Speech Delay in Toddler Boys: When Should You Be Concerned?

toddler-speech-delay-in-boys

As a parent, you want your child to succeed in everything he does. This is especially true when it comes to your baby and toddler hitting all of his developmental milestones. But what happens when your toddler boy seems to be delayed in speech? Continue reading to discover more about speech delays in toddler boys.

Toddler Speech Delay in Boys

What Is a Toddler Speech Delay?

As your child grows, they develop certain skills such as walking and talking. Initially, these are basic skills, but over time, they develop until your child has mastered it. A toddler speech delay occurs when your toddler boy doesn’t develop at the same pace as other toddler boys. This can result in your child using nonverbal ways to communicate or even not communicating at all.

Should I Be Concerned?

Children develop at a different pace than other children, which means that your toddler boy could simply be a late bloomer when it comes to speaking. If your toddler boy still isn’t speaking, then start to look into your child’s communication behavior. You should be concerned if your younger toddler is not able to use single words to express himself. As your toddler gets older and becomes a preschooler, you should look for multi-word sentences. If this doesn’t happen, then take your toddler to the doctor and express your concerns. A medical professional can let you know if your toddler’s speech is within the normal range or if it is delayed.

Treatment

Because speech delays are so common in toddler boys, it’s important to get a toddler speech delay diagnosed right away so that a treatment plan can be put in place. If your family doctor is concerned about your toddler’s speech development, you will be recommended to a speech therapist who can accurately determine whether your child has a toddler  speech delay and what can be done about it. Oftentimes, a speech delay can be treated with therapy.

Toddler Speech delays are surprisingly common. It’s important to catch a speech delay early, that way therapy and intervention can help solve the problem before your toddler reaches school age.

Have you ever dealt with a toddler speech delay in your son? What tips do you have for other parents?

22 thoughts on “Speech Delay in Toddler Boys: When Should You Be Concerned?”

  1. Aww this must be so frustrating. I have a friend who’s a speech therapist and she always tells me that the number one advice she tells parents is just to be patient and supportive.

  2. I have a friend with a boy with a speech delay. Doesn’t help that his twin sister is a chatterbox. Hang in there and he will catch up!

  3. I have a cousin who had a speech delay. His parents were devastated at first coz they weren’t able to discover it sooner, but good news is, they where able to find an expert who truly helped them. Therapy helped a lot and so does support from family members.

  4. This is really important to think about. We have 2.5 year old twin boys right now that I go back and forth wondering about their speech development, But they progress almost exactly the same, so I know they’re just taking their own time. We see improvement so I’m not stressing.

  5. I dont have any kids but are you saying its more prevalent in boys to have speech issues as a toddler? My baby cousin just turned 3 and she had a bit of a speech delay but its coming in now. You are right everyone develops differently and are late bloomers!

  6. I think toddler boys develop communication skills slower than toddler girls. Speech therapy can really help bridge the gap in cases where there is speech delays.

  7. It is so important for us as parents to be in tune with ours sons and catch any delays early so that a plan can be put into place. Half of the battle is knowing!

  8. Angelic Sinova

    Great important! My moms a teacher and although he reaches JR. High, she’s taught primary aged kids before and speed delay is something she’s seen in a few students. It’s important to notice these things early on <3

  9. I always hear that girls talk sooner and boys walk sooner. I am not sure if this is true, but I found it is quite accurate with my daughter. She is 2.5 year old now, and she didn’t even crawl until she was 14 months old. She is definitely a late walker.

    Now, her speech development was completely the opposite of her motor skill. She started speaking a complete sentence when she was not even 2.

    It is true that kids develop at their own pace. What we can do as parents is to continue to support them.

  10. I think its great to stay in communication with your doctor on your child’s development. And also to follow your mother gut you know your child better then anyone else.

  11. You remind me of my son. He was already a year old and has only spoken a few words so we were concern, the doctor told us that it is normal and she was right. As soon as he was ready, man oh man, he wouldn’t stop talking lol. These are great information to know.

  12. I always like to think as better safe than sorry. So when my daughter was struggling producing a proper “L” sound, I took her to a speech therapist. and now she’s fine. A little issue if delayed can turn into a huge problem so better to get it dealt with early.

  13. Fi Ní Neachtáin

    My boy turned two in February and hasn’t been speaking too much. At first I was quite worried about him but just this past week he seems to be picking up words almost daily and came out with “I don’t sleep here” when he was in mine and his fathers bed. I think he just pretends he can’t talk but he most certainly can understand everything! Thanks for sharing for concerned parents like I was.

Leave a Reply to Elizabeth Matthiesen Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *