Hi
I have just arrived home from two therpay sessions with my daughter today and becoming increasingly concerned about her speech. Annie is 4 years old and has hypernasality so can't say s/sh/z/f/t(sometimes/nch. She pushes all the air through her nose so at times cannot be understood. She does not have submucous palate and has taught hreself to talk this way when she had some periods of deafness through ear infections between 12-24 months old. I know she will probably catch on eventually but as she has to understand why she talks like this is may take sometime, whoch she does not have as she starts mainstream school in September. it also appears that the school system may notbe able to refer for speech (she has had it for two years) and I am worreid without the extra help her speech will become increasingly more difficult to understand. She alread cries at times when people cannot understand her and her brother (8 years old) is also becoming anxious when peolple do not understand her. Any ideas?
I would continue taking her for therapy and if you have insurance to cover it, I would probably increase the frequency to 2x per week. If she is that difficult to understand, she should qualify for services through the public school district. I would recommend supplementing that with private speech therapy. I'm sure her current therapist is working on air flow with her and because this has become such a habit to her, it will take some time to improve significantly. Be patient. Also, if you practice at home with her (a little every day) this will help tremendously.
I'm looking for ideas to help my almost 5 yr old daughter. Sometimes she seems to cut off the end of all her words in a sentence especially if she is excited. Also her preschool teachers say that her peers can't understand her. And only at school she speaks really softly and she is timid and shy (but not so anywhere else).
Also I'm looking for any storybooks that I could read to her about having a speech problem like Berenstein Bears have about different social issues.
First of all, have you tried to get physically down on her level so she can see your mouth and model for her the correct way to say a specific word and emphasize the ending? And if so, can she imitate it correctly? If she slows down, does she still cut off the ends of words?
As far as her not being understood by her peers at preschool, is it because she is just speaking so softly or is it also because she is cutting off the endings of words? It is not so uncommon for little ones to be shy and talk softly in school, especially if this is her first school experience.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any storybooks that address difficulty speaking. If she is aware that people are having difficulty understanding her and she is bothered by it or gets frustrated, I would strongly encourage you to take her for a speech evaluation. You can ask your local public elementary school for the district's Child Find program's contact information.
I have an 8 year old daugther that I have been concerned about her speech since she was a toddler. She has always been difficult to understand, lacking enunciation. Now that she is older, she speaks much better, but still has trouble enunciating and also speaks very fast with the occassional stutter. It has not affected her learning (she is actually a top student) and has also not affected her socially (she was voted for student council rep in her class by all her peers) although her friends do have trouble understanding her. I feel like her mind goes so much faster than her words so she tries to keep up. When I was a kid I had a similar problem but stuttered more. I adventually grew out of it as an adult. I would like to have seen her in speech therapy at an earlier age, but her dad (whom I am divorced from) disagrees and thinks she is "just a kid". She has good health insurance, but I have never checked if it covers speech. Is this something that would benefit from therapy? Or am I just overreacting like her dad thinks? How can her dad and I as parents help her without hurting her feelings (she is very sensitive)? Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Thanks so much for posting this question here. My first thought while I was reading this was - yes, absolutely take her in for at least an evaluation with a speech pathologist and consult with that person. After reading to the bottom of your email though and hearing from you that she is very sensitive, I immediately wondered if she was at all bothered by her speech. If she is aware and bothered that her friends don't always understand her than she would probably be open and receptive to seeing a therapist to have it checked out. And I would make very light of it because you don't want her to feel ashamed.
If she is not aware and not bothered at all by her speech, than you approach obviously needs to be a little different. I would still recommend that she be evaluated. Because this has not effected her academically or socially is a good thing, but she will not qualify for services through the schools (and this may be too much of a stigma for her anyways). You will need to find a clinic or private speech pathologist in your area. She is still young enough that therapy can make a difference. The older she gets, the more her habits will be ingrained and the harder it will be to make a change.
My son Mason is 2 1/2 now. No sickness other than a few colds or fever, he i think is just being a boy and doesnt concentrate. We have him doing 2x weekly private speech therapy with a local place that gears towards apraxia however the therapist we have is kinda new to it all, but my son loves her and they are making some head way. I do not know how to tell if he is breathing through his nose alot causing speech issues? i would be happy to record some of his talking if you would like to hear it to see if you have any hints. We have been told to use ALOT of the old books by dr suess to get him listening to red, green, blue, one, two, three, a,b,c kinda stuff. Doing some flash cards with him and have slowed down on all of the dvd videos and trying to sit and read with him more for we have failed on that a bit i must admit.
When he turns 3 he will go into the school system speech therapy stuff, not sure how that is going to go, we may continue to use the private stuff too, its being covered by in insurance now soooo well have to see.
