My little boy seemed on the verge of a speech explosion when he suddenly started studdering. It is worse when we are around people he doesn't know and is mostly accentuated on the first word of a sentence. He has been slow in his speech development as well. In addition, he is prone to hitting and pushing, and I think this stems from his inability to express how he is feeling with his words. Anyone have any ideas or resources?
First of all, check with your local school district and get him into their speech development program. It is free and they have been working wonders with my now 8 year old 2nd grader. Speech pathologists cost a fortune, so take advantage of your tax dollars. It is not an overnight fix. Be patient, do the exercises they will give you and give your son all the encouragement and praise. It is time consuming, but well worth it. L.
Speech Therapy ASAP, call your local elementary and they will give you the number to get your child an evaluation. It's paid for through your taxers. Call today.
I completely and totally agree with everything Michele stated. In addition, I thought you might find this article/blog interesting as it deals specifically with stuttering in this age group.
http://www.askmoxie.org/2008/06/qa-stuttering-in-toddlers...
If you can't afford a speech therapist go to your school district and see if you can get him in early intervention. They do speech and it is free. My now 8 yr old bit every kid when he was 2 and 3 mostly out of frustration because he had speech problems.
Hello, three year olds are the cutest, aren't they?
Has your son been evaluated by a speech therapist? Early Intervention Services (through the county) are free and they do a fine job.
L.
My son also studdered but did not have the same issues that you say your son has. You can call early childhood intervention and have him evaluated .I think you can call the schools to get the #
Hi S.!
If you haven't already, I would recommend having him seen by a child speech therapist. Early intervention in speech can make a HUGE difference.
I have known children who were delayed in speech and/or stuttered, who got help at ages 2 to 4 and today, you honestly would never know there had been a problem.
I would suggest you contact your pediatrician first and ask for his recommendation/ideas. Then contact your school district to set up an evaluation.
And you're probably right about the acting out - age 3 is a tough age anyway, but not being able to communicate would only make things more frustrating for him.
Have you tried sign language as a way to get through this period? It wouldn't delay speech in a hearing child - quite the opposite, it causes a child to speak sooner and with a greater vocabularly.
Wishing you the best! M.
Check online for the Early Intervention Programs offered thru the State and DHS. I have an appt for my now 4 yr old in July due to the same issues. Good luck!
