Speech delay :-(

[Boo44]

Thanks bananabump that's very interesting. So if he was diagnosed with this (not sure as he fits some but not all on that site) then does it tend to be an isolated thing? That can eventually resolve or does it have long term consequences?

I knew each child is different and needs their own specialised assessment but thought you may know a bit about it in general if that's what your son may have x

 

[bananabump]

Yeh it's not associated with anything else.. and with intensive speech therapy they can be absolutely fine It's upsetting that he isn't coming out with all the funny sayings like his little friends are but like your son he definitely has his own way of communicating and getting his message across plus he's very friendly and caring so I know this isn't going to hold him back xxx

 

[Boo44]

Well thought I'd update as the HV visited us today. Overall it was a positive visit. Ultimately she is referring him for audiology testing, and to SALT. She said they may see him once and that's it, but that it is worth doing as she could see what I mean.

She said he appears very bright and engaged/engaging, and he obviously is absolutely fine with his language and understanding. There just seems to be a mismatch between transferring that into speech. Anyway, we'll see. I feel glad he's getting looked at, but the whole thing makes me really anxious!

Oh and over the weekend, he repeated two new words which was exciting. 'Hello' and 'toes'. Thing is he won't say them again now (lol!!)

 

[mummy3]

Sounds very positive and that you're in line for the right services Yay for new words too

I have 2 (well soon to be 3) kids go through speech therapy and it does make a massive difference. Learning sign language also helped alot. Ultimately my kids have other issues too, autism, global delay and genetic disorders but from talking with their therapists they do get kids with focused delay in single areas. Speech delays themselves can be very diverse, my son had one word at 3, he now has speech weekly for pragmatic language (the way he understands communication), my daughter has severe expressive delay and moderate receptive (she had words at 1 then lost all words and sounds by 15m and then and now presents with apraxia of speech!) then my baby who is only 10.5m but is looking to start speech at 1 due to lack of noises. I also have a friend whos son presented with severe expressive language delay and it was eventually found he had glue ears so that got fixed and now they're working on him relearning words and how they really sound! So all different! But therapies have helped all so getting in there and at the very least getting tips and advice will be so valuable

 

[Boo44]

Just a mini update really. We're still waiting on any appointments for
SALT or audiology (no surprise there!) but in the past 2 weeks since the HV came I think I may be noticing subtle improvements

She said to me that all the words he has learnt 'wrong' for instance 'ahh' for bye and 'snorty noise' for pig etc, to him they are words. So whereas I was concentrating on trying to get him to say those words properly, she said to him he IS saying them and so I should concentrate on new words. Now my son had never ever parroted words for me, but I encouraged him a bit and he says hello and toes and cheese now. He doesn't use them quite freely yet, but if I encourage him he will say them. It's almost like 'laziness' of speech!! Also digger used to be brrrrrm but now I've encouraged him and he says 'di-di' which I'm happy with

This morning when his cereal ran out he pointed at his bowl and said 'uh-oh more in there' I nearly died! And in the car he gave me two dummies for my bag and said 'ahhh (bye) more dodo'. So he's stringing 3 words together but not really spontaneously using any new words. I guess we'll see how it goes and I can continue encouraging him until the appointment

I was so happy but then I was with him in a book shop this afternoon and a little boy who looked younger was with his mummy reading Dear Zoo and he was saying every single rhyming word at the end of the phrases and he could actually SAY the animal names instead of automatically using the noises. Ahh comparing is rubbish isn't it

 

[bananabump]

He sounds like he's doing great though hun! Leo isn't doing some of what you've said.. and the things he is he's only started in the last few months and he's almost a year older than your little boy! Stay positive We've got another assessment with th speech therapist on 25/06 so I can't wait to see if she thinks he's progressing etc x

 

[Boo44]

He sounds like he's doing great though hun! Leo isn't doing some of what you've said.. and the things he is he's only started in the last few months and he's almost a year older than your little boy! Stay positive We've got another assessment with th speech therapist on 25/06 so I can't wait to see if she thinks he's progressing etc x

Thanks bananabump! You'll have to let me know what they say, I hope they can see some progression for him What sort of techniques have you been using with him?

I'm trying not to compare and it's easy until I get together will all my friends whose sons are the same age. I really don't want to get to the stage of dreading meeting up with them all as I've always loved the get togethers x

 

[RachA]

Sounds like he's doing great

It's so so hard not to compare, think it's a compulsion for us mums. Lol.
One day you'll look back and wonder what all the worry was about.

At the same time as E was referred for speech therapy (at 2years) another 3 children that I know were also referred as they had a minimal number of words. All of the other 3 children did one 6 week course of therapy and were signed off as they were fine

 

[Boo44]

So I'm just wondering...

Jack has a very limited vocabulary and those words he does say he has been saying for a long time now. I can't remember the last time he spontaneously said a new word. He hasn't lost words though (touch wood)

Anyway within the words he does say, he is now really trying to string little sentences together. Like this morning he said 'dada dack in there lawnmower' whilst pointing outside to where him and OH had been cutting the grass yesterday (before you get too impressed with 'lawnmower' he's been saying that for 12 months - I was excited last year....)
Thing is he will not add new words no matter how hard I try to encourage him. So he's progressing within his known vocabulary alone and none else

Is this a recognisable 'thing'? Have any of you experienced this? It seems strange to me that he can say a little sentence but then doesn't seem to be able to say simple words like ball or bike etc...

 

[RachA]

Esther is a little like that. She can put together certain words in a sentence but doesn't use new words spontaneously. She can now copy most words (this is new to us as she's only been doing this for about a month). So for example the other day I said something was marvellous. E copied the word marvellous but hasn't since used it.

