2 and 1/2 yr old will not speak?

Question

my son is 2 1/2 i have been worried for a while because since he started "talking" he mostly just jibber jabbers when he first started talking he would say things like dada and bite bites and dink and stuff like that i wouldnt even have to tell him to say it he would just tell me when he wanted it he used to say he was 1 and hold up his finger and stuff and now all he ever says clearly is bye every thing else he either stopped saying or he says like hes still 1 when he wants his daddy to play with him he says dabadaba wayin gos (dada wanna go)and stuff like that because he wont speak he doesnt know his alphabet he doesnt understand alot of things and i cant talk to him about stuff i tried to tell him im pregnant and he doesnt get it even though im 9 months i tried to explain to him about potty training and he thinks hes in trouble he doesnt know how old he is but its weird because he cleans up after himself he can work electronics and he knows how things work should i be worried?

Answer 1

sounds like a serious problem, especially if he is regressing. My friends daughter turned 2 on June 6 and she can speak in sentences, respond well, tell her exact needs and wishes, although she is not potty trained. He SHOULD be forming actual words understood by people outside of the people he sees everyday.

good luck and be worried

Answer 2

Talk to a doctor, they will be able to recommend good speech therapists in your area, also they might recommend tests to make sure everything is ok.

He might just be a late bloomer but it would be a good idea to seek some advice from professionals

Answer 3

when I was 2 the same thing happened to me..later on my mom found out i had serious ear infection and lost 80% of hearing in one ear and 50% in the other.The doctor said this can cause a delay in speaking and that it happens alot.I had to have surgery where they put little tiny tubes in my air to drain fluid that had collected. (nothing to worry about you couldnt see them, operation didnt take long, and they dissolved within a few years)After that I started talking and l speaking very quickly and managed to catch up and exceed others my age. So I suggest you take him to the doctor to get his ears checked out asap.

--BTW he may think he's in trouble when u try to get him to potty b/c he cant fully hear what you are saying and thus cant understand

Best of luck to you and your son

Answer 4

I would definitely recommend talking to his pediatrician about your concerns. My first thought about a child that does seem to be speaking much or doesn't seem to "understand" what you are saying is a possibility of hearing loss. Perhaps your pediatrician can order a hearing test for your little guy or a series of other evaluations to determine if there is a cause for the speech delay.  There may be other things that cause the speech delay but generally I think that the first thing doctors look for is hearing loss. Even mild hearing loss can cause a delay. Some forms of hearing loss can easily be corrected.

And of course the pediatrician will know of others things to check for. If you are truly concerned don't allow any doctor to tell you that he is fine without really checking. And don't allow a doctor to tell you that boys are just slower. You know your child best and if you are concerned the doctors should take those concerns seriously.

Do you also think it is possible that he does understand you are pregnant and knows he will soon be having a new sibling and is trying to hold onto his position as baby of the house?

Good luck to you!

ETA: to answer your second question:  yes, I have been through this, with both of my children. My daughter had fluid in her ears that was causing mild hearing loss that was cleared with medication. My son had developmental delays across the board. His hearing checked out fine. My son did not talk until well after he turned 3.

Answer 5

Are you kidding!

Are you expecting him to know That your pregnant and actually understand what this means?

Do you hope that he can pass the 12th grade next year? Joking.

Let your baby be a baby. They learn at different paces and only what they learn from you as a parent. You should practice teaching him little things and I'm sure you do but, I mean little things such as Eye's, Ear's, nose and Mouth.

Water, Milk, Momma and daddy of course. But allow him to learn at his own pace. If you try to teach him big things then he will not and understandably so not understand. Also, you may only confuse him.

My son learned how to go to the bathroom at 2 years old but, we worked with him everyday until he finally started going on his own.

I will repeat, your child is only going to learn what you are willing to patiently teach him but, just because he says it, doesn't mean he may truly know what he is saying.

You could teach him to say excuse the term but lets just say the (F) word. He may be able to say it but, he wouldn't really know what it meant.

There are some cases when a child has some learning disabilities and they should be evaluated by a doctor, not by Yahoo answers.

I know you are a concerned mom and this is understandable too. Just be patient and enjoy him being a baby because he will grow very quickly.

Good luck!

Answer 6

At 2 1/2 years old they don't have to know any letters and they really usually don't even know the different between letter, words and numbers that is normal for his age group.  Most boys don't pottytrain until they are around 3 1/2 years old.

Answer 7

Many children go through stages like this. It is not terribly uncommon. You might try sign language with him, he may feel he doesn't have to speak if he can get by without it. 90% of children that know sign language speak and understand more clearly by age four than the children who were not taught sign language. I wouldn't worry too much. If he is on medications, you should check with any possible side effects. Also explain everything to his dr. and see if he/she has any suggestions. Best of Luck.

Answer 8

Hi,

This is not an uncommon problem that parents face. So don't worry too much.

Consult a speech pathologist, local GP or pediatrician. it is hard to say the exact problem, it could be anything from a disorder to bad hearing or blocked ears. I doubt it is a disorder but you could ask your GP and they should be able to either resolve the issue and find out what is wrong or refer you onto someone specifically focused on children's speech. It could be as simple as a ear infection.

I have been through this before. My three year old used to lack the ability to talk clearly or say words larger than three letters. This was due to the fact that she had blocked ears and couldn't hear what everyone else was saying so she couldn't understand.

You should not expect him to understand pregnancy or know how to do the alphabet at two and a half. Most children don't know the alphabet until they are five or so and most children don't understand the full concept of pregnancy till about eight!

I understand you are trying to help him learn and develop fast, but it is too early for him to learn all that. most children his age can't say too much more than what he is saying now, considering that all children learn at different paces. Keep this in mind and let him learn things at his own pace. Teach him everything slowly and be as patient as possible. Patience is the key to learning!

Good luck,

Hope this has helped.

Answer 9

Don't worry about the stupid alphabet and stuff...let him be a kid..everyone develops at different stages...and don't even worry about him understanding the pregnancy - that's an "abstract" concept...I mean talk about it and stuff..but that's like explaining god to him..they understand concrete what they can touch see feel, etc.  So don't stress over that.  Just prepare him for having a sister or brother and all that of course..I'm certainly not saying ignore it! but remember he's only 2 and abstract concepts and concrete concepts are totally different.  He'll get it when the baby's born..you'll have your hands full...

Potty training with a newborn will be a challenge..it probably will take longer...good luck with that..my heart goes out to you...

I would mention to the pediatrician about his talking and hearing. See if there's a physical problem.  Ignore all the psychobabble stuff. Society rushes children and thinks they should all grow at the same rate at the same time...and they don't...there's no hurry for things..society pushes kids too hard...

But I would seriously consider a problem with his hearing.

I wish you the best...