concerned about my son's speach. Seems to be behind the curve on pronouncing his words. Ideas?

Hollie - posted on 10/30/2012

My 4YR old son is nearing Prep next yr. And just lately his pronunciation of the letter "l" is a "w" instead. Iam quite concerned because when he is corrected he can't roll his tongue to sound out "l" and his lips can't form the shape of saying "l". Should I over look this or seek help before it's to late to change his habit?.

Holli

Hollie - posted on 10/30/2012

My 4YR old son is nearing Prep next yr. And just lately his pronunciation of the letter "l" is a "w" instead. Iam quite concerned because when he is corrected he can't roll his tongue to sound out "l" and his lips can't form the shape of saying "l". Should I over look this or seek help before it's to late to change his habit?.

Holli

Christy - posted on 05/31/2011

A couple of my kids had trouble with pronouncing a couple of their letters in all their words. Also, a kid I babysat had a real hard time.

Never make a big deal about it. You don't want to make the child self conscious, it can cause stuttering issues later. But, it's good to have fun practicing. It takes at least a year to work out of a habit of changing how a letter is pronounced. Just because he's not correcting himself yet doesn't mean he won't.

One of the kids I worked with had serious troubles with l's. We'd play games with it and practice all sorts of fun words like lollipop, lickerish, looloo, or just sing la la, lala lalalala!

You're doing just fine to have him repeat and practice in context. The sentences will come, encourage him to share his thoughts, or ask him questions to encourage more details. Boys aren't always as talkative as girls!

Marian - posted on 05/31/2011

have an iep done and get him into speech therapy. works wonders. my daughter is 8 and having the same problems

Tanya - posted on 04/17/2011

Ki Liz

I know what you are going through my son has been have Speech & Language therapy since he was 3 he is going to be 7 in November .My son is also seeing an Occupational Therapist & CAMHS , He has just had the conners assessment too , for ADHD & he is showing traits for autism too. Try nursery rhymes , when on walks or in the car ask what he sees. Try clapping words out like "Just " in". "c" "at" etc , there is also I can communicate their web address is www.ican.org.uk hope this helps good luck with your little boy from Tanya

Lauren - posted on 11/11/2009

you could have an evaluation by your Dr. or by a pathologist. At four, there are certain age appropriate speech patterns that are still developing. I would have his hearing checked as well, but most likely, he will grow in to his speech!

Mary - posted on 11/11/2009

Hi Liz,
Dont worry there are many possiblities and yes you can get help for your son. The possibilites range from ear infections, allergies or other ear blockages that prevent one from hearing and cause speech difficulties too. 2 others; Learning Disabilites and even tongue tied. (a small tissue of skin under the tongue appearing to be tied.).
If you know of a family member who does have a Learning Disability chances are your son could be a canidate.
Testing him at this age is possible. The most reasonable way would be to go up to the public school he'll attend once he is in kindergarten and have them test what ever you feel is necessary whether is just speech or LD present in another family member. Usually they will start with speech in this area. These test are easy. Speech Theropist can detect many problems and could recommend further testing for Learning Disabilites.
I have requested one of my kids to be tested just for speech another one has a learning disability since a known family member already had been diagonosed. They will work with you.

Jimmilia - posted on 11/11/2009

speech therapy or educational programs

Alexandria - posted on 11/11/2009

Speech therapy evaluation.. My son is 4 and and had the same issues. He has improved by leaps and bounds... not where other kids his age are yet but well on his way. I started by asking his pediatrician for a referral and the speech therapist then gave me recommendations and now the preschool provides speech therapy 2 a week.

Jasmin - posted on 11/09/2009

I wouldn't worry about it too much. My daughter was the same way. I really didn't think that it was a problem, but I got a letter sent home from school a couple of weeks ago stating that she was no longer going to need speech therapy in the area of articulation. I didn't even know that she was in therapy for that. She's 6 now. If it's still a problem in the future when he starts school, they will definitely let you know (or as in my case, they didn't).

Sorcha - posted on 11/09/2009

Hi Liz

My daughter has a speech problem. Initially they thought it was verbal dyspraxia, but the speech therapist may be revising that (hopefully!). Have you thought about taking him to a Speech and Language therapist just to have him assessed? Might put your mind at ease. Your GP can refer him to a SLT or you can take him privately, which is expensive but usually pretty quick to fit a child in. NHS therapists tend to have longer waiting lists.

