Hi, I know I should be worried........

Jennifer - posted on 10/18/2011

Contact the infants and Toddlers program for your county/state. your pediatrician should also have places you can be referred to, along with hearing tests, etc. I don't think you need to panic but you should plan on intervention at this point.

Stephanie - posted on 10/13/2011

Check with your local health department, they do developmental screenings which include hearing screenings and speech screenings and they can give you a list of places in your area that can get you the help your child needs. It is in the child Guidance office, we went through that to get my 4 year old son speech help and he will be out of speech in January because he was only slightly delayed and he is about out of sounds he needs help with.

Debbie - posted on 10/12/2011

go to you school district and ask if they do evaluations...if not take him to a speech pathologist for an evaluation, some do it for free

Caryn - posted on 10/10/2011

Brenda, it can be scary to see your child not hitting the marks in the development charts. I'd recommend you go to Amazon and order a book, Play to Talk by Drs. MacDonald and Stoika. You should also read up on Childhood Apraxia (speech delay) here at Circle of Mom and on Facebook for advice.

Sheronda - posted on 10/05/2011

I think the best thing to do is to talk to the pediatrician about it. A lot of times they can refer you to different places where the child can get speech therapy. Most of the places will help you faster with a referral from the doctor. Also, you can get them to look at you as you say words and see if they will repeat. Good luck to you.

Susan - posted on 10/05/2011

Contact your local school district and inquire about language screening programs. Often times there will be a program in place that provides speech evaluations to help gage your child's development. My son showed language delays when he was two so I contacted the school district to have him evaluated. It turned out he was significantly delayed and needed daily speech therapy sessions to get him on track. In addition to speech therapy we placed him in preschool as well, hearing his peers speak really helped him develop his language skills. A by-product of his speech delays included delayed fine motor skills so he also worked with a physical therapist during the week. Just so you're aware, because of his delays, we developed an IEP with the school district and our son was placed in Spec Ed. This societal stigma is not easy to deal with but if you can focus on the benefits this type of program provides for your child's development, you will be much better off. Through early intervention our son tested out of his IEP by the end of 1st grade. He's now in 3rd grade and doing really well.
Best of luck to you!

Meagan - posted on 10/04/2011

Talk to your doctor about getting a referral to a developmental specialist. Then ask them about evaluations for speech services and anything else you think the child may need. Also check with your local school system to find out about getting in a year early. my kids were significantly delayed and the started school at age 3. Starting school early and speech, and ot helped them siginifcantly and now they are almost right on grade level. Find out about any resources you can and use them all if you are eligable. i hope this helps

Heather - posted on 10/04/2011

Talk to a doctor to rule out there is no physical reasoning for not talking. Observe interactions, are you reading your child's body language and maybe reducing the need for the child to comunicate? Sometimes we are such great moms and know our kids so well, that our kids do not need to say a word to us, but by a sound or an action we know what they need. Example child holds out hand and point to the juice jug, we automaticly pour a bit of juice in the sippy cup, without saying a thing and hand it to our child. Comunication took place and no need to speak. As a parent, that is a good time to ask when they are pointing "Do you want some juice?" Wait for the child to reply, if not , let them know what the proper reply would be , "Yes please Mommy". Great time to instill good manors too.!!

Eventually they will start to verbally comunicate, just takes a little more effort.

Good luck :)

Susan - posted on 10/04/2011

Check with the school district - I know our local district offers assistance with speech therapy, hearing tests, ... because they would like to catch these problems and help the child before they start school, if possible.

Aleathea - posted on 10/04/2011

Hello Brenda,
I am a mom of 4 children, One with special needs (austistic) If you feel that there is an issue with your child you must push it to the limit. It was not until my son was 7 years old and a huge break down did we find out what was actually wrong with my son. You are his voice, if you feel that he should be farthur ahead then push the issue. Ask your doctor to see a speech thearapist, Call your local public school and ask for a early screening of your child. My son started school at 3 years old due to his delayed speach. Be his mom and his voice you are all he has to get him thru his silent world.

Stacey - posted on 10/04/2011

my son is in the early intervention program now and he is turning 3 this month and will be transitioning to a school district nearby. He also is attracted to music and gets in the home music therapy plus his speech therapy. They have tools to help you help the child. I would seek professional help if I were your friend. it will only help him control his frustration and help you understand him better :) Good Luck.

Marcia - posted on 10/04/2011

I would rule out any other issues...(hearing, autism, etc,), and if alll is well, just keep loving him, talking to him, and hang in there..My grandson is 31/2 and is speech delayed, he now says a lot, but not always well....they'll be fine.

Jennifer - posted on 10/04/2011

Please see your pediatrician to get a Speech and Language consult. This problem will not disappear. This will eventually lead to frustration for him and you. Even starting with a playgroup or daycare to get him around kids of his own age may stimulate him in the mean time.

Stacey - posted on 10/04/2011

Okay, I would say contact Early Childhood Intervention...But the the cut off is at age 3. In your case, I would talk with your family doctor or if your child has a pediatrician, and explain to them what your concerns are about your child. They can recommend and send a referral to Easter Seals for you to get your child into a program that is age appropriate. Please don't wait any longer because it could be Autism. The sooner you help your child the better he/she will be. Blessings to you :)

Carin - posted on 10/04/2011

You could check into Early Childhood Intervention and have them evaluated. They should take children 3 and under, evaluate the child, and let you know if they are behind.

Sonya - posted on 10/03/2011

Yep i agree with many of the other Mum on here......a hearing test, and speech pathology assessment.....you could always ask your local Dr or pediatrician to help you with this or refer you to other services. Also to check if there are other delays in other developmental areas. Hang in there.