We have yet to have his hearing checked but he hears everything, planes, cars, dogs, cats, people, tv, etc doesnt seem to ever be lacking there. I know it is frustrating when he will not sit and read or try and do sessions cause hes all over the place sometimes, makes me feel like a failure most times, my wife as well.
Oh yea were also not talking for him anymore, letting him tell us what he wants and needs.
He can say words fine most times like:
Done, yes, blue, momma, green, meow, eat, poo poo,hot, night night, hot
But not words like:
No(sounds like ooooo), daddy(sounds like daeeee), red(ed), fish(fisshhhhhhhie), plane(cant quite get any of that), food(fooooooooeeeed), phone(o'ne), drink(dink)
any thoughts, ideas, concerns, comments, suggestions?
Sorry for not getting back with you sooner. I've been on vacation. Anyhow, I think you are on the right track with some of the things you are now doing (reading more books and watching less tv, not talking for him anymore…). And of course having him in speech therapy twice a week is great and I'm sure you will start to see great progress. I would encourage you to ask his speech therapist about his breathing if you still think that might be an issue. From what you are describing, it sounds like he may be apraxic, but the therapist he is seeing will let you know about this.
You are on the right track with your son. (my son's name is Mason too - I love that name!) Thanks for visiting my site.
Hello. I was wondering if anyone had some tips on how to work with toddlers to produce words with more clarity? I have a child that I work with that used to articulate the words in his vocabulary very well, now he is lacking that clarity. Any suggestions?
Hi Sarah, My name is Tina & i live in NY. My daughter is 3 yrs (born 21st may, 2005). She is a very active & cheerful kid. Usually picks up things very quickly. She knows her alphabets numbers colors shapes poems songs with actions, parts of the body & she has learnt most of these since she was 2 yrs old. She has also learnt to write most of the alphabets all by herself & can trace well. She can identify almost all the things animals birds around her. She actively participates in pretend play & can almost make believe things. That day she stuffed a cup with cotton & pretended it to be an ice cream. She follows most of the instuctions, goes for ballet & is able to follow her teacher. But even after all this… I am somehow not convinced with her communication. She is not able to carry an ongoing converstaion. Wat i am trying to say is that she talks… but doesnt converse. There is no To & Fro communication. If somebody will ask her something… she wont answer back.. & will pretend as if she has not understood anything. I am really confused by this. She often confuses with you I me.. eg.. she will often say.. You want milk & if i ask her wat… she will correctly say i want milk. Abt her temperament.. she sometimes gets inconsolable if we dont give her wat she wants… & she will throw up a tantrum really loud.. She mixes around quiet well.. will be shy towards strangers but not for too long.. She goes to a community school for 3 hrs 3 days… & as per her teacher she is really good.. Pls help me .. I am not sure if this is an underlying problem… or just a speech delay… Another important thing is that she is with me all thoroughout the day. We dont have any family around.. So she spends most of the time only with me & her dad.. I am not sure if this is the reason for her speech delay…
Pls. help
Tami, thanks for your helpful blog! I have a two-month old son who is having difficulty developing a good latch for breastfeeding. A lactation consultant suggested that I consider taking him to a speech therapist to engage him in exercises that would help. I did a quick search for info on infant speech therapy and was not able to get an idea of what to expect during a session and if it is worthwhile. Can you tell me more about this type of speech therapy?
Well it sounds like you have a very smart little girl. I apologize for not responding sooner, I didn't see this until now. Has her communication improved at all since being in preschool? Usually this makes a huge difference in that area. It's important that you give her a reason to communicate. I have one or two posts talking about this. She needs to understand that communicating and using her words will get her something that she wants. Also, when you ask her a question, try to give her choices (probably 2) instead of asking her an open ended question. She might find it easier to answer if she is given choices.
If you try these suggestions and still there is no improvement, you might want to take her in to your local school district for a speech/language evaluation. They very well may say she doesn't need therapy and they'll give you suggestions to work with her at home. Or of course they may suggest some therapy. After the age of 3 the public school district will evaluate for free and should provide therapy for free within the school district. I have a link to this service (Child Find) under the category Speech/Language Evaluation.
I hope this helps. Let me know how she is doing.
Tami
You want to look for a speech therapist that specializes in oral/motor therapy and of course one that specializes in infants/babies. Is there a Children's Hospital near you? That is definitely where I would start. If you do find a specialist in your area, their evaluation will consist of a thorough assessment of his oral musculature and structures. And depending on what they find, they may just send you home with some strengthening exercises to work on with your baby.
What city to you live in? Maybe I can help find a specialist in your area.
