Developmental delay in 18 month old

Ohiomama81

My son's pedi decided to go ahead and have me call childrens hospital for a developmental delay as a in case. Quick stoey, my son was born at 33 weeks exactly and stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks. So i already knew to possibly expect possible delays. He sat up,rolled over, and crawled a little later bit not to late for the dr to be concerned. His speech is another story....i feel like he might just start up on his own like he did with his other milestones just a little later. His dr agrees he does tend to catch up right before red flags but since it might take a while anyway to be seen to go ahead and call for appt and if he progresses its still fine just a safe side. Have any of you dealt with delays? Ive been doing many things here at home with him that the dr and preemie board said will help him progress..just wondering if any one else has any input on fun things they've done or know of that helps improve with speech delays....Thanks in advance :-)

Robinandbaby

My dd was never diagnosed with a "speech delay" although by 18 months she was only saying a handful of words. My dr didn't seem too concerned, nor did a speech path friend I talked to. They both seemed to think it was too early to be really concerned, especially since she seemed to understand concepts and commands eg, "go bring me your sippy cup" "wave bye bye" "give mama a hug and kiss". Dd will be 2 next week and she is up to at least 50 words and is definitely communicating a lot more. She just started Mother's Day out, so I'm really hoping that will spur more words on.

RedSoxGirl10

I am a kindergarten teacher, so I have not dealt with developmental delays in the beginning stages of diagnosis. Therefore, take my thoughts knowing that  

I think it makes sense to go in for an appointment and have some testing done. Usually there would be more than just a speech delay to actually diagnose developmental delay but the testing can show any other areas of difficulty as well. If they do end up diagnosing your son with a developmental delay then the town will be required to provide the necessary services he will need for free, a lot of of times that includes a preschool that will have a speech pathologist, OT, PT etc on staff as well as a teacher certified in special education. At least, these things are true near me. Early intervention is key for this stuff, so there is no reason in the world to wait. If it turns out, things are totally fine in a year or two, then great- you just got some extra help in the meantime. 

If it turns out the only concern is a speech delay, then the town will be required to provide the necessary speech services for your son to reach the expected level. Again, early intervention is great before he begins to get frustrated and/or others can't understand him etc. Lots of kids get speech for a year or two and are released and continue as normal with no other services. I usually have 1-2 kids a year who previously had speech and no longer do by K, plus another 1-2 who still have it in K but don't have it by Grade 1. If you think about the fact that I only have 22 kids per year, that's a large percentage of kids who get some kind of speech service at some point or another. Most have no other difficulties in the classroom or academically. 

I hope this helps! 

versed

I'm a speech path, and I've worked with toddlers and preschoolers. I can't say enough about the Hanen program "It Takes Two to Talk."

https://www.hanen.org/Programs/For-Parents/It-Takes-Two-to-Talk.aspx

The program emphasizes just providing a lot of models (I.e. kid points to cookie. You say "cookie. You want a cookie. Here is a cookie for you.") and expanding on what language the kids do have (I.e. kid says "dog." You say "I see dog. The dog barks. The dog is big!").

Your job as parent is to immerse your child in language. Therapy can be a great thing, and they can provide tools to help you help your son. Good luck!

Ohiomama81

Robinandbaby said:

My dd was never diagnosed with a "speech delay" although by 18 months she was only saying a handful of words. My dr didn't seem too concerned, nor did a speech path friend I talked to. They both seemed to think it was too early to be really concerned, especially since she seemed to understand concepts and commands eg, "go bring me your sippy cup" "wave bye bye" "give mama a hug and kiss". Dd will be 2 next week and she is up to at least 50 words and is definitely communicating a lot more. She just started Mother's Day out, so I'm really hoping that will spur more words on.

Thats the thing...he doesnt respond to me saying go get sippy cup or asking him to wave, he kind of laughs it off where as other things he recognizes like the word no and night night or if i ask can i change you and show him a diaper he lays down and throws his legs up in the air...he babbles babytalk a lot but words wise only says a few. He does really point either when he wants something, he will more like fuss and stare at it.

Ohiomama81

TyrannosaurusLex said:

I'm going to send you a ton of resources as soon as I get home! The most important factor in his success is having a parent like you who advocates for his needs and/or potential needs.

Thanks!! I really appreciate it :x. Im anxious to do any and everything for my kids that will help them succeed.

Jspagnuolo

I'm a social worker and am a service coordinator with the early intervention program. My suggestion is to for sure go ahead with the evaluation at the hospital. Any information they can provide to you will be helpful in you being able to support any needs he may have. Also, even before the evaluation at the hospital, it can't hurt to call your state early intervention program (called "Help Me Grow" in Ohio). They will come out within a few weeks of you calling to complete an evaluation. They evaluate 5 areas of development, and if there are any delays, a coordinator will contact you regarding getting services. All of these services are provided in home/daycare. However, this program is NOT free for all families. Cost is based on family size & income. Once a child turns 3, if delays are still present, your township will provide services within a preschool program. That is all free.

My last suggestion is to go check out the "Special Needs" board...theres a lot of ladies there going through similar situations and they could help guide you as well.

Let me know if you have any questions and keep us updated!

micaelasmakeup

Ohiomama81 said:

Robinandbaby said:

My dd was never diagnosed with a "speech delay" although by 18 months she was only saying a handful of words. My dr didn't seem too concerned, nor did a speech path friend I talked to. They both seemed to think it was too early to be really concerned, especially since she seemed to understand concepts and commands eg, "go bring me your sippy cup" "wave bye bye" "give mama a hug and kiss". Dd will be 2 next week and she is up to at least 50 words and is definitely communicating a lot more. She just started Mother's Day out, so I'm really hoping that will spur more words on.