Maybe if you look online you might find a list of sounds that you would expect a four year old to be saying. Some sounds often don't come till a later age, like 'r'. My daughter continually left the first letter sound off words and did not make any attempt at some so her speech was completely indeciferable to anyone but me. However after 5 sessions with a SLT I find her much improved. It takes a lot of work to get her to say the 'new' sounds and put them into words but this will come with practice - I hope!

Hope you get it sorted. I'm glad I took her to see someone early, as the longer it goes on the harder bad habits are to correct, like most things!

Pam - posted on 11/09/2009

When I taught pre-school (3/4yr olds), this was a major concern among parents. Speech impediments are common in early childhood up until about age 6 or 7. Unless he totally lacks understandable verbal communication, i.e. the people in his home don't understand him, he probably just needs a little more time to get a handle on the tricky, sticky riddle that is language development. I encourage you to read to him often and model well diction. Correction is rarely neccessary because impediments usually work themselves out. Also, have your pediatrician and/or teacher to give him a listen. They can help with hearing/speech screening referrals if they believe his case is severe.



P.S.

Both my children had impediments that went away on their own in time around age 6.

Carissa - posted on 11/09/2009

I took my son into a children's organization when he was 3 to have him evaluated. He did qualify for services there. I'm not sure what is available in your community, but here he could attend the preschool there and they provided busing to and from at no charge. I feel that it gave him a head start on his speech before starting school. In first grade he was released from speech therapy. Let your fingers do the walking and make some calls! If he doesn't qualify for speech therapy, at least you'll know that where he is at is normal!

Nicole - posted on 11/09/2009

My son had the same problem with his speech and before he went to school he was 4 also I took him to speech classes and it helped so much my friends and family couldn't understand what he was saying now they can.He goes to kindergarten now and still goes to speech class while hes at kindergarten and it has helped so much.Tried board of education office and see if there is any speech class that you can take him to till he goes to kindergarten.This place I took him to was a school only twice a week and for a hour.Hope that helps!

Angie - posted on 11/09/2009

When my dughter was 4 she went to a preschool who tested her, and she was able to work with a speech teacher. Has helped her alot. She is now in first grade still working with a speech teacher, but they say it will probably be her last year for needing it. She also left out letter sounds in some words. I would say once he starts kindergarden they will work with him. My daughter has improved so much.

Jodie - posted on 11/09/2009

hi liz out of all my 5 kids they all speak in time my son use to st udder we just took our time to teach him he would get very very angry and frustrated but with alot of love and stresslessing it worked out ,,,my youngest daughter is 5 and she cant speak well as her sisters all talk for her,,, it was very hard but she is in kinda by her self and im getting speech therapy ,,i found out be consistent and make it fun ,,,good luck

Lori - posted on 11/09/2009

Not sure if this really relates...but...My daughter was younger and called me bobby instead of mommy...as well as alot of other mis-pronouncing. She had alot of ear infections as a baby and had to get tubes..the dr said she heard everything muffled so that is how she said it...he was right exactly a week after tubes i was mommy instead of bobby...also my nephews are 18 months apart and the younger one had a speach problem...they said it was because the older boy did all the talking for him....and my sister in law just had to realy work with him and make him talk for himself and remind the older not to speak for him...hope this helps and good luck...i would not worry to much at 4 though

Tracy - posted on 11/08/2009

You really cant expect perfection from a four year old, My daughter has known her abc's since she was 16 months old and still has trouble with certain letters and numbers, as far as mixing them up. And colors for that matter they just need time and school to get it right, It will be ok, My daughter just turned four and I think that she is right on track so no worries. Oh and by the way make sure that you read to him every day that does help... :)

LaKeshia - posted on 11/08/2009

My son had a similar problem and I took him to a Speech Therapist. He is doing sooooo much better. He has Speech in school, but all of his other classes are with his regular teachers. It takes time and a whole lot of encouragement, but eventually you will be able to see and hear his progress!!!!!!!

