrying on "conversations" in babble! He also says things like "ank oo" (Thank you) with the same intonation that you or I would say it although it sounds (to non parents anyway) like babble

 

At the 15 month appt my dr said they were technically speech delayed but he wasn't concerned because twins are typically speech delayed. Mine do sign a little but other than that they only say-dog (or something like dog) and ball. Occasionally I get a Mama, but only when they are crying.
My dr said that if they hadn't developed more by 18 months he would recommend an evaluation. I work for the school system so I know you don't have to have a referral. I will probably ask for one if we don't have a sudden burst of words in the next month or so!

 

All of these posts have made me feel better too. My boys are 16 1/2 months (and were full-term) and still aren't saying much. I have one chatty boy who carries on full monologues with intonation, varied facial expressions and hand gestures, but I don't understand a word he says!

They say 'mama' and 'dada', and mimic me when I say things like 'uh-oh' and 'thank you'. They also have a generic word for dogs, cats and other animals, but to an untrained ear it just sounds like babble - it comes out as something like 'deedee', which I think is their version of 'kitty'.

Both understand an amazing amount - they can even follow 2 step instructions (e.g. find a dinosaur and put it in the bucket) - so I try not to worry too much.

 

At our 15 month WBV, the pedi said that around 18 months for the first word was still normal. She said that 15-18 months was receptive language (sponge) and that 18-24 was expressive (vocalization).

Neither of mine have formed what I think is a word. Who's to say, though - maybe "un guh" is really what DS says for "dog". He says it consistently, but what the heck is "un guh"? :blink:

 

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Neither of mine have formed what I think is a word. Who's to say, though - maybe "un guh" is really what DS says for "dog". He says it consistently, but what the heck is "un guh"? :blink:


That is soo funny. Joe is always saying "a-na, a-na, a-na" & "a-ta, a-ta, a-ta". Just last night DH and I were joking that he must be expressing something specific, but h*ll if either of us can translate it!

Joe has just started pointing at things this week which has helped out tremendously because before all he did was "uh-uh"...the body language is a relief b/c we're able to communicate better, even if it isn't with words.

Poor kiddos...being a toddler must be rough, living like a caveman.

 

Hi Rose.
It's like I could have exactly wrote this post. My two are doing the exact same thing and the exact same words. Even when they do throw me a 'curve' by repeating back a certain word I can tell what it is, but the rest of the world can't.
Hang in there, they'll be talking plainly before you know it and then you'll just be wishing they'd be quiet! :lol:

 

I just took my twins for their 15 month check up, and the pedi referred us to Early Intervention because they are not using words yet. Like yours, mine, at 15 months (born at 38 weeks) are babbling all the time, and if you ask them where their toys are or a few body parts are they can go fetch them or point them out. They say all kind of words, but don't actually associate an object with it's name, and they don't repeat words back. Like they say mama and dada all the time, but haven't figured out that those are our "names." Their daycare also teaches sign language, and they can correctly sign about 4 or 5 words (eat, more, milk, happy), but they just aren't expressing themselves verbally.

So I don't have any advice, I'm waiting for the evaluation to see what is up. But I'm not really all that worried, I know they will talk one day, and I have heard many times that twins are more likely to have a speech delay.

 

It greatly depends on the child, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. My oldest son was alway extremely verbal, spoke early, very early. My twins did not. They were one before they could say very much and even now they are way behind in vocabulary based on my oldest. They are both normal in thier speech abilities, although Eric knows more wordy words(as we call them) than Ethan does right now. Sam(my 12 year old) is like a walking dictionary, talks like he is 30! :laughing: Some of it has to do with fine muscle development and some with hearing and some with personality, all of this together can have a 7 month old that says Momma or a 2 year old that says a garbled version of MOOOMMBA. The twins called me Mooommba till way past 2 and called each other "ric" for Eric and "EEEE" for Ethan. I rather liked being called Momba, made me wanna dance. :banana: