OT: Delayed Speech In Two Year Old?

[mdhkitten]

Hi! I was just wondering if any other parents here have had to deal with delayed speech in their children. My daughter is 25 months old and maybe says 2 to 3 words. She is highly intelligent otherwise, actually her pediatrician has said that developmentally (other than speech) that she's way ahead of her age. Has anyone ever heard of the book "The Einstein Syndrome"? I've talked to the man who's written this book and he says that she sounds like a typical child that they studied who tends to be more left brained, thus this affects their speech during this stage of development. I would just love to know if anyone has gone through this that I can talk to! Thanks!

 

[WDWfor5]

Hi - my DS is now 3, but when he was 2 I had the same speech concerns you do. He had 1 or 2 words and yet his receptive voacularly (what he understood) was way ahead for his age. He was developmentally on target or beyond for everyting but expressive speech. The pediatrician blew it off as "boys talk late" and the Einstein syndrome.

I decided to trust my gut as I have two older children and it seemed wrong and contacted my local Early intervention who did an evaluation and diagnosed a 50% speech delay with possible sppech apraxia. We then went to the Pediatric Neurologist and he was officially diagnosed as apraxic. He got FREE speech therapy at home 2x per week for an hour each time until he turned 3. Now he is the PreSchool Disabled program receiving speech 5x per week for 30 minutes. He is a totally different child - the speech did wonders for him and the more I researched it the more I agreed with the Diagnosis.

Anyway, sorry for the long reply but follow your instincts - she should be talking more by age 2 1/2 and get the evaluation from your State or county early intervention. They will either set your mind at ease and tell you she's fine or she'll get the therapy she needs.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, if you think I can help.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Although I've never heard of the book, I can tell you that I went through this 21 years ago. What made it worse was that our next door neighbor had a daughter only a few days in age apart from DS. She'd come over and talk in sentences, while he could only say a few words-and not well. We had to have an Early Pediatric Intervention Specialist come to our house twice a week, and he had speech therapy twice a week from age 3 on. But yes, in the long run he was fine-once he figured things out, when he was 5 or 6, we couldn't shut him up! He just graduated from college last year, and if we ever tell anyone he'd had to have speech therapy, they wouldn't believe it. I cried a lot of tears at the time, and everyone tried to comfort me and say "It'll be OK", but it really was!

 

[mommy*RN]

Hi! I was just wondering if any other parents here have had to deal with delayed speech in their children. My daughter is 25 months old and maybe says 2 to 3 words. She is highly intelligent otherwise, actually her pediatrician has said that developmentally (other than speech) that she's way ahead of her age. Has anyone ever heard of the book "The Einstein Syndrome"? I've talked to the man who's written this book and he says that she sounds like a typical child that they studied who tends to be more left brained, thus this affects their speech during this stage of development. I would just love to know if anyone has gone through this that I can talk to! Thanks!

Hi!
I actually had this problem with my DS when he was 2. He wouldn't talk! He would say mama or dada and Penny (our dog) but that was about it. He did okay until his "2's" when it started frustrating him that he couldn't really communicate with us. I pushed his ped into getting us a referral for speech therapy. The speech therapist came over and tested him and determined he only needed to meet with her 2x a month. I was crestfallen. I didn't think that would really make a difference. Then when she came over she mainly taught him sign language. It was quite disappointing. Then over the summer she told me that she would only be able to come on Tuesdays or Thursdays (the two days I worked full days at the time). I told her it wouldn't be necessary for her to come anymore. I then went about trying to get him to talk myself. I tried not to be harsh about it...but there were times he would go into a fit because I wouldn't let him have whatever it is he wanted (even though I knew) because he wouldn't say it. He was stubborn! It worked very slowly but little by little he added more and more words and I saw the frustration start to drift away...much to my relief. Now he is a happy 4yr old who has an excellent vocabulary and pronunciation.

It can be frustrating, but it is so worthwhile once your child says "Mom, this is delicious!" - that is my favorite saying of his!

Feel free to PM if you want or need further assistance - I will try to help in anyway I can!

Good luck!

 

[bobcat]

My DS didn't say a whole lot until he was well into year 3. Liek you intelegence wise he understood everything but just didn't talk. His sister is 3 years older than him and she didn't help matters by doing things for him so he didn't have to ask. She evidently understood him. By 4 he was talking and now at 11 he never shuts up. My ears bleed sometimes! We have had him in speech therapy since preschool once a week but it was mainly his pronunciation.

Like WDWfor5 says trust your instincts. If you think it is more than boys just talk later have him evaluated. It won't hurt anything and you will be way ahead of the game if there is a problem.

