Could my 21 month old have a speech delay?

Question

I have been looking online at the milestones for 21-22 month olds. And for 22 months they should be saying like 50 words. My son maybe says 10 to 15. He says go, mon(come on), no, hey, bye, he will say i love you but mumble it but you can tell thats what hes saying, mine, ball, nite, pee, do-do(for potty training), bear, and a few more. We are working on Abc's He is great with everything else, runs plays climbs and follows direction very well.

So what could be the deal with his speech?

I am a young mother and this is my first child so I am just looking for advice.

Answer 1

Those milestones are really nice guidelines, but that's all they are - guidelines.  A 21-month-old who doesn't talk at all or only says half a dozen words is one to worry about.  But it sounds like your son is actually saying quite a good number of words.  If you start writing down all his words, he's probably saying a lot more than you had realized.  I usually see my grandson twice a week, and every couple of weeks he surprises me with a bunch of new words all at once.  Last week his mama went upstairs and he surprised me with his new sentence:  "Mama! Come down here right now!"

I've been singing "You Are My Sunshine" to him every time I've seen him since the day he was born.  He only started singing it with me 2 weeks ago, when he was confident that he knew most of the words.  Prior to that, he would smile at me but he wouldn't even try to sing along.

Your son has the words.  Just listen.  Mention to his doctor at the next appointment and let the doctor get him to talk.  In the meantime, keep talking to him and singing to him.  

Answer 2

Your son sounds like he is doing just fine. Can he get his message across through other means such as gesture etc?

As a speech pathologist most of the children I see are in the position that your son is in and the first thing I do is ask the mum and dad to make a list of all the words the child is saying... then I add at least 10 because there are always ones you will forget and ones you will not realise your child is using. A word doesn't have to be clear to be counted as long as your child is using the same sounds to consistantly mean the same thing.

The best thing you can do to help him learn more words is to start speaking in single words at home. For example, rather than 'Bob, I'm going to have a drink would you like one?' just say 'Bob, Drink?'. You can use full sentences if you like but always emphasise the key words to help him identify them and hear what they sound like for example 'it's time for a bath now.... bath... come on let's get in the bath... oh nice bath.... bath'

As he uses more and more word then start talking in 2 and 3 word phrases like 'big jump' 'look, fast doggy' etc.

Always uses phrases one step above where he is. You'll probably find that he'll learn alot of words at once... it is very common. If you don't have any luck feel free to email me at [e-mail] and I can give you some more exercises to try. but if you are really concerned then you should contact you localy speech pathologist

Answer 3

um... it could be autism my brother is autistic and it sounds his situation and your sons situation are similar. You should see a speech therapist.

Answer 4

sounds about the same as my 23 month old, Im not worried.

Answer 5

my husbands brother had this problem and he was born with 20% hearing loss at birth. Just a thought. Hope all is well though.

Answer 6

If he says the words and you understand them then it isn't a speech delay.  He may know more words than he will say, some children will listen and learn words but not repeat them until later.  My son was 3 years old when all of a sudden he was saying things I didn't' even realize he knew but it was because he would listen and learn instead of just talking and not learning.  Don't worry, when he is 3 you will have a better feeling of if he is delayed or not but if you can clearly understand what he is saying then sounds like he is doing good .

Answer 7

well, he probably says more than you can think of right now !

like mom and dad etc.

my son was the same at that age, he is almost 26 months now. and is saying new words everyday! and between now and a few months from now you will notice a great difference!

i wouldnt worry at all.

that is funny he says mon for come on, mine does the same thing and i think its so cute.

my friends kid is 22 month too and he cant say anything!! he says dadadadada and mamamama , and thats it!

just because thats what the books say he should be saying 50 words, doesnt go for every child. and like the other person said, they know a lot more than we think, they listen to everything! my son busts out with words out of the blue and its very excited. Iwouldnt be worried unless hes not talking normally by 3ish.

LOL and i dont think that is autistic AT ALL so i wouldnt listen to that nonsence

ppl always jump to conclusions like that. you dr will tell you hes right on track.