Yet another concern...maybe??

[dannlark]

OK, so we've got the ear thing and the balance thing and now both my DH and I are getting concerned with Ian's language skills, or lack there of...

He just had his one year birthday and says no words. He babbles and does a lot of grunting, but absolutely no "Dada" or "Mama" or "No" or "Bye Bye" or anything?!?!?!

Should we be concerned??? I know each child is different, but I'm pretty sure both my other boys could say at least a couple of words by now. He's VERY smart, has great eye hand coordination, good pincher grasp action, can stack blocks, can give kisses (when he wants to), knows who people are (If you say, "Where's Daddy?" he'll look to find him or toward him) and all the rest of stuff seems right on target.

Anyone that had the surgery done later have any language skills issues that corrected itself after surgery?? Should I be worried at this point? My DH is really concerned and for him to be so, I'm thinking it must be something...???

[Abby'sMom]

Children develop at different paces within a "normal range" but if you have any concerns I would recommend you contact Early Intervention (or it's counterpart) in your state. Here in MA children with craniosynostosis automatically qualify for services even in the absence of delays. If something is going on with Ian they will pick up on it quickly and give you the tools needed to help...hopefully what they will tell you is he is just fine in the language department and not to worry...either way I think early intervention is an invaluable service that I'm sure can help.

I'm sorry I don't have answers to your specific questions but I just wanted to let you know I think Ian is very lucky to have parents who are carefully observing his development. Keep up the good work mom!

[Amy K]

We REALLY need a forum devoted to development. I've got concerns about Camden too. So I understand the worry, Larkin. But it sounds great that he's doing all the other stuff though!

And it really stinks that in Oklahoma cranio is NOT an automatic qualifier for EI. :(

[HaydensMommy830]

Hayden is a little behind. He doesnt have his pincer grasp at all, he doesnt stack blocks. He doesnt crawl or pull up. He rolls & army crawls. But he is a very laid back little boy! He talks-mama, dada, Ty-Ty (for Tyson, the dog), nan-nan, non-non (for John-John, my little brother), baba, bite bite. He has ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) there is an Occupational Therapist that comes to see him & a social worker once a month.

[Claire'sMom]

Great questions Larkin. I know that I was concerned with Claire, she was a late crawler and did not start walking until 14 months. At her 15 month check up the pedi asked me if she talked much, and I said yes, but once we were home and I started thinking about it she really did not say much beyond Dada or Mama. But within the last month she has finally started talking more. I think each child is different, I would not be too concerned yet. Give it time and he will start talking.

[Jenny]

Hi Larkin! In the resources section, i have a growth and development chart that shows where about he should be, just rememember every child is different. I had early intervention with Kayla, they actually were with us before surgery, and continued until she was two, and "graduated". I started speech therapy with Belle at about 18 months, as she wasn't talking either, only a couple words. Definately check out your local resources, usually you can get that info from your state government website. It never hurts to get evaluated!

[mckennasmum]

so hard to say, isn't it? I have heard other parents say that sometimes the youngest is a late talker because the older siblings do all the talking for them?!! Don't know if that's true or not! He's just one so I don't know if you should worry too much yet, but it might be worth asking a health nurse, or ped next time!

[Nicholas' Mom]

Larkin, we have some concerns about Nicholas as well. He's 13 months and doesn't really use words either. He babbles a lot and we recognize sounds like da-da and ba-ba, but he doesn't use them with any real meaning. He just had his one-year check and the pediatrician was a little concerned, but not overly concerned. She suggested we wait until his 15 month check and if there isn't any improvement, she would put in a referral. She agreed that all babies are different, but thought he should know at least 10 words by 15 months. Many of my friends tell me their kids were either early walkers or early talkers, but never both. I'm hoping that is the case with Nicholas, as his walking is really coming along.

I hope everything is okay with Ian..

[cheryl2]

It's hard to say, he could be completely normal. Some kids just start talking later. But... I always have this to say to anyone who has a concern with talking. Get his hearing tested, even if you think he hears perfectly. Even if he was screened as a newborn and failed. Clara and I both have a hearing loss, and I belong to a Yahoo group for parents with kids with hearing loss. It's amazing how many parents went to early intervention, got speech services, but no one ever thought to check the kid's hearing. Children can have a mild or moderate hearing loss and adjust to it so well that parents will have no idea they have a hearing impairment. But it will impact their speech development. Hearing loss is another issue that pediatricians often aren't as informed about as they should be, just like cranio.

Good luck, it's very likely his hearing is fine and that he'll start talking any day now. But I just want to throw that possibility out there.

Take care. :-)

[Nicholas' Mom]

It's hard to say, he could be completely normal. Some kids just start talking later. But... I always have this to say to anyone who has a concern with talking. Get his hearing tested, even if you think he hears perfectly. Even if he was screened as a newborn and failed. Clara and I both have a hearing loss, and I belong to a Yahoo group for parents with kids with hearing loss. It's amazing how many parents went to early intervention, got speech services, but no one ever thought to check the kid's hearing. Children can have a mild or moderate hearing loss and adjust to it so well that parents will have no idea they have a hearing impairment. But it will impact their speech development. Hearing loss is another issue that pediatricians often aren't as informed about as they should be, just like cranio.

Good luck, it's very likely his hearing is fine and that he'll start talking any day now. But I just want to throw that possibility out there.

Take care. :-)

Cheryl, that's great advice. That is exactly what our pediatrician told us. She plans to send Nichoals for a hearing test if his speech hasn't improved by the 15 month check-up.