My son just turned three in January. He is a sweet, lovable, funny, active little boy. All of his developmental milestones have been right on, with the exception of his speech. As I said, he just turned three, and he only has 2 words that are actually "words". His mouth goes non-stop, but it's mostly jibber jabber. He has had 2 hearing tests, both which showed normal results. He understands everything that is said to him, or asked of him. He listens very well, and co-operates with simple requests. Why isn't he talking?? He is currently getting "help" from a speech language pathologist, however the progress is minimal. Any ideas? Comments? Similar situations? Thanks.

My understanding is that many first children will often have an area where they develop slower than other children. For some it's walking, others potty training, and your son it's speaking. I wouldn't be overly alarmed at this point. What I would do is spend a lot of time reading to him, and not just from the ABC type books. A story that might take you 45 minutes to an hour to read. If you find a subject he likes (like airplanes, trains, big trucks, whatever he likes) read some things in that subject to him. I wouldn't make it the only thing I read, but in doing so he may become more interested in what's going on. As he figures out that you're getting the words from the books, magazines, newspapers, etc. he will become more curious to learn how to do what you're doing to.

Got to admit, my first thought was "lucky you", lol. Once he starts talking really well, and he will... well you're going to miss these days. Good luck to you.

If he's trying to talk--and he's not able, please see your pediatrician. Obviously he's okay in every other sense of development--except speech. That would concern me. A friend of our family went through this with their daughter--turned out she was 'tongue-tied', she would jibber-jabber all day long too--but at about the age of 3 1/2 he parents got tired of people telling them that she'd 'out-grow it'. I believe that the child's own frustration at not being understood really opened the parents eyes.

She had an outpatient procedure that 'freed up' her tongue, it's been about 5 months and her speech is improving by the day! (She does have speech therapy also.) She still jabbers on incessantly--but at least you can understand what she's saying most of the time. The best part is--they found out soon enough that she should be right on track by the time she begins school.

If a parent notices something about their child that concerns them--they should never brush it off as being overly protective or hypervigilant... you know your child better than anyone and you are the first person that will see things that need to be addressed. Kids out-grow their 'blankies', nightlights and sippy-cups... they can't out-grow physical problems that make development difficult without corrective intervention.

Good Luck--it sounds like you have a wonderful little guy!

My son is turning three and he also doesn't talk. There's been no diagnoses and his ears also have been checked. He hears perfectly. He's going to a intervention of early childhood. There he's learning sign language "since hes not able to communicate with words!" he's very smart, he catches on quick and he follows orders. But he's not talking. My son is 30% delayed in everything "global delays". His father didn't talk until he was about 3 or 4 and he didn't walk until he was 2! One of my sons teachers told me that's genetic and that could be what's going on. Anyone else have the same thing going on?:confused:

Most importantly, don't panic! Your son will pick up your fears. I don't think it's necessarily abnormal, especially if he's been doing everything else on time and your pediatrician hasn't shown concern. A lot of boys simply take in language longer. My son said almost nothing until he was 2 1/2, then he began using complete sentences! I was astonished. All the time he talked nonsense he was listening and learning unbeknownst to me. If your doctor isn't worried, wait a few months. If there is no improvement, ask for a referral to see a specialist.

This is a tricky one. In general, it's probably just a normal variation amongst kids. But it could be an aphasia, where something in the brain isn't wired right. Does he babble "normally"? I have a nephew who could talk, but simply couldn't get his tongue to blend sounds, which is a kind of aphasia. In that case, what sounds a lot like babble (I awn oo ee) is actually how he could talk (I want cookie. Without the ability to blend the sounds, the vowels tend to predominate). At 3 and a half, I would probably start getting concerned, especially since his hearing is OK. It might not be a bad idea to ask your pediatrician if he thinks it might be neurological, and to possibly get some tests done by a specialist in that area. If it is a problem in the brain's wiring, you may need a different kind of speech therapy than your son is currently getting.

My son is 18 months and I started sign language with him at 8 months and I really think that has helped him speak. I simply bought a DVD called My Baby Signs and it comes with a little booklet and a laminated paper that has different signs on it. Maybe you should try it. It's never too late to try! Also my half sister and half brother didn't really start talking until they were 4 and 5!! They are very smart and read like crazy. I think it just takes time for some kids. Someone said something about tonguetied-you might want to check that out as my friends child had the same problem.

