Speech Therapy - Shelbyville, IL

My son didn't start really taking until he was 2 1/2. Everyone started getting nervous, saying I needed to take him to someone, but I didn't. He's now almost 6, and has talked constantly since that day when he was 2 1/2!! I would just suggest lots of reading pointing out how to say the names of objects that he plays with (ball, dog, etc).

I agree with the sign language comment. My son started speech therapy at 2 and the first thing the therapist taught him and us was basic signing. You can only do so much to help his speech progress..repetative fun games helped but he was able to communicate better with signing for a while. Good luck. Therapy is very important..I would get him in asap.

You may want to try pretending not to understand him unless he says the whole word correctly or more correctly. I don't know how you talk to him, but I used to take my kids shopping or someplace and use a lot of words, let's get the BIG RED CAN of soup or something like that. Don't talk too much for him, etc.

Good luck

That's what it is "repeat". Make it a game and get really excited when he says the right word. We would sit in a chair in any room and cuddle and while we were cuddling I would point and I would say slowly "light" "light" "ceiling" "ceiling" "floor" "floor" "chair" "chair". And then once in awhile I would do just one of them. To plant it in the brain. Then when I would say "what is that?" and he would get it right I would clap and say yeah. My kids loved getting it right. Some words they will say without s's or r's but eventually they will get it. And it's never to early to read to them. Also when you hand them a plate or a cup talk about each thing. Here's your "red plate" "big, blue cup". Most kids can learn way more than we give them credit for.

There are kids who start kindegarten without knowing their colors. It shouldn't happen. Talk about everything that's how they learn.

God Bless ya,
L.

Just work with him everyday saying everyday normal words, when he points to things, tell him what it is he is pointing at, when you give him something to eat or drink tell him what it is he is eating and drinking. Read to him, get puzzles with animals and food and different things. Take him on walks and point to things tell him what they are grass, rocks, dog whatever you see on your walk. He will eventually talk give it time. If he isnt talking by the age of 2 then you can talk to the doctor again, but some kids dont talk until the age of 3. I have a nephew that will be 3 in October and only says 2 words.

Good Morning R., I wouldn't be concerned over much. Our youngest son wouldn't speak for himself until I made our eldest son stop translating for him. He was almost 2 when I did this. Then he wouldn't shut up....lol Our oldest said DinaWHORE for dinosaur, youngest said pissh for Fish.
Now it is possible your little guy could have a hearing problem that causes him to hear sounds differently then we do. Our 3 yr old gr son has a large vocabulary for one so young, he said things like Helaachoppter for helicopter, Leapa for Pizza, when he first started talking. Now when we play around with sounds or words, he corrects us if we are making up silly stuff. Like my puppies name is Amber, he called her Ambert for a little while. Now if one of us calls her Ambert for fun he corrects us. NO it's Amber!!

We really miss his little miss pronouncements when he talks. They can be so fun to hear. Thankfully his little brother will soon start talking more. He says shuuuus for shoes already at 17 months.

R., my best instinct says not to be overly concerned.
If you want to have his hearing checked that is all i would do to confirm that it is OK. The speech, words will come in time.

Be Blessed and enjoy his little uniqueness!!
We called them Corbinisms..
K. Nana of 5

I don't know what kind of services you have in your area, but I got in touch with a program called FirstSteps thru our Parents As Teachers lady. They thought he might be mildly autistic, but he isn't, just slower in some areas. My son got in-home therapy from age 18mo until he turned 3. He's in a small preschool class and still gets his therapies at school, and probably will in kindergarten. (Now I wonder why I wanted him to talk, cuz he won't hush up, hahaha!)
Seriously, tho, if you are worried, act on it. Listen to your Mom-guts! Good luck to you and your kiddo. :)

