Speech delay and minor other delays...

Kristi - posted on 01/08/2013

If the school is good, do that! My three-year old just started school in September for his speech and language delay and in only four months, I have seen wonderful progress. He is in the ABA program that usually is used for autistic children (he's probably not autistic - we don't have a diagnosis except for speech and language delay/developmental delay).
I had a REALLY hard time accepting that he would be in school 5 days/week for a total of 25 hours at first and almost said no. I thought I'd try it and I'm so happy that I did! We document his progress on http://www.findingninee.com if you'd like to read more about his story. Good luck. Also don't let anybody talk you into something that you're not sure about - ask lots of questions. YOU are your child's best advocate. You know him best!

Danielle - posted on 01/07/2013

I have a son that is 2 years and really don't talk . and was wondering if some of you ladies could give me some help in which direction i need to take. thanks

Amy - posted on 11/16/2011

All of my children ages 7.6.4 yrs old all had a speech problem and other developmental delays about 2 yrs of age. My youngest was the only one that I started in ECI and really wastn't impressed with the teaching of ECI due to the fact that the therapists are just teachers and the ones evaluating are the actual therapists. My oldest had apraxia of speech at 2.9 and is still in speech therapy through the school and private therapy. My middle child is still being seen through the school and private and my youngest, too, is in private speech and soon to be in the school program. I would highly recommend getting him out of ECI, into a private therapy where a real speech pathologist can work with him. To be honest, don't feel bad. This is part of your son and in the long run the earlier the better. God bless and take care.

Deb - posted on 07/04/2011

The earlier he better. My daughter started ECI @ 13months because she wasnt saying anything. She receives Speech Therapy 2 x week. I was skeptical @ first because It felt like forever to see any progress. But out of the blue, shes got over a handful of words and communicating with her has become easier. You are doing the right thing!

Sabrina - posted on 09/06/2010

I was where you are 3 years ago. My daughter could say very little, and my family kept telling me that kids all talk at their own pace and that there was nothing to worry about. I put off getting her tested until it was too late for early intervention, so then we had to decide if we wanted to put her in the school program. I struggled a lot, but I think in the end it was my fear of admitting that there was a problem. Now she is 6 and has been diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder, and we know that there are steps that we need to take to make sure she gets the help she needs in class. It isn't easy, but if we would have just let it go and let her do it at her own pace, she would be even further behind. Be proactive. Do as much as you can to get your kid all the help available. It's never a bad idea to get your kid extra help with learning.

Jawaka - posted on 06/02/2010

My son's IEP meeting was last Friday and I boohooed because he tested out of speech after an 8 yr battle. Like the OP, my son had little to no verbal communication at age 3, actually didn't say his first word until well after his 3rd birthday. We had a similar situation with the scheduling but in my city, they provided busing for the children and the day care was great about letting him have the lunch they provided early or late.

Melanie - posted on 02/09/2010

Have you tried baby sign language. Our son can't speak (he's 2) and because of probs with his his throat and jaw may never speak properly so we started signing. It's a great way for your child to communicate with you. A few simple signs have helped us immensely. The firs sign he learnt was more so if he wants another juice he just signs more. At the moment we're neglecting the please & thank you's. I think the more help you can give your child the better. If the school district will help with speech then there's no harm in it. Your not pushing in any way just giving a nudge in the right direction. xx

Divina - posted on 11/29/2009

the extra schooling can only better the situation..i myself am going through the same issues...i pray that my son will just "catch up" once he starts daycare/school. but i guess we can just hope that the speech therapy will benefit him in the long run...good luck!

Marie - posted on 06/29/2009

I have 2 children both were in speech. My daughter started in kindergarden and she is now going into 3rd grade she graduated out of speech the middle of this year. My son is going into first grade and he has been in speech since pre-k. The school knows how much and how fast to go. They will test first and then see which part needs the most work and go from there.

Kelly - posted on 06/02/2009

I see in no way how speech therapy could harm your child, so go for it. We currently do Introactive Metronome Therapy and it has been awesome. Never hurts to give them a little mental boost!

Ashley - posted on 04/13/2009

Yeah-my girls started at 3yrs-they get on the bus at 11:20 and home at 4(45 min drive). I really struggled with this at first-but we've adjusted our schedules to work-sometimes the girls(now 4 1/2 and 5 1/2) are tired but they have thrived-we take a quiet time(dont' always sleep) at 9:30 or 10 until 11 then do lunch at 11. They sometimes sleep on the bus also but it has worked out-give it a try!

