[name_f]My[/name_f] sons will turn 21 months old tomorrow. One of them says several words pretty clearly and is talking about how you would expect from a child his age. The other repeats certain “words” in his own language and doesn’t seem to have much interest in copying the words we say. He was repeating some words at about 15 months but doesn’t say them anymore. A month ago he would say “guck” for truck but he seems to have gotten bored of that and doesn’t say it anymore either. I’m working with them with flashcards now and reading lots of books but he’s yet to really say anything. Not even mama or dada.
I’ve done a bit of research on autism but even though be does have some odd mannerisms ( like twisting his hands at the wrist repetitively at times and staring at ceiling vents) he seems to be socially aware. He will smile if you smile at him, he makes eye contact regularly, and he plays with his brother. Not sure what to think.
I’ve heard other people say their kid didn’t really talk until 2 so I’m hoping he’s just on his own time frame.
I guess my question is if any other mamas out there have had similar experiences with late talkers?
I don’t have any experience with this, so I’m just throwing out ideas. Obviously, their paediatrician will be able to give you the best information and resources.
Is his speech the only flag you have with his development? Perhaps this is common in twins, with one taking the reigns over the other. That he had progress and has regressed can mean a number of different things, and mild regression is normal, but could also be the result of something more serious, including to do with his hearing.
Best to get in touch with the doc. For your son, and for your own peace of mind.
Thanks for the response. I agree that some of it could just be the nature of them being twins. The thing is that the one that’s having delayed speech always seemed to be the “dominant” twin as far as taking toys from his brother and being unafraid to do things first so it’s a little puzzling that he would let his brother “speak” for him. I’m not sure. They are still very young so who knows.
I’ve thought about the hearing thing too. At his eighteen month appointment his doctor said his ears look fine but he hasn’t had a proper hearing test. He does seem to hear us but I do think it would be good to get him tested just in case.
As far as other milestones, he has met almost all of them within normal time frame or before even though they were six weeks premature.
The only thing is he’s never really pointed at things the way his brother has and he’s only just now figured out that he can clap. I put his hands together and made him clap and he was very pleased. He’s always smiled at his brother’s or my clapping but never really joined along. He has always had a fascination with his hands though. Turning them all kinds of different ways. Some of it is probably normal but some of it does make me wonder.
He’s very smart as far as figuring out toys and how to get into stuff and is very fascinated by anything cause and effect. Quite mischievous too.
He doesn’t sing or dance to music though but he does smile if I do it and looks to me when a funny part of a song comes on so I know he remembers and understands.
We are having a speech therapist come to the house on [name_m]Friday[/name_m] to evaluate him. Hopefully we can get some answers and go from there.
[name_f]My[/name_f] oldest was a late talker, he said a few clear words but most of them were sort of in his own language, up until he was about 3 years old. That was when he really began to string words together, I remember that summer there were a few flies in the house and him saying “two fwies.” Before then it had been mama and dada and other simple words or a short repeated phrase (he would say “brush your teeth” from early on, but it was just repetition). There were no other signs of autism and the doctor wasn’t concerned beyond that he was only saying about half the words he was supposed to. I began putting YouTube shows on for him (stuff like Blippi and [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]’s Playhouse) where they would play with toys and go to play places but with an emphasis on learning colours and counting and animals–things like that. It seemed to really help him to have a fun video that was also educational, beyond me reading to him or stuff like [name_m]Elmo[/name_m]’s World. Once he began talking at 3 though, it just rolled out of him, and now he never shuts up! Hopefully yours will be the same!
[name_f]My[/name_f] cousin has a son with autism and worked with a speech therapist and he is doing really well now. So even if that’s what you’re dealing with, you can get him to where he needs to be, and there are tools and supports in place to help you. Good luck!
Thanks for the reply! “Two fwies” lol [name_m]How[/name_m] adorable! I hope he is just a late talker and will get there in his own time. But I am confident that even if he is on the spectrum somewhere it must be very mild and we will be able to work with him. I’m concerned but mostly just would like to know for sure what’s going on so I know how to help him.
He does watch some YouTube shows but doesn’t really respond to them in the same way as his brother. Maybe I’ll try some new ones and see if it makes a difference.
[name_f]My[/name_f] nephew has only really started talking in the last year, and he’s about to turn three. Now he has lots of words and is quite chatty, but it took him quite a while. Before he turned two, you can hardly get even “hello” out of him and now he likes telling you all about his day. I think some children just take there time with these things. I wouldn’t worry yet.
Update: so we had him evaluated and he is seeing a speech therapist once a week now.
He isn’t on the spectrum as far as they can tell, just a little delayed in his speech and maybe some other little things. But I don’t think it’s a big problem. Hopefully he’ll start attempting to talk again soon.