I was wondering if anyone can help me with a question I have concerning my 3 year old. He is in preschool and is doing great! The problem that he is having is that he drops the first letter or letters of a word. He has problems saying G and J. He can't say either one. If someone has any help or even what this would be considered that would be helpful. Thank you so much!
For your child's age, having difficulty with the G and J sounds are common. They will probably self correct in a year or so. As far as dropping the first sounds of words - this is not quite as common. Can he repeat the would correctly after you say it for him? If he can, that's a great sign and probably within time he will develop this on his own. If he can't say it correctly after you say it first and if he is getting very frustrated because he is not understood, you may want to have him evaluated.
I don't know where you live, but most school districts will evaluate a child between the ages of 3-5 and even provide therapy if necessary. I would contact your local elementary school and ask them about this.
I am actually a parent aide, working with a client who is concerned about her 4 yo daughter. The daughter can speak in sentences, but frequently repeats the last few words of the sentence a few times before finishing her thought. The client asked if I could research this for her, and I haven't had much luck elsewhere. Is this something to be concerned about? Thank you for your time…cathy
We have a son going to be five on July 10 is having difficulty in expressing. He understands sometimes but response is sometimes weak. I take him for speech therapy at Ramachandra Hospital at Chennai. He goes to school for his UKG. Kindly give us some advise in this regard.
Hi Tami,
I love your site, very informative. I am especially interested in the information about receptive language delays. I was pleased to see more information about "late talkers" versus receptive language delays. I work with children birth to five years old. I think there is the myth that because a child can physically hear and may perform some familiar tasks when asked, the he/she does not have an issue with receptive language. I see a lot of children who seem to have a language delay and also have behavior issues. I think a receptive delay may address both of these issues. Do you know where I can find out more about receptive language delays? Also, can I use your article in a parent workshop on language development? Thanks so much!
Thanks for the wonderful comments. I agree that this topic/disability is very overlooked. You can probably find more information on receptive language delay at http://asha.org or by just doing a google search.
And, yes you can absolutely use my article in your parent workshop. In fact if you would like to promote my site too at your workshop - that would be great.
My 3 3/4 year old grandson continues to say me instead of I when speaking. His expressive language is developing but this has developed into a habit. We are reluctant to correct him constantly because we don't want it interfere with his expressive language and thought processes. Is there a technique to address this?Thank you for any responses.
Saying "me" instead of "I" is not so uncommon at that age. It should correct itself soon, but you're right that the longer he uses this substitution, the more of a habit it will become. Instead of correcting him, give him the correct "model" of how he should say it. For example, if he says "Me want juice", you (and the other adults around him) can say "I want juice." You are not correcting him and asking him to say it the right way, however, you are letting him hear how it is supposed to sound. And when you do this, it's ok and even a good idea to put a little more stress on the "I".
At this age we always want to first try to "correct" in an indirect way. That is by just saying it the correct way ourselves and letting them hear this and hopefully they will pick it up on their own.
Hi Tami,
I can't find an answer to this question, I hope you can help. Our daughter (just turned 4 in October) is starting to narrate her own experience. If I ask her a question such as, "Do you want some milk?" Her answer will be "No, she says". Is this normal?
Thanks,
Suzie
Well, I can't say this is too common. But I would give it some time and see if it doesn't go away on it's own. I would not call attention to it and make her aware of it. It sounds like one of those things that will just go away by itself - just give it some time.
If it doesn't go away by itself in a few months, you may want to consult a speech therapist in your area to get their take on it.
My daughter is 2 1/2 and I've noticed that when she refers to something that belongs to her she says, "my Addisen's_____ or that's Addisen's." I'm not sure how to correct her without interfering with her speech development. In addition, she has a slight lisp when she says her "S's" or "Th" sounds. I have been trying for some time to break her of the pacifier, as she only uses it when we put her to sleep. She is so attached to it at night and won't take another soothie alternative. Is it very crucial that I remove the pacifier ASAP? Could you please give me some helpful tips? Your help is greatly appreciated.
As far as her lisp goes, this is not something you should even be concerned about at 2 1/2 years old. This is developmentally age appropriate and something she will most likely outgrow by the time she is 4. And as for her grammar issues - referring to herself in the 3rd person - at the age of 2 1/2 she is really just learning how to put it all together. So it's normal for language at this age to not come out perfect. What she needs mostly, is NOT to be corrected, but rather just to hear good language models around her. After she says "my Addisen's___" you can just simply give her the correct phrase by saying it back to her but not "correcting" her ("Oh, My baby") and you can even emphasize the correct pronoun. But at that age you don't need or want her to have to repeat it the right way or in any way feel that she has said something wrong.
