Question about DS-22months...speech problem? *Another Update Pg5*

[luckywife]

Never posted on the community board before but thought I'd take a chance and ask a question. I have a DS-22 months, who seems to have some problems saying much of anything. I would say, at best, he can say maybe 5-6 words that we can understand. I have noticed that he falls a lot but until recently I was thinking maybe he was just clumsy. I mentioned all of this to our doctor and he told me it was "normal." I also have a 10 year old DS who could talk up a storm when he was just a little over a year old. I know all children are different but I'm just wondering how "normal" this is. I kind of felt like the doctor brushed me off when I mentioned it to him so now I feel foolish still maybe thinking something could be wrong and that's why DS isn't speaking very well when he's almost 2 years old. I thought maybe our doctor could do a hearing test just to be on the safe side but he has no plans to do that. Am I wrong for pushing the issue and asking again that his hearing be checked?

 

[WilmaBud]

Does he understand a lot of what you say to him? That's actually more important at that age. Don't compare him to your other child; there's a huge range of normal in terms of speech development.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

We went through this with Brittany. She was small, not talking, etc. My doctor wanted to do everything.....hearing tests, cystic fibrosis screen, blood tests, etc. Everything just came back normal. He sent her to our early intervention team.Ultimately, she started talking around 3.

But, yes......if I were you and you are concerned, I would probably persue it a bit further. At the very least, a hearing test certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

[kimwim8]

I would definitely ask for the hearing test. DS was 18 months when we realized that he was starting to talk, but very garbled. The dr. found that even though he wasn't getting a lot of infections, his ears were constantly filled with fluid. He had the tubes put in right away, and was talking 100% clearer after a couple days. It was like a whole new world for him once he could hear.

I was very sceptical of how they could possibly test the hearing of a young toddler, but they did it using visual aids - it was amazing.

Good luck, and keep us posted! And feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[decker96]

If you are concerned about it, I'd talk to your doctor again or get a different one. While all kids develop differently (I have 3 and I know how hard it is not to compare them!), if you are worried, there's nothing wrong with getting a second opinion.
I have a cousin who really wasn't talking at 2 at all (just grunting and pointing) and his pediatrician kept telling them the same thing, he's fine, just a later talker, he's got two older sisters who "talk for him", no big deal. My aunt finally got really frustrated and took him to someone else. They ran some tests and decided to put tubes in his ears (he did have alot of ear infections). A week later you couldn't get the kid to be quiet!! He was talking like crazy!
Not saying this is the case with your child, but trust your instincts. If it turns out there's nothing wrong, great, but you'll still feel better knowing.

 

[tonyswife]

As others have said, it could very well be normal.

However, I would be concerned that the Pediatrician "brushed you off" That is bad medicine. Your doctor should care about your concerns and earnestly answer your questions. I'd find another doctor.

 

[Gupsmom]

2 of my kids went through early intervention for speech. If I remember correctly, you do not need a referal to get an evaluation. It's free, in your house (usually) and actually kind of fun (all done through play).

If your child qualifies for speech, that is also free and often done in your home (or your child's preschool/daycare if you work). Early intervention ends at 3 yrs old. After that you have to qualify through your school district.....which is much harder. If you are concerned, I would not wait.

Also...Early Intervention will refer your child for a hearing test. My children did great with these services. They quickly (6 months of therapy) caught up and are now ahead of the game verbally. Maybe they would have just been late bloomers but I'm glad I didn't take that chance...

Jess

 

[liznboys]

If you are concerned, then I would absolutely push your Ped to do a hearing test, and maybe ask them to send your son to a speech therapist to be tested. It couldn't hurt!!

Sometimes we parents have to take charge and demand what we feel is best from the Ped. I had to do this a year and a half ago...I demanded that the Ped refer us to an allergist when he said it wasn't necessary. We found out our son is allergic to peanuts which we wouldn't have discovered otherwise! (And that's not an allergy you want to mess around with!)

Anyway, I know that's an entirely different topic, but you see my point. Good luck!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Originally posted by Gupsmom
2 of my kids went through early intervention for speech. If I remember correctly, you do not need a referal to get an evaluation. It's free, in your house (usually) and actually kind of fun (all done through play).

If your child qualifies for speech, that is also free and often done in your home (or your child's preschool/daycare if you work). Early intervention ends at 3 yrs old. After that you have to qualify through your school district.....which is much harder. If you are concerned, I would not wait.

Also...Early Intervention will refer your child for a hearing test. My children did great with these services. They quickly (6 months of therapy) caught up and are now ahead of the game verbally. Maybe they would have just been late bloomers but I'm glad I didn't take that chance...

Jess

BINGO!!!
My SIL waited until her son was three to find out there WAS a problem. Her son could have had intervention a long time ago. Check with you local school district for your options. Here the Parents As Teachers program is where you start.