18 months is very early to be talking speech therapy unless there are other issues like ear infections, tubes, neurological issues ect.) Both of my oldest children saw speech therapists and many children do. My oldest had problems making specific sounds, probably due to having constant fluid in his ear. My middle child has cerebral palsy and began seeing a speech therapist at a year and a half. It was this speech pathologist that recommended for my son to get speech. He began when he was 3 1/2 and was done by first grade. It is easy and fun and doesn't reflect at all on their intelligence. My son is in the gifted program now. Just talk to him like you would anyone else. Don't use huge words but don't baby talk. Just have conversations, ask him questions, ect. Children learn through mimicking. He may not answer you or talk back to you now but he will eventually

R. -

I'm an SLP as well and agree w/ Amy K. He is still a little guy, so keep up at your 'at home tricks' and give it 3 months.

Some more 'at home tricks':
1. Talk about what you do, what he does, what he's looking at and keep it short and sweet.
2. When he says a word or tries to say a word, repeat it with slow, deliberate emphasis. 'D' for 'dog'. Say: "DOG, that's right! Dog!"
3. Encourage sign language as others have suggested. It's not spoken language, but it is expressive language and can help him communicate.

You may also want to enroll in Parents As Teachers (a great organization) that sends people to your house to monitor development and help give you activities to improve/encourage growth/development.

In MO, we have a program called First Steps (IL may have a similar program) where you can get free therapy for children under 3 who need intervention and meet a certain set of criteria. Perhaps if you don't see improvement, you can try there. Call your local school district and ask them for help with a child under 3 and they should be able to help you out.

Good luck!

J.

R....I absolutely agree with what the other Mom's are telling you. Repetition is the key...that is the way we all learn...no matter what our age or goal. dont "interpret" for him....if you are willing to "guess"...then he has no reason to say the word correctly. Now I understand that zipper is a pretty hard word for a toddler to wrap his tongue around...but there are words that he should be able to say. Start naming everything you see...as the other Mothers have suggested...."look at the big red car".....oh goodness but you have green broccoli on your plate"....and let him know when he says something correctly...really get excited...clap your hands ( My 14 month old grandson already claps his hands when HE does something right...he "celebrates" with us!!!). Make it a game...have fun...and most of all...relax.
R. Ann

You are probably already doing these things, but the best thing you can do is talk, talk, and more talk with him. Also, put him on a "diet" of 9 or ten books a day (this is easier than it sounds if you do three in the morning, three in the afternoon and three at bedtime), pointing to words and saying them, asking him to repeat animal noises or names. Sining songs is also very helpful. Just surround him with language. And don't worry! Suddenly, he will take off talking and you'll wonder why you didn't enjoy the quiet while you could :)

I'm just wondering if your doctor has referred you out to an ENT. My son had delayed speech and we didn't find out until he was nearly 3 (and I will say from his speech therapist...NOT his doctor) that he had fluid on his ears which distorted the sounds he was hearing, thus causing the delay. Once we got him to an ENT and they put tubes in his ears it was literally night and day. Within two weeks his vocabulary tripled!

Beside from that little insight, yes repetition is the greatest thing at this age. If you get tired of being the one continuously repeating things, then I would recommend using some select DVDs... I understand the Baby Einstein series is really good. Myself, I'm prartial to PBS Between the Lions, LeapFrog series, and Word World.

If you aren't signed up for Parents as Teachers I would highly recommend contacting your local coordinator and getting onboard with the program. They offer playdates as well as individual visit with the coordinator and advice on teaching your tot at the various age level they are at.

There certainly is nothing wrong with getting speech therapy services. Both of my kids receive them and actually enjoy the one on one attention they get from their therapist. I just view it as an additional leg up they have for school and as a valuable learning lesson for them that if they need additional help with something, it's ok to get it.

I am a speech-language pathologist for a local school district and I would do a lot of play therapy with your kiddo. In other words, continually try to have some play time with your kiddo, where you give ample opportunity for speech-not just yes/no question and answers, but some "What is this?" questions. I would slow your rate of speech down and really enunciate your sounds in simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, such as, "dog, cat, pig," etc.

