Update-like things
Since I logged into this journal this morning, I thought maybe I'd go ahead and do a little update, though I think fewer and fewer people are on LJ these days. Have you all left for Dreamwidth and Tumblr for all your fandom needs these days? Have you all just left fandom altogether? If I'm honest, I really miss fandom a lot, but there is nothing
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I kind of hate generalizations, but it does seem that often girls talk sooner/more than boys, and boys have better motor skills. Our girl is a talker and always has been - I think she could say six words before she was a year old? On the other hand, she walked a bit later, at 13 months. Even now, at two and a half, I see that some of her motor skills are not where they should be, but I see improvement all the time. I think speech evaluations aren't usually done until around 3 years old, since most of the time kids who are shy about talking will have caught up by then. Evaluations and early intervention are great if there's a need. Has your ped expressed concern about Christian not talking much? 18 months just seems so early to make a judgment about that sort of thing. We've noticed several times that even though Olivia talks a lot, there have been big leaps in her speech, seemingly over night.
I think sometimes personality has a lot to do with it, too. Some kids are observers and don't have a lot to say, but they're always watching, paying attention, even if they're quiet about it. My sister was thinking about having my nephew evaluated as he was coming up on his third birthday, but all of a sudden he just started talking ALL THE TIME, and he hasn't stopped since.
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I hate generalizations too, as well as the milestones everyone thinks your child needs to follow. A lot of children go at their own pace like ours seem to be doing. I am glad to hear that Olivia is improving in her motor skills everyday! Does she like to push toys around? Like walkers? Those are really good for little ones to practice their motor skills.
Well, Christian's pediatrician brought up therapy at his 15 month appointment but wasn't concerned yet. He said if he wasn't talking by 18 months then we need to look into it. Every doctor is different though and this is just how ours is. Part of this too is to rule out possible autism. They will look for that too. We don't think he has it but it will be nice to have professionals tell us that. I will also be relieved for them to tell us that he doesn't need therapy and is just being stubborn or lazy with his speech. This will all be a peace of mind for us if nothing else.
They are really pushing early detection and prevention too now. They say the sooner you try to fix any issues the better. I think Christian's personality plays a big role in this too. I cannot describe how stubborn he is. He would rather do something himself or find an alternative than say any words that you try and get him to. He is also very observant and soaks everything in. I think his vocabulary is quite large, but he doesn't say any of it! ;)
I have a feeling that Christian will be like your nephew and start talking overnight one day. That's funny you mention that too because everybody says that once they start talking they don't stop! I would rather that than have to do therapy for a long time!
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Yep, I've never worried too much about milestones. Olivia took a little longer to crawl or walk than other kids, but she's always talked a lot. She's still kind of a disaster with a fork and spoon, where other kids are more than proficient at this age. Leo noticed when she was in soccer that the other kids (all boys) were better at the skills they were learning, but none of those other kids talked much, and no one apart from Olivia knew all the colors when they'd go over them.
Interesting. Are they starting to change the way things are done as far as speech evaluations and autism? I was under the impression that things like that were better left until they were nearer to 3 because there's still so much time for them to get caught up in the meantime. As you said, though, maybe that's your particular pediatrician, and if you can rule out certain things earlier, so much the better.
I think it comes down to the fact that you know your child best. It's good that you're concerned and having him evaluated for your peace of mind, but like you said, he might actually have quite a large vocabulary and just be reluctant to talk! I have a stubborn kiddo myself, so I can understand that. It might just be that Christian isn't ready to talk yet, and he'll get there in his own time.
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