Login

We’re trying to figure out if our 18-month-old needs speech therapy. He only says “mama,” “dada,” and “no,” and doesn’t seem to understand simple commands like “bring me your shoe.” Our pediatrician mentioned a speech-language evaluation, but I’m not sure if this is just normal toddler development or something we should be more proactive about.

Me too. At 18 months my kid was only saying mama, dada, and no. Our pediatrician suggested an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist. We did a quick visit that asked about what he understands, how he points or gesticulates, and whether he responds to his name. The evaluator gave us a few concrete activities to try at home and a plan for a follow-up. It didn’t suddenly fix everything, but it felt like peeking behind the curtain rather than guessing.

We ruled out hearing issues first, since it’s easy to blame the words when a kid is quieter. Hearing test came back normal. Then we did 6 weeks of play-based practice at home—naming objects, slower turn-taking, and asking him to imitate sounds. I kept a little chart: new words, and whether he followed simple directions. We saw a small bump in both after a month, but progress was slow and not linear.

Is this the real problem, or is he just a late bloomer who hates repeating the same sounds? Sometimes I feel like I’m chasing a moving target. I’m unsure what the right pace is, and I worry about over- or under-reacting.

One afternoon I drifted off about nap schedules and snack times, then returned to the task of joint attention and reading with him. It felt messy and uncertain, but I kept trying small, consistent routines. Not sure if that helps or if we should push harder with a formal assessment.

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me