I don't know if this is anything recognised. Obviously for us it's different because E is nearly 5 and is doing this where your son is still very little. I would of thought if he's trying to put little sentences together then he's going the right way

 

[morri]

https://s25.postimg.org/fc3e8zjzj/Screenshot_from_2014_06_19_11_01_20.png


according to Largo.

This is vocabulary from age 2 to 5. you see there is a huge span, the average is the middle line, but it is the same with growth, weight it can vary by a lot.

 

[Ashla]

Hi Boo44. I don't want to hijack your thread- but I think my son might have the same thing. He is 27 months now and has been referred to a speech therapist but we are still waiting, waiting, waiting We went for his hearing check and his hearing is fine.

He is also a good communicator by using a lot of pointing and non verbal noises, uses made up words (bace means elephant etc), lost words between 12 and 18 months old and has only uttered a two word sentence 3 times ever.

Sometimes I think he is doing well and that I am over reacting. Then we visit with one of his friends and I am shocked by what other two year olds are able to say. I just want to get the speech therapy assessment already. I'm worried for my little boy

 

[bananabump]

Hi Ashla and Boo44, are you both on facebook? I was thinking about making a private group on there where we can keep upto date with our childrens speech developments? If you want to then message me your facebook names and I'll add you as friend. Anyone else is more than welcome to join aswell xx

 

[Boo44]

Hi bananabump that sounds good to me! Will message you x

 

[Ashla]

I'm not on Facebook anymore. If I was though, I'd definitely want to join!

 

[Menelly]

Thanks I will do I think. Just the thought of getting them involved makes me anxious!!

My main concerns are that he isn't progressing and lots of the things he says, he said almost 1 year ago and not much new...

I dunno, Kesslie was severely speech delayed (scored in the 2nd percentile on all her tests) and in the last month she's gained probably 200 words. (She's 27 months old now.) I have her in Early Intervention with a play therapist, a speech therapist, and an occupational therapist (she's a bit sensory seeking). I also took a DIRFloortime class.

It's AMAZING what she started learning once it clicked. Early intervention is a godsend, IMO. It's made such a huge difference once we finally got all the interventions she needed going. Seriously... she went from signing 10 words or so (and saying maybe 5) to a vocabulary of easily over 250 words. Get into early intervention ASAP. It makes such a difference!

 

[bananabump]

Thanks I will do I think. Just the thought of getting them involved makes me anxious!!

My main concerns are that he isn't progressing and lots of the things he says, he said almost 1 year ago and not much new...

I dunno, Kesslie was severely speech delayed (scored in the 2nd percentile on all her tests) and in the last month she's gained probably 200 words. (She's 27 months old now.) I have her in Early Intervention with a play therapist, a speech therapist, and an occupational therapist (she's a bit sensory seeking). I also took a DIRFloortime class.

It's AMAZING what she started learning once it clicked. Early intervention is a godsend, IMO. It's made such a huge difference once we finally got all the interventions she needed going. Seriously... she went from signing 10 words or so (and saying maybe 5) to a vocabulary of easily over 250 words. Get into early intervention ASAP. It makes such a difference!

Are you in the UK? How did you go about getting early intervention? My son is almost 3 and we've been waiting for speech therapy since he was 2 and he's still not started! X

 

[Menelly]

Thanks I will do I think. Just the thought of getting them involved makes me anxious!!

My main concerns are that he isn't progressing and lots of the things he says, he said almost 1 year ago and not much new...

I dunno, Kesslie was severely speech delayed (scored in the 2nd percentile on all her tests) and in the last month she's gained probably 200 words. (She's 27 months old now.) I have her in Early Intervention with a play therapist, a speech therapist, and an occupational therapist (she's a bit sensory seeking). I also took a DIRFloortime class.

It's AMAZING what she started learning once it clicked. Early intervention is a godsend, IMO. It's made such a huge difference once we finally got all the interventions she needed going. Seriously... she went from signing 10 words or so (and saying maybe 5) to a vocabulary of easily over 250 words. Get into early intervention ASAP. It makes such a difference!

Are you in the UK? How did you go about getting early intervention? My son is almost 3 and we've been waiting for speech therapy since he was 2 and he's still not started! X

No, I'm in the US. Utah, to be exact. I'm sorry you have to wait so long, that sucks. Here in Utah, they have 14 days to get you evaluated (by law) and 90 days to get you started on services (by law). Anything longer than that and (I believe) you can actually sue. So we got services pretty quickly.

 

[Boo44]

So Jack had his audiology today. He's a bit of an awkward age to test hearing - apparently they have one test for 6-18 month olds, and one for older kids. I said to give the older one a go and he was a superstar. He sat and listened for a sound and pressed the space bar on a computer keypad every time he heard one. She said he was one of the youngest to cooperate with their test, as he didn't just press the button to see the picture, he understood that he had to wait and listen when I told him. I was super proud. And he passed so no hearing issues, which is great! We're still awaiting SALT (obviously!)

As an aside - what is hand flapping? I am obviously full of concerns regarding his speech delay and one of those is the risk of autism. I've read about it and now am a bit obsessed with checking for signs. He's never hand flapped before but I saw him do it twice today, once when he stroked a cat and got all excited. I've got heart sink about it now. Just wish this mummy business was easier on the nerves xx

 

[Mysunshine]

Wow what an exciting thread. Boo44, just to let you know that many of us here are sending our love and support to Jack and yourself! Hugs XXX