Could yall post this, please? So my oldest son is 2.5, and yesterday I had a speech assessment with a speech therapist. They told us he was moderate to severely behind and that speech development-wise, he was on a level with a one-year-old. He will be seeing them twice a week, but I was wondering what else we can do to help him. Everything I’ve read online just says to speak clearly to him and read to him. That’s stuff I’ve been doing, and I guess it doesn’t work for him. I’ve tried to sit him down and do flashcards and stuff like that, but he hates having to sit still and do stuff like that.
13 Likes
Have you had him checked for a tongue tie?
Keep reading and talking to him, with the help of a therapist, he will get back on track. Both my kids did speech. Good job getting help early!!!
My son is exactly the same. He is 4 now and still only speaks two words at a time. He has been diagnosed with speech delay and has his 1st appointment with the ASD team in my area on March 12th. They still dont know if he is on the spectrum because speech delay is his only real problem.
When he goes to speech therapy the therapist will give you homework to work on with him. It might be repetition of certain words or sounds. Ours always told us to say what we were doing. So for example “Mommy is pouring the milk into Ainsley’s cereal. Now I’m putting it in the fridge.” It helps the kids connect words to actions.
2 Likes
My oldest is 5 and in kindergarten and is actually behind a bit. We make him repeat words a lot to make him say it more clearly but the biggest improvements have been to have him around other children and now that’s he’s in speech therapy he’s been improving on certain sounds a lot. I don’t know where you live but where I’m at he couldn’t start preschool until 4 unless he had some kind of delay or problem in which case they could have taken him at 3. If you can get your kid into preschool they should be able to start speech therapy through the school. At 2 1/2 your son still has plenty of time to excel and get to the stage where he should be at so if you can’t do a lot about it right now I wouldn’t worry about it
I think the biggest thing is encouraging him to try and speak instead of speaking for him. For example, if you know he wants help, before you help him (unless he’s hurt or something) try to encourage him to say “help” or “help please”… and then proceed to helping him. Even if he doesn’t say it properly, that’s okay… it’s the effort and repetition over time that’s going to help his speech. Do this every time. Or if you know he wants something specific… like milk… say the word and get him to repeat it or say “milk please” before you give it to him.
Reading is great but stick to books that aren’t too complicated… get him to say some of the words as you read it.
Also, having him look into a mirror as he speaks can help too as he can see the words being formed with his mouth
Is he around other kids? I ask because my son barely even babbled until I started bringing him to playgrounds and around other kids. Now he babbles all day long and is starting to try to say words.
Sometimes they just need a confidence boost
We just went through the same thing with my son. Mine loves music and actaully learns a lot through it. We also taught his basic sign language for wants and needs. It helped a ton. Just make sure he says the word as well as signing. When he goes to speech therapy, watch how they work with him, and try to do similar things at home. Repetition is going to be your best friend. Its frustrating for everyone, especially the little one that can’t communicate. But it will come in time. I know here in TN, they transition from the state to the school system at 3, and that has helped more than I can say. Just keep working on it mama, he’ll get there 
Have U had his hearing checked again ?
Talk to him, read to him, play audio books… let him hear speech all the time. My son learned to talk from YouTube (he has autism) and he’s now totally verbal. There is an app for iPad called Injini which is amazing for developing early speech xxx
1 Like
My son started speech therapy when he was 3, he only knew a few words like mommy, daddy, ball etc. He kinda had his own little language going on and it would really upset him that we would never know what he was saying. He really didn’t start talking complete sentences until he started kindergarten and he continues having speech twice a week at school. He still struggles in some areas but his progress has been so phenomenal to watch over the past few years. It’s been a long stressful journey but as long as you help him practice between sessions that will also help tremendously.
Have you gotten his hearing checked?
