Try not to worry too much!! If there is a problem, early intervention is key! He is still young too!

My son doesn't say many words either. Mom, dad, boo, ya.. That's about it. He will be two in March. It worries me! But he memorizes his books and movies and knows his animal sounds too. I guess he will talk when he is ready.

The good thing is you know he can hear and understand my ds didnt talk or understand at 18 months... After speech eval and a trip to the ent we found out he was partially deaf but would grow out of it (he has some type of primordial dwarfism the ear canals were still growing odd yes) by age 3 he could hear and talk well... We also had his tonsils and adenoids removed and that helped in giving his ear canals more room to grow and develop..

Thanks ladies for all your comments. DS started saying mom!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I think I'm just being a nervous first time momma. DH and I are going to just keep working with him and see how it goes. If we don't think he is making good progress in a month or so I know we can always take him in to be evaluated. Reading all your responses helped me feel better. Thanks again!!! 

I agree with all the mommies on here. U don't need to worry, every child move at it's own pace. My daughter moved a lot faster than my son. I usually hear that boys are much slower. Now that I am experiencing it and can actually say that it's true.
My daughter is 20 months and she's using sentences and my nephew in almost 3 and just recently he's started to put sentences together. He didn't start saying any words until after 2. So it varies with every kid especially boys.

My DS had only a few words at 18 months. He also hit every other milestone early/on time. He is going to be 2years in April and just the past 2 months started using more than 10 words or so, and in the last 2 weeks began putting 2words together. My ped also said to get him evaluated at 18, which I did. He scored slightly below average in language, but hes caught up in just the past month or so. I was so scared when he first got the evaluation since he had multiple ear infections when he was first born and they started discussing speech therapy as a possibility. However, my Help Me Grow worker, who did the eval said some kids just dont feel like talking. If he can communicate other ways hes not in any rush.. what she said. But now hes doing just fine! Lots of kids start slow and then around 2 start spewing multiple words like its nothing. My younger sister was the same way (shes 3 so I know all her developmental milestones too). Don't worry! I'm sure your DS will be just fine!

oops! double post.

Had my baby evaluated at 16 months for a delay in gross motor skills.  (She was a butt scooter and saw no reason to walk.  Scooting worked for her.)  But like you, I was totally freaked out when the doctor wanted her evaluated.

The testing was so simple--and I learned things about my daughter that I didn't realize!  The tests were stacking blocks, identifying animals in pictures, putting a raisin in a tiny jar and getting it back out again...  She tested higher than should should in every area other than Gross Motor Skills, and the evaluator said to give her a few more months.  My girl was singing verses of The Wheels on the Bus--she was just focused on other areas than walking.

You're son is probably the same way--focusing on walking/running/climbing and not on verbal. 

BUT, the test was actually kind of fun, and I now recommend that Moms take their kids in!  Even if there is no problem, it's pretty awesome to see how well your baby is doing.  Go for the test!  You won't regret it.

I wouldn't worry about it. My son only said 5 words until he was 2 1/2, and then over a few weeks, out flowed at least 100. Now he is 4 and is rarely silent.

I have heard that it is normal for boys to talk later, but also the first child can go slow. My girls talked much earlier, the 3 year old spoke in sentences at 18 months, and my 15 month old is trying to say sentences now.

Every child is different. I wouldn't run out for testing just yet. Some children try to say words and copy you, some don't. My son made no attempt to talk except for those 5 words. Everything else was some variation of  uhh. It is best not to push talking. It will happen in time.

He is so young it is hard to say whether or not you should worry at this point. He may hit 2 and have a HUGE language explosion and then you will have no worries, orhe may hit 2 and continue on path he is on. I have 2 speech and language impaired ds's who are 5 and 3.5. Mine have receptive as well as expressive language delays so it is good that your ds is showing clear signs of understanding. It wouldn't hurt to call Early on. Here's the thing, they WILL diagnose a problem, because they are diagnosing based on standardized tests, and because he is falling in the later end of the milestone he will almost definitely qualify for services. So don't freak, basically calling htem means you will get services. If they think it is severe it will be once a week, if they think it is a minor issue it will be a once monthly appt. This is all great as long as YOU like the speech therapist who is coming and you feel involved in the process. Some great books to get that will help you help your son develop speech at home (in a VERY natural way). Play to Talk, and Communicating Partners (both by James MacDonald. They are great books you can get them on Amazon (the books are created for all Late Talkers, not just those with autism, so if yousee autism in the description or title don't freak, they are intended for any child that is talking late, including but not limited to, those with autism). It is clear even just by what you've described about your son that it is highly unlikely he has any underlying major neurological issues such as autism. BE CAREFUL some overzealous interventionists sometimes like to look for trouble that doesn't exist. If ever you are concerned about that, I would suggest finding Dr. Thomas Sowell's books, particularly The Einstein Syndrome. Hopefully, your son's language will explode at 2 and you'll laugh at your concern later. If not, hopefully the books I've recommended can give you a good guide path to start with. Good luck!