My son is not talking clearly?

Crystal - posted on 02/10/2011

Juanita he is in school and is now working with a pathologist with his speaking and communicating and has shown great improvement since he first started. The pathologist comes to his school and works with him every week..

Juanita - posted on 02/10/2011

Hi Cyrstal, Believe me I know where you are coming from, my three year old also has alot of trouble communicating his words. He has a set amount of words that he says but hes more into making the sound effects ie if he is going to bed, he makes a snoring noise-I also am worried about why that is. I took him to the doctors, and enquired if this was normal and he gave me the number of a speech therapist, to get an assessment, it turns out he hasn't got the confidence when it comes to saying certain letters, so they have put me on an EPC plan which means he gets 5 free visits to the speech lady....I apologize for rambling cause I thought it was just my son who had this problem, i asked around and found my-self talking to aldy, that coudn't talk proply until she was 8.
Anyway Nita

Jill - posted on 03/25/2010

If you are concerned with your child's speech or language, the best thing to do is have him evaluated by a Speech Language Pathologist - they are the experts! Early Childhood Intervention is an excellent resource, but they only work with children until their 3rd birthday. After he turns 3, your local school district will provide free speech evaluations and speech therapy if he needs it. Or you can check with your insurance to see if they cover it. By age 3, children should be talking in 3-4 word sentences and you should be able to understand 80-90% of what they say. It's always worth peace of mind to get things checked out - especially with our babies!

Billie - posted on 03/25/2010

My youngest daughter was having trouble at this age. We took her to an ENT dr after the ped. didn't find anything. Come to find out her head was full of gunk! She had NEVER had ANY ear problems. The ENT said that it was like she was hearing everything with her fingers stuck in her ears. (Try that for a moment and it sheds a whole new light on things!) I felt like a HORRIBLE mom! I told the ENT that I should have known, and why did the ped. not catch it? His answer was peds. check the whole child I ONLY check ENT! I have tools and knowledge to help. That made me feel better. She then had tubes put in to drain the gunk and it was like a whole new child was born that day! It was amazing. Your the mom! Listen to your gut. There are some great suggestions on here. Do what you can, but do blow it off to much!

Crystal - posted on 03/22/2010

Yes Alisha I felt so frustrated to and my son will be 3 on May 11. He has developed a lot since the beginning. He now tells me when he doesn't want to watch something or tries to tell on his other siblings. Just give it time he will come around.

Alisha - posted on 03/21/2010

my son is the same way. he will be 3 in may and i am very concerned with it. he can not put 2-3 words together. he speaks and pasues in between words. he understands what i am saying or telling him to do. you ask him to repeat what i say and he tries so hard to do so but just cant, i have no clue what else to do. the ENT told us that bc he had so many problems with ear infections (since 3 mths old) that that probably is the main reason why he is having problems. but i am glad to see we arent the only ones facing this problem.

Tracy - posted on 03/19/2010

That's no problem at all. Some kids r slower in talking than others. It will take time 4 him 2 talk or u can take him 2 a speech therapy. I have some friends that had the same problem and I told them 2 take them 2 a speech therapist and it worked. Good luck.

Verla - posted on 03/18/2010

Don't worry! My son is almost three also an does the same thing. Don't rush it. He'll talk when he's ready. I don't know about you, but I'm not in a hurry for my son to grow up. I just take it one day at a time and it will come. What you have to worry about is if they don't talk at all at this age. Some children are just quicker to the punch. God bless!

Jo - posted on 03/16/2010

My son is quite similar, and my nephew (13 now) was also the same. My nephew ended up seeing a speech therapist, who essentially listened to him for a few minutes and then said, "Speak more slowly." Worked like a charm. (I'm not sure if it was the best or worst money ever spent.)

My son is pretty much the same. His little mind is working so quickly that he can't seem to elocute his words as quickly as he wants to say them. So all of his words blend into one long word. "Where are you?" turns into "Whearoo?" So when he's got quite a lot to say, it sounds like a long stream of rising and falling pitch, rather than actual words.

I encourage him to repeat himself, remind him to speak slowly, and remind him to open his mouth when he speaks rather than mumbling. It makes a big difference. I also ask him to repeat himself more slowly even when I know the gist of what he's saying - so that he gets used to the idea that he needs to speak properly all the time.

Definitely wouldn't worry about it, though.

Kelli - posted on 03/11/2010

I don't think you should be worried at all. My son is almost three and holds conversations very well and takes his time in speaking. I always get people that are shocked on how smart he is. You know what I did, that I will do again if I have another? I got him Baby Einsteins and Little Einsteins. He watched those videos when he couldn't speak and he actually used sign language before he spoke words. It was amazing. He loves all of those and still even loves watching baby einsteins which signs and identifies things around the house. The little einsteins gets them engaged and repeats what they say - and its fun !! I know a lot of little toddlers who sound like they are where your son is at. I don't think you have anything to worry about. I usually have my son, Levi SAY the word if he wants something, instead of pointing or jibbering to me, if I focus on that i want him to say the word he used to get frustrated, but now he knows to ask for something specifically when he wants something! :)

Desiree - posted on 03/08/2010

i think that is very common. my son is the same way. some things are very clear and other times i have to say "show me" then when he does I try and correct how he says it. but most the time he doesnt want to worry about it. his big problem is he does not say the last of his words....ex...hand is han... this is how most of his words are. however his cousin who is a month younger then him can speak beautifully.

Bronwyn - posted on 02/18/2010

thats great to hear its soo cute to hear them taling away an how they make up sentences

Crystal - posted on 02/17/2010

Thank you jamie it does :). Yeah my other children do talk for him. Just the other day he asked me a question and i was thinking to myself wow just a couple of months ago he wasn't doing all that.

