19 month old not talking

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Your son sounds just like mine at that age. I would look into early

intervention programs in your state. You don't wait to evaluate a

child!! That is why it is called EARLY INTERVENTION. He will qualify

under expressive language for sure, since he should typically be putting

two word sentences together at this point. You could also probably get

him in under social/emotional delays by emphasizing the lack of

attention and eye contact issues. Playing by himself, etc. These are

all valid points. Pediatricians, unfortunately, are the last people to

listen to with their " wait it out " line. I would recommend a

developmental pediatrician and/or a psyche eval for behavioral

observation/input.

I don't mean to scare you, I am just saying that there appears to be

more going on. He may be just " a boy " as I'm sure you've also heard,

but you don't want to put all your eggs in that basket. Besides, if he

starts on some therapy now, it will just seem like play. Getting on

this list was a good start.

Ok, if you want more info/advice, let me know. I don't want to ramble

on b/c believe me, I could!

Cheryl Butterworth

Collin and 's Mama

cheryl@...

[Guest guest]

My son has just recieved a dx of verbal apraxia. He too, has no delays in

any other areas except expressive. He is at an 11 month level at 2.9 years.

He has a vocab of 3 intelligible words to me or strangers. I started him

signing at 18 months and he loved it. I would suggest Signing Time DVD's.

They are engaging and fun for all ages. It has allowed my older children to

learn with him and eased alot of tension. He is now learning to sign his

ABC's and can match letters with signs. I ran the DVD's over and over in

the house and in the car. The rest of the family never knew what hit them!

I can't say enough about these movies. You can get them at Amazon and if

you would like to read more go to their website, www.

<http://www.signingtime.com> signingtime.com I am a firm believer in

teaching some type of two way communication and 1 year later I'm so glad

because we are still using it. I stopped a few times when I thought we were

making progress then we would go into a slump and I'd start again. My

advice is to keep using it so it's there when you need it. I sign every

word I know when I'm talking to him even when is not looking. I must look

weird to other people but it's a good habit. Good luck. Let me know how it

goes.

Karin

[ ] 19 month old not talking

Hi, I am new to this group and hope someone here has some suggestions

for me. My son currently 19 months old is not talking. He started

babbling at around 6-9 months and actually babbled quite a bit until

the last couple of months when that has decreased. He can say mama,

and will say it unrelated to me, but not very often (1-2 times a

week). He does not use gestures to indicate what he wants or is

interested in. As far as following simple commands, it is hit and

miss. Sometimes he can follow " get the yellow ball " and other times

he completely ignores me. He is an active toddler and i have no issues

with his physical and motor skills. He can build blocks together and

throughly enjoys playing with his toys ignoring everyone else around

him. Getting his attention can sometimes be a struggle and he will not

always respond to his name when called.

I do talk to him everyday about what is happening and things around

him and have been reading to him since birth. He will not sit still to

read just one little book, so I usually end up reading to him while he

plays with his toys, He will run over and look at a few of the

pictures during the book, but does not point at anything and I have no

idea what he is understanding from the books. If i let him touch the

books then he runs away with it and treats it like any other toy and

therefore no other reading gets done.

We have been to the peditrician and he wants to wait until he is

older. I have referred him to a speech and language center provided by

government health care, however they feel he is too young to be assessed.

I have spent hours searching the web for things i can do as a parent

to facilitate his language production, but have come up with not much.

I have recently started signing with him, however getting him to look

at me when I make the sign is a task in itself.

Please help !!

How to promote language in him ?

How to read to him properly ?

I hope this had made sense to all of you and will appreciate your

feedback.

Thanks

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I wanted to respond to your post. I Have a son who is 19mos and your

description was very similar to . He is not talking, but does

babble. He says Mama but not in trelation to me. He sometimes

gestures, points to what he wants. The reading is exactly the same.

He will not sit for a book. I usually end up reading it to my

husband or myself. I had him evaluated by EI and he now receives

services 6x week. I suggest you do the same. He will probably

qualify for speech at the least.

Diane

>

> Hi, I am new to this group and hope someone here has some

suggestions

> for me. My son currently 19 months old is not talking. He started

> babbling at around 6-9 months and actually babbled quite a bit

until

> the last couple of months when that has decreased. He can say mama,

> and will say it unrelated to me, but not very often (1-2 times a

> week). He does not use gestures to indicate what he wants or is

> interested in. As far as following simple commands, it is hit and

> miss. Sometimes he can follow " get the yellow ball " and other

times

> he completely ignores me. He is an active toddler and i have no

issues

> with his physical and motor skills. He can build blocks together

and

> throughly enjoys playing with his toys ignoring everyone else

around

> him. Getting his attention can sometimes be a struggle and he will

not

> always respond to his name when called.

