Glen Said:

My 2yrs old hyperactive baby have a delayed speech?

We Answered:

This is a good example of why it's not a good idea to compare kids to others.

What do you mean, she can pronounce difficult words, but no meaningful ones?

If you have consulted that many different kinds of doctors, and none of them saw a problem, I think you can safely go ahead and assume she's not as delayed as you think.

I have yet to meet a toddler or preschooler who is not hyper. I have two kids, two nieces and two nephews. The layout of my mom's house is that you can see the entire length of the house when you walk in the front door. Two of the kids are infants, but three of the boys (ages 4 and 5) loves running back and forth the full length of the house... they do this almost the entire time we get together over there. My little just-turned-2-yr-old niece tags along the best she can. Kids are kind of known for the "hyperactive" activity you are talking about. They have near zero attention span, so they get bored and when they get bored, they get hyper.

Because she doesn't have the language skills yet to express herself and her needs (virtually no 2-yr-old does), she gets frustrated and cries.

Work with her on language. Keep a running commentary throughout the day ("What do you want to wear today? The pink shirt or the blue one? Yeah, I like the pink one. Here we go, putting it over your head. Where's ___________? Oh, THERE she is", etc.) Point out everyday objects, associating the name of the object with the object itself. "Read" to her. It's okay to sacrifice the story for the other benefits at that age. Her attention span probably doesn't allow for her to follow the story, anyway, so point out the pictures, describing them.

Please stop taking your baby to doctors over this. None of them seem to think there's a problem, and they all have more experience really knowing the toddler population than you do, so they recognize what is normal and what is not.

Hilda Said:

Could my toddler be speech delayed?

We Answered:

It sounds like she is a little delayed, but not overly. She may catch up, but you should trust your instincts. If you feel something is not right, get a second opinion. If they also tell you not to worry, then maybe that will reassure you. Some children do take a little longer to talk.

Manuel Said:

2yo toddler that is being screen for autism-ENT MD is wanting to place tube is ears for delayed speech. Help?

We Answered:

Yes, my son had tubes put in his ears and it was wonderful, after that he would hold his ears because everything seemed loud even though it was normal now. He learned speech so much faster, and the ear infections stopped. I thought they were a great thing, he was only a 1yr and a half when he had them done, good luck hope this helped

Mildred Said:

Toddler with delayed speech?

We Answered:

Don't worry about it too much yet. Yes, he's not talking as quickly as other kids are right now, but there is still plenty of time for him to start. Before you get all worked up, ask yourself a couple questions.

1. Has he had multiple ear infections? If so, it may take him longer to talk well due to fluid build up in the middle ear. If he can't hear you (or himself) he won't be able to reproduce words well.

2. Does he understand you when you talk? If he understands well, just has a hard time talking, then time will be the answer. If he doesn't understand the words you say, he may need more help.

Please be aware that while he may not be talking as well as many other kids his age, he's still in the 'normal' range. In fact, I know plenty of great, smart kids who only say one or two words at eighteen months. They have nothing wrong with them and do begin talking (often in the next two months) and get very good at it by the time they are two and a half.

It may not seem like a good thing right now, but you are lucky that your son has a conscientious doctor. Too bad he didn't think to reassure you more.