Answered at 11:50 PM October 21, 2009 by Momfluential

I'm wondering if your child is not speaking words or not speaking words that are easily recognizable by others. Either way if you are feeling concern it is perfectly reasonable to speak to your pediatrician and request that he is evaluated by a speech and language expert. If only for peace of mind. Early intervention can make a big difference with kids who have speech issues and you would not want a hearing issue to go undiagnosed.

Answered at 7:46 PM October 14, 2009 by Maegan Bledsoe

Talk to your child the way you want him to speak back to you! AND, if he understands, but doesn't speak, it might just mean he isn't ready to speak up yet...comprehension is as important as actuall talking. From my experience...boys often take a little longer to speak up.

Answered at 6:59 PM October 9, 2009 by Dear Old Dad

You should indeed be concerned that you are doing something wrong with your child. Do you talk too much "baby-talk" or use nonsense sounds in play? Is your speech artificially exagerated when you speak with your child? Is the child exposed to too much media, and not given the opportunity to observe adults conversing in normal ways? Children who I know who have good vocabularies and express themselves well at early ages are also reared in environments where they hear a lot of normal conversation. They may not undestand everything but they're learning how to talk.

Answered at 7:48 PM October 8, 2009 by HeatherKennedy

My son also had recurrent ear infections in his first year and wound up getting ear tubes around a year old. His speech lagged behind that of his older sisters and I mentioned it to our pediatrician at his 15 month check-up. Beyond speaking words, it's also important to note if his receptive speech and understanding seems on target. Not being able to communicate verbally has also caused my son great frustration at times, especially in interactions with peers. It's only been in the last month or so that he's had a language explosion (he's almost 2). My suggestion would be to call the pediatrician and perhaps speak to a nurse to see how they usually refer patients (and parents!) with speech concerns. All three of my kids at some point have received early intervention services and the evaluation process was very helpful in giving a full picture of their development. It varies by state, but we didn't need a pediatrician's referral and I simply contacted our county office and they got the ball rolling. As our insurance doesn't cover speech and our OT and PT benefits are limited, it was a great help to be able to access the early intervention services at no cost.

Answered at 9:39 PM October 7, 2009 by Anonymous

At 20 months most children are speaking. It is true that children's ability to understand language is often much more developed that their ability to produce language. So, you might pay attention to whether he responds appropriately to others when they address him. I also think it is a good idea to have your pediatrician do a quick assessment to rule out any problems with hearing or developmental delays. If a real delay is apparent you can support him a great deal with early intervention.

Answered at 5:40 AM October 7, 2009 by RookieMom Whitney

Answered at 5:40 AM October 7, 2009 by RookieMom Whitney

Don't hesitate to call your pediatrician for a question, even when you don't have a well-check appt scheduled. Call and ask if there is cause for concern. She or he will certainly have some other milestones to ask about to help measure if your child's development is appropriate. The odds are that he is simply a little bit late to arrive at the ability to form words.

Answered at 7:53 PM October 5, 2009 by Chris Sneddon

My son did not speak until almost 2 years of age. He had had constant, severe ear infections and finally at 18 mos. the doctors put tubes in his ears. Only a couple of mos. after that did he start to speak and then when he was 3 he needed speech therapy. His doctor said due to all the ear infections he probably had difficulty hearing and that's why he didn't speak. What he did hear was probably muffled which caused him to speak incorrectly. By the time he reached 2, he never stopped talking!

Answered at 10:36 PM October 3, 2009 by SU-Z-Q

Aarti, Kids sometimes can become easily confused in a multi-lingual society. My sister's daughter is three and because she and her husband speak their mother tongue at home and English outside there was a little bit of a delay in Nisha ( my niece) starting to speak. This is normal and does not mean she is not grasping the languages. In fact children pick up languages faster than adults and will grew adept at it quickly. Give her time experience tells me when she does begin to speak you will notice that she will speak very clearly. Good luck.

Answered at 11:20 PM September 25, 2009 by Parents Ask

Some kids are just late talkers. I wouldn't be worried if I were you. Your pediatrician will go through a list of questions to rule out autism. How does your son communicate with you? Does he enjoy spending time with other kids/adults? Does he respond to hugs/ affection? Does he point his finger at objects that he is interested in? Does he look at you when he faced with a new situation? Does he have problems with transitions?