> I do talk to him everyday about what is happening and things around

> him and have been reading to him since birth. He will not sit

still to

> read just one little book, so I usually end up reading to him

while he

> plays with his toys, He will run over and look at a few of the

> pictures during the book, but does not point at anything and I

have no

> idea what he is understanding from the books. If i let him touch

the

> books then he runs away with it and treats it like any other toy

and

> therefore no other reading gets done.

> We have been to the peditrician and he wants to wait until he is

> older. I have referred him to a speech and language center

provided by

> government health care, however they feel he is too young to be

assessed.

> I have spent hours searching the web for things i can do as a

parent

> to facilitate his language production, but have come up with not

much.

> I have recently started signing with him, however getting him to

look

> at me when I make the sign is a task in itself.

> Please help !!

> How to promote language in him ?

> How to read to him properly ?

> I hope this had made sense to all of you and will appreciate your

> feedback.

> Thanks

>

[Guest guest]

I couldn't agree enough. At first sign language (learned quickly through

signing time videos) gave my 2 year old a way to communicate and

frustration/tantrums disappeared literally overnight. Now that he is making

progress in speech (about 35 understandable words) - he is trying so hard to

talk but I often have no idea what he is trying to say. Frustration is again

occuring after he repeats himself again and again, but when I ask him if he

can sign what he is talking about - he can usually think of at least one

sign that gives us a clue. It is so helpful - even on the next

evel. -

[Guest guest]

My son LOVES Signing Time DVD's even though he can't sgin. He's 4 and non

verbal. He has poor fine motor control although he has some " Will signs " .

Signs he's made up!

Sherry

<claudiamorris@...> wrote:

I couldn't agree enough. At first sign language (learned quickly through

signing time videos) gave my 2 year old a way to communicate and

frustration/tantrums disappeared literally overnight. Now that he is making

progress in speech (about 35 understandable words) - he is trying so hard to

talk but I often have no idea what he is trying to say. Frustration is again

occuring after he repeats himself again and again, but when I ask him if he

can sign what he is talking about - he can usually think of at least one

sign that gives us a clue. It is so helpful - even on the next

evel. -

[Guest guest]

Hi, I am new to this group as well, but it seems you don't really know

specifically what might be the cause of your son's language delay. I

also am on another board called NaturalLateTalkers that includes

parents of children with many kinds of speech and language disorders.

It is a huge site with a wealth of information. Perhaps you would

benefit from joining that group as well.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm sorry that your Pediatrician is not helping. I would definitely

suggest that you contact Early Intervention (which is for children

Birth-3). They will have therapists come out and evaluate your son

to determine if he qualifies for therapy. I'd strongly recommend

this. My son has been receiving these services since he was 4

months old. He is 2 1/2 years old and recieves 6-7 therapies per

week. It's a lot of therapy but it's so worth it. His speach

therapist is working on oral motor strengthening, PROPMT, sign and

we are getting an Augmentitive Communication Device.

If you have any questions, please ask away.

Good Luck!

Proud Mommy to

> >

> > Hi, I am new to this group and hope someone here has some

> suggestions

> > for me. My son currently 19 months old is not talking. He started

> > babbling at around 6-9 months and actually babbled quite a bit

> until

> > the last couple of months when that has decreased. He can say

mama,

> > and will say it unrelated to me, but not very often (1-2 times a

> > week). He does not use gestures to indicate what he wants or is

> > interested in. As far as following simple commands, it is hit and

> > miss. Sometimes he can follow " get the yellow ball " and other

> times

> > he completely ignores me. He is an active toddler and i have no

> issues

> > with his physical and motor skills. He can build blocks together

> and

> > throughly enjoys playing with his toys ignoring everyone else

> around

> > him. Getting his attention can sometimes be a struggle and he

will

> not

> > always respond to his name when called.

> > I do talk to him everyday about what is happening and things

around

> > him and have been reading to him since birth. He will not sit

> still to

> > read just one little book, so I usually end up reading to him

> while he

> > plays with his toys, He will run over and look at a few of the

> > pictures during the book, but does not point at anything and I

> have no

> > idea what he is understanding from the books. If i let him touch

> the

> > books then he runs away with it and treats it like any other toy

> and

> > therefore no other reading gets done.