Ashley - posted on 11/08/2009

is he in pre-k or anything? my 2 year old had speech problems and he went to speech therapy and now is talkin non-stop and holding conversations and everything..maybe try speech therapy

Belinda - posted on 11/08/2009

Hi Liz,
How are you?
My son had the same problem, He would get so frustrated with people, when they didnt understand what he had said.
I booked him in to speech therapy.
It was the best thing i had ever done, he is 8 now, we only went to speech therapy for a few months and he loved going. its all about playing games with them while they are learning.
From Belinda B

Lisa - posted on 11/08/2009

when my son was younger he mispronounced words, and I'd just play games with him to get him to be able to make those correct sounds, and then tie them into words. I also recall my brother refusing to say the correct words even when it was broken down into smaller segments for him to pronounce--he could, but he wouldn't.
I don't know why your son doesn't speak in sentences though, is he trying to convey too much at once and gets overwhelmed or does he just say one word for things like "water" instead of "can I have water please?"
I would work with him for about two weeks with him having slow down when he talks, and saying full sentences and making him say "May I have water, please?" before you give him the water. maybe not water specifically, I don't want you to dehydrate him, but you get the idea.
I've had success with 3 yr old twins going from "cup" to "water please" in about a week. and my current two year old says "where's baby? THERE she is!"
we sing a lot of the same songs over and over "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee" and "itsy bitsy spider" with hand signs, we also use hand signs for "milk" and "water" and she has to say "please" before she gets something--I think getting down on their level and talking with them slowly and pronouncing each word slowly a few times helps a lot. but if these things don't help then you would want to take him in and get him evaluated by a specialist because a 3 year old should be speaking in sentences even if they are just the same ones over and over. and your son is older than 3, so...good luck and I hope it's just that he's too excited to slow down to get all the words out.

Polly - posted on 11/08/2009

Many public school districts have a pre-school program that allows for testing at 3yrs of age. After testing, if your child is behind he'll qualify for free services in an attempt to bring him up to speed before kindergarten. Call your local elementary school district to find out if they provide these services.

Laurie - posted on 11/08/2009

Check with your school district to see if they have a special needs person who can evaluate his speech. My daughter has the same problem prnounceing some of her letters. She is in Kindergarten this year and they give her speech classes since she was in Pre-K.

Tenille - posted on 11/07/2009

don't freak out this very common, it will work out if he is in school bring it up to his teacher and he not just keep helping him and if still is a problem then let the teacher know when he starts school so she can pay attention to it and do what ever is needed to help him, Just remember its ok ther eis nothing wrong with 4 of 8 of my children have gone to speach... they are all fine doind well in school

Janet - posted on 11/07/2009

It could be just out of habit, so definately keep correcting them. Have you taken him to get his hearing checked? Does he watch your lips quite a bit or have the TV and stuff louder than normal? I would have his hearing checked, but I would also address your worries about your son with his pediatrician, they can point you to the right resources if you need to go down that road.

RongoMarie - posted on 11/07/2009

my second was the same. I tried several different doctors and they all tried to tell me there ws nothing wrong with him. in the end, I took to a hearing specialist and had his ears tested to see how much he could hear. turned out he was only hearing 30% of what we were saying. 1 month later we had Gromits put in he ears. since about 2 months later his speech, concentration and patients have increased ten fold. he is now on his 2nd lot of gromits. some kids have 2 - 3 lots but trust they work. try that. but, dont give up. not everything a doctor tells you is the truth. if one doesnt listen, find one that will. you know your kids better then anyone.

Kellie - posted on 11/07/2009

Well I must say from a mother with a 7yr old still in speech classes, please get your son checked out by a speech therapist.... Here in our town it is free starting at age 3, you might also have something like that.

Erin - posted on 11/07/2009

My son was 15 months old when he was noticed to have a problem and he was in special ed for a while until end of kindergarten.

Debora - posted on 11/07/2009

TALK TO HIS DR AND ALSO THE SCHOOL SINCE IT COULD BE HEARING LOSS OR SOMETHING ELSE .THEY HAVE THE SPEECH TEACHERS WHO CAN HELP THROUGH WHAT THEY CALL CSE MEETINGS SINCE he WOULD BE GOING INTO KINDERGARDEN SOON.the sooner you get the help for him the better ,plus this will help him with learing socailition skills he will need as well.best of luck.

