I am glad I ran into this thread, b/c I was just going to post the same Q.

Ethan is 18 mos old and is signing about 25 signs. However, he only says about 4 words. Mama, Dada, yeah, and Uh-oh. My only concern before starting him on signs was that it would delay speech, but I researched it before starting and everything said it does not delay. My ped. believes that if they don't have the need to talk they won't- so he is not a fan of signing. I really don't want to stop signing. Is 4 words at 18 mos something to be concerned about? He uses his signs wonderfully.

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Jessica (27) Mommy to Ethan Gregory born July 12, 2004

Ethan's Website