Jamie - posted on 02/17/2010

I wouldn't. Kids all develop at different rates. My son wasn't even saying Mama or Dada at 18 mo. so the dr wanted him assessed by a speech patholigist and she suggested therapy. Then they discovered he wasn't paying attention in speech therapy so they suggested occupational therapy because he was more "active" than the average child his age. Well, long story short...and $400 in therapy later, I didn't think he was accomplishing anything so we stopped going about a year ago. He speaks now but leaves the first syllable off a lot of words. His dr and daycare provider both don't seem to be concerned now so I am not either. Also, being that they (your son and mine) are both younger sibblings, they might be slower to develop speech because they have an older sib. to talk for them. I noticed my daughter doing that and have tried to put a stop to it so he can work on his speech. Hope this helps ease your mind! :)

Crystal - posted on 02/14/2010

He has improved alot since I first posted this. And is talking more and more and others can actually understand him.!!!

Bronwyn - posted on 02/14/2010

my son is nearly 3 an he talks clearly an holds a conversation......but at one stage he wouldnt talk an we took him to a pediatrician an all he said was to keep talking to him... we went back to him an he suggested to take him to speach therapy....we never got a chance to take him cause once the pediatrician said that within a week he was starting to talk.....an now he watches sooo much tv an listens to us talking he has picked up sooo much an this speaking is sooo clear an advanced...........but goodluck :) im sure he start talking really soon......

Crystal - posted on 02/10/2010

Lol.

Paola - posted on 02/10/2010

hi! i have a two and a half year old who will turn three May 29th and he doesnt talk clearly either. i can barely understand what he says most of the time, but he is starting to talk more and more..... i think by the age of three they will be up to speed! i have a four year old who was the same way, and now he wont stop talking!

Crystal - posted on 02/09/2010

Yes they did and said they weren't too worried about him talking

Bianca - posted on 02/09/2010

Well as long as the tests were negative. They checked his hearing to make sure he didn't need any tubes in his ears?

Cindy - posted on 02/04/2010

when my daughter was almost 3 she was talking perfect, she never talk like a baby, but my son start to talk latr, he's starting to talk a lot and really good, he understand english and spanish but answer in english and just like 2 weeks ago started to say spanish words. but I can see the different between them, I think that girls are faster than boys.
My brother is 14 months younger of me and he was talking a lot faster than me. I don't know. in our case I think that was because I was premature (14 weeks early).
Don't worry, he will be talking fine soon

Taryn - posted on 02/04/2010

I agree with Sarah and think you should check out ECI. I am having to do the same thing with my daughter which is the exact same age. I understand her most of the time but other people can't. We have a family friend that suggested ECI to me because my daughter has a really hard time with the "normal" consonents(sp?) in the middle and at the end of her words. All in all though, I don't think you should be too worried! :)

Melissa - posted on 02/04/2010

You are not alone. There are some days I can not understand a word my son says. It's very frustrating for him and for me! I spoke with the speech pathologist at the school I work at and she told me not to worry (easier said than done), and to keep talking to him.

Crystal - posted on 02/03/2010

Yeah we understand him just fine. It sounds like the words he is trying to say. I'm not really worried but wanted other insight on this. And wondered if anyone had similar issues with the child.

Amy - posted on 02/03/2010

No. My daugher is about the same age is the same way. She's very smart and understands and picks up things quickly. She also sings along to songs- on TV, Radio, etc. and picks up words that way.

The doctors say reading to them might help. Give him some time and he will come around and be talking up a storm before you know it.

Anne - posted on 02/02/2010

My son is the same. Some days he's clear and sometimes none of us understand. We do talk to him and respond to him, but it is still gibberish at times. He is developing well in all other areas, so..... In the next while (year or so) it seems to come down to whether others outside family can understand some of the time. If not persue assesment through your doctor or school board. Most school boards have funding for 'pre' programs to make sure kids are ready to go to K/grade 1. Try putting him in a 'preschool' or 'playgroup' thru someplace like the YMCA. Most health centers (where you get your shots) usally have info on what groups are in your area and may even provide assesment. know that you are not alone and it wasn't anything you did or didn't do.

Rosalinda - posted on 02/02/2010

not to worry my daughter is the same only her immediate family understands her. I know exactly what she is saying no one else does. I have 2 older daughters they were the same but speak fine now. Her sister name is Monica she says ahhhaa... funny cause we started calling her ahhhaaa too. of course Ahhhaa is 15 so she is not a big fan of it.

Crystal - posted on 02/01/2010

Thanks Sarah

Sarah - posted on 01/31/2010

My twins are pretty behind on their language, they don't even say more than 2 or 3 word sentences. Have you checked out your local ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) they offer services to children who are behind to help them prepare for preschool/school. Our girls have made huge improvements with their help. I suggest looking into it. They will come to your home for the therapy sessions, the consultation is in your home also, they come out and evaluate your child and see if they think he/she would benefit from their services. Check it out, it can't hurt!

Crystal - posted on 01/30/2010

Thank you all for the comments I just wanted to know other opinions of this. I think that my children are just slower at learning things then others their age because my 18 mnth old would not walk and was just lazy and fiinally she started walking and drinking out a straw.

Tammy - posted on 01/30/2010

my son is going to be 3 as well n he alsodont talk that much but does understand what u say n tell him n he is very smart....but i look at it like he will talk when he is ready to..

Iridescent - posted on 01/30/2010

It really sounds like it's still typical for this age. Just keep an eye on it. He needs to learn ~4 words/week average right now (but needs to be exposed to them to learn them, too), and work with him to speak clearly (tell him to repeat whatever word it is, then reward). Also, ask the school district to test - it's free. They have concerns different than a doctor does and spend more time with them to test, and sometimes catch things earlier than they do in a doctor's office.