Hi everyone

I was just wondering if I could have some opinions please about the langauge development for my gorgeous god-son. He is the sweetest most beautiful child who is loved so much by his family and everyone who meets him (excuse my bias). He turned 2 last week and I have noticed that, compared to other 2 year olds, he doesn't have very many words. This is what he can say and do:

Expressive communication
He has only two words that are clearly pronounced and can be understood by everyone: MUMMY AND DADDY.
He has about seven extra words that can be understood by those who know him but not strangers. The main ones are:
BOOOUB: for bob the builder
PAK: for the park
DAT: for 'that' or 'what's that'
DER-DAL: for 'sheryl' his babysitter
BA: for 'butter'
DE DE: for keys

If he's hungry or thirsty, he points to his mouth or puts his finger in his mouth, and we give him food or a drink. He can't put two words together yet.

Receptive Communication
If asked he can do all the following things, which suggests he understands the instructions:
- PICK UP BOOKS AND PUT THEM ON THE TABLE
- CLOSE THE DOOR
- PASS THE KEYS
- PUT TOYS IN THE BOX
- POINT TO NOSE (if asked 'where's your nose')
- POINT TO TUMMY (if asked 'where's your tummy')
- POINT TO TOES (if asked 'where are your toes')
- SHAKE HEAD (if asked to do something that he doesn't want to do)
- POINT TO PEOPLE HE KNOWS (if asked 'where's daddy' or 'where's peter' or 'where's clare')

He started walking at 16-17 months and he eats with his hands not a spoon. He is really good natured and funny and happy and loves to be read to. He loves a cuddle and loves going for walks to the park. His parents haven't said anything to me, I've just observed that, compared to other 2yo children that I know, his language development is much less advanced.

What do you think?

Cheers

my ds1 says way less then your boy my ds1 is 2 on anzac day he has a expressive speech delay
we had a bit of a break through yesturday he pointed to the hallway door at my mum's and said "D-hor" its sort a cross between Doh and door but he's off pointing out all the doors
my advice is if you are worried see a peadtrician

It does sound a bit towards the low end of the scale - I started counting my DS' words at his second birthday, got to about 370 and gave up counting (I reckon he probably had between 500-600 words).

However, my DS is probably towards the upper end of the scale - how many 2 year olds can recognise and say the names of dinosaurs?

Not being your child, I'm not sure what you can do. If it was my child, I would be taking him to get assessed by a paediatrician/speech therapist, to check there wasn't something like a hearing problem or something else wrong.

He does sound like a beautiful boy, but as I said, I don't know how you could raise your concerns with his parents without possibly offending them. Perhaps someone else on here might have a better idea?

Best of luck,
Fiona

to be honest i wouldnt be worried yet he just turned 2, reading lots of books helps extend their language also when they point to things encourage them to say something, food, drink or something. Some children take longer then others to talk but having just turned 2 i wouldnt worry. he is defiently doing alot better at that age then both my DD and DS where doing.

He sounds gorgeous and I don't think you have anything to worry about.

A friend of mine has a little girl who turns two next week who says very little but understands heaps. As long as they can understand what is being said, the talking comes when they are ready.

My husband said very little until he was 2 and a half and then started talking in sentences. He now never stops

I sometimes think one or other of my little girls is a bit slow at doing something but when I look into it (usually here) I find that everything is fine.

Enjoy your grandson-, he's lucky to have such caring grandparents.

sorry - godson

My DS probably said around 10 words by his second birthday. I was reassured by my GP that his comprehension was great and that it wasn't a concern for a few more months. He now copies every single word I say and probably learns 10 new words a day. I wouldn't worry at this stage.

I will actually disagree with most, I was told by a speech therapist and a MCHN that as a "general rule" most kids should have about 50 words (some speech therapists say 100) by about age 2 and simple 2 word sentences such as "daddy gone".

My DS had only 8 words at age 2 so started speech therapy and 3 years later is still attending but has improved heaps. He also would have lots of tantrums out of frustration as he couldn't communicate what he wanted.

It won't hurt to get him assessed, also bear in mind there may be a long waiting list for public speech therapy - there usually is. There is a 10 to 12 month waiting list where I live so the longer you wait to get him assessed and if he does need help you may have to wait longer.

I also didn't say a single word until age 2 and as my DH says I haven't shut up since.