> > We have been to the peditrician and he wants to wait until he is

> > older. I have referred him to a speech and language center

> provided by

> > government health care, however they feel he is too young to be

> assessed.

> > I have spent hours searching the web for things i can do as a

> parent

> > to facilitate his language production, but have come up with not

> much.

> > I have recently started signing with him, however getting him to

> look

> > at me when I make the sign is a task in itself.

> > Please help !!

> > How to promote language in him ?

> > How to read to him properly ?

> > I hope this had made sense to all of you and will appreciate your

> > feedback.

> > Thanks

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi all!

Just want to jump in and remind everyone that even with the rise in

children with speech impairments, 75% of late talkers are just that -

children that talk late. And that's with or without therapy. Thing

is that speech therapy is benign even if not needed, and may in fact

provide stimulation to encourage the speech to come in sooner even

with a simple delay.

I'm also posting because there is a large group here of parents and

professionals who were faced with children that they 'thought' was

just a late talker, or 'just' ____. What we all want isn't the

assurance from friends, relatives and even our spouse...we need to

know from a professional who is skilled at knowing the difference

between all the various reasons why your child may not talk yet at

all or as much as you'd like.

Below is an archive which clearly lets everyone know that I too

thought Tanner was " just " a late talker, and then thought he " just "

had apraxia. OK -so he had a few other things going on. Today

Tanner is a cool little 9 year old boy who continues to amaze not

just me -but those that work with him.

Again I had two " late talkers " both my boys, Dakota and Tanner. For

those say " just give him time " that are right most of the time -

since 75% of the children are just late talkers -they would have

been wrong with 50% of my children (Tanner)

We all heard about late talkers with simple delays....just like

We all know about colds with sniffles....

We all know about scrapes that need a band aid.

We don't join a grouplist to learn about colds and scrapes.

This group isn't just for apraxia -but apraxia is a condition we need to

talk about more since there's no information just about anywhere

else and it appears to be on the rise.

At least know the warning signs and if needed, learn how to help.

Knowledge is power, and in this case, comforting.

(there is so much hope no matter what!)

Below is an archive on more:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Mon Jul 26, 2004 10:08 pm

Subject: Re: question on receptive communication delays/pure

apraxia?

Hi Gail and welcome!

Based on what you wrote it would be hard to say if your daughter has

apraxia. What are the 5 to 10 words she can say? Believe me, as one

who has been there and done that I look back now at what I

considered " words " when Tanner was three. " Ma ma mommy " was a three

word sentence to me of " Where is Mommy? " And when Tanner " learned "

my sister 's name, Aunt , we were all excited to hear him

call her " Doo doo " (we all laugh at that one today -even Tanner)

You guys that read The Late Talker have my Tanner dictionary that I

gave to the school in there, so you know what I mean!

So, how clear and how complex are the words? Does she say them

consistently the same way each time? How quick did she learn the

word? Did she ever say a word and then 'lose' it, where she

couldn't say it again? Can she imitate various sounds? Different

from needing encouragement -apraxic children want to be able to

repeat -they just can't -it's part of the disorder in that at times

the more they want to say it the more it eludes them. This is why

some will say words while you are playing chase, or while you are

pushing them on a swing -while they are not thinking about it.

Apraxia creates of problem of doing the activity 'on demand' Once a

word like " ma " is in an apraxic child's 'motor memory' they tend to

say it the same each time. It's how they learned those words, and

how complex they are.

You did give one sign of apraxia. The child's receptive ability

being ahead of the expressive ability is just one of the signs of

apraxia. Apraxia is simply a motor planning disorder. In itself

apraxia is not a cognitive or psychological behavior, even though it

can co exist with many disorders. Can a gymnast have apraxia?

Sure. Depending on what type of apraxia a child has, it may or may

not affect the child's motor abilities in movement of the body

outside of speech at all. It's wonderful that your daughter is

excelling at gymnastics because it brings her something to take

pride in that doesn't demand verbal abilities. Other children with

apraxia may enjoy karate, swimming, dance, cooking, art, etc.

