Starting Speech Therapy

First off, I would investigate medical causes for speech delay. These physical things come to mind at the moment: hearing and ear canal shape/structure, etc., and adenoids.
I know of a little girls whose adenoids were so large that it obstructed her speech and may have even been uncomfortable to talk around! Get a second opinion if possible with an ENT (Ear/Nose/Throat Dr) too.
I'm betting it is an adenoid issue since he can pronounce B's and P's more easily.

Another thing you can do at home is to help him learn to sign. Some will argue that this will delay him even further and cause him to not want to verbalize, but you are actually making connections in his brain that will last until he is READY or ABLE to speak it aloud.

By teaching him a way to communicate you will be easing frustrations too, which in turn puts less pressure on him and speaking may flow more if he is more comfortable with the fact that you can now understand what he needs/wants. A few basic signs are not hard to learn AND has an added benefit that it will be useful as a second language later in life anyway!!

A good resource for sign (as in "American Sign Language" and NOT "Baby Sign") is http://signingtime.com/ They have amazing videos that are entertaining and both of your children will enjoy. Also, they have a show now that comes on public tv now as well that you can tape yourself if you want to try it for free. I'm sorry I don't know the time or station, but I can get that for you if needed (just email me.) They may also have copies at your library. Some of the other brands of signing tapes can be REEAAALLLY boring though!
There are also children's books and adult books at the library with signs.

Don't be afraid of the speech therapist either- he or she will not judge you. It's like anything else too- find one you are comfortable with. They should be able to provide you with resources like websites, books, diagrams of how he should be making mouth shapes to speak certain sounds, etc.

Some other ideas- search for speech-based websites (I have a list I will dig for) and support groups, both online and in real life.

Another thing- I'm new to IL, but in some states the Dept of Education and or state funding is provided and is a STATE LAW that therapy be provided at age 2 or 3 (depends on state) and they may even send someone to your home!
(Call the local elementary school or district for information on this.)

Also, as far as 1 hour/1 time weekly, I would try for one half hour TWICE weekly. It is the frequency and repetition that is going to count for him, AND with him being so young, it will be a stretch for 1 hour of attention at this age.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to chat. I'm not a therapist, but hope to be someday soon! I do sign some if you need to learn some basics.

I will post the websites here when I can dig them out.

-Amanda
(____@____.com)

Hi there,

I have twin 3 year old girls and my one daughter has been in speech therapy since she was born. They were 3 months premature. You'd be surprised as to how much an hour of therapy a week will help your son. It is hard to figure out how you can help as the parent. It sounds to me like what you're doing is good. Keep asking him questions and showing him pictures (flash cards would work great!) and having him answer the questions you ask him. Maybe he's having his brother answer for him and that's why he's not talking much either?? You just have to be patient and he'll come around. =) Just keep in mind that if you don't notice a change within the next few months to bring this up to your therapist.

Hi Vicki, I have a daughter that has been in therapy for a year and a half. We just assumed that since she had an older sister doing some of her talking, had a new brother at 17mo and had parents that both had older siblings who talked for us, that eventually she would talk. We didn't start until she was 2 1/2 and I didn't know about the resources around us. Thank goodness my neighbor told me about Options and Advocacy. I am in Crystal Lake off Miller and we had a speech therapist come to our house 1x a week for an hour. She made progress and then the therapist informed us that she was severely tongue-tied. Once we had her snipped, she made great progress. She was at Glacier Ridge's preschool for a year and a half and then graduated. She now goes to a regular preschool and goes for speech therapy at Glacier Ridge 2x a week. Through Early Intervention, we only paid a small portion each month, and now we only had to pay a school fee of $20 for the year. If you would like to email me for more info, my email is ____@____.com. I can dig through my paperwork and get you more info if you would like. A few moms in my moms group have also gone this route and we all highly recommend the program!

Take care
C.

Hi Vicki,

I understand how devastating it can be to hear that your little one is not quite doing what he should for his age. I went through that with my oldest daughter when she was 10 months old. She is now 2 1/2. But keep in mind every child is different and they all develop in their own time. However, it never hurts to have help when they appear to be struggling.

It is actually quite amazing what a therapist can accomplish in that hour's time. My little girl has been in speech for only a couple of months (other therapies over a year), but in that time she now signs "more" (her version anyway...after only 3 sessions!!) and is vocalizing many more sounds than before. Most of her new communication is non-verbal, but it helps the frustration levels for all of us, while the therapist works on her mouth muscles to prepare her for verbal language. Another thing about having a therapist is that they teach you (or should) things that you can do at home, different exercises and the like. I know that with all the different therapists my oldest has, has made a huge difference in my parenting skills with our newest daughter. I now know all kinds of techniques to use to encourage her growth.

If you'd like to talk more about what to expect, please feel free to email me. ____@____.com

Take care and good luck!