speech delay... when will it end??

nicole81

Mon, Apr 20 2009, 10:54 pm

dd has always been speech delayed. now she's 4 and still rarely speaks in sentences. when she does, we can't understand her or they're baby like (I no want juice.) her articulation is pretty poor, even though she's trying. she's so proud when she gets a word right, but almost everything she says is off. she also grunts and makes a lot of animal noises, at least 20 times a day. I think this is because it's easier for her to do this then speak.

she's had speech therapy since about 14 months old and she's even in a special ed school where she gets therapy every single day.

will this ever end? will she ever talk normally? 4yo is pretty old to be talking like a 2 year old... I'm wondering if she'll always have strange articulation like she does now.

leomom

Mon, Apr 20 2009, 11:03 pm

I know this doesn't help you directly, but I just wanted to share that my sister's son barely spoke at all until almost four years old. But she could tell he understood everything and was very intelligent. Once his speech did kick in, he quickly caught up and now, at age 10, is highly verbal.

Not sure if there's any connection, but he also was playing chess at an extremely high level by around age five.

I wonder if you've noticed any special abilities in your daughter? Maybe her brain has been working on other areas and speech has just taken a back seat for a long time...

nicole81

Mon, Apr 20 2009, 11:12 pm

yy wrote:

I wonder if you've noticed any special abilities in your daughter? Maybe her brain has been working on other areas and speech has just taken a back seat for a long time...

nothing that out of the ordinary... she knew her abc's at 18 months, alef bais by 2, and she knows advanced shapes like octagon, hexagon, etc. I think it stems from her really good memory. she also remembers minute details from places or events from over a year or two ago. and she remembers absolutely everything I say to her. but no chess!

Quote:

Is it only speech or are their other delays?

she has some sensory issues and fine motor delays too.

leomom

Mon, Apr 20 2009, 11:17 pm

nicole81 wrote:

yy wrote:

I wonder if you've noticed any special abilities in your daughter? Maybe her brain has been working on other areas and speech has just taken a back seat for a long time...

She sounds extremely intelligent... ABCs at 18 months and alef bais by two is advanced...

Even though her speech is delayed, is it slowly improving over time? If it is gradually getting better, at some point she will catch up.

nicole81

Mon, Apr 20 2009, 11:24 pm

yes, it has been improving ever so slowly.

I've heard adults with odd accents (americans by birth) and have started to wonder if this could be caused by a prolonged speech delay.

I also feel so bad for her. other kids hate playing with her because they view her as a baby since they can't understand her speech. and then she gets frustrated and aggressive. so far I've found only one child she can play nicely with:(

leomom

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 12:46 am

That sounds really hard for you and for her!

Since she's improving, it's likely that things will pick up speed. Have her play with the one nice girl... or even slightly younger kids who she can feel grown-up around (and who won't mind her speech delay).

Maybe get her involved in something physical -- ballet? or art? -- that can be a way to express herself and develop a feeling of competence without needing to speak.

nicole81

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 2:05 pm

shopaholic wrote:

Did you not want to try speech therapy? It sounds like she's delayed enough to qualify. DS is 4.5 & has had speech since 22 months. I dont know if the therapy helped or if he matured but it definitely is helping with his lisp & oral motor skills.

heh, read the second part of my original post! she gets therapy every single day!

Inspired wrote:

nicole- ime yes, it will get better. my kid who spoke less than 50 words (most intelligible only to dh and I) with 20 something mispronounced or omitted sounds at age 4 is now a mature and eloquent teen- in 3 languages.
Give her time and thrapy. Don't give up hope!

wow thanks so much for posting. it really made me feel a lot better!

gonewiththewind

Fri, Apr 24 2009, 6:18 pm

For an intelligent kid to have such severe articulation problems, sounds like apraxia. It is common for apraxic kids to have sensory issues too. Has anyone mentioned this? And I'm sure you have done this, but just in case, has her hearing been checked?
As a speech therapist, my recommendation would be to make sure to get an eval by someone really good. Otherwise, your child may end up staying in special ed, when she really is smart enough to be mainstreamed.
Apraxia is a motor planning disorder. The brain needs to give instuctions to the articulators, and the communication isn't going well. Almost all kids with apraxia end up speaking fine.

Inspired

Sat, Apr 25 2009, 3:18 pm

nicole81 wrote:

Inspired wrote:

wow thanks so much for posting. it really made me feel a lot better!

I'm glad. 3 of my kids had speech delay, though non as severe as that one. I know how stressful it can be. PM me anytime.

Last edited by Inspired on Sat, Apr 25 2009, 5:15 pm; edited 1 time in total

mimivan

Sat, Apr 25 2009, 5:07 pm

nicole81 wrote:

yy wrote:

I wonder if you've noticed any special abilities in your daughter? Maybe her brain has been working on other areas and speech has just taken a back seat for a long time...

Quote:

Is it only speech or are their other delays?

she has some sensory issues and fine motor delays too.

I have a megillah!
My 5 1/2 year old could hardly speak at all by 3...he was diagnosed with PPD (pervasive developmental disorder...you can google it) and went to a special school. While the school gave him excellent therapy, he isn't PDD b'h as it turns out (two diagnoses...nope...b'h) he was just a very bright late talker.

Read books by Thomas Sowell (on amazon)
Late Talking Children
The Einstein Syndrome

Many kids who are just very bright can have extreme speech delays....other signs of include
1) excellent memory (the fact your dd has this kind of memory made me think of this)
2) enjoys complicated tasks...likes to play alone...
3) delayed potty training
4) can be quick tempered and stubborn
5) musical ability
5) advanced reading and math ability
there are many others...not every kid has them, but I remember checking off a lot
You don't mention anyone diagnosing her with anything...that can be a bracha! if the special school is doing her good, I'd keep her there until she shows marked improvement. Be patient! When mine was four he was making alot of mistakes with his speech, but now ba'h he is very articulate and talks non-stop..
b'hatzlacha
you can pm me if you want