Toddler Not Speaking
March 31, 2011 9:32 PM   Subscribe

My 15-month-old daughter isn't speaking yet. Should I be worried?

She babbles a lot and is quite vocal. The sounds that she does make have been quite varied as of late but she has still not spoken a discernible word yet. I'm aware that all children develop at their own rates but my wife is concerned.
posted by Tenacious.Me.Tokyo to Health & Fitness (42 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
My wife and I say probably not. She thinks the babbling is a good sign. I think all kids do the babbling thing before actual words form. See a pediatrician if you're still not 100% after this thread, but don't freak out yet.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:37 PM on March 31, 2011


My little one is 15 months old too, they're so varied at this age. My daughter is simply not capable of some of the things her peer are.

My sister famously (among family, that is) didn't speak a word until she was 23 months old. She's a fully functioning grown up now, a pretty smart one, too. I think her issue was that our bossy older brother spoke for all of us, so we didn't really need to.

Many supportive thoughts to you and your wife. It can't hurt to bring it up to the pediatrician at the 15 month vaccination appointment (which seems like a totally random time to have a vacciene scheduled, but whatever).

This parenting thing is work!
posted by Nickel Pickle at 9:40 PM on March 31, 2011


I used to babysit a little boy who, at two and a half, still wasn't speaking. (Well, except for the word damn. Apparently he was watching the Ninja Turtles movie once (in once scene Michelangelo drops the pizza and says DAMN!) and it really stuck with him.)

His parents were, of course, freaking out (and had been for the year and a half+ I sat for him). They took him to specialists, compared him to his (very much above average in most respects) older sister, read all the books, etc. He just. wouldn't. talk.

And then one day, he high fived me and said, "oh yeah!" His sister started flipping out, and we high fived that little kid all night, saying "oh yeah!" back and forth. Called his parents, they came home, everyone was happy. It was pretty awesome.

The kid is in 5th grade now, and by all accounts (my mom teaches at the school, so I have good contacts) is a perfectly normal, happy, active, and bright little guy. Yay! (And oh man, I saw a picture--what a little stud muffin he's going to be.)

Anyway, everybody's different. If I were a parent, I'd want to be as proactive as possible, too.
posted by phunniemee at 9:46 PM on March 31, 2011 [3 favorites]


Definitely not time to worry yet. Two of our children didn't talk until nearly 2, and developed into very verbal kids, for what that's anecdotally worth. Child development is just highly variable, as you say.

We taught our kids some basic ASL signs before they could talk (things like yes, no, more, please, juice). You could try doing this, if it would make you feel better for your little girl to be communicating with you in some way (and it is quite fun!).
posted by torticat at 9:48 PM on March 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


You should not be worried. You should be attentive. You should mention it to the doctor the next time your daughter is there, but you should also listen to the many stories about kids who talk late but are completely fine, and be reassured by them.

Every family has stories like Nickel Pickle's. There's huge variation in what's normal. Most of the time fretting about your child's development is a waste of energy (I know because I have wasted a lot of energy in this way over the last 10 years).

Kids can make dramatic leaps during the toddler months, and sometimes kids who are running "late" with something skip some of the intermediate stages. My oldest son, for instance, walked late but skipped the whole toddle-and-fall-down stage. Your daughter may start talking almost overnight sometime in the next few months, and be indistinguishable from any other 18-month-old by the time she gets to that age.
posted by not that girl at 9:50 PM on March 31, 2011


How is she doing on related skills? Does her hearing seem normal? Does she understand a few of your words yet? Does she try to communicate with you - a loud sound to get your attention, pointing to what she wants?

Also, has she been working on other skills like learning to walk. I think it is very common for kids to either walk OR talk around their first birthday and then pick up the second skill later.
posted by metahawk at 9:52 PM on March 31, 2011


Australian guidelines are that, at age 2, a child should have a vocabulary of around 100 words and be able to form some very short phrases. However, this is from a base of as few as 10 words at 15 months. Australian parents are advised to seek expert support if a child cannot say a few simple words by age 2. So yeah, pay attention, but don't worry too much just yet.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 9:54 PM on March 31, 2011


Our 2.3 year old says about 20 words. He could only say 4 or 5 words six months ago. You're fine.
posted by Happydaz at 9:58 PM on March 31, 2011


I had a friend who didn't speak a word until he was FOUR. And he grew up to be a very smart gent. I would worry too much. Tell your doctor; they might be able to soothe you. (IANAP)
posted by two lights above the sea at 10:02 PM on March 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


Sister just graduated from med school. She refused to talk until she could speak in complete sentences- somewhere around or after 20 months.
posted by rockindata at 10:02 PM on March 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


If it would put your minds at rest, get her hearing tested, and certainly check with your pediatrician.

