Not talking

Have you tried using some basic sign language with her?

If you are not against screens then Ms Rachel is amazing! My son really learned to speak a lot after watching her videos

Mine started with signs. We would do sign language books and now she is just saying everything. She still goes back and forth between words and signs but she communicates more knowingly with signs still I’ve realized

Mine doesn't talk a whole lot. But he does use sign language.

My son is still not talking also! He says mom, dadda and can say “Moo” and tries to say “meow” But he is understand everything we ask him to do and and he tells us what he wants by pointing and taking us by our fingers to where he wants to go. It’s been discouraging for me as well. 🥲 I’ve thought about taking him the speech therapy but I’ve been told he may not qualify since he understands almost everything we do

My son says mama, dada and naynay but that’s it. I don’t know what else to do. I talk to him all day but it’s just not there

It’s so good that you are addressing this as early as you are. I’ll share my experience in case it’s helpful for you.

At 18 mos. our pediatrician recommended speech therapy. Our son had met all milestones aside from speech. He understood a lot but he wasn’t saying much regularly beyond mama, dada, milk etc. he was trying to speak but we couldn’t make out what he was trying to say.

We started therapy at just over 2. I was against screen time but Ms. Rachel has been so helpful with language and sign. We read every day. I found that listening to Ms. Rachel and his Speech Therapist helped teach me behaviors to model so that we are consistently working on building language skills.

We didn’t have other children around so I sought out opportunities to socialize him with children at or around his age.

He’s made huge strides and they have come in bursts (up to 4-5 word sentences now at 32 mos). It’s emotional but try to be patient and keep reaching out for support as you need it.

My daughter is 21 months and talking a lot. All babies are different and come don’t talk until 2 years. Talk to her doctor

For speech therapy did you pediatrician have to give you a referral to a place or would I just be able to go to a speech therapy place and they evaluate him?

I believe all states offer early intervention services and anyone can submit a referral, including the parent. This includes assessment and support for any developmental delays up until the age of 3. Our pediatrician shared that information with us, we reached out to submit a referral, they scheduled an assessment within a few weeks and matched him with a therapist roughly a month later. It looks like in your state, you would work through DHS.

If your child isn’t meeting milestones, start by talking through your concerns with your pediatrician. If you decide to have your child assessed and they qualify, it could only benefit you both. Some kids outgrow early delays but others don’t so early intervention can be so important.

Also PSA- For those saying all children learn at their own pace…
While it’s true that all kids learn at their own pace… not all late talkers outgrow their delay on their own.
Studies consistently show that late talkers who receive early intervention tend to have better language, cognitive, academic, and social outcomes compared to those who do not receive early support. As their moms, we are their greatest advocate. If we have concerns, it’s so important to be their voice. 🫶🏻

thank you! That’s very reassuring! I’m glad your son is doing so well