My 16 Month Old Baby Boy Not Talking Much Im Worried What There Going to Tell Me

As a rule, bilingual (tri lingual, etc) children talk *much* later than children who are only exposed to one language. My son only had 4 or 5 words until he was 2 and then language explosion... but he's not totally bilingual. Many bilingual kids don't talk much until they're near 3, even though they can understand a great deal. But they come out of that period speaking each language fluently and without accent.

I wouldn't worry at all just yet , he's only 16 months and he has an older sibling. When they have older siblings they tend to do some stuff later because the other kids so things for them. My 3rd child didn't sit up unaided until she was 8 months , didn't pull herself to her feet until she was 13 months and walked at 17 months. If he has his back to you and you call him by his name does he look round? Or if there is a noise on the other side of the room does he look towards it? If he does then I would say his hearing is fine.

14 months is not late - normal is 9-18month range. Boys speak later than girls. Bilingual is great for the brain - it does not delay speech or confuse them - it's really a bonus. Hearing test is smart. Other important things are to keep him away from the tv/movies - that really hurts their developing attention span and nobody ever learned a language by watching tv. Just love and talk to him; I get tired of talking, and find singing it good - they hear my voice and hear words but it less tiring on me! Listen to songs you like - as they'll get used to whatever you play!

Part of the reason he throws tantrums is that it works. It will take time and effort to break that pattern - but the sooner you do, the better for him and everyone else.

Teach him sign language. Again that does not slow development and takes away a lot of the frustration kids have when they are not talking. They understand so much (we all notice that in our kids). Sign language will give him tools to communicate peacefully - like "Elmo" - you make up a sign for that. "Baby Sign" worked for us. Just use the sign every time you say the word; it will take him a while (days or weeks) to learn. Once he uses the sign, give it to him immediately so he knows signs have meaning and get peaceful results.

Lastly, you can contact Early Intervention - ask your pediatrician - and they will come to test your son. Even if your ped. doesn't think your son needs it, just peacefully insist on the tel. no. It is free and even if the son qualifies for services, you are under no obligation to sign him up. (I have a daughter with Down Syndrome so that's how I know about these things). Early Intervention is the government program for birth - age 3 or 5 (depending on where you live) for services for child who have developmental delays whether they are just premies catching up for a bit or with something more long term, like my daughter.

I hope this helps.

Your going in the right direction having his ears checked after that you can go from there if it turns out that his hearing is great then do a followup appt with his dr.

Well I have three kids. My first child started talking at 5 months. When we had our second child my husband kept saying OMIGOD there is something wrong with him he is not talking. It was more abnormal for my 5 month to talk.
The kids all start at different stages. My middle child didn't have a whole bunch of words he could say...but he loved saying his big brother name.
My youngest most of what she said we were perplexed. Then we went to a ear nose and throat dr. He said her hearing was comproised by 25% due to fluid in her ears. She also got her andoids taking out. After this she spoke much better she was 3yrs.
Also you can have your child repeat after you. Many places throughout our country now will have a speech thearpist come to you house to be testes. Hope this helps. Good luck. Denise

According to pediatricians by 18 months babies only need to be able to say 10 words other than momma and dadda. Now these words do not have to be said perfectly, you just have to be able to disipher what he is saying. For example if he says ish and you know that means fish that's one word.

I think you might be jumping the gun a little (as we all do at times). You have to remember that he has an older sister so he probably isn't real motivated to talk, I'm sure she says enough for both of them! I would start with talking to his pediatrician. Ask his pediatrician where he should be and what you should do to help him. Then start encouraging him to point to things. When he does point to things you tell him the word. So if he wants a snack and he points to an apple simply say "oh you want and apple." Encourage him to say words. Even if it sounds like noise and not a word tell him "good job, that's right. That is a block."

As far as speaking english versus spanish, I would talk to him in both. Kids are great at adapting and learning a lot of things at once. If your still unsure if you should talk to him in english or spanish, that would be another good question for the pediatrician.

As far as his attention span, he's only 16 months old. My 2 year old still could care less what I say. She's just too busy in her own world.

Don't worry, he is still young.
It is good you are having him evaluated.
He is bi-lingual. Bi-lingual does NOT mean only in speaking... but in understanding/comprehension too.

both my kids are bi-lingual. In speaking and listening/understanding. They know other languages too.
My daughter spoke early. My son spoke later. As is usual for "boys". There is a gender based difference as well. Keep that in mind.
Both my kids, speak both languages. My son doing so later, than my daughter. All kids being different.

YOU speak Spanish. Continue to do so. You are NOT harming his speech development.. kids are sponges. They can learn any language from infancy. My family is bi-lingual... and we all speak different languages to our kids... it is fine. No worries.

Your Pediatrician will tell you what he/she thinks, IF there is a concern wi with his speaking.

Einstein, did not speak until 3 years old. And he was a Genius. "Speaking" whether early or late, does NOT determine "intelligence."

All the best,
Susan

my son wasn't talking much and my friend kept saying just u wait..16 months is WAY too early to be worrying..they start gabbing just past 2.5 years of age..now my son is almost 4 and just talks and talk but he didn't say much til he was 1 week past 2.5 and he's super smart..you're fretting way too early.

I think you are taking the right steps to make sure there are no medical issues. But, I agree with the posters that said that children are all different, especially when it comes to gender. In my personal experience, my children are 16 months apart, my son older, daughter younger. My daughter was speaking more fluently than my son when he was 2 years old and she was 1 year old. He is still very quiet. My mom has a saying, "you can't wait until your child can walk and talk, and then you spend the rest of their childhood telling them to sit down and be quiet"! So silly.