And don't forget that one day you'll be thinking what every parent thinks at some stage: "all I wanted was for you to walk and talk, now I just want you to sit down and shut up!".
posted by malibustacey9999 at 10:04 PM on March 31, 2011 [4 favorites]


I have an 18-month old and she's really just started talking recently. Now it seems like she is picking up a word a day.

Maybe mention it at the 18-month appointment? I don't think it's that big of deal; all kiddos are different.
posted by Ostara at 10:08 PM on March 31, 2011


Have your wife talk to the pediatrician at the next regular check-up (no need to set up a special appointment just for this, I'd say). This is normal. My niece, at 2.5 months, is finally starting to make sense when speaking more than one word at a time. Six months ago this was not the case, as she was still more or less at the single words and nonsense stage. Six months before that? Forget about it! We were lucky to hear "mama," "daddy," and "no!" at that point!
posted by asciident at 10:10 PM on March 31, 2011


Sorry, that should be 2.5 years
posted by asciident at 10:11 PM on March 31, 2011


Are you raising her to be bilingual? Bilingual kids tend to start speaking a bit later, but eventually they catch up -- and then they're bilingual!
posted by odin53 at 10:13 PM on March 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


My dearest friend has a son who's almost 3, and he just started speaking a few months ago. He babbled before and seemed to know what we were saying, but he communicated through gestures. The doctor said he was just fine. He's slowly coming around, but though he's an energetic, happy, funny and smart child, he just doesn't speak much.
posted by Laura Macbeth at 10:16 PM on March 31, 2011


Famous late talkers.
posted by eye of newt at 10:19 PM on March 31, 2011


I'm working on my speech pathology MS right now. This is not necessarily a problem. I would definitely want to know if she's making eye contact, though.

There are a lot of speech-language pathologists that specialize in the birth to 3 age group, and I'm lucky enough to be studying under some awesome ones! I'd be happy to ask for a good one in your area if you'd like.
posted by honeydew at 10:19 PM on March 31, 2011


First born was about 20 words at 3. Started hoikuen (ah, kindergarden) which doubled his vocab, in the sense that he had to learn Japanese words too. Anyway, he was diagnosed with a hint of hyperlexia, but now that he is 7, he is nearly at the same level as his peer, but also bilingual.

Did the speech therapy bit for a while too. But I think you are still a little early for that..

I think I wrote about all that, if that would be interesting reading.
posted by lundman at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2011


My daughter was about 16-18 months when she started talking, a word at a time. Her first two words were ball and dog, followed by dada and mama. She picked up words slowly, and didn't really start talking a LOT until she was almost three. At 9, well, my biggest complaint most days is that she.never.ever.ever.stops.talking.ever. Not talking 15 months, by itself, I think, doesn't mean anything.
posted by upatree at 11:15 PM on March 31, 2011


Has your toddler been exposed to two languages?

When this happens, toddlers take quite a bit longer to begin talking, but once they start talking, they are bilingual....
posted by Sockpuppets 'R' Us at 11:22 PM on March 31, 2011


I was the first kid in my family and didn't speak til 20 months...I'm as normal as anyone else (developmentally).
posted by nile_red at 12:00 AM on April 1, 2011


19 months, nothing. 21 months, sentences and a large (as in 'how on earth do you know that?') vocabulary.

We had no real concerns because she was obviously taking a lot in - could respond to fairly complex instructions, questions etc.; she just didn't say much. Comprehension is as much part of the picture as actual speech. Some kids just don't like to commit until they're confident in what they're doing.
posted by monkey closet at 1:34 AM on April 1, 2011


You've probably got enough answers already, but here's another.

My youngest son is fifteen months old too. And he hasn't spoken a single discernable word either. But I'm not worried. He's been walking for nearly six of those months. He sits by himself and 'reads' books (often upside down). He dances to music. He can stack bricks. I can ask him to put his shoes away or take this plate to the sink or throw something away in the kitchen bin, and he'll do it. But not a single word yet. Other children his age are speaking a few words, but some of those are barely walking.