Hi Tami! My son just turned 4. He has had some speech issues. I have corrected most of them myself. The only thing I'm not able to change, The "Elmer Fud R Sound." "Instead of the word RUN he says WUN.The others were visually on the exterior like the sounds f and th. With work, he was able to see and then copy.
I was just wondering if you had any tips on how to correct this problem. I am starting the process of an evaluation. They are telling me it is very long process. When really this is the only thing that is left. I was so happy to find you…an actual therapist that answers questions! Thank you so much for this blog site.
Well, I hate to tell you this, but "r" is actually in my opinion the most difficult sound to teach. Because, like you said, you can't SEE what to do with your tongue. A trained therapist can sometimes work on different lip positions to help correct this sound. Some kids can hear the difference and are able to figure out correct tongue placement after a lot of auditory discrimination kinds of exercises. But I think most kids need to be taught and "told" and even shown pictures of what their tongue needs to do, and this can't be done with a 4 year old.
So, what I'm saying is that there are some kids who can figure it out with a little bit of guidance at 4 or 5 years, but many kids won't be able to correct tongue placement on this particular sound until a bit older - 6 or even 7.
It's great that you're going in for an evaluation. Hopefully that therapist can give you some helpful strategies or maybe she'll just say that he's too young to work on this sound. Either way, it's good to go for an evaluation early rather than later.
Good luck and I'd love to know what you find out from the therapist after his evaluation.
Hi, my son will be turning 2 in a few days and I'm concerned that his speech is not progressing as it should be. He doesn't say any sentences except ones that were learned together as a phrase like "thank you" and "I love you"- He cannot copy after me when I say something, and if he manages to say a word, I might not hear it again. Its like he forgets. He also adds an "L" into his words all the time. The only question he asks is "Whatsthat" and it sounds like "wahdah" run together, no inflection at all. He doesn't actually converse at all, it's mostly just yelling at his sisters or saying random things from his favorite thing "Go Diego Go", For instance, if I ask him his name he'll say "Diego!" He has no response to asking him to make animal sounds. He can point them out if I ask him, "Show me the cow" but he doesn't imitate me saying them or tell me what they sound like. (with the exception of Llama. He does say that because he sees that one on Diego of course.)
Some examples of his speech are:
soda= glah
glakin= Micheal Jackson (my 6 year old is on the spectrum and her obsession at the moment is Michel Jackson)
Whee! (the exclamation)= ee!
pone= phone
g-low= playdough
et-ee= empty
klee= keys
nay nuP (hard p sound)= thank you
tloy= toy (he's never said this before but I finally got him to today.. and again the L sneaks in)
et cho clat= santa claus
If he doesn't know what something is, he responds with either something else, like exclaiming "Day go!" (diego) or by saying "Doh Doh" or making a hissing sound.
He does say some words correctly. Ball, Mama, Daddy (sometimes… other times daddy is said with that "L" as in DLaddy"
He does get upset when we don't understand him, but it does no good because he simply repeats the word over and over again. If we ask him if he wants milk, he's just scream and keep saying "eeuck eeuck" which is what milk is I guess.
He says "yes" and "no" and they sound so much the same that I'm never sure. Most of the time unless its something about his tv show, I have no idea what he's saying until we go through the list of things he could want.
Am I right to be a little concerned? He is my first boy and I have 4 other girls that talked in sentences by now. Could you advise me as to if these errors are normal for a 24 month old boy?
From your description, I would recommend you take him for a speech/language evaluation. It is true that boys' language typically develops a little slower than girls, but since he is not yet combing words and he seems to be very difficult to understand, I would take him for an evaluation.
We have 2 year old girl/boy twins. Our daughter is communicating very well and has a vocab of between 40 and 60 words. Our son on the other hand has maybe 12 words and is a very frustrated little guy. By our reckoning he's delayed by about 4 months on his peers for most of the other milestones. He is not one for reading - and is only happy when watching tv (which we cap at 30 minutes a day). When is the right time to get concerned with his speech development? Is there any games/activities that could help to get him talking? My husband very rarely reads to our son and I wondered if this would be part of the reason behind the delay (and other part is twin speak with his sister)?
Comments on Q & A »
Hi
I have just arrived home from two therpay sessions with my daughter today and becoming increasingly concerned about her speech. Annie is 4 years old and has hypernasality so can't say s/sh/z/f/t(sometimes/nch. She pushes all the air through her nose so at times cannot be understood. She does not have submucous palate and has taught hreself to talk this way when she had some periods of deafness through ear infections between 12-24 months old. I know she will probably catch on eventually but as she has to understand why she talks like this is may take sometime, whoch she does not have as she starts mainstream school in September. it also appears that the school system may notbe able to refer for speech (she has had it for two years) and I am worreid without the extra help her speech will become increasingly more difficult to understand. She alread cries at times when people cannot understand her and her brother (8 years old) is also becoming anxious when peolple do not understand her. Any ideas?