Nicole - posted on 03/09/2009

Thanks Ladies for all your support and personal experience.  I had my son assessed with our school district, and he's qualified for the program.  I was really looking forward to him starting until they told me that the "slot" he'd go into (according to where we lived and what his needs were), would be 1130-130, M-Fri.  I think I was a little lost as to why they would put a 3 year old into that slot considering it was lunch-->nap time.  I was told that I should consider the help/special therapy he'd be receiving before I got wrapped up in the schedule thing.  So - with that, I have to *see* if our daycare can accomodate us on providing him with a seperate nap spot so that he can take a late nap and I'd have to pack his lunch every day because they wouldn't be able to prepare his lunch an hour before everyone else (so that he can eat it and loose 30 minutes of therapy/speech class?) .  In addition, I thought creating a routine and providing consistancy was close to #1 on the list for raising happy children.  How do I get beyond this, prepare for a long re-adjustment period of his total day = crabby, tired, hungry, all that I'm hoping to decrease not increase?  I have very little room for additional expenses in my budget for private therapy so do I just suck it up because my school taxes pay for this?  I'm so frustrated, I don't know what I'll do and it doesn't help that this might just add to my guilt of why we are in this situation in the first place.... I have until Apr 6th to accept and enroll, or decline.  I'll most likely look into private therapy and make sure I don't over-look any possibility, but I'm so reluctant to just accept this "time slot" that we've been given.  What would you do?  

Rhiannon - posted on 03/09/2009

We had our son enrolled in the Head Start program at 2 1/2 when he had yet to utter a word.  This past fall, at age 3, he started preschool through the same county program.  The teachers are equipped to take care of children with special needs, the classes are small, and he has individual speech therapy once a week.  He has thrived in this environment.  It's the best decision we could have made!

Lindsey - posted on 02/19/2009

My son too, is almost 3. He too, only has 5 'true' words. We have just enrolled in speech therapy (last week as a matter of fact). I cannot give you a long-term conclusion on how it all works. But, with the 2 times we have seen her it has been really great. There isn't any pressure, he loves the time he has with our therapist because he thinks we're just playing fun games. She comes to our home, which is WONDERFUL! You should look into that, it's a non-threatening environment where he is comfortable. Not only with the therapy sessions is it help for him, but it is also help for the rest of the family because she can give us tips and advice for us to help him also. Just within 2 sessions, I can hear him breaking up words instead of slurring them altogether. With her coming and seeing him personally, she can give us exact help that works for him. There are a lot of different speech delays for a lot of different reasons but with her seeing him weekly, she can give us help with what will benefit him specifically. You can always change your mind down the road, but it's definately something you should explore! Good luck to you and your son!

Tina - posted on 02/19/2009

My son started speech therapy at age 2 1/2.  He could say 3 true words.  Getting help early is the key to success.  In the meantime have considered a picture method of communication.  ex. a pic of a jug of milk, a glass of juice, a can of Soda to give you if he is thirsty.  You can laminate them and put a piece of velcro on the back the make a board that they can attach to and he can easily get to.  The same method applies with food, feeling and toys.  It can take some time to help him understand the idea but it also can be a great tool to use until his vocabulary expands a bit.  Do not assume because you are a single working mom that you are just tired and more easily frustrated.  It is difficult to read a childs mind and it can get the best of anybody.

Linda - posted on 01/25/2009

My son was 18 months old when we started private speech therapy. Our speech path started with signing because we were all so frustrated. It was such a gift! It alleviated so much of the frustration we both felt. He was involved with ECI, but did not receive any speech services through ECI (no speech paths available). At 3 years old, he started in the school program. He receives speech once a week there in addition to continuing with our private speech path. I, too, had many people ask my why I was getting him involved with therapy so early. "He's a boy," they said, "Just give him time." Trust your mama gut. If there was something that could help my child, I was going to do it. I never wanted to look back and say, "If only I had......" Early intervention is the key to getting our little ones caught up. My son didn't say "Mama" until he was 2 years 9 months. He's now 4 years 2 months and speaking in sentences. He still has some work to go on articulation, but he's come so far! I'm really proud of him. I've never regretted sending him for a minute!

Christine - posted on 01/23/2009

I also agree with sending your child to school. I felt very much in denial when I had to face this decision with our daughter Abby, but she was 3 when she started as well and she loved it. I also had family arguing on both sides so I just decided not to share with the people against it and they could see for themselves if it benefited her, which it did. Try to think of it as you are trying to help your child out as much as you can while you have this window of opportunity, because the expectations get bigger and bigger as your child gets older. Best of luck with your decision!

Julie - posted on 01/22/2009

YES the school is right!!!! They should have speech therapy with the school maybe two or three times a week. My son was 3 when we sent him to the school and within one week he was potty trained and speaking more. We had him in a class with other children with learning delays and regularly progressing children and it was fantastic! He is 7 now and I have NO REGRETS. We do have some learning delays in reading and math that we are working on to keep him in the grade he should belong to according to age. My son also loves school and loved it at 3 yrs old. I cried at first because he just seemed so small but they had a special bus pick him up and drop him off and the teachers kept me well informed of his progression in the class. I definitely advise to go ahead with it