Did your kiddo pass his hearing test? Does he localize sound (i.e. if you're in another room and say his name, does he look back for you?)

I would suggest that you take some notes too, as to what your son is saying when you say these words (i.e. "dog" is "da" or "cat" is "ta"), so that you have some good documentation for your pediatrician and for a future SLP (if needed). There are local birth to 3-year-old groups that work with children that may have some delays and they are free within your local school district, so you may want to give them a call and get your kiddo signed up for an evaluation (that's free too), which may even ease your mind if there is nothing there to indicate a speech delay?!

Best wishes in all that you do!

My six-year old had a speech delay when he was younger. We did speech therapy for a little over a year before he was released. I would recommend a lot of playing and talking about what you are playing about. Ask him questions about his toys. Talk slowly and with expression with him. Once he begins talking more, make up stories with him to get him in a conversational mode. My son and I had so much fun. I would make up one line, he would the next, I the next, and so on. Also, play games like pretending to be animals and making the sounds the animals say. Picture books are also a lot of fun. We found great picture board books at the dollar stores. We would go through them a lot, naming the pictures, making the sounds that the cars or animals in the book would make. Keep it fun!

K.

I agree that you have to do what you feel is right for your son...but I will tell you I regret not getting my son speech help sooner. In this kind of situation I feel that sooner is better than later. I waited until my son was 3. The speech therapy has made a world of difference, but he is still way behind at six! It really can't do any harm to get him started now. It would be free through the county you live in. And then if he still needs it when he gets to school...it will continue to be free there too. Before he would start the therapy...they will give him all the hearing tests and such that he needs to make sure there isn't a problem there. Again...all free of charge. I really wish I would have listened to my son's doctor and got him help sooner...he may not be struggling as much in kindergarten this year had I listened! Once you find a speech therapist for him...they will help you help him as well. They kept me informed of what they were working on with him and what I could do at home to reinforce it all. And they still do this now that he is in school. It really is a great thing...I felt like my son felt a little less helpless as well. He could start to communicate with people and they could understand him instead of just me being able to understand him and have to tell everyone what he was saying. I think someone suggested learning some sign language...I did this with my son as well. I felt he needed to learn basics like milk, more, thank you, please, etc. I felt like he wasn't getting taught to use any manners because he couldn't say them. So I atleast got the point across by having him sign please and thank you type words. I wish you the best of luck on whatever you decide. Again...you have to make the decision based on what you feel is best for your son. I just wanted to share my experiences with you to help you make your decision. Hope it helped! ;)

R., Talk, talk, talk, just talk to him about EVERYTHING. When you are in the grocery store talk about everything you see, when you are playing label everything, i.e. Oh, look at the red ball. When singing songs, slow down so that he can hear each word seperately. This is what would be done with a therapist. If he does need therapy and you live in Johnson County, you should be able to have services with Infant Toddler Services, their services are free.

Good Luck, M.

My son is starting speech therapy, and I think the speech therapist will give us tips on how we (his parents) can help him talk better. So far what I've learned is that you should just talk to him a lot and annunciate the words he has trouble pronouncing. They also suggested getting him to look at my mouth so he can see how words are supposed to "look," as well as talking to him in front of a mirror so he can see the difference between how our mouths look while we say words. I hope this is helpful. If your son does end up needing speech therapy, I would encourage you to try not to worry too much about it- kids catch up quick at this age! Good luck.

R.,
The best advice I have heard is to repeat what your child says or wants, not in a nagging sort of way. For instance if he says zzzzz you can say, "That is a zipper." If he says dah, "That is a dog." Always talk to him about what you are doing. "Here is your milk." "do you like the milk."

I have three girls and all three of them spoke early and clearly. My middle child has sort of a lisp (that is what I call it.). She puts her tongue in between her teeth to say certain sounds like /s/ /th/ /j/ and some others. I was concerned at age two and three and was told that they won't offer help until age three and that is only if she has a real need (determined after testing.)