My son is in the same situation. He just turned three end of December. He doesn't talk. Two hearing tests later, he basically has good hearing. He knows his abcs and numbers but he can't pronounce them correctly. His longest sentence is a two word sentence, and he only has one of those. He is going to preschool at early intervention. We're getting ready to start another set of speech therapy (first time around he ranked about 13 months in speaking at 34 months). I know he understands me and he follows direction well. I just feel like I'm at a stand still of what else I can do for him. I bought a hundred flash cards and he now knows all of the words, but he doesn't pronounce them correctly, even with severe repetition. He is fine in every other aspect except speech.

I'd be interested in hearing any ideas that any of you may have beyond the normal speech pathologist/early intervention/pediatrician routes that I'm already taking. School ends in a month but I've enrolled him in child sports to hopefully keep his contact with children his age up.

Do you have any other children? Older siblings? My brother wouldn't talk - but more because he didn't have to. There were three other older kids in our house that talked for him - so it wasn't necessary for him.

Teaching him sign language is a great way to communicate with him. They are little sponges right now, so he will pick it up quickly. And when he does start talking - he will have the added knowledge of how to sign.

Autism could be a reason.I have heard that they are usually diagnosed about age 3.. check it out

"Some infants who later show signs of autism coo and babble during the first few months of life, but stop soon afterwards. Others may be delayed, developing language as late as the teenage years[citation needed]. Still, inability to speak does not mean that people with autism are unintelligent or unaware. Once given appropriate accommodations, some will happily converse for hours, and can often be found in online chat rooms, discussion boards or websites and even using communication devices at autism-community social events such as Autreat." - Autism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Try these as resources:
Autism Speaks, Be Informed, What is Autism, Learn the Signs
National Autism Association is here to offer information and support to everyone affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism informational education and advocacy.
Five Early Signs of Autism
Developmental disability, early intervention, developmental delays, autism screening and early intervention autism : First Signs (really helpful!)



Watch for the Red Flags of Autism

(The following red flags may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development, and is in need of an immediate evaluation.)

In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” often referred to as “red flags,” that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:

* No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

* No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

* No babbling by 12 months

* No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

* No words by 16 months

* No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

* Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

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Originally Posted by dragonfly14

my son just turned three in january. he is a sweet, lovable, funny, active little boy. all of his developmental milestones have been right on, with the exception of his speech. as i said, he just turned three, and he only has 2 words that are actually "words". his mouth goes non-stop, but it's mostly jibber jabber. he has had 2 hearing tests, both which showed normal results. he understands everything that is said to him, or asked of him. he listens very well, and co-operates with simple requests. why isn't he talking??? he is currently getting "help" from a speech language pathologist, however the progress is minimal. any ideas? comments? similar situations? thanks.

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My son was an early walker, 9months. He didn't start really talking until after his little sister did, he was 3-3 and a half. He had the words in there, but just didn't want to use them until he could talk like us. We taught him sign language from birth and he used that instead of his voice. He is now almost 7 and has some trouble with making sounds correctly, but speech therapy at school has helped tremendously.

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Originally Posted by dragonfly14

my son just turned three in january. he is a sweet, lovable, funny, active little boy. all of his developmental milestones have been right on, with the exception of his speech. as i said, he just turned three, and he only has 2 words that are actually "words". his mouth goes non-stop, but it's mostly jibber jabber. he has had 2 hearing tests, both which showed normal results. he understands everything that is said to him, or asked of him. he listens very well, and co-operates with simple requests. why isn't he talking??? he is currently getting "help" from a speech language pathologist, however the progress is minimal. any ideas? comments? similar situations? thanks.

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Turn on the teletubbies and watch the show work its magic! Barney too! My son couldn't talk at the time either and one day I was doing something and I turned on the teletubbies (hey it worked for my oldest) to get him distracted and low and behold, he started mimicing them. He started sounding just like them so I had to find a way to correct that but it worked.

Good for you for being your child's advocate. I encourage you to contact your local school system and find out if your school system has an early intervention program. Or God willing, your health insurance will cover a developmental pediatrician evaluation. And if your pediatrician is not recommending this, it is time for you to find a new pediatrician. The younger your child is when he gets the right kinds of services to aid in developmental delays, the easier it is for them to overcome them. If you wait it out, it can be far more damaging. If your child has been in speech therapy for 3 months and you are seeing no sign of improvement, you either need a new speech therapist or he is not getting the right kind of therapy.

Best of luck to you and your little guy.

