2 year old daughter with down syndrome not walking or talking yet.?
My daughter is the light of my life. My husband and I and everyone around our daughter can tell that she is very bright and perceptive, but she cannot talk yet and won't walk. She will WALK while holding on to things and I know she can stand when she wants to but when we try walking with her and then letting go, she just sits down immediately. As for talking, she understand what we say and or ask of her, but she cannot talk, herself. I understand that this will all take time but shes 2+ now and if she can understand what we're saying, why can't she say the same things? Thank you.
Answers:
Hi! What a beautiful little girl you have! My son is just two weeks shy of 2 years old and also has Down Syndrome. He can say a couple of words...."Go" and "Cheeto" but not much else. He can commando crawl and stands up with assistance, but doesn't yet walk. This is not uncommon for kids like ours. Their low muscle tone is often the problem with walking, standing and crawling. In my son's case, he has weak abdominal muscles. I would advise you to please ask your therapists for activities you can do at home during playtime that will help strengthen those muscles. Children with DS develop at different rates, but what you are experiencing is not uncommon.
As for speaking, we started my son on simple baby signs (sign language) when he was about 8 months old. He now has several that he can do so he can tell us when he is hungry, wants milk, a book, a bath, etc. There are several books on baby signs available and it's easy...you just have to be persistant. This gives your child a means of communicating until she can say the words. And don't worry that it will make her not want to talk, I know lots of kids who sign and when they learn the words, they vocalize them...it's easier! Signing alleviates a lot of frustration because they communicate their needs to you.
You might also want to talk to your therapists about using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). It's a method of using pictures to help with communication. Here is one lnk to a site with some information about it:
http://www.childrenwithspecialneeds.com/pecs.html
It has really helped our son as we can show him 3 pictures of things he is familiar with and he can choose what he wants. Then we ask him to sign "Please".
Hang in there...when your daughter does start talking, I'll bet she doesn't stop! They like to surprise us that way!
Good luck!
Other Answers:
Its ok My sister is down syndrome
Hi there! She is adorable. I know that you are frustrated with the situation but she will do it when she is ready. She has you trained, though! ;-) She might sit down when you walk with her because she knows that you will let go. She might just not be ready to walk without holding on to something. Maybe get her a toy that lets her push it while holding on to said toy??? She might not feel confident enough to walk unassisted. I had a friend who has a brother who didn't talk untill he was three and he had no develpomental problems. Good luck and God bless. For Cute!!!! Have you talked to a speacialist about this. Her having dow may affect how fast she develops some skills are developed faster than others as that even goes for regular kids too. I am sure she will eventually.
I am sorry I have no answer, but she is very BEAUTIFUL !
God Bless & Good Luck
You've already gotten some good answers of advice. Mine is one of encouragement. My little boy also has DS. He was 3 in May. He began walking at 21 months, just under 2 years. Speech, well he still isn't talking but I know it will come. He's getting the best ST.
I have read many examples where children were over 2 years old before they started walking. So chin up and have faith.
My son has Downs and it took him 18 months to walk and longer to talk but really it was not progressive with him. It was like a freaking light switch and he was doing it. He used to crab walk everywhere and he was REALLY FAST so he would walk slow and if he wanted to “run” he would get down on all 4’s It was funny to see mom chase him as fast as she could. He is 6 now and Talks and talks and no really runs. still no potty training but we are waiting for that switch to go on. Just be patient.
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