[sdeslatte]

Hi! I'm new to the site and we live in FW/Keller, Texas!

My son had tubes and adenoids surgery at 15m. We immediately noticed an increased in his "talking" right after surgery. However, he'll be 18m next week and he's still not using his "expressive language" hardly at all, other than tantrums and crying. He's understanding a lot, he hears fine, but I don't know how to get him to use his words to communicate. We even had a speech path (rec by our doc) observe/assess him at 16m but he didn't qualify for services.
He's currently saying "mama", or usually maaa, dada, bye-bye, sometimes he attempts bubbles, da for dog, ba for book, and that's about it. He's babbling more, but nothing we can understand. I can't get him to repeat anything we say...I say "can you say ___" ALL the time...nothing. My friends' children (same age) are saying colors, animal sounds, please, all sorts of things. However, my son stays home w/me, and they're in daycare.
Can anyone give me some suggestions or advice on how to get him to use his words instead of throwing tantrums? I've often told him to ask for his milk cup, and after watching him cry for 15 m I give up.
When he wants his milk cup he just goes to the fridge and cries, and he pretty much cries when he wants anything...snack, water, etc. I even use sign, but he only uses "more".

I'm getting really frustrated, and so is my son. I feel like he is progressing some, but when will he EVER use words to communicate what he wants??? I need help!

[andyde]

That is a thing to worry, Sometime kids speak little late but sometime they speak in early stage, may this is the issue but you should consult to the doctor to make sure things are controlled on time.

[texascowboysgirl]

My son did not walk till he was 18 m old and did not talk till he was 24 m old. was not potty trained till he was three years old. Later on when he started school finally found out why... He has asperger syndrome which is a high functioning form of autism. It was almost too late for my son. Took too long for a doctor to figure out what was wrong. It took taking him to a specialist for ADHD before I was told he has Asperger Syndrome. You probably need to see a child behavioral specialist. Good luck!!!

[Surrounded]

My kids don't have any neurological or developmental problems but my first son didn't really start talking until he was 26 months and while my younger is more vocal he was 2 in September and doesn't put 2 words together yet. Boys develop differently from girls. Yes, some boys will start speaking sooner. I had a friend who had the most obnoxious 18-20 month old I ever met because he never shut his mouth. It was great he had vocabulary but he was a pain. One thing to think about is boys speech is not on left and right sides of the brain like for girls. It is soley on the left. That and a couple other factors causes most boys to be slower to learn to talk.

One thing is don't give in to the crying. He may have learned that crying is an excellent form of communication and if you know exactly what he wants by him having a tantrum there is absolutely no reason for him to make an effort to speak. My 2 year old started that. It took me a little bit to realize how well he had me trained before I stopped giving him what he wanted when he cried or had a fit. Now, he has a fit because he wants something I know he can ask for and I walk away. If they really want something they will figure out a way to get it. If you respond with enthusiasm to him trying to get you to help him without fussing he'll figure it out a lot faster.