Early learning is a bit like that. Kids seem to really excel in one area and really lag in another. Then they'll suddenly make leaps and bounds in those areas where they were 'behind' and completely lose interest in the things they seemed really good at. It's an interesting time.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:57 AM on April 1, 2011


Another everything-is-ok story. We have a daughter that asked for a balloon on her first birthday. as in "give me that balloon!". We considered that to be normal. So when our son became 2 and the only thing he could say was "noodles" we started worrying. He was babbling almost non stop, though. When he finally started talking, (around 3) it went extremely fast. Now he's 12 and he's talking from the moment he wakes up, 'till he falls asleep. Ergo, don't worry, everything is fine.
posted by ouke at 3:16 AM on April 1, 2011


My friend T, apparently, didn't speak for more than two years and when he did, his first words were pretty much a full fledged sentence. He complained that his soup needed more pepper.

He's very smart, sociable and talkative now. As others have said, there are some simple aural, cognitive and physical tests that can be done if you're worried.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:16 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


A friend's kid didn't talk until almost 3 years: his parents were starting to freak, but their pediatrician told them to put him in daycare a couple days a week: he's a late & unexpected only child, and never NEEDED to talk to get whatever he wanted from the adults he was surrounded by --- by putting him in daycare with a bunch of other kids, he HAD to talk instead of just point or whatever. He's 6 now, and chatters nonstop.

(I was a late talker too: I didn't talk until I was three and a half. My mother said that was because I couldn't get a word in edgewise with my older siblings.)
posted by easily confused at 3:32 AM on April 1, 2011


Along with all the anecdotes, I think you might try a few developmental tests. Off the top of my head:
Test the hearing by making a noise or calling your child's name from behind.
Test comprehension by asking her to point to things as you read a story, or hand you specific things as you are playing.
Can she make animal noises - cat, dog, etc?
Does she have gestures or grunts that mean certain things (ie - if the adults respond by giving her what she wants without words, she may not need them yet)
posted by CathyG at 4:45 AM on April 1, 2011


I think the rule of thumb used to be "walk at one, talk at two". Of course, kindergarten used to be able fingerpainting, too, so . . .

Also: sign language. Children who learn a couple signs to communicate sometimes talk a little later, my theory being that they don't have as much urgent need to be understood because they're already communicating (similar to what CathyG said above).

On the other hand, a lot of temper tantrums at this age can be due to frustration over not being able to communicate -- picking the 3 or 4 things she tries to convey and teaching her signs for them might ease her frustration (and yours).
posted by MeiraV at 5:00 AM on April 1, 2011


It's a good idea to ignore all the reassurances and just make sure. Get her hearing tested and get her speech evaluated so that you can be sure that you're not skipping any treatment that she needs now to help her develop optimally. Ask your pediatrician for a recommendation on where to get the evaluations done. Don't worry, but take action.

There is free speech therapy available in the public schools for children who are too young to attend school, starting at age three for our local system. I regret not taking advantage of this earlier in my son's development. Speech therapy was fun and very useful for him.

If a child has a hearing loss, early intervention, as early as possible, makes a huge difference. Developmental delays in speech caused by other issues can also be hugely improved with appropriate therapy. Don't delay unnecessarily.
posted by Ery at 5:54 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


I didn't talk until I was nearly three. Feel free to peruse my posting history to see if I am well adjusted or not.

Out of my three nephews only one was really talking well (like almost complete sentences...very freaky) by the age of your child. One kind of dropped in real words intermixed with a lot of gibberish. The last and youngish of the bunch didn't really say anything except to make lots of impish laughing sounds and giggling. He's also crazy strong and coordinated for his age. So in short I think kids acquire physical and verbal skills at different rates but they eventually get them.
posted by mmascolino at 6:08 AM on April 1, 2011


Definitely have hearing checked at the next pediatrician appointment, but if you're pretty sure she understands you when you talk, I wouldn't worry.

Personal anecdote: Our son didn't say his first word till 17 months (cookie). He is just under 2.5 now and talks in complete sentences and uses multisyllabic words, to the point where people ask us when he started talking. Every time I've answered "Late, at 17 months" I get told with rolling eyes, "that's not late."
posted by Mchelly at 6:14 AM on April 1, 2011


@15mo before daycare--dada, hi.

@16 mo after daycare--"Gary came over and fixed the fan" (doc says this is for a 4- 5year old to say)

Oh and he also says "that's ghetto".

