toddler learning to speak in a dual accent household

I would imagine it's a cover your butt kind of thing because in a 15 minute interview, Niall was too busy exploring to really speak with her. New environment, new toys -- no interest in chatter, too much to see and do. Now, if she were that concerned, a home visit would have been in order. Nothing new at home and Niall would have talked to her because his attention wouldn't have been diverted.  I told her as much too.

I will grant you that the clearness of his speech is not to the level of most girls his age, but it has been my experience that girls do generally develop quicker in this area.

Cait, you're right in that girls generally do develop in most areas at a younger age than boys. Certainly, in language and fine motor skills ON AVERAGE. There are always exceptions to the rule.

One family that I knew when I was younger had five children. They all called their dad "Honey" because that's what mom called him. And, my daughter said Paula (a very difficult name for little ones) long before she said mommy! A lot depends on what they hear most.

It never hurts to go to a speech therapist because they can give you additional info on helping him along developmental stages...even if they don't see anything wrong it's always good to get new pointers...really sometimes we get into a routine and it takes someone looking from the outside in to give us a good bit of info...not saying that there is a problem ...just saying if they are offering and it's at no extra cost or inconvenience to you ..why not.

No offense, but I could not disagree more strongly.  This is what we thought.  We got a speech therapist who, I don't know if she was just an idiot or what, but after leaving Dagmar in a too-small high chair the entire time, told us that she was "severely delayed" because she didn't wave bye-bye and that she needed to see a neurologist immediately.  She gave us no tips, no pointers, no suggestions-just several weeks of heartache and tension that we're still struggling to get over.  Once you go to one of those people, your child is put on the therapy merry-go-round where government money is the name of the game.  Unless you have a real concern, dopn't do it.  They will find reasons to keep your child in therapy.

yeah ...girls develop faster (in most cases) .. all to do with the birds and bees ..survival of the species...


DH got excited about Jess saying "Da da" first and I told him..."they all say Da first so don't get all uppity with me" ...he sulked for a few days...


Saf I did say it all depends on the area and how they practice...so there you go.

My HV wants to send Niall to a speech therapist.    She says he doesn't understand him. That's because he's not interested in talking to her.  Whenever he visits the clinic, he's interested in the toys and exploring. I'm not concerned. He's picking up three to four new words per week and can say some difficult words like Joshua (crystal clear).

"Are you not worried about his speech?"

"No, he may not say everything clearly, but I feel he's making good progress."

"Would you not like to see a speech therapist?"

"No, he's doing fine."

"Are you sure you'd not like to see one?  Just in case you're worried, mind?"

"No."

I thought about asking her if she needed a comprehension therapist! 

I agree with you, too, Cait.  My daughter had motor skills delays across the board - didn't walk till 22 months.  She's 2 and 1 month now.  And all of the sudden, in the past month, she's just exploded cognitively.  Apparently, I did the exact same thing - I didn't walk till I was 21 months, didn't talk till 2 and then just did things all in one go.  I didn't want to potty train, and then one day when I was 2 years and 10 months, I came and told my mom I wanted to wear big girl panties and use the grown up potty.  So I did.  She was released from physiotherapy last week and she is now doing everything a child her age does on average.

My daughter refused to speak to the HV at her 2 year checkup, so a home visit was arranged.  She is shy around adult strangers at first.  She needs more than 15 minutes.

It'd be different if he were in school and the teachers were noticing a problem.  But for now, he seems just fine. 

Well, it tickles me because if she'd come here she'd have heard such dazzling words as rainbow, caterpillar, ladybird and butterfly -- crystal clear.

kids most of the time don't want to speak during assessments ...you're being dragged out to some place and some weird woman in staring at you to "perform" ...even when the HV goes to the person's house they'll have a degree of reservation unless you've got a good rapport with the family/child (not with most cases)

My daughter yaps her brain out at home or with other kids but when she had her school report the teacher said ..."she's very quiet..is she like that at home"  Phil and I nearly fell backwards out of the tiny chairs.

