What to Do to Help Get My Daughter to Talk

If you're concerned, you can have her evaluated for free through the Ohio "Help Me Grow" program, which will do evaluations and provide assistance/therapy for kids under the age of 3.

Any kinds of activities are good: coloring, pasting/stickers, reading (!!! the more the better). You could also try doing baby sign language with her--get some DVDs from the library and make it a game. That will increase her word knowledge, and when she's ready to say the words, she'll already have and be able to say them with sign.

At 2, my son loved the baby Einstein animal flashcards.

Also, does it seem like the harder you try to make her speak, the more she resists?

Play games riding in the car--look for the letters of the alphabet on signs, etc. "Ok--we need to find an AAAAAAA....THERE'S O.!" etc.

Grouping objects (big, medium, small vs. blue and red) is also a good activity.....

Have fun!

I don't know if your daughter is totally non-verbal, or if she already says some words. By age two, my daughter had some vocabulary but didn't use it with much practicality. I started to not give her everything to which she led me and stopped playing '20 questions' (showing her food or toys until basically she quit crying and took what she wanted). She had to at least start making some utterance before I gave her what she wanted. Seriously, I had 20 minutes of her crying in our pantry before she made some kind of sound indicating that she wanted cereal. A few people I told said I was mean to do that, especially if I already knew what it was she wanted. Too bad. Obviously my daughter knew how to talk, so I wasn't 'making' her do anything of which she was not capable. She built upon that until she used a full word; now she uses a short sentence ("I want a piece of gum, please.)

Otherwise, check in with her pediatrician. There may be some sort of delay that a speech therapist can address.

Don't worry about products- just narrate your day and insist that she use some kind of vocalization. If she points to something, ask her to tell you what she wants, not show you. ANY kind of utterance is okay, but you are really trying to get her to use words and at this age put words together.

By age 2, children should be replacing gestures for words in most cases. I would suggest "forcing" her to use words. Don't give her something unless she at least tries. If she points at her juice cup, ask her "What would you like? Would you like your juice?" When she points again, say "Say juice please" and then wait for her to say something. If she does, great- give it to her. If she doesn't "When you use your words, mommy will get it for you" then walk away for a minute. Keep going until she uses some kind of vocalization.

Honestly, if she isn't using words consistently in the next month or so you should have her langauge evaluated. She may really benefit from speech therapy. At this age it's very family-oriented and the therapist will work with you too so you can work with her at home.

The Crayola activity tub probably isn't going to help... it won't hurt, but it's not likely to do much for her language.

My son only spoke about 4 words until he was 2.5, then he started talking in sentences!

We did sign language with him from about 7 months, and my inlaws are convinced that was his problem, but being able to communicate saved us from a lot of meltdowns. We did Your Baby Can Read, but it's definitely not worth the money.

If you're worried that there is a physical problem, you can call Help Me Grow. We had them evaluate our son and found out there was nothing wrong with him, he just didn't feel like talking yet! It was very reassuring.

When I was worried about my oldest son's verbal development (he talked sort of late), my pediatrician said to play a game with him to see if he was capable of learning new words. He said to hold an object you know she wants, just out of her reach, and say the word. Then say it again. And again. Say it over and over again until she says it back or shows the teeniest sign of getting frustrated. Really, that's probably only 3 times :) Make sure you treat it as a game and keep it fun.

The point, he said, was to see if, in a week, my son had learned a new word or two. If so, then he was fine and just preferred not to talk. If not, then we would talk at our next visit. (this was his 18 month visit, so he wasn't worried until his 24 month visit).

Another thing he mentioned is that animal sounds count as words. So when my son would see a cow and say "mooo!" that counted toward his vocabulary. When I heard that, I really stopped worrying much, because he knew all sorts of animals.