Tara - posted on 11/07/2009

My son has been in speech therapy at the school since he was about 3 and it has helped a TON! He has went from me translating everything he says to being able to talk with others on his own... Looks like this year will be his last year! (he is 8)

Kristina - posted on 11/07/2009

My son is turning 4 in December and he is behind in his speech. There should be a program through your local school system that can screen him and help you decide if you would like to go through with a speech therapy. My son was almost nonverbal at the beginning of age 3 and within one (school) year of speech therapy, going only 3 days a week for 25 minute spans, he was speaking sentences (not crystal clear mind you) but he was understandable to my husband, myself, and my daughters, plus some close family and friends. He is still having trouble pronouncing his "s's" and other age appropriate letters as well, but it is a work in progress. Our program is called First Steps in our area, but call your school district and see what information they can give you. Educating yourself will help your son now and in the future. : )

Sheleene - posted on 11/07/2009

Dear Liz, I t is a good thing to be concerned, but s's can be difficult for kids. It is a good sign that he is able to make the sounds correctly when you correct him. Some things you can do is practice his speech while playing games with him.
If you have access to Speech therapy through your schools, that would be a good way to see if you need to really be concerned at this time.
Sheleene

Rita - posted on 11/07/2009

Make an appointment w/your pediatrician and talk about your concerns. Make sure there are no infections, and ask to have a hearing test done. Have a talk w/him or her about why your child may have these issues, and ask for therapists that can help. Your public school can provide services in speech for your child as well, it is in their "child find/early intervention "program.
Good luck.

Amanda - posted on 11/07/2009

my daughter is 5 and still has slight speech problems. no worrys. read to him every night for 15 minutes, even out of a newspaper or off a website, and it will start developing better youll see, and he will love you for it the more.

Anna - posted on 11/07/2009

Hi Liz, one of my boys also could not pronounce his "s " and "t" and he also would not pronounce the last letter in a word. eg if it was the word "Tap" he would say "ap".I immediately went and saw a speach therapist,as I knew from talking to professionals it is easier to correct the speech earlier and have a quicker response rather than leaving it until he attends school.In Australia under school age kids the community provides this service for free. I did not regret it one bit. It was repetitive, they showed cards with the letters he was having trouble with and he just had to keep repeat saying them. Once a week for half an hour over 6 months did the job.Good luck.

Kelley - posted on 11/06/2009

My daughter is five and she is in kindergarten and th eteacher is worried because she doesn't have the letter sounds down right. Just like your son she says f different and s and she has been in speech for almost two years she is getting better I would definitely look into getting your son evaulated for speech thearpy. it doesnt hurt

Danielle - posted on 11/06/2009

Hi I was having the same problem with my son but only he was a little younger. I was assured that it was just something that will come in time. And he is almost 5 now and talks really well. It will get better once he is in school too.

Christina - posted on 11/06/2009

He will catch on quicker than you think. My daughter is the same way and I saw a specialist and they told me that the ones who develop slower actually take in more information and you would be remarkably surprised at how they excel in the next year. =) Hope this helps.

Natasha - posted on 11/06/2009

ok been there myself still going though it now, my daughter who at 3 didnt talk at all except mum, dad, nana poppy, made alot of her own words up.

i started taking her to speech theraphy, and now at 4 she is talking very well, she still isnt very clear with her words as other children her age but i can see a huge difference, she is been diagonised with "phonalogical disorder" which means she does not place her tongue in the rigt spot which is why she dosent say her words clearly, we work very hard with her theraphy and have gone right back to basics in teaching her, her sounds

theraphy is wonderful i have learnt so much by attending with her and now feel i am quite educated to help her at home, basically as a guild a 3 yr old should be able to say at least 500 words, and that was the clencher for me that i needed to seek help

i live in australia and our goverment pays for these needs but u go on a waiting list unless u have private insurance which i didnt, so i applied for the waiting list but continued to pay to see a private therapists until 12 mths later her name came to the top

all the best and i hope this has helped

Jackie - posted on 11/06/2009

I dont see what state you live in... based on the state you live in is what services you can get. But I would NOT wait, there are soooo many state funded services now offered and they do NOT label your child in any way. First thing you have to do is get your child evaluated by a preschool speech/education program to get Individual Education Plan (IEP). Some people will call this special education or special needs, do not let those terms scare you and do not be afraid to take the services offered your child. If your child is behind in speech, yes you can wait until he is in kindergarten or later for the school to pick up the slack but that will mean pulling him out of regular class for lessons that he can receive NOW. Both my children had speech... my son had fluid problems in his ears that affected his hearing and my daughter had such bad asthma that her speech was delayed. Each was treated differently and now they are both caught up and you would never know that both of my honor roll students did not say complete sentences until they were past the age of 4.