My son is the same age and also quite behind. He has seen speech once and is supposed to have a follow up soon. Speech will give you lots of good tips I’m sure. One thing I’ve noticed that is helping him is reading the SAME book over and over. Like for a week I read the same one every day plus whatever ones he wants to pick out. I also make everything into a little song lol which makes me look like a crazy person but he likes it and learns words better that way (example. When I go to give him a bath I sing “it’s time for a bath. Bath bath bath”. And he now tries to sing it. Or making a sandwich I sing the “peanut butter jelly time” song. That kind of thing. Keeping things silly. ). Good for you for getting him seen by speech!
He’s still little, try not to worry too much, play him loud music and ty to dance and sing songs.
Id suggest getting a book of funny jokes and tongue twisters. Make it a game to teach your child the sillest ones and encourage them to repeat it back to you. Smiles, laughter all around.
The speech therapist will give you suggestions.
Once he starts speech you will see a ton of improvement. My son started speech last year at 2 only saying one syllable words and now hes 3 and talking in full sentences.
1 Like
In addition to his homework from so speech therapy find an activity he likes to do and while doing it constantly point out objects and there name and have him repeat them
My son had the same problem and loved to go to the zoo near our house so I took him almost weekly and called put the names of the animals and he enjoyed repeating there names
There were other activities he did with older children that helped him also.
1 Like
Take him to the dentist.my youngest daughter didn’t speak much found out when she got her permanent teeth spoke just fine.
I have a nephew that didn’t start talking until he was three.we just talked clearly and repeat often. He’s fine now
There is an app called the chatterbox. It helps my daughter who has a major speech delay
Endless reader apps helped mine significantly.
My Now 18 Yr old Daughter was the Exact Same Way, The Doctor said, " One Day You will be Looking for the Off Switch" Lol! Shes a ChatterBox Now. Just Continue with Speech and Dont Worry.
I’m going through the same thing with my 2 year old. We just started speech therapy with early intervention. We’re trying picture exchanges. So we have laminated pictures of the normal things she uses/likes so we can point them out as we say the word. We also try and have her exchange the picture for the item. She’s motivated by food and bubbles, so we use those pictures often. It’s supposed to open up more communication and the more she sees the photo along with the sound of the word, we’re hoping it will eventually start to come out. Maybe you could print out some of his interests and start with that. 
1 Like
Our son did speech therapy through the school for 4 years. They let him into our early childhood (3k) program at the school so he could get the therapy there and he graduated out of his IEP for speech in 1st grade. We did a lot with him at home but nothing seemed to work. He was much more receptive with the therapist.
My son is also delayed with speech. He gets bored very easily and would never sit still to read a book with me. He just recently started talking and it has everything to do with his tablet we got him for Christmas! He plays all these educational games and repeats after everything they say in the game! I didn’t want to be one of those moms that let’s him play games all the time but it really works well for my son! He’s learning so much and sitting still while doing it.
Read, read, read with him! It’s truly helpful. I am sure the therapist will also have suggestions. Wishing you all the best 
Have you had his ears checked I have a 2 year 3 month old and he is speech delayed as well. I swore up and down he didn’t have a hearing problem as he would follow instructions and could hear. Never had an ear infection either. But had fluid in his ears we ended up putting tubes in and he is slowly speaking more. We are still doing the once a week speech therapy . I just keep telling myself baby steps and he will get there
Have his hearing checked and ask the speech pathologist what they want you to do to support him at home.
Getting books with pictures of things cats dogs trains ect and point to it to learn the names and sounds.
My daughter is the same way. She’s 3 1/2 and is at the level of a 2 year old. She’s been going to speech therapy once a week since September and it has worked WONDERS. What I do at home is I buy flash cards (of foods and verbs and such) and have her tell me what they are, and when she points out something she sees, such as a car, I’ll tell her “it’s a RED car” (or whatever color it is). Or a tree, I’ll tell her “a BIG tree”. It’s hard to get them to sit still but you have to make them do it. I’ll put her hands on the flash cards if she’s refusing to do it so that way she’s still learning. Also see if you can get them into self development preschool if they have that where you are. I’m working on enrolling my daughter into it. Every child has some sort of developmental delay and it will help them transition into kindergarten when they’re ready. You got this momma, you’re not alone!