 

[aimee11621]

CHANGE DOCTORS I don't mean to alarm you but, my daughter has a severe hearing loss. She wears hearing aids in both ears. Her speech was severly delayed. Due to my FOOLISHNESS I didn't figure it out until later.

If you like your primary physician and don't want to change have him give you a referral to a neurologist. Why neurologist? He can help you with the falling and coordination issues. Also can order specialty tests for hearing.

In addition to visit an ENT.

We see the neurologist for the above mentioned.

Don't be afraid to speak your mind. And tell him what you are seeing. If he says its normal its not. When there is a lack of speech that is a BIG RED FLAG.

Don't panic but you are losing precious time.

I WISH I WOULD HAVE SPOKEN MY MIND AND STOOD UP FOR MY LITTLE ONE. (still lose sleep and cry about it)

Lots of pixie dust for you and yours

 

[puffkin]

Definitely get a second opinion. At the most, your doctor could have done a simple hearing test. Wouldn't have cost much and put your mind at ease.

My niece does not talk well and she is going to be 4 in 2 weeks. Her parents finally realized there was a problem (after more than a year of gentle hints from the family) and she is starting speech therapy through the County Intermediate Unit this fall. Hopefully, they caught it soon enough and she will catch up with the other kids by the time she hits kindergarten.

My own personal philosophy is to talk to kids like they are normal people. I really think my nieces problem was that people constantly talked baby talk to her and if she pointed or cried for something they gave it to her without making her say it. She still does goes "eh" or "ah" when she wants something instead of saying it. And, people still constantly talk baby talk to her even though she is practically 4. I know every kid develops differently, but my boss brings her 3 kids into the office everyday and we don't really talk baby talk to them and it is amazing what their vocabulary is at such young ages (4, 2, and 1 1/4).

 

[Wishing on a star]

As you can see, this could be anything from completely normal to possible problems that might need immediate attention.

I say, TRUST YOUR OWN MOTHERS INSTINCTS! You cannot always trust the first family Dr. or teacher, or relative....

My son can hear just great... by his 4th birthday he was using words like veterinarian (ALL syllables clearly enunciated). Our Ped. never failed to notice his speech and communication skills. Yet, 12 months earlier, due to other non-related issues (shyness and anxiety) his teacher at Mothers Day Out was swearing that he could not hear and was demanding that I should get him tested. Yeah Right...

You mentioned how your child falls quite a bit. Is he clumsy in other ways, like hand dexterity and gross motor skills, or could this be a 'balance' problem related to inner-ear?

I do know that this is a very important window of opportunity for speech and coordination development! I would suggest that you do not wait too awfully long if things do not improve.

If your instinct is telling you that something may not be right, then I would probably encourage you to overstep this one doctor, and to find a way to have your child examined, evaluated, and tested. In our State, the county does not kick in with the free early intervention until 36 months old.

Hope this helps!

 

[shelbyjosh]

As a parent of a speech impaired child I would suggest that your child get tested ASAP. My DS6 was 4 when he entered our district's PPI program. He did that for 2 years then entered K last year. He has a phonological disorder and possible auditory memory problems. He has been in private speech therapy for 16 months and has made great strides. When he was tested by our current ST, he was at a 2.9 y.o. level. Now he is around the 5.5 level. He was 6 y.o. in April so he is still a little behind. The schools don't help that much with speech problems. They cannot devote enough group time let alone 1 on 1 time. DS gets 2- 30 minute sessions a week. I pay $88 a week since Blue Cross won't touch speech therapy. If hindsight was 20/20 I would've gotten him help sooner, but I just thought he was a late talker. Please have your child evaluated by a speech pathologist and if he/she deems treatment by all means get the ball rolling.

 

[mistaroo]

I agree you shouldn't accept the pediatrician brush off. Definitely follow your instincts and get DS checked out if you are concerned.

I also have a 22 month old DS who doesn't say a lot I can understand. He will go on and on "saying" paragraphs worth of "words" but I don't understand any of it. He has an absolutely amazing understanding of words and can do just about anything we tell him to. DH and I have taken to spelling a lot of things so that he doesn't understand us.

At the 18 month check up, the pediatrician said DS was normal but that I should encourage him to use words. Instead of my saying the words and having him point out things, I should point to the items and ask him "what's this"?

I also noticed that I was very guilty of just knowing what he wanted and not making him tell me. I have been making an effort to have him tell me and just during the past week, DS has been saying more words- not a lot but more than before now. I have to be careful to phrase my question correctly because if I tell him "say the word broccoli" he'll say "broccoli" but if I ask "Can you say the word broccoli" he'll just nod, smile, and say "yea".