Another thing to think about is his ears. Are his ears clear, no fluid in them. Has he had a lot of ear infections. Sometimes that plays a part in hearing and talking.

I pray that this helps some. If you are still concerned don't hesitate to seek out help. Are you involved with parents as teachers? Seek out your local school district and they can help you if you don't know. The parents educators can also help you with things to do and give more advice.

What we did with our son was we just talked to him ALL the time and asked him questions. We knew he had no clue what we were saying or what to answer to our questions, but we also knew that by talking to him so much he would eventually catch on to what we were saying. he is now 2 1/2 and talks non stop and is more advanced than most 2 year olds. he didn't start talking alot until he was around 20-24 months, so don't be discouraged. I think you're Dr. is being a little presumptiuous!(sp)

I didn't take the time to read the other responses. I'm sure they offer great advice. As a mother of a 9 year old who has been in speech therapy since he was 3, here are my suggestions:

1) Have him evaluated by two different therapists. Children's Mercy actually misdiagnosed my son and therefore, the first 2 1/2 years of speech therapy did not address the cause of the issue.

2) Once you know for sure what is causing the problem, be diligent in doing any homework that the therapist asks you to do. It will help him to have you working with him as well as the weekly/biweekly session you will have with the therapist.

3) If you find he isn't improving, find a new therapist.

4) Never give up. My son still has issues after 6 years and I don't constantly correct him, but ask him to repeat as I didn't get it. When he was younger, after several times of the repeat request, he would throw up his hands and say forget it. I knew I had pushed once too many times then. He usually only has to repeat once now.

5) When you are working with him, look into his face. Be sure to ALWAYS speak properly around him and don't use any slang (ba ba, wa wa, paci). Ask all those that are around your son to speak clearly and crisply, too.

My pediatrician kept thinking my son was advancing so fast physically (sitting up on his own at 3 months, etc) that htey didn't worry about his speech until 3. Never can start too early.

Best of luck as I have been in your shoes and still am many years later. It is heartbreaking to not have the "perfect" child but if you start now, he will make so much progress.

Let him be. Every kid develops ,talks at there own speed. Now if by 2 or 2 1/2 he is still talking like he is now. Then you might want to consider what your dr said.

1st realize it isn't anything you did or did not do that caused this. Be thankful your doctor caught it. I pushed for my daughter. She is 8 and is still in speech since she was 2. There is a book called baby talk, it teaches sign language. It gets them started in communication. If you have any specific questions please feel free to contact me.
T. ____@____.com

the earlier the better to see a therapist. My granddaughter has speech apraxia where it is sometimes hard for her to spit out the words correctly. You can check that out on line to learn more about that condition. Her brain works fine but sometimes the words don't come or some words are hard to pronounce. She is 6 now & still needs some help but is doing fine.

See a different doctor! Most kids don't start talking that early and especially not to strangers. If you are hearing words come out of this mouth that you can understand, that is communication and that is what is important. Every kid is different and he will do it in his own time. My oldest didn't start talking until she was 26 months. She is now 3 1/2 and you can understand her better then a lot of kids older then her. Relax and just keep doing what you have been doing. He will be fine.

One other thought, have you signed up for Parents As Teachers? They do evalueations on hearing and speech as part of their monthly visits. If you are not doing this, I would start. Just call your local school district to sign up. It is totally free and they are an excellent resource, especially in this kind of situation where you REALLY need a second oppinion.

My son is 3 and will be 4 next month. He is taking speech therapy. They told me at home to work with him by slowing the words down and pronouncing each word when we talk to him. They also said that kids learn more by seeing then by hearing and suggested that when we talk to him, to move our hands..meaning like rub our hands together or rub our arms. Something like that. And so far just doing these things at home have helped him a great deal. Good luck with it. But you alone know your child better then anyone, go with your mommy instincts.

There's no harm in getting him help, but the truth is that boys talk later. My 18 month old only said a few words (and signed several), and just around two years old his speech exploded. He now speaks better than many children his age. I'm surprised you've gotten such a dismal outlook from the pediatrician. How many other boys his age do you know? I bet they are at about the same stage. Don't worry too much!

