Son Is Not Speaking

Teach him basic sign language. Like the sign for drink, eat, treat, thank you, mommy, etc. It works wonders with kids who can't speak.

Hello A.

Have you ever thought about trying to teach him sign language? It may eliminate some of the frustrations. Asl the therapist if it is feasible in his situation.

A.,
I very sorry to hear what you have been struggling with. I know there are programs that cost you nothing through your school district even though your child is not in school yet you may want to try them. Also I know you can call the health department and they can help you find someway to help your child with his speech and hearing. You may want to ask your pediatrician about them. I know it must be frustrating , but I will tell you that my one son did not really start talking until he was almost 3. I hope I was able to help in some way. I will put you in my prayers.Good luck!
B.

My son was born 6 1/2 weeks early, too, A.. His birthday is June 26th, and he is two. He also has a speech delay, and my son's speech therapist said not to worry about anything. I patiently let my son tell me what he wants, and before I know it, he will be talking up a mile a minute. He also uses words, quite a few, and recently says "Wow" and "Ut oh" a lot because he hears me say it, LOL! Just keep talking about EVERYTHING, A., and he will catch on. What's funny is whenever my son does something wrong, I always say "Ut oh" and "Wow", so that is how he picked it up, LOL! Put on Sesame Street, and play the exact same tape for one week, and then do another baby tape the other week (one hour a day for my son), and now he's pointing at things, so that is great for me! Now I am able to anticipate what he wants because he points, so again, with time he will start to develop from imitation. Your lucky that your two-year old has an older sibling because that is another part of speech delay for my son is that he is being raised in a single-parent home, that is why I play the tapes. Good luck!

My 8 month old daughter has Mild/Moderate Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss, she failed her hearing test at birth and this is how we discovered she couldn't hear us well and she never really got startled at loud sounds. The hospital said it could have just been faulty equipment and not to worry, just test again at a later time. Thankfully, I did NOT wait a long time for her re-test. We got another appointment a few weeks later and she failed yet again, now we were sent to CHOP (Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia) and she saw an ENT and audiologist. Caitlyn had even further testing done and her diagnoisis was made at 2 months old. By the time she was 3 months she had 2 hearing aids plus was enrolled in the Early Intervention program. Well, at 7 months old Cait still wasn't babbling all that much and I called her services coordinator and she was only being seen once a month and now she is being seen weekly.

Has your son had hearing tests? Have you informed his pediatrician on what is going on and expressed your concern? You have to be the one looking out for your little boy. I am sure you are doing a wonderful job and asking for help is huge! Please just don't take the wait and see approach.

I read down through and noticed alot of people suggesting ASL, this may help with some of the frustration you are experiencing but please talk with a SLP first. For my daughter they do not want us teaching her that and we are working with a therapist from the Clarke School to teach her to talk... you'd be amazed at what little kids can accomplish.

I have a ton of information here and know many people that could answer questions... I'd be happy to share info with you, just contact me.

Good luck!

Hi A.,

My daughter is 9 years old and just was diagnosed with a hearing condition that has greatly affected her speech since she was small. We thought her speech delay was due to being the 5th child and that the siblings were "speaking" for her. We tried having her tested and I've had tutors working with her, but the big breakthrough came when I got a recommendation to take her to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Phila.). I don't know where you live in comparison to CHOP, but I know since I have been seeing an ENT there, we are finally getting answers to questions that we have had for several years. Hannah is now being given speech and language services and she is progressing. Keep going until you get your answer. I wish we would have started with CHOP when Hannah was 4. Above all else, it is a comfort to me to know that I am not alone in working with my child's special needs. I am open to further contact if you wish. I'm grateful for those who were there for me when I needed it.

C.

