I have a little boy who is going to be 18mths old on the 14th. He went today for a checkup and the DR said he wasn't talking enough. Can anyone give me input on what your children were saying at this age? He says all the normal kids words like puppy, kitty, mommy, daddy, come on, come here. Several things like this. I am so upset right now I can't hardly see straight. I wasn't at this appointment, DH took him today. I am just beside myself. Can anyone give me input please??
My 26 month old has Apraxia of Speech so we have followed closely to the milestones for him. He goes to speech therapy so these milestones don't apply but here are the basic skills an 18 month old would have.
1.Enjoys being read to
2.Follows simple commands without gestures
3.Points to simple body parts such as "nose"
4.Understands simple verbs such as "eat" and "sleep"
5.Correctly pronounces most vowels and the bilabials n,m,p,and b. Bilabials simply mean that you use both of your lips or the top and bottom of the mouth to make the sound
6.Says 8-10 words though pronunciation may still be unclear
7.Asks for common objects or foods by name
8.Makes common animal noises such as "moo"
9.Starting to combine two simple words such as "more milk"
10.Begins to use pronouns such as "mine"
At 18 months, the child can't really perform for an accurate view of their speech. Most of the testing for speech at this age is from parental report. My best advice is to sit down with a sheet of paper and write down everything you have heard your son say on a regular basis. Saying it once and then not again is not a skill. You might find that he is right on track. You want to ask yourself how well he understands simple commands, is he phasing out of using gestures and relying more on words, are there obstacles like older siblings who may speak for the child, etc.
18 months is still young to diagnose any problems but I would do some research. If he still comes up lacking then I would ask for a referral to a Speech Pathologist who can find the culprit. Good luck
My son does all those things. I don't know why the DR thinks he can come to a conclusion like he doesn't speak enough when he only spent 5 minutes in the room with him. I have been doing searches on the internet and so far everything I have found he is doing. He doesn't have any older brothers or sisters. He is the only child until March then he will be the big brother. He still points to things but we make him tell us what he wants before he gets it. I am just so upset with this DR. It's like he thinks he should have this elaborate vocabulary.
I have a 17 month old that is not talking all he says is bye mommy daddy i am worried about this because i have a 6 year old that has a speech delay and i have not had much help with her until last when she started school .I can understand 99% what she says but anyone that has not been around her can't under half of it.Doctor has not done anything so if your doc. seems to think that i would talk to him again to find out more because we waited way too long for Gracie she does take speech but that just started last year so i am very worried about when she gets older good luck.
My daughter is 19 months and she can say quite a few words in my opinion. She says mama, dada, jui (for juice), baba (for milk), chip, mihe (Misty the dog), dora, map, bacpac (backpack), nose, eye, mou (mouth), toe, hi, bye and night night. Every day we can see improvement in her speech. I always think that she is behind because my girlfriends child is 4 months older than mine and was singing the alphabet by 13 months and by 18 was saying full sentences. She is almost 2 and can have a complete conversation with you. But then I know kids that are 20 months and are only saying mama and dada. I think your kid is just fine as well as mine. They all learn at different paces and I think they will start to expolde with words in the next couple of months. Just always keep talking to him. Don't listen to your DR who only spent 5 min. with him you know him better then anyone else.
If your little guy is doing all of the things that Mommyof 4 listed than he is just fine. Is it possible that your husband gave the doctor an incorrect discription of your son's speech? Dads often percieve their child's development differently than moms.
You do seem very concerned. If I were you I would call the doctor and explain your concern and ask for a clarification.
I would also make an appointment for my son to be evaluated by the early intervention program. They should be able to pick up even the slightest speech delay and offer services if you qualify. In my mind an evaluation is a win-win situation. If your son does not qualify you will at least have peace of mind and be able to get rid of that little voice saying "what if he is behind." If he qualifies they usually have some great programs that would really benefit any toddler.
This is exactly what we did with my oldest son who is now almost 4. I worried about his hearing because he was so loud. I worried about his speech because he was so hard to understand. Finally, we had them both checked out by early intervention.
The service is free and at least in Oklahoma, where I live, you do not need a referral for them to come out. Having a professional tell me that things were fine with my son really helped me to calm down.
I also wanted to add that when it comes to speech, there are so many theories and opinions. One Dr will tell you to get on top of any speech issues early. Other Drs wont even discuss speech until the child is 2. I would have EI come out and see what they say. They have to have at least a 25% delay in order to qualify for services. You can call your local health dept and ask for the number for Early Intervention. Good luck
Thank all of you so much. I think I am going to call the DR's office today and see exactly what all was said and if DH may have lead him to believe something different.
18 month milestones 
