Children grow at their own pace, in their own way. I'm a teacher. I know this. Still, I can't seem to not worry that my little 16 month old granddaughter is not picking up speech yet. She babbles and says "Daddy" but other than that, not much. She does understand quite a bit of what we're saying. We're having to spell c-o-o-k-i-e because if we don't, she'll make a bee line for the kitchen and start pointing to the cupboard where she knows the goodies are stored. If you tell her we're going for a walk, she'll go and get her shoes to put on. When she wants something, she does the sign language for more and points to what she wants. The sign for more has come to mean "I want..." If she wants us to do something, she'll take our finger and pull us to where she wants us to be and point. All this, but no words. I can almost hear my reassuring teacher tone saying, "Not to worry, all in good time..." I might even suggest the picture book, Leo the Late Bloomer. However... as I watch this adorable baby bring her plate to me and point to the cereal box I can't help but wish she would say, "please."
She is such a cutie. And, a girl after my own heart. I did everything late, married, had kids, wrote my book (at 61), still don't have a married child and not one grandchild either. My kids are 28,36, and 38. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'll bet you two have soooo much fun. Enjoy! She'll be grown before you know it.
It is a worry isn't it. When my younger son was about five months old we became convinced he was deaf, he just didn't seem to hear anything. We had him tested and he was fine - the doctor told us be was probably just using up all his brainpower on something else. He was - he was walking at 8 months! Perhaps your grand-daughter is doing something similar. Perhaps she's just too busy learning other things to bother with speech just yet.
ReplyDeletewell, it depends on lots of things-if they are the first child or the fourth. just relax and let things develop naturally...
ReplyDeleteMy niece's second son wasn't talking at 12-15 months. His pediatrician told my niece some babies talk early, some walk early. It sounds as if your grandchild has learned to communicate via sign language, and she might be feeling that is adequate for now.
ReplyDeleteCheck out this site:
ReplyDeletehttp://parentcenter.babycenter.com/404_what-should-i-do-if-my-2-year-old-doesnt-talk-yet_69463.pc
Thank you very, very much everyone! I told my daughter about that parentcenter site, Jean and she was feeling pretty good about it when I talked to her later. Thanks again everybody, for all your support.
ReplyDeleteI worry more now than when I had my daughter...as a retired special education teacher..I'm afraid when I have grandchildren..but from everything you said...she seems very bright..how could she not be coming from your family Kay...
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweetheart she is , and how wonderful to have this network of support--- it's natural to worry when we're bombarded by statistics and ideas of "normal"--
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