18 Mth Old Considered Speech/language Delayed

My oldest son, who is now 11, qualified for speech services when he was 3. He probably needed it earlier, we just didn't know. He also suffered from numerous ear infections through the age of 2, but never had tubes. He had speech help until this year (5th grade). Though he didn't necessarily like having to be pulled out of class, he improved and finally caught up with his peers. Also, my son had a lot of trouble with reading in kindergarten and 1st grade, but he's an average reader now. We don't know if speech had anything to do with reading, but that's what he experienced. Despite all this, however, he is a well-rounded student with A/B report cards and tons of friends!

Hi!
My son had only eight words at the age of 3. The Early On program connected us with a Speech Pathologist and even a school program (1/2 days once he was 3) that developed his language. The good news was that once he started talking, he was reading and knew all the letters and numbers we were trying to get him to say. The bad news is that we couldn't be sure of any other problems until he could talk or demonstrate more. However, I was told by everyone that he didn't demonstrate any form of autism and they were right. Just after he was 4, they kicked him out of the program because he didn't have a problem any more. Early On did a lot of good but having a little sister start talking helped as well. ;)

Good luck!

I also have a 2 and a half year old who has speech delay and were involved with Early On. He only has a handfull of words he says and now some sign language. Ive been out of my mind concerned about it but everyone tells me not to and to just give him time. So I guess I dont really have any advice bcuz I'm going through the same thing but with an older child. Its very frustating to hear people think your child is autistic becuz I got him tested and thats not a concern at all. Just try to stay patient and work with him and I would for sure get involved with early on becuz they do have a lot of helpfull suggestions and it is free. You can always contact me through me other email and keep in touch, its ____@____.com Good luck. J.

Hi Jill
My name is A., I have a 2 1/2 yr old, and he is also considered to have a bit of a speech delay, he was born a month and a half early. Last August he was found to have severe lead poisoning, so they say the lead may be the reason for the delay, if your son hasn't been tested I urge you to do so, its only a finger poke and you find out right away. My little guy goes to early on and they really are great. The other reason I always hear is that boys are just slower at speech, but their good at fine and gross motor skills like pulling stuff apart and juming. He learned a little sign language at early on, and I bought a book and dvd on baby signing and he does a lot of signing before he would just do the sign and the last few months or so the words started coming along with the sign. It is a lot less frusterating for you and especially him with basic signs tailored just for him like milk, food, water and juice, I mean what else does he care about except cars and other special toys!! Good luck,

A.

First let me just recommend that you call and have your son evaluated by Early On - it can only help! I had a similar situation with my son....his hearing was fine (it was checked) - my son understood us very well, but he couldn't say anything to us. At about 20 months, my son was still NOT saying anything (not even babbling). So, against LOTS of peoples advice, I called the school for an evaluation. The school performs the evaluation and writes an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which is very similar to what Early On will do as well. The Certified Speech Language Pathologist from the school evaluated his comprehension of speeach, as well as his speech (or lack thereof), AND his gross and fine motor skills. My son tested above his age for the gross motor skills, at his age level for the fine motor skills and comprehension. He tested WAY BELOW his age for talking. Additionally, the therapist thought he might have some oral apraxia (I don't recommend doing research on this - it will just scare you!). We started speech therapy with the school district (for FREE) immediately and started to see some progress - about 2-3 months into therapy my son said 'mama' for his first word. Since the school district didn't offer services through the summer, I enrolled him in a special speech summer program through North Oakland Medical Center (NOMC - in Pontiac). AT NOMC I again was given the diagnosis of 'apraxia' and my son made some progress. We started teaching him (& us) sign language and that made a HUGE difference in his attitude / behavior. Prior to learning signs, he would just grunt / cry and point to what he wanted because he couldn't communicate. We've continued with therapy - both the FREE therapy through the school district and summer programs (we also used Beaumont Speech therapy) and now my son is 4 and is just about talking at his age. If you want to talk more - feel free to email me.

First of all. whoever you are going to has no clue.. It is not too early to tell and Early on will tell you that.. My daughter has been with Early on for a few years.. Contact them adn they will test her..