You said that your son was found delayed in both speech and something else, but I don't know what the other item is (motor skills, cognitive skills, social skills,...). If you have not contacted the early intervention organization in your state, do so as soon as possible. Their services are great and FREE. They do not provide a diagnosis, however, so you may want to see a developmental pediatrician. Anyway, my son also has a speech delay. I remember the days of frustration & crying from the both of us because I couldn't understand and he did not know how to make me. We used some sign language and some PECS (picture exchange communication system). Even just teaching him to point at what he wanted reduced our level of frustration with each other. In addition, I added far more discussion to our daily routine and lots of oral exercises (candle blowing, bubbles, horns, etc.). My son has autism, so I really think that what got his speech going was a modified ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) approach. He still has a delay, but he has gone from only 10-15 labels at the age of two to near conversational language in five months. Don't play the wiat and see game because you only waste valuable time. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any additional information. Good Luck.

Hi A. i would call my ped and get another name of a therapist if your not happy with the current one ....MY daughter was also 6 weeks early she did speak but had a few lisps and i was concerend and they put her in speech at school was in it for 5 yrs and they say it was do to her being a preemie something to do with the muscles she didnt know how to suck so she had to be taught but anyways the speech teachers believed her lisps were do to her tounge muslces and being a preemie but shes talks just fine now ....your son is only two and all i have read here sounds like he will be just fine but i would get another therapist to work with your son :)

My son will be two in Nov. and he also is delayed in speech because of some hearing issues and feeding concerns. He started getting therapy a few weeks ago and was also diagnosed with developmental apraxia. I haven't had a chance to research it yet but she assured me that he will grow out of it. The therapist also assured me that he is still very little and their was plenty of time to correct his speech. Of course your situation may be completely different but you have to keep hope that everything will work out. Children are fast learners so once he gets the help he needs to strengthen his skills he will catch up before you know it. Good Luck! Lis

Hi A.,
I am an Occupational Therapist that works very closely with Speech Therapists and yes they can diagnos. If she is unable to help you, seek another therapist and keep talking to your pediatrician.
My son was born 10 weeks early and though his language skills developed quite early his gross motor abilities didnt develop until quite later. he didnt sit unattended or crawl until one and didnt walk until almost two. Each child devlops so differently.
But keep being an advocate for your child and it is okay to be "one of those mothers'. Good luck to you!

A.,

Have you seen an ENT? My son was not premature, but We both had a bunch of delivery issues. He does have a bunch of medical issues and does not talk either. He will be three in novemer. I finally took him to an ent and found out that part of the reason he was not talking was due to not being able to hear. Children tend to get use to pain and won't show any signs that they hurt. we found out with my son the hard way. He finally has been able to recieve state help with Speech, ot, pt and a teacher. He is starting to regress even with all the help he gets. I agree it is very frusterating. Please feel free to e-mail me back if you have any more questions. Take Care!!

Hi A.-
My nephew was diagnosed with apraxia around the age of 2. He had speech therapy for a while. My sister described it as the words getting from the brain to the mouth, but his mouth could not get the words out. He is now 7 years old and speaks perfectly. Here is website with a good amount of information on the subject. Good luck!

http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

Hi A.,
I am a speech language pathologist. One of my specialties is childhood apraxia of speech. A SLP CAN diagnose "speech apraxia". I recommend speaking open and honestly to the speech therapist about your concerns. I would also check out an excellent website called www.apraxia-kids.org. It is an excellent resource for parents of children with apraxia. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me.
T.

A.,
I have a friend who was also very concerned when her son was 2+ and was speached delayed. She took him for an evaluation and began him on speach therapy. In no time at all he was talking, to the point she couldn't keep up with all that he had to say. Thankfully he was her first born so she didn't have to divide her attention the way you do with your kids. I know my advise was not what you were looking for, but I just wanted to share some hope with you. Have you thought of trying to learn/teach him some sign language. It will help reduce the frustration factor that you are both dealing with.
Best of luck to you.

