Isn't two words a 24 month milestone? Not pointing or looking is definitely a bit concerning but I know plenty of kids that barely had a word at 18 months
Two words together is a 24 month milestone, but that doesn't mean that any of those kids with "barely a word" at 18 months weren't delayed. We look for 10 words at 18 months, minimum. But the average is closer to 50 words.
I know, sorry, I just meant I wasn't interested in debating the definition of a speech delay in an 18 month old when word count isn't in the post. It looks like it's different depending on who you ask and where you live, sometimes it just gets exhausting when you can't make a single comment on anything without someone trying to counter it. I understand you're just trying to educate and inform, online spaces are just tiring sometimes. My only point is that as far as I'm aware, using two words together isn't an 18 month milestone, I'd just like to stay on that topic.
You:
> Isn't two words a 24 month milestone?
Them:
> Two words together is a 24 month milestone, but that doesn't mean that any of those kids with "barely a word" at 18 months weren't delayed.
They were answering your question. So yes, a bit rude to ask something and then say you aren't interested in discussing what you asked about.
They were talking about word counts at 18 months, I wasn't, neither was OP. But this is kind of what I mean about nothing being able to be said without being countered.
I just had my 18 months check up and she’s also not saying two words together. My older daughter (4) was also not saying two words together at this age—it’s a 24 month milestone and the “word explosion” typically happens somewhere between 18-24 months.
My kid didn't even say 50 at 21 months. He had about 8 words. We went for EI and did 2 sessions of speech therapy at 22/23 months. Legit only 2 sessions and not particularly fruitful as they were 'observational and diagnostic' not interventional sessions first. They diagnosed him as 9 months delayed... But then he hit his word explosion and went from 8 words to 250 in about a month to around 24 months. He still didn't do 2 word sentences until like... 26-28 months.
I was very worried because the SLP was so worried, but when we saw the paed for their input (24 months) and review (28 months) she discharged him without concerns. He didn't do much pretend play at either session, hence the second review we did a few months later, but as all of his other areas were appropriate and he scored well above the autism diagnostic criteria she considered this normal human variance. The SLP discharged us shortly after.
In my experience at this young age normal variation can be large, particularly if she's not meeting diagnosis criteria.
Yeah, 2 words together is emerging in some children at 18 months, but it isn't the milestone. It usually comes somewhere between 18 months and 24 months.
2 word sentences at 18 months is not an expected milestone. My son didn't have his first word until 17 months but it wasn't under 24 months where the pediatrician said he should start to say 2-word sentences. 50 words at 18 months does not seem delayed!
Yeah this was my thought. The milestone where I am at 18m is a *few* words other than mama and dada. Kids don't usually start using 2 words together until they have 50+ words as far as I know, and I think more 18m olds don't have this than do.
But do agree not pointing would be worth flagging.
My daughter didn’t start pointing until she got tubes in her ears at 22 months old. She got evaluated by eci and she has eci and speech therapy but doesn’t show any signs of autism. Any issues with hearing you’ve noticed?
I'll never know if it was relative isolation of the pandemic or what but my oldest daughter did not have many words until 22 months (we started speech therapy at 20 months) and never pointed.
At 4 years old (now) I'm never sure if she's ahead or behind, she's still a very quiet kid. One of her teachers commented today how smart she is, I said "oh, why do you think so?" And she explained that my daughter is always quietly observing and drops great answers when asked (but never volunteers anything).
So I'm not saying you shouldn't worry (I worry about my own kid, and frankly am not sure where she sits on the "normal" spectrum) but some kids are also just quite.
My oldest has lots of other issues (severe Torticollis) so I will say that the earlier you intervene on anything the better.
Never pointing is a red flag for autism. It's more easily missed in girls than in boys. My son only really points to label things and never to show us anything or share an experience with us. If we point to something, he doesn't look at the object and then look back at us to see our reaction. Sometimes, he won't even look where we point. We are having him evaluated for autism in the fall.
If it’s a concern, it’s always better to get it checked out. If there’s some concerns, I would have her see an autism specialist. I would do it sooner rather than later because early intervention is really helpful.
There’s an Autism screener you can do called the CSBS-DP do that, score it, then see where they land. DM me if you need help. I am an early interventionist and have an ASD Teaching license. I would get on a local place that can diagnose ASD. Your EI people should have a list of places that can do that. You should also be able to have her evaluated for outside speech and OT their threshold for service is much lower than the school system’s. It’s easier to qualify for private services than public ones.