Narrate everything that you do. For instance,
Mommy is sweeping the kitchen
We are cleaning the dishes
Also, if he wants something, give him a choice between two, that way he can try to communicate what he wants. Let’s say your offering milk and water, hold the milk up close to your lips (without blocking lips) and say “milk”, then do the same with water. Even if he doesn’t say the word clearly, it gets him trying to communicate and talking. Do that with everything! You can teach him basic sign language as well.
Don’t leave his snack or drinks within reach, that way he has to try to ask, and it opens an opportunity for communication. And try to wait for him to ask for something (as opposed to having his stuff waiting for him)
Einstein did speak til he was three
I think by talking clearly, reading to him etc is great, some parents neglect that. All kids go at different paces. There could maybe be something underlying like autism or adhd. Let your little boy go at his own speed. Every child has a different pace. My eldest daughter has learning difficulties. Her speech is behind also. She is coming up for 18 now.
Look for early intervention programs. Also check ineoth speech therapist about things you can do at home to work on his language and communication.
Find out if they have head start and early intervention in you county. Depending on what they provide you could get in home therapy as well as what your insurance pays for. My four year old goes to a local elementary school twice a week for two hours, intensive therapy with one other student currently.
1 Like
My daughter is 3 1/2 n can only say daddy mummy n nanna n we go to speech ot ect she was premmie at 30+6 weeks so its her n i hope one day she will talk right ect
Tell him what to say and ask him to use the words. So for my son who was delayed it was a matter or saying no that’s not what we do when we need help, we say help me and once he realized that asking for help lead to him getting help he used it frequently. Now we are working on sentences like saying I want and I have and more please. It helps to add sign language in also. More, me, want, apple, cup, these are all words he can use daily and saying them and doing the sign for them and then encouraging him to copy you. I have demanded that my son use the right words or ask nicely. Also we did flash cards from the dollar store during breakfast and now he loves flash cards and showing off because he gets lots of cheers and high fives. For us it was I anticipated him needs so he had no need to use words or ask for help.
look into TRS it is a spray that detoxes heavy metals from the body. Plenty of testimonials of speech progression after detox. Best of luck
Singing is a great way to have him start talking because is both relaxing and therapeutic!
It will happen over time. I’m surprised with how much my daughter improved with eci. My sons currently in as well but we are still in early days and he needs a lot of practice. They will get there!
Teach him sign language! It would benefit you and him both! you would know what he wants/needs and it benefits as a second language my kids know some sign (asl) started that early because when they was little they couldn’t tell me what they wanted without talking! You can find learning videos on YouTube like kids signing time, they do it in songs and it’s catchy and repetitive so you can learn it easier too! And narrate while you are signing!
A straw and a ping pong ball get him to blow the ball around a little track. Blowing bubbles, chewing different texture foods.
Lots of open language! Do not give in for something for grunts or pointing. Give him the words! Hold a cup and say Blue cup, touch a car and say “this is a green car”! No baby talk. Music is also a great bridge to teach language!!
I have two children that were the same way. My first one never spoke until he was around 4 years old. I had his hearing checked and went to the doctor several times because I thought there was something wrong. After dozens of dr visits, it was the school who noticed he had a lateral lisp. I put him in speech therapy at 4 year and continued until he was around 7. My second child started talking at 3ish? He also had a lateral lisp but therapy didn’t help him too much. He’s 9 now and when he gets too excited it comes out. I would recommend speech therapy.
My eldest had a speech therapist since he was 2 he got discharged at 5 he had a speech therapist at school which helped and they sent me stuff to help him also xx
Our son is 2.5 and is jibber jabbering all kinds of stuff. The Dr wanted to do speech therapy at 1 because he wasn’t putting 3 words together like, can i have… Will u please? My husband and i both told her that therapy was not an option at 1 and we would wait to see how things went for the next year. Well, he’s fine. Talks all kinds of stuff. Try teaching colors with Actual crayons not flash cards, my kid just throws them all over and makes a mess.