Dear M.,

The hearing test might give very good information. As a special education teacher, I sometimes ended up referring kids for hearing tests as late as 5 or 6 years. This represents a lot of lost time, if there are hearing or processing problems. 16 months is good and early to look at this.
I would stick with what language you are comfortable with. If you are really comfortable with English it probably would not hurt to use that too, but if it is a chore to use English, I am not sure it will be so helpful...just add more stress to parenting. Does someone else in the house speak English? If so, let that continue while you use Spanish. Good luck!

Talk to your pediatrician. Get the hearing test and see if there's anything going on there first. Do you have a nice basic alphabet book with simple pages like "A is for Apple" etc? That might be a good place to begin.

Good for you for following up on your Motherly instincts.

I, too, believe that you should continue to allow your son to be exposed to, two languages. I would definitely keep an eye out for your son and get some professional people to evaluate him. Early intervention is the KEY! They will be able to tell you what they see in your son, explain appropriate developmental milestones, etc. There may be nothing wrong with him and this could be his 'normal growth', but I think it would ease your mind in hearing it from a so-called expert. The worse gift you can give your children is denial (that anything is wrong or inappropriate). This is not your first child so I really believe that you are doing the right thing in being concerned. I would make sure the hearing doctor is aware of your concerns and then make an appointment with Child Find (or whatever it's called in California). Services are free. There's no harm in having him tested.

I had a similar experience with my son. All of his friends were saying lots of words and he didn't say anything. He wouldn't even try to imitate when I spoke him. He could however follow commands and he did point. We also spoke two languages so most of my friends and relatives told me not to worry about it but I got him evaluated with the Westside Regional Center. They determined he had a slight speech delay, totally not a big deal, and we began speech therapy 2 times a week (all at no cost to us). He has totally caught up and I can't believe the stuff that now comes out of his mouth! Just follow your instincts and get him tested, everything will work out:)

I just want to say, maybe because he's in a bilingual environment it may he may absorbing both languages so it takes him longer to start verbalizing. But don't stop teaching him Spanish. It will benefit him to know multiple languages.

Plus boys do learn slower than girls. Just keep doing what you're doing. And do your best to aways look at him in the eyes when you communicate with him about anything. Get down on your knees and hold his face, if you have to. Move your head if his eyes wander away..Do whatever you can to train him to look at you when you both are communicating.

My son is developing fine in my opinion, but I did the same training with him and with my daughter before him.

As a mom of 2 boys and a former teacher, I think girls generally listen and respond more quickly than boys do. I have a 2 1/2 year old son and he has just started to put words together. At 16 months he didn't do anything besides point or yell or cry. I wasn't worried about my son and I don't think you should be overly concerned about yours. Have the test done, but don't stress out. He is just a little boy who is developing at his own rate. Good luck with everything!!!

Hi,

It's been longtime you had posted this. Could you please let me know if everything went fine with your baby. My baby is 13 months old and is exhibiting the same behavior. Your inputs would guide me alot. I would be really thankful if you can tell me the steps you had taken further to help your baby.

The fact that he's 16 months and not talking doesn't scare me. The fact that he doesn't pay attention to you does. You need to have him evaluated by your local early intervention office. Your pediatrician or local school district can give you the number. It isn't unusual at all for a 16 month old not to talk. But a lack of pointing, gestures and that type of thing is not good. All of that is what comes before language - and kids learn language by watching and imitating other people. Early Intervention is a free service and they can tell you if your son is actually delayed or not and if he's eligible for services, they provide those free of charge also. Good luck,

T.

My 1 yr. old grandson had a hearing test at 6 months old and he didn't even respond to the bass drum being banged by his head. They went in to put tubes in his ears and the doctor ended up spending a long time cleaning out debris from an old ear infection that had been very deep and not treated. After they finished the surgery he can hear now and is dong much better. Trust the doctors to do the testing and if he has hearing issues it will work out. He has lots of options such as hearing aids and implants. But then again he may just need more time to start this stage.

Please do not worry. He is young still. I have seven children and they were all so different in when they did everything. Some spoke in full sentences at 18 months, and some were hardly speaking at all at that age. Same thing with walking, eating, etc.

Please continue to speak Spanish with your son. This will help, not hurt. Also, if he is getting frustrated at not being able to communicate what he wants or needs, try teaching him some simple sign language. This really helped with my daughter. Very young kids seem to find this easier than oral speech. You can get a book of sign language at your local library.

You are totally on the right track and you've already been given a lot of great advice. After the hearing evaluation, definitely follow-up with your pediatrician and plan for another appointment a few months down the road (around 18 months). In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to check with Regional Center (or the Los Angeles equivalent) for a free assessment. Services begin at the infant level and continue until transition to preschool at age 3 (and they're free). Since early intervention is the key for sure, it doesn't hurt to explore your options now. Best wishes, -P. (____@____.com)

My son only said "bus" and "dada" till he was 2. He didn't even say "mama" till he was 18 months. He's 2 1/2 now and never quits talking--ever! I think he's still really young so I know this is easier said than done, but I wouldn't worry, just ask your pediatrician at next appointment. In my son's daycare class all the girls were talking well before the boys, so if you're comparing him to your daughter it probably is going to seem like a big difference. And, I think it's great that he's going to be bilingual!