 

[lovesdumbo]

My 3rd and youngest child was the easiest baby until about 18 months when she started screaming. She had maybe 10 words but they all sounded the same (ma, ba, da). We had her evaluated by Early Intervention and she did qualify for weekly help. All my friends thought I was crazy for getting her help. They would say "my nephew didn't talk til he was 5 and now he's a doctor.....". But I felt like we were rewarding her screaming and yet I could ignor her screams either and she was so frustrated. Everyone tried to tell me her siblings were talking for her but she doesn't let anyone talk for her. Her therapist thinks her speech delay was due to her personality. She wants to do everything on her own-doesn't want to follow anyone elses rules. Speech therapy did wonders for her. She continued to receive speech until her 3rd birthday. She'll start preschool in the fall. I cannot imagine she would have been ready if she didn't get speech help but she is SO ready now.

 

[Pooh Crew]

If you have any concerns whatsoever, please contact your local Early Childhood Intervention (sometimes just called Early Intervention or even something else entirely). Your pediatrician should have a number for you to call...if not, call your school district's speech therapy department. Your ped does not have to "refer" you or even agree that services are needed. I believe this is a nation-wide free service--meaning: your tax dollars at work. My ped said my premature children were not delayed, but ECI evaluated them and two of them did need services. Chances are, your child is fine, but put your mind at ease and give ECI a call. If you have any trouble finding a branch in your area, pm me and I will help you find who to call.

 

[shaylahc1]

I think "Einstein Syndrome" is a diagnosis of exclusion. Your child needs to be evaluated by a professional before you can assume there isn't a problem.

I have an apraxic child, and my 21 mos old DS is delayed in speech so I've been there. Even my apraxic child could say more than 2-3 words by two, so if I were in your shoes I would definitely be concerned. I would contact your local Early Intervention program, they will evaluate your child for free.

 

[babiesX2]

Trust your instincts! If you feel something is not right with your child have him evaluated by an early intervention social worker. Do a yahoo search for your state. They come for free and evaluate and if speech therapy is needed they will come to your home for free. Your son may need occupational therapy as well as speech.

One of our twins is developmentally delayed (all related to severe premature birth). Early Intervention came but they were only going to come once every two weeks and do physical therapy. I told our pedi, and she gave us a referral for private therapy that our insurance pays the majority of. We do speech, occupational, and physical therapy 3 days a week for 1.5 hours each visit. Therapy makes such a difference. Lydia came home from the hospital at a little over 4 months old with a feeding tube. All she could do was lay flat on a blanket in the floor. She couldn't lift her head up a half inch. Her twin was holding her head up and just beginning to roll over. Our physical therapist told us that there was a strong possibility Lydia could end up in a wheelchair. We faithfully did the exercises she gave us to do, and Lydia started walking a few months ago. Our pediatrician saw her walk and cried! Occupational therapy works with de-sensitizing her (lots of negative stimuli at an early age in the NICU). They also work on her oral aversion (not eating) and her vision (weak eye muscles). PT works on her movement and making sure she has good muscle tone and she moves properly. Speech only works on her feeding problems.

 

[Perditamarie]

I believe as part of "No Child Left Behind" Act, extensive early intervention services are available to provide assistance to children with physical/developmental/emotional delays. Definately follow through as other posters have suggested and obtain the number from your pediatician for the Early Intervention program in your area-- you can refer yourself and don't need an official diagnosis from the doctor or have to submit insurance claims. You are already paying for this with taxes.

Our son was right on target for all of his developmental milestones, but when it came to speech, no one could really understand what he was saying. It was really heartbreaking watching him trying to communicate with family and especially try to connect with other kids at playgrounds. Your son may be a little young now to notice the responses he gets to his communications, but when he becomes more aware it could be very frustrating for him.

Our son was evaluated and diagnosed in our home and received weekly speech therapy in our home until he was 3. After 3, he was recommended to the developmental pre-school program run by the school district. He was placed in pre-school 3 half days a week with 2 speech sessions a week for 2 years. Now he is ready to enter Kindergarten in the Fall and the transformation in his speech is amazing -- you would almost never know there was any problem. Also, you are involved in the entire process and have many opportunities to develop a plan for your child and provide feedback. The professionals we have worked with in this whole process have been incredible - very passionate about their work and very dedicated to the best interest of the children. It has been a rare occasion of seeing tax dollars very effectively at work.

Don't wait until he gets older..having an evaluation done will give you more information and options to best help your child. Good luck and please keep us updated.

 

[english rose 47]

Definately go with your gut feelings. DGS (a twin) was impossible to understand while her twin was fine . Every one said it's beacause she"s a twin and they went thru the twin talk stage which is like a foreign language to all but the twins. Also I noted some motor problems took a while but DD finally had her tested . Speech delay and needed OT & PT was 18 months delayed in OT & PT at age 3 . She still receives speech at 10. But you can definately understand her. So have it checked out.

 

[PaulaSue]

All 3 of my girls have been in speech for years because they were born tongue-tied (they all had surgery soon after birth).

My youngest also needed it for being delayed. Thankfully they are all out now and it helped SO MUCH.

