Hi mums - my 19mth old isn’t talking yet. He mumbles all day, points and grunts for everything but still isn’t talking. He will yell out ‘dad’ when Bluey is on because he loves the song, says ‘cheese’ when talking a photo and the occasional ‘no’ but that’s it. He’s very smart and knows what he wants when he wants it, points and goes towards objects. If we say ‘bed’ or ‘bottle’ or ‘outside’ or ‘car’ he goes straight to where it is - so he certainly understands.
No other delays or issues I’m concerned about - just the no talking and constant grunting.
Should I be worried?
None of my other children took this long so I’m just a little concerned if it’s something that will come with time, or if I should be getting him checked.
Thank you
2 Replies
I always recommend getting outside input. Because no child is going to be hurt by doing a bit of speech therapy, it’s fun and it can give some piece of mind if he’s just taking his time.
If you don’t get therapy and things don’t develop then you are already on the back foot, trying to get them in some where and it’s honestly quite stressful and to be honest I kicked myself for not getting help for my son sooner.
If you make an appointment you can always cancel if everything resolves.
Every time he points at something, name it. Get all the family on board with naming everything that is pointed at. It’s possible that the older siblings are speaking for him. It really won’t hurt to speak to your GP or child health nurse to get a referral to a speech pathologist. At such a young age it’s all based on play so any ‘homework’ tasks you are given will be things you can incorporate into everyday tasks.