Speech and Nutrition for 4 year old

Tracey - posted on 01/21/2009

Quoting Carrie:

Speech and Nutrition for 4 year old

I have two questions/concerns I am having with my four year old son Dameon (he just turned 4 in November). Does anyone have any advice on eating habits? My son won't eat any meat and only eats corn no other vegetables. He will eat cheese, fruits, peanut butter, and drinks lots of milk and water. My pediatrician tells me not to worry but that doesn't seem possible to me because he use to eat all kinds of meat and vegetables. I am told it is only a phase and to keep offering him all the foods but when I do that he moves the food away from everything else or hypergags and vomits if he doesn't like the smell. Any ideas? Also, some of his letter sounds aren't real clear like f's and sh sound. Did anyone else have children who were not speaking real clear at 4 years old? Thanks in advance for any help it is much appreciated.

hi carrie im tracey iv got 3 children and had no end of differnt probs as u can well emagine my oldest daughter use ta eat nothing but tinned spaggetii she was really thin and really hard ta get ta eat anything else but it did eventualy change it dose feel like it was going on 4ever but when they r 4 they arnt reallt babys anymore and they like ta show ya this but i was old ta make faces out of food and make if fun 4 them and it did help and my oldest and and youngest both had speach probs my oldest came out of it but my youngest had a hearing problem so it mite be worth geting a hearing test just ta see if he can hear properly hope iv helped a bit talk ta u soon

Mel - posted on 01/21/2009

Hi Carrie, that's great that you are going to have him assessed by a speech therapist. Although sounds like 'sh' are often not mastered until the age of 5 or so, it's best to have a professional opinion. I would also make sure you tell the therapist about the eating issues...it can be as the others have said, being picky or exerting his independence, but sometimes eating and speech problems are related. My youngest, a son who will be 4 in a few weeks, has motor planning problems which causes him to have some trouble speaking clearly, and he has sensory issues which make him over-sensitive to many flavours, textures, and smells. He has a very limited diet. There are strategies to help with this (we are still working on it!) and the therapist should be able to ascertain if there is a connection between his speech and eating habits. Good luck!

Sherry - posted on 01/20/2009

Quoting Carrie:

Speech and Nutrition for 4 year old

I have two questions/concerns I am having with my four year old son Dameon (he just turned 4 in November). Does anyone have any advice on eating habits? My son won't eat any meat and only eats corn no other vegetables. He will eat cheese, fruits, peanut butter, and drinks lots of milk and water. My pediatrician tells me not to worry but that doesn't seem possible to me because he use to eat all kinds of meat and vegetables. I am told it is only a phase and to keep offering him all the foods but when I do that he moves the food away from everything else or hypergags and vomits if he doesn't like the smell. Any ideas? Also, some of his letter sounds aren't real clear like f's and sh sound. Did anyone else have children who were not speaking real clear at 4 years old? Thanks in advance for any help it is much appreciated.

Remember to read to your child when ever you can so he is familar to the correct sounds. Reading is the best phonic.

Food- My daughter is still very picky when it comes to meats. She hates the texture of hamburger. So i try and make items that have hamburger ground into it like spaghetti or mac/cheese with hamburger. Does your son like to help in the kitchen? Maybe you could find some kid receipes that he would be inclined to help make..If he's proud of his work he maybe inclined to try it. The best thing to do is continue to offer choices. Most food issues are phases..

Good luck

Nina - posted on 01/20/2009

If you contact your local school or health department, they should have information on early developemental learning eval. It is provided by the state and if there is any speech or sensory issues, they will work with you to get the child help. In some cases, certain schools have pre-K classes especially for children in need of help. Good Luck!

Carrie - posted on 01/20/2009

Thank you so much for the information and advice.  I have an appointment with his pedi and he is going to refer us to a speech therapist.  I appreciate the information and will make sure to keep up with everything and will try to not get over worked about the eating and try your suggestions.  Take care and thanks again.

Jennifer - posted on 01/13/2009

Hi yes, my 6 year old has been in speech therapy now since JK. She started out with difficulty pronouncing SH and S sound. That is considered a sound that they will have developed by the time they hit JK. You may want to start having a thereapist work with him when he hits junior kindergarten...as the last thing you want is for him to continue with a lisp. Especially when help is easily available. Jaidan was able to master the sh and s sounds with in a 2 month span, which works out to 8 visits total a half/hr each max. The f sound is the last sound to develop in most children and this sound should be pretty much under control by age 6-7. This is according to the therapist my daughter sees here in Ontario.



About the food...the less you show that you are upset, the less your little man will refuse. Just as toilet training was difficult, so is the healthy eating. He is just proving to you that he has some independance and choices. So for now give him a multi-vitamin. And try to do meals that you can "hide" the veggies etc. ie: noodles and sauce, lasagna. If you puree the things he hates, add garlic he won't notice the veggies or meat. And if you fib to him, telling him only the items he likes is there...he'll eat without a fuss...hopefully! Good luck!