Speech delay???

My son is exactly the same! He doesn’t even seem like he wants to talk and gestures to everything :( we bought lots of interactive toys that are supposed to help with speech, but trying not to put pressure on him or worry too much. It is hard though :( especially when you see younger children communicating with their parents x

My nephew was a little delayed in his speech as soon as he started nursery he was more vocal and talked a lot more. Some little ones don’t start actually talking till they start nursery. Also every little one learns everything at their own pace. Can I ask what do you do to help him? I’ve noticed with my daughter that reading helps with her words and songs like dancing around and singing to her (I look like a right nut case🤦🏼‍♀️🤣)

We have little flash cards with words that he loves to go through. His understanding is amazing. He loves books too. We have started singing more and he does all the movements to songs like dingle Dangle Scarecrow and if you're happy and you know it.

We were also taking him to private speech therapy but they said that they couldn't help further as they think he might just have a developmental delay

@Kate it's definitely hard. Thanks for your comment.

If his understanding is good then that's the main thing at the moment as far as I know. The speech will come, happened to my mates LB and he didn't speak until gone 3 but he's now 5 and you wouldn't know. If they understand then that's really important as they know the words, just haven't mastered the saying them yet! Just keep asking him questions and giving him loads of space to attempt an answer....

@Natasha will do thank you x

I agree with Natasha! 💗 My little brothers speech therapist is always on about how wonderful folate is for young kids too - i suggest getting some toddler folate/b complex vitamins as well! Never hurts! My daughter is definitely not as advanced in speech as a lot of her peers but I have noticed she gets a little confidence boost in trying when I have her in little group classes- gymnastics, toddler football ⚽️, and little toddler classes (plus they’re fun!)

@Emma thank you xx

Personally I'd seek out a second opinion from a speech therapist. I went though 20 slts before I found the right one for my eldest son, it was a nightmare but worth it. My son is 7 and will be starting at a specialist speech school next week. Also just keep exposing him to as much language as possible and don't try to force him to talk. HV's are useless and the NHS SLT isn't worth anything as they're so in demand that they just don't have the capacity to do any work so it's just 3 sessions and then discharge.

@Naomi yes we have been to a private speech therapist we were attending. They said there is nothing more they can do as they feel he might have a developmental delay that's causing him to be slower at speaking and told us to seek an educational psychologist. On contacting a educational psychologist they have said he's too young and we need to seek a pediatrician