Give him children’s gummies vitamins with dha. Great for brain development, taste good for him. I prefer the little critters brand.
My daughter has been in speech since she was 2, she is 6 now. It will happen over time. I tried everything, but she was just slower at talking than most kids her age. She started getting alot better with her speech when she started school and was with other kids her age.
Read to him, read with him,play games like I Spy in the car, keep him talking, asking questions. He’ll be fine , he’s 2.5, not 5 5.
just keep repeating words to him, try singing songs n ryhmes during Bath time or play time, he will get there, my son was also slower at speech than others but his getting better, a lady told me not to stress some kids jst chose wen they want to talk, her son ddnt say a word till he was 3 an after that he jst couldn’t stop talking
I heard reading to your children helps significantly with their speech
Practice what they do with him.
Do they rate the delay of speech based off how many words are used at a time of how the pronouncing is?
Play! Teach with rhytm and song. Make it fun
Flash card, run real fast in a circle. Flash card, hop on one foot. Make up your own games.
Start him in 3 year old preschool and add IEP. Within a month into the school year I noticed a huge difference. Kids tend to learn differently and sometimes better when their parents aren’t around due to the different environment. Plus it helps them to see other kids talking and I noticed starting them in school early helped with potty training as well.
My daughter blossomed after one visit with the speech therapist. Listen to what the therapist recommends and don’t make it seem like work to the kid. The thing she had us start with first was to try and get her to repeat sounds so make noises for everything. Say zzzzip when doing a zipper. Or zoom or beep beep when playing with a car. Pretend sneezes. There’s a sesame Street book called Bubbles Bubbles that they recommended because it uses the same word over and over and it’s an easy one for the kid to repeat.
My son needed speech therapy in kindergarten. His impairment wasn’t as bad as his cousins but i think that’s because my mom would talk with her teeth and make him do the same. So when you are getting him to say words exaggerate it with your teeth. All of them still went thru speech therapy and all of them have no problems now as adults. Our family’s was because instead of the roof of their mouths being curved they were flat. Hope this helps
Not all kids are proficient at everything at the same time. After being sure that there is nothing medically wrong, encourage his selfconfidense and then if he knows he is loved he should progress at his own speed.
Also, any use of enforcements with games that cause him to practice may be beneficial😂, especially if he enjoys games with other kids who like competition,
If he does also.
when i was a little kid i had the same issue, a speech therapist and patience works wonders during that time they saw i also have ADHD which also didnt help but a speech therapist helps greatly.
I would teach him sign language to help him communicate. That’s what we did with my daughter. She was three and could only say four words. Sign encourages repetition and allows communication even when he can’t talk to you, which can be very frustrating for both parent and child. My daughter speaks very well now. Just hang in there!
My son had a speech delay and everyone thought he was autistic or hard of hearing and he started speech therapy at 18months and hes still in therapy at 9yo but he has improved so much jus ask the therapist what to work on they will know exactly what to do and go with your gut momma it doesn’t hurt to test for other problems but that’s not always the case my son jus had ADHD and a speech delay and he had a fine motor delay he out grew.
My daighter has verbal apraxia. She couldnt get her words from her brain to say the word. She also went to speech 2 tomes a week. But I got simple fin games for the computer that you had to say the word out loud before you could go on. I did it with her as there wasnt such a thing as interactive games with microphones. So I would say the word after they did then push the button. She was two. She also became delayed in school. But by the time she graduated she was pulling A’s and is now in college for graphic design. Dont give up. Its frustrating and will test your patients. Deep breath mom, you can do this!