Hi A.,

I know your situation my son also Ethan was not talking at the age of 2. I thought it was b/c of my two older ones always speaking for him but I realized that was not the case when my 1 year was saying more than he was. When he was smaller he had many ear infections that lead to him having tubes put into his ears. It helped but he was making sounds not words, not any words that I could understand. We had him dignosed and he is now getting speech th. and dev. He started in February but it has taken within the last two months that we can finally understand a little that he is trying to say. Take one step at a time. Talk to your ped. have them recommend a specialist. Go with your gut feeling. Hope it all works out for you.

T.

We have friends with a son who is now three who didn't speak until after he was two and is perfectly normal. Boys develop language skills slower than girls, and some can be very far behind initially, but are considered normal later. Seems like from what you say about having him see a speech therapist and so on that have this well in hand. A speech therapist has to dia. in order to treat him, especially if he hasn't had a diag. from his pediatrician in regards to his speech problem. You're on the right track...don't get frustrated. If he senses your frustration, it'll compound the problem. Good luck!

Hi A.-
I am a special educator and have a few suggestions you may want to try. Do you understand what Apraxia of speech is? I'm only asking because I've seen it and often times the parents are not given a thorough explanation. If you do not understand, please ask your SLP to explain it. If you stll don't fully understand, I know of some place that may be able to better explain.

Is your son recieving services through early intervention in your school system? If he is not, you may want to look into that. A team of educational specialists including an SLP and an OT would evaluate your son to determine his diagnosis if possible. Has your speech therapist mentioned anything about sign language? Using basic sign with young children can often reduce frustration because they can communicate their needs better. There are programs, such as Baby Signs, out there that can teach you how to work with your son to learn basic signs. It might be worth a try-- ask your therapist about it.

Hi A..

I have a six year old well he will be 7 in Jan. And he has speech issues as well. He is doing much better now. He has been in the Fairfax system since 3 yrs old. They started out with signing to communicate with me...which was great now he knows a little bite of signing if needed. He will outgrow it im sure, if you get him assistance now. Is his speech therapist a doctor or from a school system? we can chat more if you like, just email me directly....
____@____.com

Hope that helps a bit
S.

Medically, I cannot talk about any speech condition... but just as someone who's seen this in other kids:

We put so many 'benchmarks' on kids, based on what others are doing. We need to stop. Yes, he may be delayed justa a bit. But he'll talk. I promise. (I know a girl who didn't speak at ALL until she was 4. It was partly becuase everyone did everything for her. She is completely 'normal.' And now they can't shut her up!)

A., I'm a mom of two and my youngest was 2 months early. He took a little longer to talk too. If your little one is making noises that sound like the words, I think that is him trying to work out how to get the word out correctly. Is his other development on track? When they tested my son, because he wasn't talking, he could stack blocks, hand them back and forth, and was able to open a cardboard jewelry box. Those are a few that I remember. Does he respond to his name and show genuine interest in new things? Those are some of the things they were looking for when they tested my son, and then they said my DR was nuts, that he just didnt talk because he had an older brother to do it for him. Anyway, don't worry too much. I think he'll work things out. Good luck.
K.

hello,
two of my 4 kids were premature, one 6 weeks, and one 7 weeks. they don't have speach problems, but I say, just continue to talk to your child and he will pick it up. He is only 2 and there is still plenty of time. Don't get frustrated because he will see it. You might want to think about adding in a little sign language. It could even be your own form of it. My 2 year old does sign for I love you and hungry and a few others. Sorry you are so frustrated, just take your time with him , soon enough you won't be able to get him to stop talking.

A. B, sometimes highly inteligent people's skills develope at erratic intervals. Think "out of the box" teach him sign to make daily life easier as some others have agreed but also look into alternative types of developement and education like MUSIC ART and DRAMA. Also if there is a Monessori School near you and he is going to have unusual patterns in his developement then he could really thrive there. You can use the philosophy at home too. Here look at this website anyway because it is good food for thought. And this is just one site there are links in this site to others which may fit your personality better. http://montessorimom.com/?Approach_and_Philosophy:What_is...