 

[Wonders10]

I'm a speech pathologist in training - in my 2nd year of graduate school. A typical 2 yr old should have about 50 words in her expressive vocabulary (what she speaks). The receptive (what is understood) is typically much higher, even in non-typical children. I would get her evaluated. It won't hurt a bit. And by doing it so early, you will probably be saving yourselves a lot of money if she does need therapy. It could be all sorts of problems like apraxia, an articulation or phonological disorder (a speech sound errors) or just a simple delay in language.

What is important to remember and I'm getting the jist that some of the parents in this thread didn't, is that you do not have to be cognitively impaired, "dumb", "slow", "not normal", or any of that negatively associated feelings that come with attending speech therapy. Don't let your pride of having to admit that your child needs a little extra help in something get in the way of actually getting the help. And don't let your pediatrician dictate whether you get speech treatment or not. Most of the time, they are off in what they are telling you. My 3 yr old nephew was told that he'll grow into, he's a boy, etc. Well he is currently in speech therapy for a severe phonological disorder. In just a few months of therapy, he was a whole new person, but he has a ways to go still.

Just curious, but has she had a lot of ear infections or a hearing screening recently? Do you notice anything at all, even the littlest things in her behavior or movements aside from the speech? Not that I could still help you, but if you do have her evaluated (which I think you should), she should have a hearing screening, a language evaluation, a speech evaluation, an oral-motor exam, and maybe some smaller informal tests. This is typical for an evaluation and is done in our clinic on every single person that comes in the door for treatment. You should also receive a gigantic form to fill out for a case history that will help the SLP before she does the eval. Keep us posted on what you decide to do and if you have any questions, I'd love to share my knowledge.
*Shannon

 

[mdhkitten]

Thanks everyone for your input! It's nice to know that I'm not the only mother that has felt this way. I found my local Early Intervention number, and will let you know what ends up happening. Thanks again!

 

[all4fun]

I'm glad you found their number. My ds received speech and physical therapy through our local EIP from September of last year until just last month when he "graduated" because he is three now. His speech is greatly improved and he is starting to talk in sentences now and his motor skills are also much improved. I have been really impressed with how much this has helped him and think the time spent was totally worth it.

I hope it works out for you and like a pp said, they'll either get your dd any help she needs, or put your mind at rest that she's doing just fine.

And Shannon/Wonders10 thank you for that post. Very well said!

Cheryl

 

[Mom2DS]

My youngest son (now almost 11) was born 9 weeks early and had almost constant ear infections in his first 2 years. By the time he was 2, we noticed that he only said "mama, dada and bubba (for brother)". The rest of the time, he would just point and grunt for whatever he wanted. A lot of the time his older brother would "talk" for him. We took him to a speech therapist and she worked with him for about a year and he hasn't stopped talking since! I don't know if it was due to his prematurity, his ear infections or his "helpful" brother , but thankfully it all worked out in the end!

 

[Bird-Mom]

I am glad you are going to call EI.

My older dd has been in therapy since she was 2.5. She didn't talk at all except for a few words. Once she was able to communicate just a little, out lives got so much easier. She is turning into a chatterbox now. She is developmentally delayed across the board, but the lines are blurring, and she becomes more and more typical each day.

Speech therapy for young children is all play based; she will love it! Both of my dds get so excited when we get to go play with Sarah (our SLP).

 

[belle&beast]

I'm glad you are going to call. I am a pediatric speech pathologist working in preschool, but I have previously done early intervention. It won't hurt to have him evaluated even if he doesn't require services. If you have any questions about the process I can tell you about what I did in my state, feel free to PM me.

 

[crisi]

We had my son evaluated at about 2 1/2. The process was painless and took about an hour. He didn't turn out to need help - in the words of the speech therapist - every mom wants to hear that their kid is above the 50th percentile, yours isn't, but he is within the range of normal and should catch up fine without intervention.....

My girlfriend had both her kids evaluated and both did qualify for services. And it made a huge difference.

 

[averysmom]

I think "Einstein Syndrome" is a diagnosis of exclusion. Your child needs to be evaluated by a professional before you can assume there isn't a problem.

I have an apraxic child, and my 21 mos old DS is delayed in speech so I've been there. Even my apraxic child could say more than 2-3 words by two, so if I were in your shoes I would definitely be concerned. I would contact your local Early Intervention program, they will evaluate your child for free.

Hi Shaylahc! Planning a trip?

Sorry - to the OP - my ds has been fighting speech delay for 2 1/2 years now - we've been through so many struggles and different dx - what they are calling it now is expressive-receptive speech and language disorder. I know that early childhood services are WAY better in the the US than in Canada (where I am from) and you probably won't have to wait for 19 months to get speech therapy - but I would still advise you to go and get evaluated from a speech path. as soon as possible. The earlier you can get her help - they easier it is in the long run. The less she is able to express herself the worse it is going to be for her (frustation wise) as she gets older - also social skills often don't develop/decline because as children get older, language becomes more and more important in play and if she can't talk/won't (she may become self aware of her speech and won't talk in social situations) to her playmates then she doesn't develop those skills - and now you re looking at OT for those.
Good luck!