I need some advice for my 18month old daughter. She has met all her milestones and is thriving but she just won't talk. She can say some words but she finds that if she just points at something and babbled that her four year old sister will just get it for her. How can I get her to start using her words? When she does the pointing thing we ask her what she is wanting and ask her to use her words but nothing. She completely understands what you are saying to her but just won't talk. We understand that in her little mind she us probably thinking why talk when her big sister gets her everything but our eldest will be going to school next year so we are at a loss. Please help
4 Replies
What I would do in my work on this situation is put your little ones favourite toys high out of reach of both your children! You could put them in a clear plastic bag or similar so she can see them and hold into them. You could also add some special treats to the bag. That way when she wants something you have control over it and big sister can't intervene. When the little one wants something get it out and show it to her. Name the item and wait for her to imitate you. At the start you might expect her just to say the first sound (so you get some success going, gradually increase expectations). Only give her the desired item for 30secs before taking it away so she can ask for it again. You might also consider the eldest daughter having some time in daycare so you can interact with your youngest alone. Your going to have to be tough on your eldest about fetching things. Explain to her why it's a problem and teach her how to teach her sibling how to talk. Kids love getting involved in this sort of thing. I'd also start the process of getting referred to a speech therapist. You may not need it but it can take time to get into one and you can always cancel if her speech picks up.
Hi there. Thankyou for this. Great tips. The eldest is in kinder three days a week. The 18 month old makes alot of noise and thinks that she is talking but other than a few basic words she says nothing. If she does not get what she is pointing at she cracks it and throws a tanty. With our eldest we used flash cards so was thinking if getting those out again. Thank you so much fir your advice.going to try it all xo
No problems, another couple of things I thought of was spending lots of time on imitation activities. So lots of childhood nursery rhymes with actions and words. You could pick a few songs a good example would he 'ba ba black sheep' sing each line but pause before saying the last word to see if she jumps in and says it. Also lots of chanting when you play, like if she is going up stairs saying the word 'up' with each step. Lots of repetition! Good luck
She is 18 months don't jump the gun. If her understanding is good the talking will come. Stop comparing your kids to others.