Hi Sarah
I would continue taking her for therapy and if you have insurance to cover it, I would probably increase the frequency to 2x per week. If she is that difficult to understand, she should qualify for services through the public school district. I would recommend supplementing that with private speech therapy. I'm sure her current therapist is working on air flow with her and because this has become such a habit to her, it will take some time to improve significantly. Be patient. Also, if you practice at home with her (a little every day) this will help tremendously.
I hope this has helped a little.
Tami
I'm looking for ideas to help my almost 5 yr old daughter. Sometimes she seems to cut off the end of all her words in a sentence especially if she is excited. Also her preschool teachers say that her peers can't understand her. And only at school she speaks really softly and she is timid and shy (but not so anywhere else).
Also I'm looking for any storybooks that I could read to her about having a speech problem like Berenstein Bears have about different social issues.
Thanks!!
Dee
Hi Dee,
First of all, have you tried to get physically down on her level so she can see your mouth and model for her the correct way to say a specific word and emphasize the ending? And if so, can she imitate it correctly? If she slows down, does she still cut off the ends of words?
As far as her not being understood by her peers at preschool, is it because she is just speaking so softly or is it also because she is cutting off the endings of words? It is not so uncommon for little ones to be shy and talk softly in school, especially if this is her first school experience.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any storybooks that address difficulty speaking. If she is aware that people are having difficulty understanding her and she is bothered by it or gets frustrated, I would strongly encourage you to take her for a speech evaluation. You can ask your local public elementary school for the district's Child Find program's contact information.
I hope this helps.
Tami
I have an 8 year old daugther that I have been concerned about her speech since she was a toddler. She has always been difficult to understand, lacking enunciation. Now that she is older, she speaks much better, but still has trouble enunciating and also speaks very fast with the occassional stutter. It has not affected her learning (she is actually a top student) and has also not affected her socially (she was voted for student council rep in her class by all her peers) although her friends do have trouble understanding her. I feel like her mind goes so much faster than her words so she tries to keep up. When I was a kid I had a similar problem but stuttered more. I adventually grew out of it as an adult. I would like to have seen her in speech therapy at an earlier age, but her dad (whom I am divorced from) disagrees and thinks she is "just a kid". She has good health insurance, but I have never checked if it covers speech. Is this something that would benefit from therapy? Or am I just overreacting like her dad thinks? How can her dad and I as parents help her without hurting her feelings (she is very sensitive)? Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Lesley,
Thanks so much for posting this question here. My first thought while I was reading this was - yes, absolutely take her in for at least an evaluation with a speech pathologist and consult with that person. After reading to the bottom of your email though and hearing from you that she is very sensitive, I immediately wondered if she was at all bothered by her speech. If she is aware and bothered that her friends don't always understand her than she would probably be open and receptive to seeing a therapist to have it checked out. And I would make very light of it because you don't want her to feel ashamed.
If she is not aware and not bothered at all by her speech, than you approach obviously needs to be a little different. I would still recommend that she be evaluated. Because this has not effected her academically or socially is a good thing, but she will not qualify for services through the schools (and this may be too much of a stigma for her anyways). You will need to find a clinic or private speech pathologist in your area. She is still young enough that therapy can make a difference. The older she gets, the more her habits will be ingrained and the harder it will be to make a change.
I hope this helps.
Tami
My son Mason is 2 1/2 now. No sickness other than a few colds or fever, he i think is just being a boy and doesnt concentrate. We have him doing 2x weekly private speech therapy with a local place that gears towards apraxia however the therapist we have is kinda new to it all, but my son loves her and they are making some head way. I do not know how to tell if he is breathing through his nose alot causing speech issues? i would be happy to record some of his talking if you would like to hear it to see if you have any hints. We have been told to use ALOT of the old books by dr suess to get him listening to red, green, blue, one, two, three, a,b,c kinda stuff. Doing some flash cards with him and have slowed down on all of the dvd videos and trying to sit and read with him more for we have failed on that a bit i must admit.
When he turns 3 he will go into the school system speech therapy stuff, not sure how that is going to go, we may continue to use the private stuff too, its being covered by in insurance now soooo well have to see.
We have yet to have his hearing checked but he hears everything, planes, cars, dogs, cats, people, tv, etc doesnt seem to ever be lacking there. I know it is frustrating when he will not sit and read or try and do sessions cause hes all over the place sometimes, makes me feel like a failure most times, my wife as well.
