2 Year Old Has No Interest in Speaking

Q. I have a two year old son who seems to have no interest in speaking. He rarely says "Mama" or "Papa" (Spanish) and even refuses to repeat these words. From time to time, he introduces a new word , but he will not repeat it if we try to have him say it again. For example, a few weeks ago, I asked where his grandmother lived and he told me "there" pointing at the building. He repeated it several times but now he refuses to say it again. Sometimes he laughs when I try to have him repeat a word but sometimes he starts crying. I am very worried about his behavior. Now he repeats more and more syllables, but without meaning or connections. He also likes to sing. And he says "no" to any of our proposals.

When he want something he just points at it and makes a kind of "uh uh uh." According to the tone he uses, we know what he wants.

I know he understands everything we tell him, both in Spanish and in French (I'm French and I often talk to him in this language). He carries out any order you give him and identifies the different objects n the house and in the street. He also likes music a lot (especially classical music).

He is a very active and social boy. He has just started going to a kindergarten school and has had no problem from the very first day. Now I am having his language evaluated. I would be very grateful if you could give me any advice.

Christine Mazeau (Spain)

A. It is obvious that you have concerns about your young son's development of language. I think it is a wise decision to have his skills evaluated by a professional. As your son have been exposed to two languages, it would be appropriate to have him evaluated in both languages. This may be accomplished by a bilingual speech/language pathologist or a speech/language pathologist who has knowledge of the rules and structures of both languages with the assistance of a translator.

What a wonderful advantage your son will have if he is able to understand and speak both French and Spanish. Recent scientific studies are telling us that exposing a young child to a foreign language actually stimulates brain development. Although, many experts agree it may take longer for a child who is exposed to two languages at an early age to begin talking, usually by age three, most will learn to use both languages without a lot of effort. When your young son begins to say words and sentences, he may go through a period of mixing the two languages and begin to use vocabulary from both languages in the same sentences. He may also not have equal skills in both language as it is common for there to be more understanding than actual use of one language.

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