1 Like
Work on strengthening the muscles in the mouth, sticking out tongue, hold it to 1side for 30 sec while out, the other side, top etc. Blowing bubbles, etc
1 Like
Get a thorough hearing exam. My daughter passed 3 screens with flying colors. Turns out she had tons and tons of fluid behind her ears because of allergies we weren’t aware of. She started speech therapy when she was 3. I took her to an ENT at almost 6, we found the fluid and chronic allergy problem, got adenoid out and tubes in her ears. Her hearing and speech began to improve immediately. But she had developed lots of bad speech habits that we are still working to break. She is almost 8 and I think I this may finally be her last year in speech therapy.
1 Like
Just talk to him a lot. When he gets older, he’ll realize he says things differently & may ask you to help him with some words. He’ll be fine by 5 or 6.
Momma keep doing what your doing. My son has been in speech therapy since he was 2 yrs old. Now my husband and I joke about if we should have ever sent him to speech therapy. He is 4yrs old and we can’t get him to be quiet for 5 seconds. Speech therapy and you working with him daily will help him.
1 Like
My 6yr old has been doing speech therapy since start ing kindy at 4. We recently discovered his tonsils were impeding on his vocal chords and after having his tonsils removed, his voice is clear, no more speech therapy. Worth a look for you.
Keep doing what your doing, if you’ve already had him physically checked for the other possibilities than I wouldn’t worry much on that part. I had my son checked for everything under the sun, he was physically fine just needed extra help learning to enunciate clearly. Between home & school he seen his slp for 7 years.
The slp will also give you things to work on a lil more with him, like certain sounds
My son was 3 when he started talking, the thing that did it for him was learning to sign. The therapist said a lot of kids will make the connection for saying the word and signing it. So he learned to sign ball and started saying ball. From there every sign he learned he spoke. Now he speaks just fine. I’m sure you have had his hearing checked already that was something else we did.
My daughter had delayed speech and what they told you is all you can do for that age. When he starts school they have speech therapist that can help. My daughter also had ADHD along with the delay and is 18 yrs old now & graduating high school. Get him an IEP if possible!
1 Like
He is too young for flash cards . there attention span isnt that long . have his hearing checked . perhaps he has hearing defecit . speech therapist will bevery helpful
Go and get cards and Mark the refrigerator with a card table with a card table with a card so when he comes into the room and can say the word reward him with a tootsie roll make learning words fun and he will learn so much and be proud of his accomplishment Good luck and God Bless
My daughter didn’t talk and we found out she was deaf. My son didn’t talk so we worried he was deaf, he had a very high pallet and had speech therapy until he started high school.
could possibly have autism my cousins son was the same way and they discovered he is autistic but he still communicates very well even though he does not speak
The best thing you can do is encourage your wee one. They will already feel different because of the thr speech therapy. Maybe get a wobble board to sit on or even a yoga ball so they can bounce when you do flashcards, and only let them use it with the flash cards. We do that in OT and it’s super helpful
My son started talking when he was 4 . He is honor roll student. My daughter 5 but we had to give extensive speech therapy . Some times u need help of professionals.
Music will do wonders! Get a cd with classic preschool toddler tunes and play it in the car and at home. He will begin to sing along. He will still need speech therapy but its a start.
1 Like
Learn some easy and basic sign language. My son had a delay similar to yours at that age and he was able to grasp it quickly. His first sentence was, “More cookie please”, I cried 
Constantly point to your mouth when you talk and enunciate your words. Something we learned from my son’s speech therapist. Say a word and point to your mouth. They will start to try to mimic you.
Repeat repeat repeat!!! Consistency is key. Everyday work on 1 or 2 new words all day say them over n over n over.
1 Like
Ask speech therapist to see what you can do at home. Socialize him around children his age or get some picture books with animals and have him repeat what u say
Also, later on watch for dyslexia.
Has his hearing been checked?
I would just follow the speech therapists recommendation
Also read to your child often.
Get his ears checked!! May be a hearing deficit
Speech therapy can help alot. My son has Asperger’s he’s now almost 10. At 1 this kid was speaking almost full sentences it was crazy the doctors were super shocked. By 14 months he fully stopped talking. He would just say mama or dada. Everything else was a grunt and point. He started talking again around 2 and it was complete jibberish. He literally sounded like the minions and he had to start completely over. He went into speech therapy at 3. By 4 we were back to not only completely sentences but intellectual speech, biiig words, full conversations and he started reading and writing at 4. He could read a first stage chapter book by 4 at the end of that preschool year. Speech therapy helped do all of that. He hasn’t had an issue sense. He has a huuuuge vocabulary and is reading way above grade level. He scored a 203 on nwea testing this year
Has he had a recent hearing evaluation? My daughter was behind in speech at that age and it turns out she needed ear tubes and her adenoids removed (her newborn hearing screen was normal and she did NOT have a history of ear infections but had fluid buildup related to her large adenoids). Her speech caught up very quickly after surgery
1 Like
My son was exactly the same. Fast forward he will be 3 in a few weeks and has had speech therapy for 10 months and has improved immensely. He has gained so much confidence and taking off with talking now. I owe most of the credit to his therapist. Your son will naturally improve, just watch!
1 Like
Speech therapy will help so much! My son was the same. He is now nearly at school and people can only just understand him. I think its different each child depending on where and how they do speak. My son often forgets the s at the beginning of world so snail becomes nail.so have to remind him alot to put a snake on it. Or he forgets the end sound of a word so boat sounded like bow.we started with books that exercised his tongue at the very beginning before working on words themselves. He got exercises that were book form too from therapist. I’m sure if u ask your childs speech therapist they could send some activites in post while u wait for regular speech therapy.
1 Like
Get a book on sign language for toddlers. Contrary to some. Learning to sign will teach him that words have power. The speech therapist will give you suggestions after each session too. With therapy, he will make progress. You are doing such a good job
2 Likes
Just keep doing what you’re doing and make it fun. I would just constantly say what i was doing throughout the day and at night get her to choose couple of books to read together.
Children develop at own rates including speech. My daughter wasn’t interested in talking and behind for her age. Soon as she was about to start school (5), bam she was talking away. Shes 8 now and people can’t believe that she needed speech therapy, she’s improved that much
1 Like
I used tongue twisters that focused on sounds that were difficult for him. It made him laugh and keep trying.
Try super simple songs on youtube. My son was the same way and hes now almost 7 and his speech has improved. Also you can talk to him about everything your doing and everything hes doing and label everything as it. Cup. Bowl. Toy. Outside. I’m not saying put stickers or actuall labels but call everything by its name over and over and that helps too. Also get his ears checked regularly my son was getting ear infections and fluid built up so often it was affecting his hearing. He got tubes put in about 6 months ago and oh my gosh his speech grew so so fast.
Sesame street…animal sounds all the old learning shows…leap frog…my daughter had that problem.but once she started talking I couldn’t shut her up…till today she talks up a storm…and she’s 25…
some children develope slow than others… don’t fret or press the issue…good luck…
Yes!! Make games with REWARDS! we have 2 that are speech delayed! We use alot of magnetic letters & break down the words spacing the letters out a bit! We get bags of m&Ms & Skittles & I reward each good pronunciation with 1 candy!Music really helps us too! Get him some sing along songs!
My daughter is in speech therapy once a week! I read to her & point out words , pictures etc. So she hears how it sounds . We use peck cards also!! She has learned a lot from u tube nursery rhymes, shapes, colors, numbers, ABC’s, animals, counting, b/c everything repeats 3 times so that has helped her big time!!! I point to everything & speak at the same time what it is to her!!! We also have ABC magnets on fridge I go over with her daily
My son had speech problems when he was young, and mostly depended on my daughter to talk for him. I enrolled him into preschool so he could be around other kids. I would recommend looking around for preschools that hopefully would take him at 2.5
My middle daughter spoke so horribly that when she was in kindergarten teachers had to pull my oldest out of class to translate. Speech therapists are amazing. That same child is now in honors English and reading. She was in speech therapy until 6th grade. Sometimes it takes more than a month for improvement to be noticable
1 Like