I too thought Tanner was 'just' a late talker as you will read

below. We, like most, didn't notice his warning signs that were

there long before the neuroMDs and therapists spotted them. After

all, Tanner passed all his developmental milestones on time or

early. Because most apraxic children have normal receptive ability -

they are aware of what is expected of them and will push themselves

to keep up. This is why most that don't receive early intervention

will have " other symptoms " that pop up down the road when more is

expected of the child and they can't keep up.

http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/parentfriendlysoftsigns.html

Most children with apraxia today present with a delay in speech,

normal to above average receptive ability, and one or more

neurological " soft signs " such as hypotonia (low tone -weakness of

the muscle for speech or body), sensory integration dysfunction,

and/or mild

motor planning deficits in the body. Some can be so mild that they

are not obvious to most until the child reaches school age and more

is expected of them. This is the reason for a thorough

neurodevelopmental exam, so that if any signs are present you can

begin early interventions...early. If there are soft signs present

they should also be viewed as warning signs of a possible speech

impairment like apraxia. This is because most of the children today

with " multifaceted " impairments of speech like apraxia do not

have " pure " apraxia. Pure apraxia is possible, just not probable.

What is pure apraxia? Archive (of an archive?) answer!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Wed Mar 17, 2004 4:06 pm

Subject: Re: PURE APRAXIA

Hi AC,

Pure apraxia is possible but rare.

More common would be misdiagnosis of apraxia (the child

really is/was " just " a late talker with a simple delay in speech)

Below is an archive on this subject -and yes it's always been a

popular topic and one with many opinions, even from the experts.

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Mon Jan 26, 2004 2:21 pm

Subject: Re: any pure apraxia children?

In response to some of the many posts on this -this group is a

mixture of all types of late talkers ranging from mild " just " late

talkers with simple delays in speech, to those with more complex and

severe impairments that overlap with other conditions. The majority

here do not post and lurk instead, and this includes the majority of

those with " just " late talkers. Some have told me they don't want

to post because they don't believe their child's problems will be

taken seriously in comparison to what others are going through. I

just want to once again say -all are welcome here and all is taken

seriously.

Out of the few that do post, there are a handful that post to reach

out to help others (thank you for all that do this!) and share

updates and we get to know them. Most post when they have a

question or when they are upset about something, but a few come here

to share joys that only we can understand (like being excited about

a 4 year old that says " hi " for the first time)

Pure apraxia is a question that comes up often, and as long ago as

when Tanner was first diagnosed. In fact below are two of my first

ever messages on this where first I question what " pure apraxia " is

a day or so after Tanner was diagnosed -and then another where I

sign next to Tanner's name " pure apraxia " (and yes -I too was wrong)

Interestingly enough in my first messages I describe Tanner's signs

of oral apraxia and sensory problems and hypotonia which -but since

nobody including Tanner's pediatrician knew they were warning signs -

none were addressed until after these " soft signs " were diagnosed by

the neurodevelopmental MDs.

I'll put my post below, here is just one of the more recent archives

and then some other comments below that on your direct question:

" From what I've seen personally and in this group, apraxia, like

autism, is multifaceted in most cases...meaning it's not " just " an

impairment of speech. Bilker is one of the only children I

know who has " pure " apraxia of speech and nothing else.

http://www.debtsmart.com/talk/brandon.html

(even though most of us in the early stages also believe it's " only "

a speech delay as you will even read in my first posts 4 years ago.) "

Most children with apraxia do not have PDD, however it's not

uncommon for children with PDD to have apraxia. Most children with

apraxia do have mild low tone (weakness) and/or mild motor planning

problems in other areas of the body. It's also not uncommon for

a 'typical' apraxic child to have sensory integration dysfunction,

even if it's mild. Through anecdotal reports apraxic children are

also late to potty train and may be prone to constipation. (and if

asked to blow their nose into a tissue they will breath in instead

of blow out!)

Children with apraxia or any communication disorder are known

through studies to be at risk for learning disabilities. the issue

of

using verbal based cognitive or receptive testing on verbal disabled

children?

http://www.cherab.org/news/verbaldisabledtest.html Just like in

the story behind the movie " Stand and Deliver " -I love the

quote " students will rise to the level of expectations "

http://www.kcbx.net/~jbunin/files/reviews/teachers.html which is

most likely based in proof by the research of Dr. Rosenthal.

http://www.pineforge.com/newman4study/resources/rosenthal1.htm I've

spoken to Dr. Rosenthal about the current testing problem our

society and school systems are placing on verbal disabled children,

how this is discriminatory - and the damaging impact of using this

type of testing based on what his research proves. Dr. Rosenthal is

shocked to say the least -and agrees with my views on this -he

believes this should be studied as well. Please contact me if you

are interested in learning more about this too.