Also, my nephew refused to walk and talk for the longest time! I think he was 17 months before he walked, one month before they were going to start serious developmental evaluations. The stinker just knew life was good being carried around :)

As for talking, he just had no interest, it seemed. Then all of a sudden he said a sentence. His first word was a sentence! He never said, "gimme," he said, "Can I have that please?"

My point is that kids develop differently and your duaghter is probably fine. But I know how I worried about my oldest! I was a lot less uptight about my second, and now I have a 14 month old who could care less about talking. He will say Mama about 1/8 of the time if I ask him. I know he understands me, though, because he will go get something if I ask him to. That's the most important part.

If she is comprehending everything you say to her and she can point to the correct object or body part when you say it, I would not worry. Some children wait a little longer than others to say the words just because. I agree with the mom that said to just narrate your day. Talk to you daughter as much as you can and she will talk when she is ready. If you wanted to, you could start making her say a few words at a time. When she wants her cup, try to get her to say it rather than point. Don't let her have it until you can tell that she has tried to say the word. as long as she attempts to say it let her have the cup. It may not be perfect, but as long as you are saying everything for her and doing everything for her without her having to tell you anything, she may not feel the urge to talk because all of her needs are being met before she has to request something.

Don't worry yourself. My son was the same way and I stressed out because by 2, my daughter could carry on full-blown conversations with adults but my son kind of blabbed and I could hardly understand him. He is almost 2 1/2 now and can talk up a storm. They do it on their own time. Just enjoy her, before you know it she'll be talking back to you and you'll wonder why you were so eager for her to talk ;-)

Read to her if you can one book in the morning and one before bed. Get a variety of books with a real story in them not just a word or two on each page. As one Mom said narrate your day. Keep talking to her. Ask questions: Do want juice or milk?, don't let her point make her 'use her words. Do you want to wear the pink or green outfit today? By engaging her in conversation she will start to talk.
If this doesn't work in a few months talk to her ped about it, she may have a hearing loss or be tongue tied.

R.,
You may want to consider purchasing the 'My baby can read ' Program. It will help her learn words ,written ,spoken and by pictures. And it also gives her a great advantage over children who have't been exposed to this program. Many daycares nationally are also using this program with great success. And I will be purchasing it for my 18 month old Grandson ! You can also make your own flash cards, or purchase some (Walmart has them), and make a game of it with her, tub time is a great time to play this !Keep up the reading,... Have you had her hearing tested? ,just a thought if she isn't talking at all yet. Good Luck, C. S.

Not sure if somebody else has recommended this yet, but contact your local health department and request to have her evaluated. Part of your tax dollars go to support speech therapy through the public school system, even if the child is not school-aged yet.

My son and daughter were both evaluated and received speech therapy at the ages of 2 and 3, respectively. Both were treated (without any fees) through the Dept. of Health and the public schools.

Good news, my son, after being nearly silent until he was three years old, immediately began talking right after his third birthday and has never needed speech therapy since.

Hope this helps.
http://keystosimpleliving.com/kids.php

Whatever you do just be careful that you do not put your fears on your child. There is not only a physical aspect of this but the emotional and mental side of it. YOu don't want her growing up with a lot of anxiety. So try to make whatever you do with her fun. Two is still kind of young to assume anything is wrong. We are not all born talkers. I don't think any of my kids were that chatty at 2. And of them was a late talker(age 4).

Someone else mentioned this, but here's more detail. There is a FREE service by the state of Ohio is available to you. Visit http://www.ohiohelpmegrow.org/ and do a self referral. Always great to keep the Ped in the loop, but you can refer your child yourself. There's no harm in getting your child evaluated. My son could only say about 10-20 words at two year old and qualified for two half day a week classes at a local agency (for us was Happy Day School in Ravenna, which serves all of Portage County) to help with his speech/language delay. Best thing we ever did. We have no doubt he would have begun speaking on his own eventually, nor did they, but this saved us a year of frustration and tears (his and mine!) from not being able to communicate.