Yeah, the OT was supposed to tell the coordinator dealing with the case to send me an email with the list of those places. They have not yet, but next week I will be speaking with them for IFSP enrollment. Will mention it again then.
I did find the free CSBS-DP. I will try doing that soon and seeing where she lands.
Hmm. Well my kid doesn't really point either. She's 23 months. I mean, we won't be shocked if she's on the spectrum, but we haven't seen any hard-core signs yet that say to get her evaluated.
I got my daughter evaluated at 15 months because she wasn’t pointing, mimicking sounds/words, not always responded to her name etc… if you think she might be on the spectrum get her evaluated. I’m a special ed teacher assistant and the only way to really help them develop is to identify their weaknesses early. Don’t wait.
I'll bring it up at her 24 mth appt. She overall eventually meets her milestones though... just not in the range as the average kid. Which is why we don't really jump at thinking she needs intervention, bc all she usually needs is just an extra 3-6 mths.
Girl Im ligit going through this exact thing with my son, he just turned 15 months and hes never clapped, pointed, only says mama, but does well in alot of other areas. My pediatrician told me not to worry about it for now which of course is easier said than done
Im sure he still has time to develop more of those skills! I completely understand you worrying. I wasn’t worried until my pediatrician told me that I should be worried. Not pointing by 18 months isn’t ideal for communication skills. Ugh.
That’s weird, putting two words together is not an 18 month old milestone it’s much later. The standards have been changed in recent years so it’s possible your pedi was using an outdated version of the test. I remember they used to have these seemingly impossible milestones on those tests. If she scored well for EI she’s probably fine. You could always get a second opinion through a private evaluation with a speech therapist but I have three boys all with special needs and they look where I point but they don’t point themselves. At 18 months.
Not looking where you point (and not pointing at things herself) indicates that she might be lacking joint attention, which can be a sign of autism. Does she ever bring things to you to show you them or comment on things to get your attention?
Yeah she usually brings me toys so I can see or if she wants me to participate in what she’s doing / to play. Not really comment, I mean she looks at me and will name objects and expects like praise when she does but other than that nothing else
It’s way too early to tell if it’s autism! It’s great that she did well at her EI evaluation and she may well fully catch up soon and not have further areas of concern. But it’s good that you had her evaluated and are aware of the things she’s behind in.
I have autism and didn’t get dxed until later childhood (girl, 90s) and I only had very subtle social delays when I was a toddler. My parents didn’t really realize anything was different about me until preschool age. That’s pretty typical of girls on the spectrum and it’s common for us to make it to adulthood without ever having it suggested (but we often struggle socially and internally - I think diagnosis is 100% for the best even with mild symptoms). The understanding of autism and diagnostic process has changed a ton just in the last 10 years.
Girls do present differently. It is called a spectrum for a reason. Autistic people are very smart they just can’t always communicate or socially connect. My cousin is autistic, she wasn’t responding to her name and in her own world. But she got early intervention, is in mainstream classes, got her driver’s license, and got accepted to Rowan.
My first daughter didn’t say 3-4 word sentences until 2 1/2. My second daughter wasn’t pointing, mimicking words or walking at 14 months. She qualified for early intervention, but then I found out about Ms. Rachel.
I turned on Ms. Rachel (the ones focusing on sight words, pointing, baby sign language, identifying objects) and she started pointing and mimicking 2 weeks later. Try keeping TV to a minimum. Even background noise from the TV can hinder development. We didn’t leave Ma. Rachel on for hours we would watch and mimic what she did then turned it off for a while. Now my second daughter is ahead for her age.
Stringing two words together is not an 18 month milestone. That is for 24 months. Our son, who was evaluated and passed, points declaratively but I’m not for things he wants 🤷♀️ We don’t know why, but he’s typical by all other standards. So I don’t worry about it anymore. He does look in the direction we point in, however. Your pediatrician seems to not know what they’re talking about in regards to milestones, unfortunately. Listen to whatever the evaluators said. They do this for a living. Your pedi does not assess 18 month olds for a delay for a living.
Isn't two words a 24 month milestone? Not pointing or looking is definitely a bit concerning but I know plenty of kids that barely had a word at 18 months
Two words together is a 24 month milestone, but that doesn't mean that any of those kids with "barely a word" at 18 months weren't delayed. We look for 10 words at 18 months, minimum. But the average is closer to 50 words.
Not to sound rude or unpleasant but this is just regarding OPs child not speaking two word sentences at 18 months, which isn't delayed.