I wouldn't worry to much. Keep talking with the child and praise them.
posted by stormpooper at 6:24 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Don't worry about it - my eldest boy didn't speak in sentences until he was nearly three and then it suddenly just clicked. My youngest son is 2.5 and still only uses nouns. My daughter was a lot faster than the boys. My eldest is now six and I sometimes yearn for the times when he couldn't speak (there are only so many facts about brachiosauruses (brachiosauri??) that I can process after a long day at work).

I hope these personal anecdotes are helpful.
posted by MighstAllCruckingFighty at 7:04 AM on April 1, 2011


*I should add though that there is probably no harm in having your daughter tested, just to be sure.
posted by MighstAllCruckingFighty at 7:05 AM on April 1, 2011


You may have read my question a few months back about my own toddler's speech delay.

I would talk to your ped about getting her hearing tested and meeting with a speech therapist to have her evaluated.
posted by k8t at 7:25 AM on April 1, 2011


At 2.5 years my son might be starting to be behind on some language skills. Two things work against him: he has medium tight tounge-tie and I describe him as late to the game if he establishes what he considers a baseline mastery. With that said, my son colors in the lines, can vault a baby gate, can play actual music on a harmonica and a recorder, and can hang on a jungle gym for about two minutes. All of those things were his doing.

Point being, while likely the tounge tie will require some language therapy, my kid is way up on other kids in other ways. My son likes to read, he says partial words, but it will take him a little maturity to realize he needs to keep working to master speech. Until then, we get partial words reflecting complex thoughts and desires, and more importantly, we have a kid who still explores things, takes things apart, is artsy, and is brilliant in many other ways. Language will come in time.
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:31 AM on April 1, 2011


Did your child walk early? I noticed in my childrearing days that each kid picked one category to be advanced in and another to lag in.

My son started walking at 10 months and barely strung two words together before he was three. He's now getting his ducks in a row for an advanced degree.

I'd just mention it to the pediatrician and of course it never hurts to have a hearing check. But your child is definitely in the range of normality. For that matter one of my grandsons is about 20 months old and says a word here and there but to me he mostly sounds like he is babbling. So part of it is your child might be talking, you might just not be recognizing the word yet. :-)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 8:02 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


Another vote for you probably don't need to sweat it. In our circle, there is a little boy the same age as mine and a little girl six months older. It's so tempting to compare the three, and I remember starting to wonder if ours was speech delayed because he just didn't compare in the babbling and early talking. Now the boy that was so ahead of him is behind and our son is caught up with the girl who is older. Kids are different and the guidelines you read are just estimates.

That being said, I believe strongly in intuition. If your wife truly believes something is wrong, go get your kid checked out.
posted by wallaby at 8:53 AM on April 1, 2011


It certainly could be nothing and he might have a word explosion next week. But, he might have an issue and the earlier you get intervention, the better the prognosis. I'd suggest talking to your pediatrician about getting a referral to have him assessed.

I started having concerns about my son when he didn't have any words at 12 months. He was identified as speech delayed at 15 months and put into an early intervention program at 18 months. There is no downside to looking in to this and there is a potential downside to ignoring it.
posted by victoriab at 11:03 AM on April 1, 2011 [1 favorite]


My oldest son really didn't say much until right at his second birthday, two months ago. He had a few words he'd only say around my husband and I. His friend who was even younger could say complete sentences, so I was kinda worried. I think his real first word wasn't until 18 months.

Then he just blew up overnight. And it seems like while he wasn't talking, he was learning a bunch of other stuff. He all of a sudden knows shapes, colors, and the alphabet, even though he can only string 2 or 3 words together. All the worry dropped off and now he's acting like a little smartypants.

Get a hearing test perhaps if you're worried (my son had one at 6 months after meningitis, to make sure he had no lasting effects so I at least had ruled that out), but it's more than likely perfectly OK.
posted by kpht at 6:50 PM on April 1, 2011


The biggest factor I've noticed in speech is responsiveness. Not talking nonstop at your child, but conversing with them and responding to what they are communicating. We did this way too late (we are both laconically Aussies) and toddler anachronism is somewhat delayed BUT when we made a concerted effort to respond, she advanced in leaps and bounds. Getting exposed to other kids is a huge help too, even if they're only slightly ahead. Sign has helped for tantrum throwing and toilet habits, and she has picked that up MUCH quicker than verbal language.

For us her lack of speech at 15 months was a warning sign about our behaviors. For other people it isn't, or it's about hearing, or another physical issue.
posted by geek anachronism at 10:38 PM on April 1, 2011


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