How to ask for help . . .
Something we have been struggling with is if Will is behind in his speaking. I've talked about it on Twitter and to my friends, but not on here yet. We definitely know he is behind. I mean we aren't expecting him to say “hey mom, take me to a musical instrument shop” or “buy electric guitar“. However, he's only got about 10 – 15 words. He's two. Depending on where I read, he should have 30 – 50 words. We aren't even close to that.
It's hard. Madison was always ahead of her milestones. She also talked early and a lot, so it has been very hard for us to gauge. The turning point for me is that my mom and Bill's mom have both mentioned several times to us that he doesn't talk. He also does something very odd with his mouth. You know how Popeye talks out of the side of his mouth. Will does that a lot. He also makes that face when he's not talking. I can't tell if it's a bad habit or if there is a problem. I do have to add that he is slightly tongue tied, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it either.
We have a wellness visit set up on July 13th for him (and a school physical for Madison). I will be definitely asking for a referral for services. Bill thinks he will grow out of it and catch up. My thoughts are to get a professional look at him, and let them determine whether we have a problem.
If anybody has any experience with anything like this, I would love to hear your experience. Any advice would be helpful too!
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My mum may have been exaggerating this, but apparently I didn't start speaking until I was 4, and I'm perfectly normal now (kinda).
We went through something like this with our younger one – there's a 2-year gap between kids.
The younger one was slower to crawl, and when he did, he moved like an inch worm crossed with a crab for the longest time. He was slower to walk as well. I think both were because he'd figured out how scoot around on his belly and irritate his brother without actually standing upright.
He also was slower to talk – he used only about 20 words at 2, and that's if you count the names for Thomas & Friends. Then again, his older brother kept trying to act as his spokesman. To this day, I still have to remind the older one to let the younger have a chance to say what he's going to say.
The younger one seemed to really take off when he was almost 3. We took a vacation, and when he was back to school, the teachers commented on how much more talkative he was. Albeit with a bit of a stutter, but that, too, seems to be something he's mostly outgrown.
By all means, have your son checked just in case. I was concerned, too, and asked my pediatrician at mine's 2-year check up. She was worried enough for extra screening, though, and attributed the lag to him being a younger sibling. And she was right!