If u need help email me.. I have lots of contaccts
C. S.

At 2 my daughter was diagnosed with a slight speech delay. I had been concerned for the year before that but gave her some time to see if she would improve. Now, she is 4 and in hindsight, we have found that she was just too busy taking stuff in to respond. She learned so much during her quiet time, that she is now well ahead academically. I did go through the school system and had a teacher come and work with her as well as attend a 1-day-a-week class with her (all free). Even though she was tested and diagnosed, we just really didn't give her enough time. Whatever you do, get him evaluated so you can pinpoint his issues. It might be something that resolves itself over time or it could be a bigger issue.

Good luck.

Jill,

I am a speech therapist and a mother of 4. I'm sure this is all so overwhelming for you. To answer your question: yes, speech can be something that he is a little slow at and the long term outcome can be fine, but I would still recommend going for an evaluation. This can tell you much more about how delayed he is and if he needs intervention. Early intervention is so important if there is a problem because at this young age, you lose valuable time in teaching those skills and it becomes more difficult later. You mentioned that he had ear infections in the past, resulting in tubes. Quite often, speech and language is missed by the child during those ear infections and that can attribute to the delay even though his hearing is fine now. I give your doctor alot of credit for referring you, because drs. quite often want to "wait and see" or think that kids will outgrow the problems. Intervention might just give your son the boost he needs to get that language going. If the evaluation determines that he just needs more time on your own, that will give you peace of mind. Good luck and if you have more questions, just send me a message and I'll get back with you privately.

My stepdaughter didn't speak at all until she was well over 24 months old. She was fully potty-learned by 24 months. She's 8 years old now, and a perfectly normal girl. No issues with speech. I think some children just take a bit more time.

Hi Jill,

I am a mommy of a speech/language delayed child. When we took him in for his 2 year checkup, he was only saying "ma, da, ya, no". The doctor told us to call Early-On to have him tested. The counselors at Early-On told us that we have a very good doctor because she sent us so early. Most doctors will tell you to wait until age 3 cuz children develop at their own pace. My son also had pretty normal milestones, and normal hearing-just his speech and comprehension is delayed. The testing and the therapy is free and very informative. I learned a lot about my son and a lot about myself as a parent. I didn't think our communication with him was too bad until the testing. The counselor told my son to pick up a ball by the door and he just kind of looked at her. Then, I jumped in and told him to pick it up and he did-she then made me realize that he understood me because I had gestured and pointed to get the ball. He went once a week and learned a lot of sign language which helped tremendously for all of us. He would get so frustrated cuz you could SEE him trying so hard to say something, but all that would come out were little grunts. He ended developing a biting (himself) habit that has been very difficult to break. But he started the therapy at age 2 1/2, and is now going to Early Learning with the local School district-it is totally awesome. He goes 5 days a week, the giant yellow school bus comes and picks him up (from daycare) at 8:00 a.m. and drops him back off at 11:45. He LOVES every minute of it. The preschool is just like normal preschool, but the teachers are special speech/language teachers. I love 'em. He also gets physical and occupational therapy as well-which is extremely common with kids with delays. I was told that the motor skills (fine ones too) go hand-in-hand with speech skills. He has made great progress, but he still has a long way to go. We took him to a neurologist a few months ago too, and he said that more than likely this delay was inherited. He said that if the Father had a problem, then the child will likely have a problem as well-I thought that was interesting. My Husband didn't start speech therapy until Kindergarden and it was 8th grade before he could say his own name...so I am on the side that the sooner you get him tested the better. The worst that will happen is that he gets an early start on treatment for FREE. And he could make a few new friends too-my son came off the bus on the very first day talking about antoher little boy in his class and they have been inseperable ever since.

Send me a message if you want to chat some more!

Jill

I understand your concerns and my son also had similar speech delays at a early age. He had tubes put in and come to found out the sounds he heard were muffled due to glue ear is what the Dr called it. He was a very active child just hard to understand. He did qualify for early school they called it PPI back then. He has been in school since 3 and just this year at the age of 13 was doing well enough to be just watched on his speech.