I highly recommend baby sign language. Helped my boys! There are some great videos that will help him learn right away. Singingtime.com I think is the website.

Singing with your child will encourage communication and lessen frustrations. Say the words as you sign them.

Well worth the money spent!

Best Wishes,

J. H.

I don't mean to sound condesending(sp?), but I can't believe your pediatrician is reccommending a speech therapist at 18 mos. My son didn't really start making sense until he was 2. He hardly had a vocabulary at all, then about 2 months afte he turned 2 he just started repeating everything we said, and learned to talk that way. We had always encouraged him by repating everything he said, but in correct form. He is now 4 years old and has the vocabulary of an 8 yr old. I say don't worry too much about his speech at his age. Continue to speak to him and encourage him to repeat you, and then acknowledge him when he talks, and repeat him in the correct form. Don't worry, the day will come when you will wish for more peace and quiet.

Good morning, R.!

One question first, has his hearing been checked??? Many times, a speech delay can be the result of not being able to hear or not hearing well.

Secondly, I'm not sure what she means by repeating words over and over to try to get him to repeat them. I think that would annoy me, and I'm sure it would annoy your son. My advice as an OT who worked with special needs kids and a mom, I would just talk to him. Talk about what you are doing. Name the articles of clothing you are putting on him as he is getting dressed. Name food items while he is eating. Count his fingers and toes. READ, READ, READ!!! Just about all kids his age love to be read to, so use that to your advantage.

Best wishes to you and your little man!!

My son was evaluated at 15 months old for speech therapy and started at 18 months. He's 4 1/2 now and still has 60 minutes of therapy every week. He still does not speak as clearly as other kids his age and it is part of the reason I'm waiting to send him (July b-day) to kindergarten. He also has fine motor delays and has occupational therapy.

It's never too early for speech therapy and cannot hurt. Try getting him an evaluation for First Steps. In Missouri you have to qualify, but then it's free until he's 3. We didn't qualify for First Steps and chose to get private therapy and pay out of pocket. Our insurance didn't cover it. I think it's best to get help.

i don't have any suggestions for you but my daughter is in speech and she loves it. they have great speech teachers.

Like everyone else on here... ha..... I'm not going to say your doctor is wrong or to ignore his or her usggestions..... but yes, my son showed up to his 18 month appointment saying NOTHING, the doctor said, "well, he says mom and dad, right?" and we had to say no. He would make a grunting noise for the dog and he said "uh-oh" - that was it. By 20 months, we had a list of 60 words - 60 words in two months. Now, he's 2 1/2 and I can't get the boy to be quiet for two minutes. This morning, he used the word "amplifier" - like for a guitar.

I did not have time to read all the other responses, but my advice is do the speech therapy. My middle son had 6 months of speech therapy when he was 15 months and it helped him imensly. He may have been fine without it too, but I figured what would it hurt? And it helped for us not to all be frustrated trying to understand him.

He is 7 now and has no speech or learning issues now.

Good luck to you.

R., Go with your gut. thats all I can say. My doctor didnt worry about Jule until she was three. Then started speech therepy. She had had multiple ear infections. never did tubes. I didnt know that would hurt her speech. She is five now and will continue speech and language through kindergarten. she has come a long way but still has a long way to go. I just said the other day that I wished I wouldnt have waited until she was three. So thats just my two cents.

We were in the same boat at 18mo. I have a Master's Degree in Education and couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. His ped suggested getting his hearing tested. I thought he could hear fine because he would get things when I asked and respond to his name, etc. Well, we did the hearing test and he had complete blockage (fluid) in one ear and 50% in the other. So, it was like listening underwater. There was a serious disconnect between receptive (hearing) and expressive (talking) vocabulary. We did tubes and started speech (through Tiny-K in KS). He is 3.5 now and has NO delay! I felt bad that I didn't catch on sooner!