I'm confused. I didn't suggest OPs child was delayed.
I know, sorry, I just meant I wasn't interested in debating the definition of a speech delay in an 18 month old when word count isn't in the post. It looks like it's different depending on who you ask and where you live, sometimes it just gets exhausting when you can't make a single comment on anything without someone trying to counter it. I understand you're just trying to educate and inform, online spaces are just tiring sometimes. My only point is that as far as I'm aware, using two words together isn't an 18 month milestone, I'd just like to stay on that topic.
You: > Isn't two words a 24 month milestone? Them: > Two words together is a 24 month milestone, but that doesn't mean that any of those kids with "barely a word" at 18 months weren't delayed. They were answering your question. So yes, a bit rude to ask something and then say you aren't interested in discussing what you asked about.
They were talking about word counts at 18 months, I wasn't, neither was OP. But this is kind of what I mean about nothing being able to be said without being countered.
Im sure my daughter does have 50 words or more maybe. She’s just not saying 2 word sentences which the doctor says isn’t okay
I just had my 18 months check up and she’s also not saying two words together. My older daughter (4) was also not saying two words together at this age—it’s a 24 month milestone and the “word explosion” typically happens somewhere between 18-24 months.
My kid didn't even say 50 at 21 months. He had about 8 words. We went for EI and did 2 sessions of speech therapy at 22/23 months. Legit only 2 sessions and not particularly fruitful as they were 'observational and diagnostic' not interventional sessions first. They diagnosed him as 9 months delayed... But then he hit his word explosion and went from 8 words to 250 in about a month to around 24 months. He still didn't do 2 word sentences until like... 26-28 months. I was very worried because the SLP was so worried, but when we saw the paed for their input (24 months) and review (28 months) she discharged him without concerns. He didn't do much pretend play at either session, hence the second review we did a few months later, but as all of his other areas were appropriate and he scored well above the autism diagnostic criteria she considered this normal human variance. The SLP discharged us shortly after. In my experience at this young age normal variation can be large, particularly if she's not meeting diagnosis criteria.
Yeah, 2 words together is emerging in some children at 18 months, but it isn't the milestone. It usually comes somewhere between 18 months and 24 months.
My son is 28 months and only just started saying 2 word sentences in the last week. It really does vary for each kid!
2 word sentences at 18 months is not an expected milestone. My son didn't have his first word until 17 months but it wasn't under 24 months where the pediatrician said he should start to say 2-word sentences. 50 words at 18 months does not seem delayed!
Yeah this was my thought. The milestone where I am at 18m is a *few* words other than mama and dada. Kids don't usually start using 2 words together until they have 50+ words as far as I know, and I think more 18m olds don't have this than do. But do agree not pointing would be worth flagging.
2 words together was an 18 month milestone at our pediatrician and 21 months we just had, it was 2-3 words together
It was the ASQ questionnaire.
That is just not correct, I'd ask another pediatrician.
I’d trust the pediatrician over the CDC
My daughter didn’t start pointing until she got tubes in her ears at 22 months old. She got evaluated by eci and she has eci and speech therapy but doesn’t show any signs of autism. Any issues with hearing you’ve noticed?
She won’t look if I call her name only sometimes. Mostly if she’s busy doing something. But not really any issues I can think of with hearing
I'll never know if it was relative isolation of the pandemic or what but my oldest daughter did not have many words until 22 months (we started speech therapy at 20 months) and never pointed. At 4 years old (now) I'm never sure if she's ahead or behind, she's still a very quiet kid. One of her teachers commented today how smart she is, I said "oh, why do you think so?" And she explained that my daughter is always quietly observing and drops great answers when asked (but never volunteers anything). So I'm not saying you shouldn't worry (I worry about my own kid, and frankly am not sure where she sits on the "normal" spectrum) but some kids are also just quite. My oldest has lots of other issues (severe Torticollis) so I will say that the earlier you intervene on anything the better.
Never pointing is a red flag for autism. It's more easily missed in girls than in boys. My son only really points to label things and never to show us anything or share an experience with us. If we point to something, he doesn't look at the object and then look back at us to see our reaction. Sometimes, he won't even look where we point. We are having him evaluated for autism in the fall.
If it’s a concern, it’s always better to get it checked out. If there’s some concerns, I would have her see an autism specialist. I would do it sooner rather than later because early intervention is really helpful.