Oh yea were also not talking for him anymore, letting him tell us what he wants and needs.
He can say words fine most times like:
Done, yes, blue, momma, green, meow, eat, poo poo,hot, night night, hot
But not words like:
No(sounds like ooooo), daddy(sounds like daeeee), red(ed), fish(fisshhhhhhhie), plane(cant quite get any of that), food(fooooooooeeeed), phone(o'ne), drink(dink)
any thoughts, ideas, concerns, comments, suggestions?
Jeremy,
Sorry for not getting back with you sooner. I've been on vacation. Anyhow, I think you are on the right track with some of the things you are now doing (reading more books and watching less tv, not talking for him anymore…). And of course having him in speech therapy twice a week is great and I'm sure you will start to see great progress. I would encourage you to ask his speech therapist about his breathing if you still think that might be an issue. From what you are describing, it sounds like he may be apraxic, but the therapist he is seeing will let you know about this.
You are on the right track with your son. (my son's name is Mason too - I love that name!) Thanks for visiting my site.
Tami
Hello. I was wondering if anyone had some tips on how to work with toddlers to produce words with more clarity? I have a child that I work with that used to articulate the words in his vocabulary very well, now he is lacking that clarity. Any suggestions?
Hi Sarah, My name is Tina & i live in NY. My daughter is 3 yrs (born 21st may, 2005). She is a very active & cheerful kid. Usually picks up things very quickly. She knows her alphabets numbers colors shapes poems songs with actions, parts of the body & she has learnt most of these since she was 2 yrs old. She has also learnt to write most of the alphabets all by herself & can trace well. She can identify almost all the things animals birds around her. She actively participates in pretend play & can almost make believe things. That day she stuffed a cup with cotton & pretended it to be an ice cream. She follows most of the instuctions, goes for ballet & is able to follow her teacher. But even after all this… I am somehow not convinced with her communication. She is not able to carry an ongoing converstaion. Wat i am trying to say is that she talks… but doesnt converse. There is no To & Fro communication. If somebody will ask her something… she wont answer back.. & will pretend as if she has not understood anything. I am really confused by this. She often confuses with you I me.. eg.. she will often say.. You want milk & if i ask her wat… she will correctly say i want milk. Abt her temperament.. she sometimes gets inconsolable if we dont give her wat she wants… & she will throw up a tantrum really loud.. She mixes around quiet well.. will be shy towards strangers but not for too long.. She goes to a community school for 3 hrs 3 days… & as per her teacher she is really good.. Pls help me .. I am not sure if this is an underlying problem… or just a speech delay… Another important thing is that she is with me all thoroughout the day. We dont have any family around.. So she spends most of the time only with me & her dad.. I am not sure if this is the reason for her speech delay…
Pls. help
Tami, thanks for your helpful blog! I have a two-month old son who is having difficulty developing a good latch for breastfeeding. A lactation consultant suggested that I consider taking him to a speech therapist to engage him in exercises that would help. I did a quick search for info on infant speech therapy and was not able to get an idea of what to expect during a session and if it is worthwhile. Can you tell me more about this type of speech therapy?
I guess i got the name wrong. I aplogise. The comment posted for the following was actually meant for Tami…
September 22, 2008
Tina DSilva @ 8:42 pm
Hi Tina,
Well it sounds like you have a very smart little girl. I apologize for not responding sooner, I didn't see this until now. Has her communication improved at all since being in preschool? Usually this makes a huge difference in that area. It's important that you give her a reason to communicate. I have one or two posts talking about this. She needs to understand that communicating and using her words will get her something that she wants. Also, when you ask her a question, try to give her choices (probably 2) instead of asking her an open ended question. She might find it easier to answer if she is given choices.
If you try these suggestions and still there is no improvement, you might want to take her in to your local school district for a speech/language evaluation. They very well may say she doesn't need therapy and they'll give you suggestions to work with her at home. Or of course they may suggest some therapy. After the age of 3 the public school district will evaluate for free and should provide therapy for free within the school district. I have a link to this service (Child Find) under the category Speech/Language Evaluation.
I hope this helps. Let me know how she is doing.
Tami
Hi Anne,
You want to look for a speech therapist that specializes in oral/motor therapy and of course one that specializes in infants/babies. Is there a Children's Hospital near you? That is definitely where I would start. If you do find a specialist in your area, their evaluation will consist of a thorough assessment of his oral musculature and structures. And depending on what they find, they may just send you home with some strengthening exercises to work on with your baby.
What city to you live in? Maybe I can help find a specialist in your area.
Tami
I was wondering if anyone can help me with a question I have concerning my 3 year old. He is in preschool and is doing great! The problem that he is having is that he drops the first letter or letters of a word. He has problems saying G and J. He can't say either one. If someone has any help or even what this would be considered that would be helpful. Thank you so much!
