I have a 23 month old girl in my care who does not have any words in her vocabulary as of yet. The only things she says are "mmmmmmm?" and "eeeeeh?" I can count two occasions where I have gotten any real words out of her. She does not repeat as other children her age do and will not attempt a word if you ask her too.
I know it's not her hearing as she understands everything I say whether I am loud or quiet. At first, I thought that she was having trouble with consonant sounds, but I've also ruled that out. Mom reads to her all the time and speaks to her all the time, and is just as concerned as I am. So I'm not worried that she isn't getting the stimulation at home. It seems to me now that she just doesn't want to.
I've tried all my tricks in the book to encourage her and interest her in learning to speak, but I'm out of ideas.
-She loves music but is completely uninterested in singing
-If I won't give her something until she attempts the word she'll just walk away and find something else.
-If she knows that you want her to repeat a word she'll look the other way in stubborn defiance
-If a child asks her a question she'll just say her usual sounds in "answer form"
- Asking her 'whats this' will also illicit an "EEEEH!"
Any suggestions?