Delay in speech

dear friends,
my son is 38 mths old & it is only after completing 2 yrs that he stated single words,thou he used to say mummy,papa when he was 14-15 mths old.well,i was very worried & as traveller says the pressure from relatives was tremendeous .my MIL has raised 4 kids of her own ,then 5 grand childrens &seen many kids of relatives but she used to always irritate me with same question as has he stared to speak or not.
she even suggested we get an operation done on his tongue which cuts some thread which is under the tongue.

of course i refused.but the pressure was immense.though ,my MIL is a caring ,loving woman but somehow i could not help being angry with her over this issue.i guess i wanted support & maybe assurance but all i got was more worry.

 

dear pragati, after reading your post i could very well feel the kind of guilt i went thro' (i've calmed down a lot in the past few months!). i thought because of living away from family my son wasn't picking up the language (here he hears tamil only at home, english not so often outside and only german outside). but then my husband is very supportive...he always told me that i'm failing to enjoy the present stage. so now i don't care much if people ask me about his talking abilities. i'm infact proud that he's got the opportunity to learn a foreign language at such an young age. but in the last week i also realised another thing. i've been singing english rhymes to him ever since he was 8 months old or something. now suddenly last week he started to sing twinkle, twinkle little star. i'm on cloud nine. as my husband says we always underestimate a child's capability. he's been storing in his little mind all things i told him, sang to him and now he's developing the ability to show them out... not just the rhyme but also many words. i think as parents we just need to be patient The child has his entire life to learn all these bookish things. right now is the phase for them to learn the outside world, experience little pleasures, enjoy nature, hear the sounds, see the beautiful things around us. i think this is the right age to initiate them into appreciating all these little aspects and also show them discipline and priniciples. the rest they'll learn when the time comes imagine once they start proper school, with homework,activities they'll not have time for all these things! Latha

 

dear latha,
like u i too had my hubby's support for which i am very thankful.its amazing how strong the memory of these little ones is.though i try to be careful about what i speak infront of him,still sometimes he picks up my words & gestures.for instance i saw him tap his head & say hai Ram when the block tower he was making fell down.this he picked up from me........
yes, as parent we have to have loads of patience which i think we even acquire as they grow.i was a very impatient person but now i have seen difference in myself too in this regard.
my son started playway when he was two & half.i told his teacher not to let him write as i felt there is enough time for it.evennow i let him do colours & play with clay rather then write.there is enough time to do it later own.let them explore the world at their own level rather then force them to do which is not even important at this stage.
love
pragati

 

Pragati and anyone else who is reading this post. If you have noticed any regression in your child's behaviour, for example, you say he used to say things when he was 14 months old and is not saying the same now, you should take him to a paediatrician. My kid is 2 years and 3 months old and we have just diagnosed him as suffering from a developmental disability ADHD. He was a very jubilant kid who used to say a few words like car, amma, thatha and then slowly he went into a shell and my doctor says since we have diagnosed this early we can get give him trainings required to make him join normal kids in a normal school. I am not saying something may be wrong with your kid, but if something is wrong, and if you give him the right help now, you can make a big difference to his future. Now do not panic and just try to answer the questions I have given below:
1. Does he respond to his name? (have you ever wondered if your child could be deaf?)
2. Does he imitate your hand actions, like waving goodbye or clapping hands or wishing good morning?
3. Does he seem to understand what you are saying, for example, if you say shall we go out, does he come running to the door or some similar question like that?
4. Is he happy in a crowd, does he like being with other children/play with other kids ?

If the answer is no to any of the questions above, please take him to a paediatrician. Some old-fashioned paediatrics tell you to wait and see but trust your instinct, if you as a mom feel that something is amiss, then take the call and take your kid to a good child psychiatrist/psychologist. Some people wake up when the child is 4 years or 5 years old when little or nothing can be done. I sincerely pray that everything is fine with every kid on this earth but I am just trying to sound alarm bells for some ignorant moms who may wait for no reason. Early intervention helps.

On the other hand if your answer is yes to all the questions above, then he is just a late bloomer who will start talking at some stage when he is ready for it. Children have their own pace of developments. Just stimulate speech and make sure there is just 1 hr or less TV viewing per day and keep talking to him.

 

Dear Saratha, Thank you very much for sharing this vital information with us. Wishing you and your kid all the best... Latha

 

Hi,

Even I have the same problem for my son who is 2 years now. Thanks for all your concerns.

Regards,
Suni.

 

how to make toddler repeat words?

hello moms,
my son is around 19 months and he still hasnt started saying words yet....he says thi thi thi and sometimmes thathi...and thaadhee ....thum etc.......all with 'th' i have been trying to teach him to say appa,amma etc....for many months now.....i keep repeating the word to him around 10-20 times.....but he doesnt want to repeat....doesnt even try!!!!he gets angry if i tell him to repeat&runs away!!!!i am at a loss....i try my best &keep talking to him&make it a point to repeat words to him everyday but he doesnt want to try!!!!how do i make him speak words?i have friends here whose kids have spoken at 2yrs.....some even 3yrs....but at the same time i have met few kids who say words at 1&1/2 yrs which increases my anxiety...pls help me with your suggestions.....i know each kid is different but i dont want to give up trying just beacuse of that....

 

Re: how to make toddler repeat words?

Dear
I understand your anxiety, as it is always nice to hear your children's words. But do not fret some children do start late and this does not in any way hamper their growth and intelligence. Please be as usual keep talking to the child without any force and when he is ready he will respond. I know of kids who started late , today they are talking non stop.
Just have a medical check up done to eliminate any other medical problems.
Give time and don't tax yourself and the kid.
Jaya

 

Re: how to make toddler repeat words?

I know the feeling. My sister's eldest daughter grew up for 3 yrs on and off with us. Our family used to ask her to get her mom saying call amma and to my mom call paati. She used to do the same .Slowly she herself used to call my mom paati chitti (means aunty me and my youngest sister) is calling you.It requires some time.You can try doing the same. Tell your son to call his dad. He may not listen 1-2 times. later he will do it. Also tell your husband to do the same asking him to ask your son to call u. By doing it repeatedly he will learn to call u . Also ,for some things like a spoon and a plate or a fridge try asking him where u kept it .Sit in front of his books and read to him. Later ask him to get his book. He may not utter book but will get it . Slowly ask him you want to read to him .He will immediately say book. Its a long process but he will learn at his own pace.
We did this and she learnt words little by little.
Best of luck.

 

Re: how to make toddler repeat words?

Vidhya - I dont want to make you more anxious, but if your son hasnt spoken his first word by 19 mnths then his ped needs to know this. If you havent already done so, I would suggest a ped visit and a hearing check. If his ped is satisified that he is ok, then ask him if a speech therapist/ early intervention will help. Once again this is not to make you panic, but it IS something that needs to be looked into. Have a look at this for a beter explanation: Speech and Language Developmental Milestones [NIDCD Health Information]

Vanathi