Hi Holly,
For your child's age, having difficulty with the G and J sounds are common. They will probably self correct in a year or so. As far as dropping the first sounds of words - this is not quite as common. Can he repeat the would correctly after you say it for him? If he can, that's a great sign and probably within time he will develop this on his own. If he can't say it correctly after you say it first and if he is getting very frustrated because he is not understood, you may want to have him evaluated.
I don't know where you live, but most school districts will evaluate a child between the ages of 3-5 and even provide therapy if necessary. I would contact your local elementary school and ask them about this.
Hope this helps.
Tami
Hi Tami,
I am actually a parent aide, working with a client who is concerned about her 4 yo daughter. The daughter can speak in sentences, but frequently repeats the last few words of the sentence a few times before finishing her thought. The client asked if I could research this for her, and I haven't had much luck elsewhere. Is this something to be concerned about? Thank you for your time…cathy
We have a son going to be five on July 10 is having difficulty in expressing. He understands sometimes but response is sometimes weak. I take him for speech therapy at Ramachandra Hospital at Chennai. He goes to school for his UKG. Kindly give us some advise in this regard.
Thanking you.
Jena
Hi Tami,
I love your site, very informative. I am especially interested in the information about receptive language delays. I was pleased to see more information about "late talkers" versus receptive language delays. I work with children birth to five years old. I think there is the myth that because a child can physically hear and may perform some familiar tasks when asked, the he/she does not have an issue with receptive language. I see a lot of children who seem to have a language delay and also have behavior issues. I think a receptive delay may address both of these issues. Do you know where I can find out more about receptive language delays? Also, can I use your article in a parent workshop on language development? Thanks so much!
Hi Tonya,
Thanks for the wonderful comments. I agree that this topic/disability is very overlooked. You can probably find more information on receptive language delay at http://asha.org or by just doing a google search.
And, yes you can absolutely use my article in your parent workshop. In fact if you would like to promote my site too at your workshop - that would be great.
Thanks again!
Tami
My 3 3/4 year old grandson continues to say me instead of I when speaking. His expressive language is developing but this has developed into a habit. We are reluctant to correct him constantly because we don't want it interfere with his expressive language and thought processes. Is there a technique to address this?Thank you for any responses.
Hi Chris,
Saying "me" instead of "I" is not so uncommon at that age. It should correct itself soon, but you're right that the longer he uses this substitution, the more of a habit it will become. Instead of correcting him, give him the correct "model" of how he should say it. For example, if he says "Me want juice", you (and the other adults around him) can say "I want juice." You are not correcting him and asking him to say it the right way, however, you are letting him hear how it is supposed to sound. And when you do this, it's ok and even a good idea to put a little more stress on the "I".
At this age we always want to first try to "correct" in an indirect way. That is by just saying it the correct way ourselves and letting them hear this and hopefully they will pick it up on their own.
I hope this helps.
Tami
Hi Tami,
I can't find an answer to this question, I hope you can help. Our daughter (just turned 4 in October) is starting to narrate her own experience. If I ask her a question such as, "Do you want some milk?" Her answer will be "No, she says". Is this normal?
Thanks,
Suzie
Hi Suzie,
Well, I can't say this is too common. But I would give it some time and see if it doesn't go away on it's own. I would not call attention to it and make her aware of it. It sounds like one of those things that will just go away by itself - just give it some time.
If it doesn't go away by itself in a few months, you may want to consult a speech therapist in your area to get their take on it.
Good luck,
Tami
Hi Tami,
My daughter is 2 1/2 and I've noticed that when she refers to something that belongs to her she says, "my Addisen's_____ or that's Addisen's." I'm not sure how to correct her without interfering with her speech development. In addition, she has a slight lisp when she says her "S's" or "Th" sounds. I have been trying for some time to break her of the pacifier, as she only uses it when we put her to sleep. She is so attached to it at night and won't take another soothie alternative. Is it very crucial that I remove the pacifier ASAP? Could you please give me some helpful tips? Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
As far as her lisp goes, this is not something you should even be concerned about at 2 1/2 years old. This is developmentally age appropriate and something she will most likely outgrow by the time she is 4. And as for her grammar issues - referring to herself in the 3rd person - at the age of 2 1/2 she is really just learning how to put it all together. So it's normal for language at this age to not come out perfect. What she needs mostly, is NOT to be corrected, but rather just to hear good language models around her. After she says "my Addisen's___" you can just simply give her the correct phrase by saying it back to her but not "correcting" her ("Oh, My baby") and you can even emphasize the correct pronoun. But at that age you don't need or want her to have to repeat it the right way or in any way feel that she has said something wrong.