I was told by my pediatrician that children who walked or reached physical milestones early often develop their verbal skills later. My DS walked unassisted at 9 months so maybe that is true. It also seems that many of the boys in my family talked late. I am not yet worried but do wish he would talk more.

Try not to worry too much as it is probably just normal but if you have any doubts, definitely get DS checked.
Good luck

 

[castlegazer]

Hmm, this is making me wonder about my DS - 28 months, he has a lot of phonetics problems, but he just started speaking sentences a few months ago and now that he is, he gets more garbled because his brain is working faster than his mouth can. I think, though, overall, that every child develops speach very differently. I trust my doctor to tell me if everything is OK - but now it will be next year before we see her again.

My son at 24 months wasn't saying even half the words of his classmates. He could definately understand everything we said, though. Now, today, he is catching up and I think he is more advanced in some other ways with his speach than others, like being able to say complicated sentences (even though some words are a little unclear).

I am worried, however, about my ability to understand what he is saying, but in reality he needs to work on his pronunciation, but I can't hear it because I can understand him, even though everyone else has to look for me to translate.

This was a bunch of ramblings but the botton line is that go ask the question again - but I think its normal at 2 to develop speach at different rates than other children. I look to the comprehension more than words - as long as they have at least 25 words under their belt. Try it out and you may be amazed at how many he has that you weren't counting like "No, yes, ball".

 

[castlegazer]

Oh, and one more thought on the falling thing - go into a good shoe store like Stride Rite and have his feet measured. seems stupid and silly, but their feet grow at amazing rates right now (I have an embarrassing story of being behind by two shoe sizes) and this could add to falls. It really is a simple fix and amazing how much is does affect their balance.

 

[KristiKelly]

DS started saying words @ 6 monthes & putting words together by 18 monthes. DD on the other hand did not. She would say a few words here & there, but didn't start to really put words together until she was almost 2, but once she started she was talking in complete sentences - and hasn't stopped to catch her breath yet - she's now 4. She also didn't walk until she was 15 monthes.

 

[Beth76]

Ha Ha!! Mystery Machine, you took my idea. (We're from the same area.)

To the OP, check with your school district to see if you have a Parents as Teacher program. They are very good in evaluating all sort of developmental things (at least in our state-Missouri). They even have hearing screening. It does seem like your son should be saying more words at this age. But, it could be that he just doesn't want to talk. Does it seem like he understand you? My son "seemed" to have a problem talking too, but I knew that he understood a lot of what I said. He followed directions very well at that age (this was around 18 months for us), so I figured it wasn't a hearing problem. He just started talking a lot later than his friends (who were all girls too).

 

[luckywife]

Wow! Thank you all for your encouring words and suggestions about DS. For a while we really weren't that concerned with him not talking but now, the older he gets, I get a little more worried each day. I have already started the process of finding another doctor for both my children. I know he has a degree but they are MY kids, so I don't think someone should make me feel "stupid" or that I don't know what I'm talking about just because I don't have a medical degree.

I have just been thinking that DS is clumsy when he walks but now I'm not so sure. He will be walking along just fine and fall down and/or walk into the wall. Not paying attention? Maybe. But I really would like to have his hearing tested just to find out what could possibly be going on. If it is some type of hearing problem we would rather know now than wait until he's ready to start school.

As for does he understand what we say? Yes, I think for the most part he does. If we ask him if he wants to take a bath or brush his teeth, he'll head right for the bathroom. He TRIES really hard to say things but most of what he says is just babbling that we have a hard time understanding. A lot of times I can see the frustration in his eyes when he wants to say something but no "words" come out. I am definitely guilty of giving him what he wants when he won't say what it is. I only do this because I feel like he can't say the word and just grunts and points. Probably a big no-no on my part. You have all given me some wonderful ideas of who/where I need to call and that's just what I'm going to do. I would rather be safe than sorry. Thanks again for your help.

Oh and before I forget. I can't rememer who mentioned the shoes. I NEVER thought of that but I will take him to have his feet measured to make sure he has the correct shoe size. Thanks again.

 

[Snowysmom]

My younger son did not talk much at all until he was over 2 years old. In his case, his older brother did the talking for him or would get younger DS whatever he pointed or grunted at. The doctor was concerned but I asked to wait until older DS went to school all day and then we would see. Once older DS was in school, I would not get things when younger DS pointed. I would try to get him to say the word. I would say a word and ask him to repeat it. After a few weeks of this he was doing pretty well. Older DS had problems with certain sounds such as th and l. We had his hearing tested but it was normal. We worked with him at home and the doctor was impressed with how well he was progressing so we did not need to see a speech pathologist. But, in both cases, we did talk with the doctor and would have gotten help for them if it were needed. Now that they are teenagers, they won't be quiet! LOL.