...if your LO didn't have one word in their vocabulary? What age does it go from just being a slower than average speaker to needing early intervention?
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I would talk to your pediatrician. I know there is a wide range of normal.
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15 months
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@BandDmommy: We use a family doctor who is helpful for some stuff (fevers, sickness, stitches, vaccines, etc.) but absolutely no help in this department. We're in a small town with a reputation for horrible peds.
It's frustrating.
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I would inquire at 12 months
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I would say 15-18 months. Absolutely by 18 months. It's honestly worth it to talk to someone any time you're concerned though.
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I would be concerned if they weren't imitating sound by around their first birthday, but a few more months before I would be worried about actual words.
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The average is 3 words at 12 months, so I'd start asking for extra evaluation around then, but not really worry for a bit longer.
Does your lo communicate in other ways? Gestures? Signs?
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@Mrs Green Grass: He points for nearly everything. If he wants a drink of water, he comes over to the fridge where we get it from and points. He points into the pantry to signal he wants a pouch or points to the fruit bowl for fruit. He points up the stairs at night time when is he ready for bed....you get the picture. We've tried working with him for official baby signs but he won't copy us -- we've been working with the signs since about 6 months and he is just under 16 months.
His receptive communication is right on target from all I've read. I can tell him to go grab me a diaper or some wipes from the bin (while changing baby sister) and he will go bring me what I need. If I ask him to get his shoes, he will bring them to me. He knows to take clothes to his laundry basket when asked, to put things in the trash, what "outside!" means :), and what "go to the car" means when we're in the garage. So I would say his understanding is great but he is struggling with expression!
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18 months.
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same as what @loveisstrange: said! i asked at her 12 months appt when she had no words and again at 15 months when she had a handful of words. her ped said language between 1.5-2.5 grows exponentially. at her 19 month appt, i was no longer concerned!
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@coopsmama: My son didn't mimic EVER until about 20 months. It was amazing. Pointing sounds like a very good sign. Does he also babble?
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Sounds like his receptive language is great, but if it was me, I'd seek an evaluation for early intervention. It can't hurt and it might make a huge difference.
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We had our DD evaluated by EI when she had 9 words at 20 months and they told us not to let her point - encourage her to speak - it was hard to do but by 24 months she was finally talking!
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18 months is when our pediatrician does a language screening...maybe you can schedule something like that in a few months for peace of mind? It sounds like he's very smart! And boys tend to talk less/later. Does he do activities where he's around other kids? My cousin's doc recommended that he start doing more social stuff b/c he was such a late talker and spent all his time either at home or with grandparents where he didn't really have to talk to communicate- they just knew what he wanted and anticipated it. He started talking just fine, but was like 2-3 yrs old at that point.
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From 16 months on I would skip the ped and go the EI route personally. I regret not going sooner. Our pediatrician never saw any cause for concern but our son was evaluated by EI at 19 months, qualified for service and he is thriving. Don't worry though, many kids catch up and don't say much or anything. EI just helps things along.
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@coopsmama: My son was the same. His receptive language was on point, he knew everything that we were talking about but his expressive was lacking. I mentioned this every time we were at the pediatrician for our well checks from 12 months on.
J could babble and had a few words, he even made up words for things that we understood what he was talking about. The pediatrician wasn't concerned but wanted to keep an eye on it. The spectrum for toddler speech is so broad, some, like J, use a few words while others will speak in full sentences, sing songs, etc. Between 24 and 28 months everything came together, I could see him get his confidence in pronouncing words and putting them together.
I would absolutely seek out as much assistance as you can but keep in mind that the development varies at that age and don't get discouraged if some peds insist that your LO is on track, even if he seems a bit behind. -
18 months, receptive language aside.
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My son had zero by one but probably 7 or 8 at 15 months. I have heard the gold standard is 50 words by two in terms of SLP.... (I think anyway that is what I remember), but I would have inquired at his 15 month appt if we were still at zero. For us they all came in a busrt!
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@coopsmama: My son has zero words (maaaaybe "dah!" for dog?) and we're getting him evaluated next Thursday. He is just like your son, spot on for receptive language, but he expresses himself by pointing or gesturing. He babbles like crazy, just nothing we can understand.
I asked our pediatrician WHY it is such a big concern...and apparently it is because kids who are a bit delayed have enunciation issues that can persist.
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18 months!
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LO had 0 words at 12 months and wasn't waving or doing any other gestures, and according to some developmental checklists that is a red flag. I was concerned, but my pediatrician wasn't. We decided to wait and see if he caught up by his 15 month check up, and he had! So based on that, I would say go with your gut. I called EI at 12 months and they said it was totally up to me whether or not to seek an evaluation, but that it didn't really concern them at that time based on what I told them over the phone.
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My pediatrician said he wanted one word by 13 months and 4 words by 15 months.
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My son had some qurstionable words at 12 months and maybe 5 at 15 months then maybe 20 at 18 and then had his first language explosion around 19/20 months and had hundreds just a few months later. I think if he hadn't had 10 by 18 months my ped would have pushed for EI.
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18 Months.
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I started to get concerned at 16 months. She had 1 word. DD is in EI now, we got qualified at 17 months. Her receptive skills have always been fantastic and she would point and whine as her expressive. She would never mimic anything, and although we tried signs even before 12 months it wasn't until 18 months when she picked them up.
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Neither of mine have any words at 16 months! Brought it up with our ped at the 15-month appt and she wasn't concerned, said that if they were delayed in other areas as well, she would be more so but since they are hitting all their physical milestones fine and their receptive language is good, not to stress. Although twins do tend to be a bit delayed with speech, which obviously doesn't pertain to you. She said if they don't have at least 5 words by 18 months, then we would start the next steps (hearing test first, followed by evaluation, etc). Sorry you're stressed about this!
It's frustrating.
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