We as the ones that care for these children have to believe that

this is not necessarily true -my son Tanner is just one example of a

child that could have still been in a special needs class and viewed

as low average abilities due to verbal based testing -but instead is

a straight A student in all subjects in an accelerated academics

first grade class. Many if not all of our children benefit from

multisensory therapy as well as multisensory education. For example

when Tanner's school taught the children about the circulatory

system -each child had a chance to " be " a white blood cell or red

blood cell or platelet while walking through the halls of the

school. Tanner came home and explained the circulatory system to us

and it was amazing. I am also a strong believer that as a group in

general most of the children with multifaceted communication

impairments (those who don't just have verbal apraxia) will benefit

from starting kindergarten at six vs. at five so that they have that

extra year to work on the intensive therapy, and give that extra

year for development. I don't know anyone that regretted " holding

back " their child for a year -but I personally know quite a few that

regret starting their child at five, especially if the child is a

young five.

Here is an archive on how our children, and adults like them that

are verbal disabled, have been viewed by the majority:

" Now if you want to know the negative view our children will face if

we don't change it as a group-then read this link (

http://www.courierpress.com/ecp/gleaner_news/article/0,1626,ECP_4476_2470843,00.\

html ) for the good and the bad:

" These children are going to plateau at a certain level -- that is

the nature of a disability, " said Harper, who teaches students with

autism, learning disabilities, mental retardation, Tourette's

syndrome, vision and hearing deficiencies and brain injuries. " These

kids are not going to grow out of it, not going to grow up and be

OK. It's sad, but that is the way it is. "

" In Nashville, Tenn., schools director Pedro called

it " ludicrous, to give a (special ed) student a test that they

cannot read or understand, much less know the answer. "

And this quote opens a can of worms to me:

" There is no way some of these kids can meet the testing standards, "

she said. " If they could, they wouldn't be with us in the first

place. "

I'd love to ask this person " And if they were not with you in the

first place...could they instead be a straight A student in the

mainstream? " and then tell her about my son Tanner who is one of

many who would be in these classes due to verbal based IQ and

receptive ability tests...but instead is a straight A student in all

subjects in the mainstream

http://www.cherab.org/news/verbaldisabledtest.html

But just like I like to leave out the bad parts most of the time and

focus on the good (like saying that even though most children

diagnosed with leukemia will be cured...I don't like to talk about

what happens to almost all of those few that are not cured. Because

there is always hope -and you don't want to ever give that up.)

Here is someone to cheer from the same article!

" There have been low expectations for some of these children all

along, " he said. " And that's not because of mental abilities, but

because of poor instruction received in the early grades. We need to

challenge schools that these children can achieve. Sure, they will

need an intensive program, but they can be brought up to grade

level. "

~ Tomalis, acting assistant secretary for elementary and

secondary education

Hurray for ' Tomalis!! "

Subject:

Thanks for the talking kids page!

Date:

Wed, 10 Mar 1999 11:03:00 -0500

From:

& Glenn <shop-in-service@...>

To:

pressone@...

Hi ,

Our 2 3/4 year old son Tanner was diagnosed yesterday with apraxia.

However, as I'm sure you are well aware, we have been dealing with

his

non speech for much longer. (You may have read my e-mail about

Tanner.) Tanner looks like a cherub-strangers say that all the

time.

So we call him " the cherub boy " .

It was wonderful to hear your adorable sons, and the other children

speak. It really does help. At this point our son sounds the most

like

when the father says " 1, 2, 3, a, b, c, " . Without much

prompting

he is non verbal. Also, most of the time, when my husband and I

try

to ask Tanner questions where he would have to try to answer, my

older

son, who is four, talks for him. Like your son, Tanner looks and

acts

normal. Actually outside of expressive speech, Tanner tests on every

other area above average. This was unfortunately the reason our

pediatrician was never concerned. We had to push to get his hearing

and

speech evaluation.

If you could tell us some background on your son it would be

appreciated. When did he first get diagnosed? How many days of

therapy

a week does he receive? When did you see the greatest improvement?

Like Tanner, was there a time he didn't really talk? What is " pure

apraxia " ? Even though he is a perfect weight now, I have been

concerned with the way he sometimes shoves large amounts of food in

his

mouth. Is apraxia a rare condition? I've spent the morning trying

to

find a local support group where I could receive the answers to some

of

these questions. Even Tanner's speech therapist said there is not

much

known about it because it is pretty rare. I did find a world wide

support group for apraxia in Greenbay Wisconsin called MUMS with 20

to

40 members.

Well again, thanks for putting the talking kids page together. Let

me

know what you need, and my husband and I can send you a tape and

picture

of Tanner.

Best,