How do you get past them being lazy with words or..

[Weezy6703]

do you just not worry? Few months ago we counted 20 something words...he's picked up some more since then...but he's going through this phase of pointing to everything and not WANTING to talk or say the words. just point and grunts. but other times like when he's gone #2 in his diaper or something he's like 'diaper' and says that and other things plain as day. He also will get in chatty modes where he babbles on and on about stuff but we can't understand a word of it. Then other times he won't say anything and when we visit family we get the evil eye of he's not talking/he's slow/behind. Which totally makes me mad b/c I know he knows a lot of words. Last week we had an episode where he wanted his cup but he kept pointing at it and being whiny. So I told him if he wanted his cup to say either cup or juice (regardless of what was in it...juice is easier to say than water..though he tries to say water...just the point of associating it with at least something). So then he proceeds to call it juice. Okay we've established something. Then lots of things he talks but the pronunciation is so off we can't understand what he's trying to say. Granted too he just got tubes and i told DH he may start hearing a little better cuz he had lots of fluid in his ears prior to surgery. Guess i'm just babbling myself at this point.

[Jillybean]

I wouldn't worry, he sounds like a perfectly normal little boy. My youngest has just now started saying more and he turned 2 in January. A lot of little boys are just so involved with developing their motor skills that they put speech on the back burner, so to speak.

[happymommyto2]

Withhold from him until he uses his words. He should also be starting 2 words phrases so I would start working on that too. Kudos to you mama for wanting him to use and improve his language skills. If you have any questions or want any more suggestions and ideas you can PM me. Prior to DD, I worked with Early Intervention doing developmental testing and play therapy.

[Weezy6703]

Originally Posted by happymommyto2 Withhold from him until he uses his words. He should also be starting 2 words phrases so I would start working on that too. Kudos to you mama for wanting him to use and improve his language skills. If you have any questions or want any more suggestions and ideas you can PM me. Prior to DD, I worked with Early Intervention doing developmental testing and play therapy.

Thanks mama. I read some of your other posts in this forum so thanks for coming over here. ;-) I'll 'bookmark you' so to say. I'm about to leave work right now.

[LilyGrace]

What about adding a few signs in? It would give him an effective way to communicate while he's learning (relearning?) speech patterns. Help him make the effort to either speak or sign the word, and once that happens give the object he's asking for.

[Weezy6703]

Originally Posted by Jillybean I wouldn't worry, he sounds like a perfectly normal little boy. My youngest has just now started saying more and he turned 2 in January. A lot of little boys are just so involved with developing their motor skills that they put speech on the back burner, so to speak.

Thanks mama...I guess the hardest part is that on x number of them we KNOW he knows them and it's hard to watch him sort of regress. I know on the other hand he's developing fine and we have no questions on it. And he's definitely developing his motor skills, throwing, kicking ball, climbing, etc. that he's all boy and extroverted in a sense on. Like it would be different if some of them he were just now learning, which some he is and some he's known for a while. For instance he knows drink, juice, etc. that I posted originally. One day at my parents house he wanted a sip of our tea. So we tell him to say tea...nothing. he just stands there and starts getting whiny. So we say, when you tell us what you we'll give it to you. You don't get things by crying, but if you just tell us what you need...and so forth. We don't carry it on out but make it short and sweet. So he never says it and then he walks off all pouty. Few min later he's eyeing the tea again. He walks up and says 'tea?'. Then we give it to him and he gets all beside himself and happy.

[Weezy6703]

he could probably do some signs, we'd just not pushed it at a certain point b/c he was doing well for a while. we can try again though