JMO.

wow 50 words by 2yrs old that is a tough speech therapist there

Every child is different and I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. My DS is advanced in some areas but not in other areas like speech. Whilst my DS was never behind as such, words were not clear at all and I had to constantly tell DH what DS was saying. I was browsing the books at Dymocks when a Mum & her 2.5 yo DS stood beside me. He was very clear in his speech and I commented on it. She said it was all down to "Baby Talk" by Dr Sally Ward. I ordered it from Amazon - it's a great program and DS is much clear. It also recommends toys and books for each stage.
I've done further reading that suggests that language comes from fathers and not mothers. Since reading that DH has become the chief story reader


Lisa

Thanks girls, you are a wealth of knowledge and have given me a lot to think about. I'll keep an unobtrusive eye on things over the next few months and see how he develops. Sometimes I feel like the words are just around the corner (lots of pointing, babbling and expressive facial movements whilst "speaking"). Only time will tell. Best wishes to you and your families

I wouldn't be too worried. My niece was 2 at the beginning of Feb and had very few words at that stage "goll-goll" (doll), ma ma, daddy, bubble (her brother). Her speech is now taking off much more and she is putting two word sentences together -"more drink", "drink gone" etc. She has also been consistenly "late" with her milestones. She was only just sitting at 10 months, crawling at 13months and walked at 16 months so i guess she is just developing on a different time line.

If it was me, i would wait a few months to see what happens. Toddlers can becoming very verbal almost overnight with a huge language explosion. Some are just a little slower then others to hit it.

I wouldn't be worried about it. We're waiting for another 6 months to see how DD1 goes with her language skills, but probably getting her hearing assessed soon as she only says the last syllable of most words. I have a family history of hearing problems, and my mum said that my next brother down, who had major hearing problems as a toddler/child did exactly what DD1 does with her speaking. It's like she just can't hear the entire word. I do try to speak clearly to her and get her to look at me, but she uses a lot of the same sounds for words (eg, 'nee' is daddy, mummy, tree, baby, and about a dozen other things)

Since saying 'daddy' close to her ear and a lot more clearly (enunciating every syllable clearly) she's started to say 'nay' instead (still don't know where that came from ROFL) but I think she's finally understood that there's more than one syllable.

She's yet to put two words together, but understands that 'empty' means her drink cup needs more water, so brings it to me and if I say "is it empty" she'll say "enty!".

I wouldn't be too concerned yet as until recently your godson was learning to walk so is probably just catching up. Keep an eye on it over the next few months and if he doesn't seem to be progressing, perhaps suggest to his parents that they get him checked out. DD1's next scheduled checkup is at 2 1/2 so maybe if you wait until then you could mention to his mother that she talk to the nurse and check that he's on track. (You'll have to be careful you don't worry her or compare her son to other children -- good luck!)

At the risk of sounding like a cow, frankly I don't think it's your place to 'worry'... my MIL expressed concern that DS wasn't talking properly and it 'concerned' her and TBH it p*ssed me off because DS was well within what is considered normal. I just find it a bit off when other people express concerns about DS's development, as if they're more concerned than me, you know? I'm not saying you're doing this but if there is something with your godson's speech that needs addressing, it's really his parents' call to do something about it, or at the least, comment on it.

I think what bothers me, and a lot of other people I've spoken to is that the 'concerned' person isn't genuinely concerned. Instead, they're often looking to compare the child to others. MIL would sometimes compare DS to DH and SIL and it drove me up the wall. I just feel that if the child's life is not in danger, then people should just let the parents take action, or bring up the topic, when there's a developmental delay.

My apologies if this comes out harsh, but I've been on the receiving end of such 'concerns' about DS and it can be quite insulting, like someone is trying to pick out imperfections in your child.

Spark I don't think that you sounded like a cow, cos I agree with everything that you have written and am in the same situation myself.

I know the OP was just expressing their concern and it's lovely that you care about your godson so much, but I would speak with the parents about your concerns. Do you know that they aren't already seeking help about his development? Also I am wondering how often you see the child, because you can't make an assessment on a couple hour visit once a week or fortnight.

Hi, I agree with the issues you've mentioned Chris and Spark. I am very aware of the points you raise, that's why I've not said anything to his parents and instead I've emailed people here. I agree it's not really my place to say anything, certainly not at this stage. I would feel the same as you, if this were my child.

In terms of the relationship, in addition to him being my godson, he is also my nephew (he is my brother's child). My brother is fairly vague and sometimes need prompting with things (like a lot of brothers) but my SIL *should* be onto it and for that reason I won't mention anything for the time being. I see my godson/nephew about 3-4 times a week and I love him more than any other child in this world (I am 31 weeks pregnant now with my first child and my husband and I jokingly say that we 'wonder if we'll love our child as much as we love my newphew/godson' ). My heart is in the right place.

Thanks for the reminder.

Amber, your nephew/godson is lucky to have a caring person in his life and obviously you are around him enough to see what he is or isn't doing.

For the time being I would just keep an eye on him and see how he goes with his language. My DS also only has a few words in his vocab and sometimes they are hard to understand, but he can follow directions. DH and I are just seeing are being proactive with teaching him new words and helping him request what he wants.

Best of luck with the remainder of the pregnancy.