Brenda - posted on 09/07/2009

Hi all........tnx so much for your encouraging responses! First of all.....the child isn't my son but that of a close relative. He has been in and out of the hospitals for check ups and all but it's just been one referral after another thus my concern. However, he LOVES to listen to and responds to music very well, he brings your cell to you when its ringing, he blabs( not audible words), laughs(a lot), and plays around like every normal child. everything seems okay.......but for the speech......thus my worry. The only thing we are not doing is talking to him normally so we'll try that and I'll keep you all posted.



Thanks so much once again.



Love,



Brenda

Jess - posted on 09/06/2009

Dana,

Where did you get the idea that sign language delays speech. That is completely untrue. Most babies who sign actually have advanced language skills. Once they can say a word they may sign and speak or drop the sign. Because they need to communicate with people who do not sign, SL is not a substitute for speech. Also, signing is used with many speech delayed babies/children to help ease frustration by allowing their thoughts and needs to be expressed.

Brenda,

There are many early interventions to help kids to develop speech. By finding some help in your area you will be able to have your baby tested and seen by professionals in order to figure out the root cause. Your pediatrician may be able get you that information (I am surprised that he/she has not discussed this with you at regular check-ups). Best Luck!!!

Candida - posted on 09/05/2009

I have an almost two year old in my home with a speech delay due to cleft lip and pallet. The best thing you can do is talk to your doctor about it and set up an evaluation through social services so you do not get stuck paying for it.The evaluation will probably be set up through early intervention or other closely related program.If you have a children's hospital in your area it may have a developmental clinic who can help you as long as you get a referral from your doctor.

Jessica - posted on 09/04/2009

As others have mentioned, there are a lot of variables that may help determine if something's wrong, such as a hearing problem.

If he just isn't "talking", but he is saying things, babbling, laughing, etc., this probably isn't a worry - but has he been tested for autism?

Michele - posted on 09/04/2009

Not sure where you live but most communities have something called early intervention, it is part of "mental health-mental retardation services". look in your phone books white pages and ask them if they have early intervention program. PA has it and it is a free service.
hope that helps

Tanya - posted on 09/04/2009

Quoting Dana:

did you do alot of sign language with your child, that tends to delay speech because they get their needs met through sign.

This is a myth. "A common myth about using sign language in children is that as a child grows up will choose to use signing over verbal speech. On the contrary, research suggests that verbal speech is preferred over signing because the vocabulary skills of children who are taught the sign language are enhanced." (www.articlesbase.com)

If a child is not speaking by the age of three, my own inclination would be to talk to the child's doctor about a referral to find out if there are any contributing factors to the speech delay.  There could be hearing issues or developmental issues or even muscle problems that impair the ability to speak.  Does your child say any words at all?  If it still just sounds like babbling, but there are a few coherent words, then maybe there's nothing wrong.  A 3-year-old's vocabulary still isn't large, and they should be more easily understood, but kids all develop differently.  Still, I've read that a 3-year-old might be eligible for evaluation through your local school board, so it might be worth contacting them as well.  It can't hurt, right?  If your child is hitting all the other milestones, it could just be that they're a bit slower with the speech and maybe there's nothing to worry about, but if you're worried then trust your instinct and ask that your baby be evaluated by a specialist or two.  (I don't want to set off alarms since I don't know what's causing your child's speech delay, but friends of mine had a son who had a speech delay and they didn't get it addressed until he was 4 years old.  He was eventually diagnosed with autism, but being assisted much earlier would have saved them a lot of frustration with communication.  He now speaks very well.)

Tiffany - posted on 09/03/2009

Hi try reading and talking to and encouraging your child to talk each day even if it is just babbling.Then i would try a speach theripest. Best of luck to you and your child :)

Lennie - posted on 08/31/2009

Have you considered asking your pediatrician to refer an ear dr for you to check with his hearing, from there he can be evaluated and you can take it from there....

Carmel - posted on 08/31/2009

I took both my kids to a speech therapy and it goes very well know

Shirley - posted on 08/31/2009

Hi Brenda,

Is your child a boy? Boys do tend to talk later than girls ( girls are born to talk lol) I know this is a stupid question but have you had your childs hearing tested ? this is the first thing to check. My nephew didn't speak properly till he ws nearly 5. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law had his hearing checked, saw a speech pathologist and a few other specialists, and nothing was physiologically wrong with him. He was just a late talker. He is a very bright child that just spoke late. We all thought he was going to start school and not be able to talk properly, but by the time school started he was talking like all the other kids. Have a chat with your GP or pediatrician, they will guide you to the specialists who can help you. And in the mean time just keep talking to your child all the time, explaining, showing and just babbling, even if they are not talking they will be absorbing the vocabulary. Hope this helps :)

Dana - posted on 08/31/2009

did you do alot of sign language with your child, that tends to delay speech because they get their needs met through sign.

Maria - posted on 08/30/2009

Hi there! Find out in your community where they offer speech therapy. A speech pathologist will come out and evaluate your child, and they will come up with a plan to offer speech therapy on a weekly basis. They will also offer a play group or any other service that they think will help your child out. The best thing is most of them are free of charge (mostly depending on insurance) and they work wonders!! My son who is now 5 received speech therapy when he was 2 yrs. old and in a year he was putting sentences together, and by four you would have never known that he was severely Speech Delayed. They will also see about any other developmental issues that your child might have!! You can find out where they offer it through your childs doctors office! I hope this helped!