Nearly 2 and doesn't comprehend speech

Question

I see a lot on this site and all over the Internet about toddlers that are late to talk. The general consensus seems to be as long as they can understand when you talk to them then don't worry, they will talk when they are ready.

Well my child does not understand anything you say to him. He is 22 months old and doesn't seem to even understand when you call his own name. He doesn't appear to have any hearing problem either (Sometimes he turns to me when I whisper to him from across the room, but is just responding to the sound, and doesn't comprehend what I am saying). He seems to have his "own" language and is always talking/babbling but not saying any words. The fact that he doesn't understand anything we say is very worrisome.

He seems to have very good visual communication though, he knows when I put my shoes on it is time to leave and starts trying to open the front door. When I carry him to his room he knows its time for bed (because he doesn't like to go to bed and starts throwing a fit before I even get to his door.) He points to things he wants and if you reach your arms to him (even from across the room) he will come to you. Sometimes if he does something physical (eg: tumble down, pick his nose, put blocks together) if you respond by laughing/getting excited, he does it again and again to entertain you.

So the combination of very good non verbal communication but complete lack of verbal communication has me quite confused. Is this a sign of something?

Answer 1

As the comments have said, don't be afraid to ask your pediatrician about it, since it worries you.

That said, can you give some more examples on why you feel that your son doesn't understand verbal communication? Whether you answer here or not is up to you, but very likely, your pediatrician will ask the same thing, so make sure you have examples prepared.

That said, with the information you've given us, I agree with deworde that it's very likely a hearing issue. It's entirely possible for someone with severe hearing impairment to hear some things, but not enough to understand what you're saying (my stepfather has about 20% hearing capability and can hear enough to know that you're saying something, even when he can't hear what you're saying). In those cases, it's often about pitch more than volume.

Answer 2

This is anecdotal, but: One of my cousins had a similar problem when he was a child. He was late to understand speech, and his speech was absolutely unintelligible to his parents and other adults. His older sister and brother actually translated for him.

It turned out that he did have a hearing problem. As best I understand it, he had a form of Auditory Processing Disorder, which is kind of like hearing dyslexia. In his case, the problem was corrected with a combination of surgery and therapy. His late start in communication didn't cause him any long term problems.

I mention that last because according to this article from Kid's Health, APD is difficult to diagnose with infants and may not be diagnosable until a child is 7 or 8 years old. I think my cousin was 5 before they figured out specifically what the issue was.

If you are concerned that he hasn't begun to talk yet, I don't think that that alone is cause for alarm. According to the speech experts I've either read or spoken to, a two-year-old boy who doesn't talk is not unusual. But if you are worried about something like ADP, there's no harm in bringing that up with his pediatrician at his 24 month appointment. I might keep some notes or even shoot some video that demonstrates your specific concerns.

Answer 3

I believe at this age kids are supposed to understand simple commands. I would be concerned and bring it up with the pediatrician. If you are in US your state's Early Intervention program should be able to do evaluation and let you know if he needs help.

Answer 4

Talking to your pediatrician is always a good idea for concerns like this. That said, are you certain that your toddler is not understanding you? We have a 21 mo boy and your description generally fits his behavior. However, occasionally, he seems to clearly understand what we say. But, he is selective in what he listens to and what he seems to ignore. For example, 1/2 hour before bedtime, we were in a playroom and I told him "lets go to bed" and he very clearly said "nah!" (which is his way of saying "no") But, there were many other things I said to him where he didn't seem to react in any meaningful way.

FWIW, our (21 mo) son knows how to say four words: "no", "yes", "boots", and "ball" (but he has his own special way of saying each).

Answer 5

Not speaking with 22 months is late, but not exceptionally rare. You should talk to your GP about your concerns and consider having an assessment by a speech pathologist. Speech pathologists can evaluate your child's language skills and advise on techniques you can use to encourage speech development.

Answer 6

Your child may have Speech Apraxia. It's a non-self-correcting condition where the speech signals from the brain get messed up. Starting speech therapy might be the right choice for you and your child, but before you do anything, please speak with your pediatrician first. Good Luck!

Answer 7

Just because he can hear some things doesn't mean that he can hear all the frequencies needed to understand speech-- or to make clear speech.

It's time for a developmental assessment, including a hearing test and evaluation for early intervention for speech therapy and possibly other therapies as well.

If his hearing is normal, he could have a different language processing problem. Either way, speech therapy should help.