I've seen a few reaaally good HV that connect with kids excellently and I've seen some crap ones too.

I tend to follow the rule "whoever spends more time with child knows more about their child than me I'm there as a helper/facilitator" 

like I've said if they think it's a problem they would not be "asking"....some places are really on the ball some places are just covering their arses since the Climbie report.

I sometimes get amazed how one area do things one way and then you do another placement and it's totally different so you have to "re learn"  a different process of care....all to do with staffing , budgets and how some wards are more governmentally affluent than other...*sigh* it's confusing sometimes

Well, it tickles me because if she'd come here she'd have heard such dazzling words as rainbow, caterpillar, ladybird and butterfly -- crystal clear.

Aw, don't you just love the sound of his twee voice?  Aillidh has a Scottish accent.  The way she says 'water' cracks me up.  She does call a rooster a 'cockerel', which I admit does make me grin, but hey, that's what everyone tells her it is!  As DH pointed out, I am the one w/the foreign accent.

I still love when I hear "choc-clait" in a british accent...it's so posh from a 3 year old

Niall is FINE.  He uses sentences, has a sense of humour and can be understood by people who don't know him.  I'm his biggest fan, well maybe after tebs.  

Our littlest one had a severe speech delay.  She went to speech therapy for over 2 years and I would thoroughly reccomend it to anyone whose child really needed it.  They gave us really useful strategies, built her confidence and promoted listening and joining in skills that still help her in school.  She's a chatter box now, but people who know her well can notice key speech development that she missed out on, such as should've, shouldn't have.  Nothing major, but it's there.  

But I don't think the accents really play that much a part of a child's speech development.  My other two went from speaking like me, to correcting me, to switching back and forth, till they started nursery.  Then their English accents really came into their own.  The little one of course has the most perfect accent-that was because she learned so much from the speech therapist.  I still remember the girl/gehl session.

I grew up in a dual accent household as well, and had numerous developmental delays due probably to the fact that I was a preemie.  When I was about 2, I was diagnosed as being 'severely mentally stupid' and my parents were told to not expect me to ever amount to anything.  Then, like expat and her little girl, I suddenly went from being way behind in everything to being at or ahead of my age group.  (I'm very advanced for a 36 yo! )

Honor grad, aced ACT college placement tests, etc., etc., blah blah blah.  Anyway, to make a short story long, everyone develops at their own pace....

Aww, and here I thought James was his biggest fan! 

I doubt if the accent has anything to do with it.  Children grow up in households where people speak two or three different languages and it doesn't hurt their speech development.

At 15 months our whole list of words consists of fishy (ishy), doggy (goggy), and da.  I'm just the lady that will pick you up if you walk up with both arm in the air.  I switched to a new day care about a month ago and he now plays all day with an 18 month old girl who talkes non stop.  After about 3 weeks with her, he started talking.  I'm not worried, but a little miffed that the plants get more verbal recognition than I do.

My HV wants to send Niall to a speech therapist.    She says he doesn't understand him. That's because he's not interested in talking to her.  Whenever he visits the clinic, he's interested in the toys and exploring. I'm not concerned. He's picking up three to four new words per week and can say some difficult words like Joshua (crystal clear).

This sounds sooooo like the head of the Creche where my son goes. She decided to mention to me a couple of months ago. "Have you considered taking Xan to a speech therapist?" I looked at her and said "NO! He is two years and four months, I think he is doing well for his age, as his older brother started speaking later as well. Besides Einstein did not speak until he was 4 and he was the Father of Quantum Physics!" Then I remembered, that she had no bleeding clue who Einstein was, when Xan had on a t-shirt with Einstein's face on it. She said she thought that was a pic of Alexander's Grandfather. 

Ohhhh yeah! I should take advise on raising my child from this woman. 

I have a term time contract, and we have been off since the last week of July. Xan has gotten even more chatty, points at things, and says what they are without my initiating it. Each Child develops at their own pace.

I grew up in a dual accent household. Austrian and Cuban. My accent is very soft, and sounds very much like most people in American Television.