But I do also have to say that my oldest has Aspergers he is 15 and was misdiagnosed for years. The 13 yr old I just told you about I was told had ADHD at a young age. Come to find out just a couple years ago that they say Pdd-nos/ADHD which is on the spectrum of Autism but with him you can hardly tell he is just quirky at times. He is a very smart kid and plays the viola very well he plays sports etc you name it and even has good friends.

But then my oldest son with Aspergers struggles much more. Thing is you can take what Dr's and others tell you about your child. But ultimitely you are your childs best advocate and you know them the best. If there is doubt get more testing. The school will do it free. But I also would look into a Psychiatrist or even going to a center who will do more intense testing for you. Depending on where you are located I may be able to help you out on where to go. Please email me at ____@____.com and I can try to assist you. I know Autism very well I also run a Special needs group and spent years around other children with Autism as well as care for special need childrne in my daycare.

I look forward to hearing back from you..

I hope this was of help.

L. Wynne

My son who is now 3 is speech delay we enrolled him in early on and I have seen such a big difference I was and some times still am scared but all I have to say is this is for helping your son and belive me it helps so much this year in sept. he is going to another school for his speech just so you have an idea when we first started he was saying maybe 20 single words now 6 or 7 months later he is puting 2 word together like "no way" where before he would just say "no" its also a big soical thing for him plus you get to go to class with him I really think this would help but thats just me

My now 3 1/2 year old had numerous ear infections, it seemed like one right after from about 6 months to almost 2 years old. He had tubes put in at a year, they came out and then he had tubes put in again a few months before his 3rd birthday. He developed the usual milestones at the targeted ages, walking and such, but his speech was much slower and most people, other then my husband and myself had no idea what he was saying when he did talk. The awesome ENT we saw said because of all the ear infections he had it was like he had been hearing under water for his first years of life. I live in the Royal Oak area and just after he turned 3 I heard about a great preschool program for speech delays - it is thru the school district and free if your child qualifies. My son qualified, I would have never thought about sending him to preschool so early, but it is a great program. He has been in the program since September and he speak is improving greatly. They work with a speech therapist also. He will be in the program next year as well and since the second set of tubes we haven't had many ear infections. I know your son is still young, but check with your local school district to see if they have anything available. Instead of paying and going to Beaumont, we were able to use the resources at the school, we also had his hearing tested at Oakland Schools for free and everything seems to be in the normal range as well.

Good luck and I know it is hard, but it will get better and your son will be a chatter box soon. I know I have been there too. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks - Jamie :-)

Jill,

I wouldn't worry too much. I have hearing loss and it runs in my family and I've had an audiologist tell me that my son's speech was behind at 18 months also. My son is 5 years old now and so far he has normal hearing and has a great vocabulary and very clear speech. I think a lot of children learn on their own time. If YOU are having a hard time communicating with him and YOU feel there is something wrong than I would consider doing some tests, but he's probably fine and normal.. Just learning at his own pace. You should follow your gut feeling and go with that. Good Luck :) ... Marcia

To give you a little incouragement, my 4 year old son was also speech delayed, because of ear infections, He started going to group sessions and they placed him in specal ed program to help his speech and now 2 years after the help he speaks just fine. they will continue speech therapy for some time, but now he is ready for main stream preschool. He also had no other problems with learning or hearing, he just choose not to talk. The leson I learned was to constantly work with them and make them talk, and ask for stuff, you have to force it sometimes, but I know that it really does work. I wish your family the best of luck

my 3 year old daughter started speech about 6 months ago. she has no medical conditions and an iq of almost 150. shes very smart and her hearing is fine. we just had a hard time understanding her. shed talk in full paragraphs but nobody could really understand many of the words. i call the school. they came to our house and evaluatedher (hence the iq), and told me she qualified for speech. like i said shes been taking speech for about 6 months now and has improved more than i can explain. she used to leave alot of the first letters off alot words and now i find her correcting herself. i can understand almost all of what she says. best of all i get to watch someone help her 1 day a week at a nearby elementary school. she loves going there. its one on one and the speech tharapist is awsome. most of the things they do i wonder why i couldnt think of that but i learn and she gives us homework and fun games to do. i am really happy i made the decision to find her help. her daddy is in iraq right now and when he first got there theyd talk on the phone and id have to translate enery word. now he can understand 98% on his own. call an early childhood development center in your area and they will get you to someone who can help you and him. you wont be sorry. good luck, J. m.