And as far as the pacifier, in my opinion it's a habit that's just harder to get rid of as your child gets older. There is a link from this post http://speechtherapyweb.com/will-using-a-pacifier-interfere-with-my-toddlers-speech-development
to an article that I think will help you with the pacifier issue.
I hope this information has been helpful.
Tami
Hi Tami! My son just turned 4. He has had some speech issues. I have corrected most of them myself. The only thing I'm not able to change, The "Elmer Fud R Sound." "Instead of the word RUN he says WUN.The others were visually on the exterior like the sounds f and th. With work, he was able to see and then copy.
I was just wondering if you had any tips on how to correct this problem. I am starting the process of an evaluation. They are telling me it is very long process. When really this is the only thing that is left. I was so happy to find you…an actual therapist that answers questions! Thank you so much for this blog site.
Hi Darci,
Well, I hate to tell you this, but "r" is actually in my opinion the most difficult sound to teach. Because, like you said, you can't SEE what to do with your tongue. A trained therapist can sometimes work on different lip positions to help correct this sound. Some kids can hear the difference and are able to figure out correct tongue placement after a lot of auditory discrimination kinds of exercises. But I think most kids need to be taught and "told" and even shown pictures of what their tongue needs to do, and this can't be done with a 4 year old.
So, what I'm saying is that there are some kids who can figure it out with a little bit of guidance at 4 or 5 years, but many kids won't be able to correct tongue placement on this particular sound until a bit older - 6 or even 7.
It's great that you're going in for an evaluation. Hopefully that therapist can give you some helpful strategies or maybe she'll just say that he's too young to work on this sound. Either way, it's good to go for an evaluation early rather than later.
Good luck and I'd love to know what you find out from the therapist after his evaluation.
Tami
Thanks, Tami. We are starting to see an improvement. He is using both now.
Hi, my son will be turning 2 in a few days and I'm concerned that his speech is not progressing as it should be. He doesn't say any sentences except ones that were learned together as a phrase like "thank you" and "I love you"- He cannot copy after me when I say something, and if he manages to say a word, I might not hear it again. Its like he forgets. He also adds an "L" into his words all the time. The only question he asks is "Whatsthat" and it sounds like "wahdah" run together, no inflection at all. He doesn't actually converse at all, it's mostly just yelling at his sisters or saying random things from his favorite thing "Go Diego Go", For instance, if I ask him his name he'll say "Diego!" He has no response to asking him to make animal sounds. He can point them out if I ask him, "Show me the cow" but he doesn't imitate me saying them or tell me what they sound like. (with the exception of Llama. He does say that because he sees that one on Diego of course.)
Some examples of his speech are:
soda= glah
glakin= Micheal Jackson (my 6 year old is on the spectrum and her obsession at the moment is Michel Jackson)
Whee! (the exclamation)= ee!
pone= phone
g-low= playdough
et-ee= empty
klee= keys
nay nuP (hard p sound)= thank you
tloy= toy (he's never said this before but I finally got him to today.. and again the L sneaks in)
et cho clat= santa claus
If he doesn't know what something is, he responds with either something else, like exclaiming "Day go!" (diego) or by saying "Doh Doh" or making a hissing sound.
He does say some words correctly. Ball, Mama, Daddy (sometimes… other times daddy is said with that "L" as in DLaddy"
He does get upset when we don't understand him, but it does no good because he simply repeats the word over and over again. If we ask him if he wants milk, he's just scream and keep saying "eeuck eeuck" which is what milk is I guess.
He says "yes" and "no" and they sound so much the same that I'm never sure. Most of the time unless its something about his tv show, I have no idea what he's saying until we go through the list of things he could want.
Am I right to be a little concerned? He is my first boy and I have 4 other girls that talked in sentences by now. Could you advise me as to if these errors are normal for a 24 month old boy?
Hi Ana,
From your description, I would recommend you take him for a speech/language evaluation. It is true that boys' language typically develops a little slower than girls, but since he is not yet combing words and he seems to be very difficult to understand, I would take him for an evaluation.
Hi Tami
We have 2 year old girl/boy twins. Our daughter is communicating very well and has a vocab of between 40 and 60 words. Our son on the other hand has maybe 12 words and is a very frustrated little guy. By our reckoning he's delayed by about 4 months on his peers for most of the other milestones. He is not one for reading - and is only happy when watching tv (which we cap at 30 minutes a day). When is the right time to get concerned with his speech development? Is there any games/activities that could help to get him talking? My husband very rarely reads to our son and I wondered if this would be part of the reason behind the delay (and other part is twin speak with his sister)?