My two and a half year old doesn't talk either, we have tried most things but he's not into having stories read to him. He understands everything and has no probs with hearing etc. I think a lot of it comes from shyness as he goes very coy with me (mum) when I ask him to try and say things, yet when he's around others he will try no problems.
One thing I have learnt is that when you try and get them to say simple things like "more mummy" when they want more juice for example (these words are easier to say rather than please or full sentances") then praise him when he tries but never try to correct him if he gets it wrong, just keep repeating the words a few times so he has the courage to repeat them back and he can watch your lips to see how to pronnounce it (he will watch your mouth!! ) , if he thinks he's saying it wrong he won't try anymore. Praise and give encouragement are the best things. ;)

One more thing, Im sorry but I disagree with getting intervention unless they do have a physical problem that prevents them from talking, that's the only reason for a speech therapist. The ony reason they talk with therapists is because they aren't shy with them and its all new.
Take your time, it will come, don't force it just because other children at 2 and 3 can talk doesn't mean they are any more intelligent. Yours may be a little einstein and find a cure for cancer!!

I agree that we have to live space for the child. I read in a parenting french magazine that there's no problem for a kid that doesn't talk right away, some kids don't see the necessity to decode with words what ever they see and feel. They are still like sponges they still catch up everything, they just don't express them.
My son is also three and very slow talker, is true that he has 2 languages to learn because we live in France, but now that I have the chance to spend more time with him I can see a lot of improvement. I insist with him a lot on the basic communication phrases, in the beginning it was just me repeating them, now he does it. And I'm also showing him those very educational websites where they have those nice images with sounds those r very good for kids to repeat, and when they star they repeat everything u say without noticing, is really good.

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Originally Posted by dragonfly14

my son just turned three in january. he is a sweet, lovable, funny, active little boy. all of his developmental milestones have been right on, with the exception of his speech. as i said, he just turned three, and he only has 2 words that are actually "words". his mouth goes non-stop, but it's mostly jibber jabber. he has had 2 hearing tests, both which showed normal results. he understands everything that is said to him, or asked of him. he listens very well, and co-operates with simple requests. why isn't he talking??? he is currently getting "help" from a speech language pathologist, however the progress is minimal. any ideas? comments? similar situations? thanks.

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Have you checked if he has autism

I would think by 3 he should defintely be talking. The other members gave so very good answers. When he was younger did you talk to him in "baby talk" or even talk to him like that now. Some parents do that and the child starts to imitate that instead of speaking. Also make sure he isn't tramatized in anyway not by you, anyone, daycare, anything?
One of my family members had a child and lets say her mother worldly so we took the child and she was 3 and could not speak or you the restroom but everything was perfect. We talked a lot to her and she did therapy and then guess what whe wouldn't stop talking. And after being in our home she was potty trained in one week. :) When she felt comfortable in her new home she was great! This was about 12 years ago but I do remember the therapist saying she needed to drink out of straws to exercise the jaws so she could form her words. Hope everything works out

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Originally Posted by dragonfly14

my son just turned three in january. he is a sweet, lovable, funny, active little boy. all of his developmental milestones have been right on, with the exception of his speech. as i said, he just turned three, and he only has 2 words that are actually "words". his mouth goes non-stop, but it's mostly jibber jabber. he has had 2 hearing tests, both which showed normal results. he understands everything that is said to him, or asked of him. he listens very well, and co-operates with simple requests. why isn't he talking??? he is currently getting "help" from a speech language pathologist, however the progress is minimal. any ideas? comments? similar situations? thanks.

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I would really like to find out how your son is doing? My son turned 3 years old this April and hardly talks (lots of jobber jabber) he sounds very much like your son, developing normally except for in this one area. I know it's been well over a year since this post, I hope someone responds, I could really use some positive back feed right now. *sigh*

I am a speech pathologist. If your child isn't speaking by 3, there is a problem. Our rule is, every child should have 20 words and/or be using 2-word phrases by 24 months. If not, referral to a speech-language professional is warranted. Check out the national website for slp's at American Speech-Language-Hearing Association | ASHA. Go to "the public." Pediatricians are hit-or-miss with this topic; I wouldn't rely on them. It is essential as a FIRST STEP to have a qualified audiologist perform a hearing test, or audiogram, to rule out any hearing loss.

Try not to spend too much time surfing the internet about it, as there is all kinds of conjecture out there that may or may not be true. But get professional help! And all SLP's are not created equal! Usually it takes at least a month to establish a rapport with a young child, and then you start introducing language concepts. I agree that signing is a great bridge in the meantime, but ALWAYS speak what you are signing and encourage any kind of vocalization. I would also like to point out speech therapy is FREE through the schools once children are 3. This is what I did -- worked for the public schools with 3-5 year olds. GET HELP! Not talking at 2 is not normal, not talking at 3 is a major red flag.