Jill

Scary to go thru this, I can imagine.
I have a great niece who had this and she's fine now.
She finally spoke, after not speaking for a long time.
She will be 4 in a few weeks, My son can talk with her now
with no problems.

Keep the faith with patience and good luck with
all your treatments.
Follow your gut if something is not feeling right,
turn to a different route.

hi jill. i am not a doctor nor i have been around your son. i have a 5 1/2 yr old boy that started school jsut after he turned 3. he went for speech and language. that wasa the best thing i could have done for him. he had no other problems. he still has some problems. but by the time he started his 2 nd year of school i could tell a difference. so frustrating when you have a 3 yr old that cant talk. he will be held back inkindergarten because he still isnt ready for 1st grade. but they are holding back 1/3 of the kindergarteners.. i know that at 18 months you can enroll them in school. call the elementary school and see if they have a program for him. or know of one if they dont. thats what i did. i had tranportation provided for me. even when he goes to school past 1st grade he will get the speech / language help until he doesnt need it anymore. i know its frustrating but it will get better. once he gets the help he needs, because they know how to get the kids to do things, things will look up for you and him.

Jill we have almost identical stories, except that my son will be turning 7 years old next month. Since birth my son was "normal". Over the years he has hit all of his milestones rights on time, except speech. He's slightly above-average academically, but severely below average on speech. We have NEVER been able to find an answer as to why. It has been frustrating at times.

I urge you to contact early on as soon as possible and get your son enrolled in that, or something similar. My son began with early on through Haslett Public Schools when he was 2 1/2 years old. You can use a private speech therapist, but they are very expensive and typically not covered by health insurance. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield and they wouldn't cover it. While my son is enrolled in regular school now, he still attends speech therapy with the school's speech pathologist (at Wilkshire).

Please contact me if you have more questions, or if I can help in any way. I know what you're going through and know that over the years I wish I had other parents to talk to about what we were dealing with. Good luck!!

Hello! I have not experienced this with my child. However, one of my friends had similar problems with her youngest child. At the age of 2, he did not talk at all. He only made sounds and gestures. At about 2 1/2 or 3 years old, he still was not talking, so they enrolled him in a program similar to the "Early Start" program. He is now 4 years old. His speech still isn't consistent with other children his age. However, he is using several more words/phrases and is able to communicate his needs much better. I would definitely take advantage of any services offered as early as possible so that when your child is old enough for pre-school, there isn't so much of a gap between him and other children. I hope this helps and Good Luck!

My son as diagnosed at 3 so you are at a great advantage finding out now.
at 3 my son would say mamma and that was about it. He would grunt and make noises to ask for things or his brother did it. (we thought he was fine just big brother was talking for him too much) but after we noticed it was no improving once big bro went to kindergarten and he started having fits out of frustration at communications we enrolled him in speech therapy in our local district.

Most districts start speech at age 2 give or take. My son has been in it roughly 3 1/2 years now and has made amazing progress- he is now a well adjusted talking, interacting, communicating kindergartner. He still gets speech in school because he has some lasting speech issues due to not doing it for 3 years- as the docs explained it to me that most babies learn to verbalize before 1 year and he lost those 2 years of practice so hes getting it now.

The speech therapist said at his last meeting he has made it to roughly age 4-5 in his language/speech development so she thinks he will be caught up around the end of elementary school and he will be able to discontinue speech at that time.

The one tip that I wish someone would have told me is to URGE him speak. We were told that we made it worse because we would let him show us stuff in lieu of making him talk. That made him regress backwards towards infancy. So in hind sight I would say what we say now "Use your words, please explain what you want" sometimes he gets frusterated and doesn't know how to explain it and I just am patient and let him try a few ways until we figure it out and every time is less frusterating for him and his vocabulary is improving daily.
Good luck. Pm anytime if you want to talk... It can be frusterating and overwhelming but it can be overcome.