Shree - posted on 11/06/2009

The sooner that you get him in therapy (IF needed) the better! Talk to your doctor as soon as you can. A therapist can give you pointers on how to help him at home. Good luck!

Cara - posted on 11/06/2009

boys take longer to articulate certain sounds. My son was in speech therapy in school but his was a cognitive speech issue. He had chronic ear infections when he was a baby and so he heard sounds differently and said them wrong. He is fine now at 10. He had issues with s and t. T's are not really "mastered" until around 8. If you plan on having him in public school keep an eye on it and let his teacher know that you are concerned. They will let you know if he is "behind" on anything.

Valerie - posted on 11/06/2009

My son has the same problem. Try and get him in some sort of speech. I waited until he went to school and think this has delayed him somewhat. It doesn't hurt to start taking him early! Good Luck

Diesha - posted on 11/06/2009

I had the same concerns with my 7 year old. I had her hearing evaluated and they recommended a speech therapist. I was taking her to speech therapy at the local university and now she receives speech services in school. She is very smart but has some difficulty using the right words to express herself. The speech therapy at school and reading everyday has helped tremendously!

Michelle - posted on 11/06/2009

Im a teacher. At the pediatrician, have her/him check the what kids say when chart...the sentences should be clearly spoken, should be complete 5-6 word sentences, and make up stories. (Hearing is usually already checked at the doctor, but maybe some ear infections caused some build up in the ear,(scar tissue) and its hindering their hearing) They may have a few made up words which is fine ( yesternight, instead of last night)... and still have trouble with Sss, Rrr, Vvv, Jjj, Th, Sh, and Ch. ***They should have contractions like "won't" and "can't" and "In", "Out", "under," and expressions such as "morning," "afternoon"figured out by age 2-3. Your pediatrician should have a conversation with your child and figure out what is fine, or what needs work.
Then go have the speech tests as several have done. It takes about a half hour.
Its easy and you sit outside the door while they do pictures and point to things...to say their "words." Its a test that is usually determining what to work on until age 8. If after age 8 the issues are still there, then lots of work goes into speech skills. (And by then the reading has fallen behind, and the child is in a lower reading group, but they may catch up and be on grade level in about 2 yrs.) Everything may point to being FINE!
Hope some of this helps.

Amy - posted on 11/06/2009

Quoting Michelle:

My little boy is 4 and has the exact same problem. He has been going to speech therapy and they have also given me sheet work to do at home with him. One good thing to do is every time he says a word incorrectly in the sentence you repeat the sentence after him. Apparently it is called auditory bombardment. We also practice making snake sounds by clenching our teeth and kind of hissing, but using the 's'.

He is getting better, but will definitely require more speech therapy. We have had his hearing checked, tonsils out, it is just a matter know of repetition.

You are right on track with what to do.. I have an 8 year old that had speech issues when he was 4 or 5 and he went to school and saw a speech therapist there and that has helped him soo much.. It has also helped me with my 3 1/2 year old with his speech.. He doesn't like to use an "s" either or words that have "th" in them

Kim - posted on 11/06/2009

Check into getting his hearing checked out 1st & foremost! My little cousin had a speech problem or so we thought!! It was his hearing - he could barely hear us so he pronounce his words as he heard them - fuzzy like!!! GOD bless

Jamie - posted on 11/06/2009

Well my suggestion is because my son is going thru the same thing except that he uses the letter F in front of everything so our cats name is smokey and he says fokey.. and same thing we correct him and he says it and he knows his letters of the ABC's and etc. So i talked to the school principal and before that the teacher caught me and they suggest speech therapy and it has been helping, they still have a while to go until the end of the year, however, he is useing sentences correctly now, and they are longer and he takes his time a little bit to pronounce them. He is also going to physical therapy because his running is off and they are working on that as well. Hope this helps ... If nothing else take him to your family dr. and see what he can recommend.

Sara - posted on 11/06/2009

My six year old son has been in speech therapy since he was two. He fell very behind in talking in fact he wasnt speaking at all. After having him I had a daughter and a son both with speech problems so I have all three of them recieving speech therapy. Now my son is six my daughter 5 and my youngest is 3 they all are doing so much better they still have a way to go but they will get there. Go to your pediatrician and get a referral for him to get therapy it will help!!!