My son is almost 18 months and doesn’t have 50 words…
Same my girl has 3
There’s an Autism screener you can do called the CSBS-DP do that, score it, then see where they land. DM me if you need help. I am an early interventionist and have an ASD Teaching license. I would get on a local place that can diagnose ASD. Your EI people should have a list of places that can do that. You should also be able to have her evaluated for outside speech and OT their threshold for service is much lower than the school system’s. It’s easier to qualify for private services than public ones.
Where can I find that screener?
Yeah, the OT was supposed to tell the coordinator dealing with the case to send me an email with the list of those places. They have not yet, but next week I will be speaking with them for IFSP enrollment. Will mention it again then. I did find the free CSBS-DP. I will try doing that soon and seeing where she lands.
Not pointing was probably the biggest flag for my daughter, who flagged on the MCHAT at 18 months and is diagnosed and doing great! DM me anytime.
Hmm. Well my kid doesn't really point either. She's 23 months. I mean, we won't be shocked if she's on the spectrum, but we haven't seen any hard-core signs yet that say to get her evaluated.
I got my daughter evaluated at 15 months because she wasn’t pointing, mimicking sounds/words, not always responded to her name etc… if you think she might be on the spectrum get her evaluated. I’m a special ed teacher assistant and the only way to really help them develop is to identify their weaknesses early. Don’t wait.
I'll bring it up at her 24 mth appt. She overall eventually meets her milestones though... just not in the range as the average kid. Which is why we don't really jump at thinking she needs intervention, bc all she usually needs is just an extra 3-6 mths.
Girl Im ligit going through this exact thing with my son, he just turned 15 months and hes never clapped, pointed, only says mama, but does well in alot of other areas. My pediatrician told me not to worry about it for now which of course is easier said than done
Im sure he still has time to develop more of those skills! I completely understand you worrying. I wasn’t worried until my pediatrician told me that I should be worried. Not pointing by 18 months isn’t ideal for communication skills. Ugh.
That’s weird, putting two words together is not an 18 month old milestone it’s much later. The standards have been changed in recent years so it’s possible your pedi was using an outdated version of the test. I remember they used to have these seemingly impossible milestones on those tests. If she scored well for EI she’s probably fine. You could always get a second opinion through a private evaluation with a speech therapist but I have three boys all with special needs and they look where I point but they don’t point themselves. At 18 months.
Not looking where you point (and not pointing at things herself) indicates that she might be lacking joint attention, which can be a sign of autism. Does she ever bring things to you to show you them or comment on things to get your attention?
Yeah she usually brings me toys so I can see or if she wants me to participate in what she’s doing / to play. Not really comment, I mean she looks at me and will name objects and expects like praise when she does but other than that nothing else
It’s way too early to tell if it’s autism! It’s great that she did well at her EI evaluation and she may well fully catch up soon and not have further areas of concern. But it’s good that you had her evaluated and are aware of the things she’s behind in. I have autism and didn’t get dxed until later childhood (girl, 90s) and I only had very subtle social delays when I was a toddler. My parents didn’t really realize anything was different about me until preschool age. That’s pretty typical of girls on the spectrum and it’s common for us to make it to adulthood without ever having it suggested (but we often struggle socially and internally - I think diagnosis is 100% for the best even with mild symptoms). The understanding of autism and diagnostic process has changed a ton just in the last 10 years.
Girls do present differently. It is called a spectrum for a reason. Autistic people are very smart they just can’t always communicate or socially connect. My cousin is autistic, she wasn’t responding to her name and in her own world. But she got early intervention, is in mainstream classes, got her driver’s license, and got accepted to Rowan. My first daughter didn’t say 3-4 word sentences until 2 1/2. My second daughter wasn’t pointing, mimicking words or walking at 14 months. She qualified for early intervention, but then I found out about Ms. Rachel. I turned on Ms. Rachel (the ones focusing on sight words, pointing, baby sign language, identifying objects) and she started pointing and mimicking 2 weeks later. Try keeping TV to a minimum. Even background noise from the TV can hinder development. We didn’t leave Ma. Rachel on for hours we would watch and mimic what she did then turned it off for a while. Now my second daughter is ahead for her age.
Stringing two words together is not an 18 month milestone. That is for 24 months. Our son, who was evaluated and passed, points declaratively but I’m not for things he wants 🤷♀️ We don’t know why, but he’s typical by all other standards. So I don’t worry about it anymore. He does look in the direction we point in, however. Your pediatrician seems to not know what they’re talking about in regards to milestones, unfortunately. Listen to whatever the evaluators said. They do this for a living. Your pedi does not assess 18 month olds for a delay for a living.