It's a very simple process, if a bit tedious, that begins with a home visit from an Early Intervention Specialist from Help Me Grow. Then, if their eval shows a need, a second eval is done at the agency, with a Speech Pathologist. (At least that was the process with us.) They also check hearing, to be sure that's not the cause.

At the very least, the Help Me Grow rep will say Nope, your child doesn't need any add'l services, and will give you some things to try on your own at home.

Good luck! :)

I have not read the other responses so hopefully I do not duplicate! If you are concerned with your daughter's speech, I would definitely be proactive. I was concerned with my daughter's when she was 2 and discussed it with her pediatrician. She wasn't too concerned so I let it go. By her 3 yr appt, her pediatrician realized that she definitely had a delay.We have spent a lot of money having her hearing tested and being evaluated for speech. Unfortunately, our insurance does not pay for speech therapy - even though she was diagnosed with a speaking equivalent to a 1.5 yr old (at 3!). I should have trusted my instincts. I do not blame her dr. She spent 30 minutes with her...I spent every day with her. When she had her hearing test done, the hospital told us about a free program called Help Me Grow (I live in the Cincinnat, OH area). Maybe they are everywhere. BUT they only help if you are UNDER 3 so we could not take advantage of it. If I were you, I would look into the program and have them evaluate your daughter. The sooner it is taken care of the better. Speeech therapy can be up to $200 an hour and it has to be done weekly to be effective...take advantage of the free program while you can.

If you do not want to do this, I can tell you what I have done at home with my daughter (homework from her speech therapist). Flashcards are great. Even if she isn't interested in them, running through them daily while she eats will help her with vocab. You can get a memory game and have her match cards. Have 3 pairs facing up. Pick one up and have her find the match. When she does, say the word. (you can use more or less based on her ability). Reading is great. Her hearing the correct pronunciation of words is important. Coloring is great as well. But talk about the colors and what you are coloring as you go. Color with her so she stays interested. If you have Little People, role play in a house or a barn or whatever you might have. Talk to her about the rooms, "a bed is in the bedroom", "a toilet is in the bathroom", "a pig goes oink oink", etc.. Do not do an activity for more than 10 to 15 minutes. She will get bored/uninterested. Keep it fun! You will be amazed at how such simple tasks can really help!

Good luck!

I think she's doing great!
My son was pretty quiet word wise up till a month or so after his 2nd birthday, and then there was no stopping him.
Chatter chatter chatter all day long.
Sometimes you'll be missing the pre talking days!
Just reading to/with her every day is the biggest help.
We did all the Dr Seuss books over and over, but we really loved them.

dont waste your money on baby can read they will read when ready and if they cant talk they cant read aloud. have her checked out by eci. call your school system to get ahold of them. she may just be stubborn but it might be something else. when you say she talks a little what is a little? more info needed. my 2 1/2 yr old says about 35 words and only about 10 of them are right. he has been diagnosed hard of hearing. now if she can say 50 and they are all understandable she is probably being stubborn. I would advise getting her ears checked to be on the safe side make sure there is no ear infections and no fluid. take her to an ent.

others are going to advise to hold out on her and make her talk. but if she has fluid or something this wont help it will just irritate her. you cant say what you cant hear. definately get her assesed at least. and go from there they will be able to tell you if she has hearing issues or just stubborn. mine only responds to daddys voice not mine. he can only hear me if I am hollering. he hollars costantly. ther is no indoor voice for him. if you say something to him from across the room he doesnt respond. if you say something to him from the back he doesnt respond. he cant follow directions he apes you if you tell him to pick up you have to start for him to follow directions. he doesnt understand what he is bieng told. now if eci tells you she is bieng stubborn then you hold out on her if she wants a banana you dont give it to her till she says it. I make mine either sign , say or pecs it or he doesnt get it. any attempt right or wrong he gets it. get her assesed before deciding what to do with her

Some kids don't say too much until they're closer to 3 or even over. She sounds fine to me!