Thats the thing...he doesnt respond to me saying go get sippy cup or asking him to wave, he kind of laughs it off where as other things he recognizes like the word no and night night or if i ask can i change you and show him a diaper he lays down and throws his legs up in the air...he babbles babytalk a lot but words wise only says a few. He does really point either when he wants something, he will more like fuss and stare at it.

The little boy I kept was just like this, I tried to talk to his mom my BFF about it, but they are choosing wait it out. Not what I would have done, but they say he's doing better. I think asking lots if questions and finding online resources is a great first step!

gucciman3

My son was speech delayed. He has several ear infections, had three sets of tubes and his adenoids removed but still nothing. Finally at three, after a year of speech classes I put him in daycare and he started talking. Don't worry about it to much because it is common in full term babies as well. Just get ur appts scheduled and see what they have to say. If ur pedi has recommended it I would get the child's hearing tested as well

EarthandFire

Our eldest was diagnosed early on. Our second not until later due to my BH's ex denying there might be a problem. My best tool in the early years was denying what they want until they say the word. Assuming there are no medical reasons they can't talk of course. You want juice? You have to say it. After a while they'll start using the word to prompt you for what they want then you ask for juice please. Slowly it builds. You can do this with games too like putting balls through a hole. At first you can give them freebies to keep them motivated but after a while you cut back. It might work for you too.

Robinandbaby

Ohiomama81 said:

Robinandbaby said:

My dd was never diagnosed with a "speech delay" although by 18 months she was only saying a handful of words. My dr didn't seem too concerned, nor did a speech path friend I talked to. They both seemed to think it was too early to be really concerned, especially since she seemed to understand concepts and commands eg, "go bring me your sippy cup" "wave bye bye" "give mama a hug and kiss". Dd will be 2 next week and she is up to at least 50 words and is definitely communicating a lot more. She just started Mother's Day out, so I'm really hoping that will spur more words on.

Thats the thing...he doesnt respond to me saying go get sippy cup or asking him to wave, he kind of laughs it off where as other things he recognizes like the word no and night night or if i ask can i change you and show him a diaper he lays down and throws his legs up in the air...he babbles babytalk a lot but words wise only says a few. He does really point either when he wants something, he will more like fuss and stare at it.

Yeah, it's really such a tough call. If you have easily accessible help and testing, I say go for it! It's a win win whether he truly needs help or not (meaning he's not truly delayed, just a little late). One suggestion I did get with DD at around 18 mo, was to try to get her to say animal sounds. Supposedly it helps with different vowel sounds. Wish I had something more helpful to add.

BzeetyD

I'd consider posting this, along with a short intro on the Special Needs board. Many women there have experiences with delays and red flags and could be a real help to you if you need to navigate services and docs and such.

No experience to share, I just know they're a great group.

Ohiomama81

Thank you ladies for all your supportive and informative respones! Your all awesome!! @ jspagnuolo i found a card i had from a lady from "help me grow" that i had in my folder from when he was in nicu and left her a voicemail, thanks for reminding me about them. @NextVerseUnknown, im gonna check that link out now. Once again i appreciate all you taking the time to read and leave responses to my post :x

calimama2007

It's really difficult to give you any meaningful advice based on the limited advice you've shared. Based on his adjusted age, he'd only be around 16 mos right? I am not an expert at all, but in my experiences all kids develop differently.

Your pedi has some basis to refer you, and it certainly couldn't hurt. It could be nothing, or it could be something. One of our friend's son was recently diagnosed w speech apraxia, at 4 he was less intelligible than my babbling 2 year old. They got a spot in the local sped preschool, and he received intensive speech therapy, and now at almost 5 he's like any other little boy, you'd hardly know.

I just want to send you some ((hugs)) I know this is probably really doing icily and stressful to go through, but it sounds like you're in great hands!

CarissaA

We have very similar stories.  My boys were born at 34 weeks and spent 2 weeks in the hospital.  They were delayed in a lot of things and their pediatrician suggested we go through Early Steps or Early Intervention.  Its a wonderful program where they have therapist come to your home and work with your child.  It was amazing and worked wonders for my boys.  At 3 when Early Intervention was over they were still testing with a speech delay and qualified for Special Education preschool.  This year they started regular Ed kindergarten and are doing fantastic.  Good look, with everything and look into Early Intervention for your state.  If you ever need to message me to vent feel free. It can be very frustrating  

boogerbearoriginal

I don't have any great advice, but IMO it doesn't hurt to get things checked out. The experts will evaluate him thoroughly and recommend either waiting or doing something.  If they do feel he's in need of extra assistance, it's great you're getting a head start. The earlier the better IMO.

It's tough making these decisions and wondering what's the best path. Good luck!

Mendozamjw

My son was evaluated for developmental delays around 18 months too, based on lack of speech. I was put in contact with early intervention and he has received multiple evaluations and assessments. He has been getting speech therapy for 6 months and ABA therapy for 3 months and is doing great! I have a really hard time with the evaluations and diagnoses but everyone tells me that it helps get him more services from our county and state. Like others have said, you advocating for him and taking the steps you are is the best thing you can do. Good Luck!!

courtls22

We had a child who was a preemie, I think born around 34 weeks, start daycare at age 3 with very limited speech.  I would compare his speech to that of a child between 18 months-2 years but within a few weeks of being around peers, his speech improved drastically.  Sometimes it helps children build their vocabulary when around children their age.  Maybe having your child around others near his age would help him some too? I also agree with PPs about your involvement being a key factor to his success.

Ohiomama81

courtls22 said:

We had a child who was a preemie, I think born around 34 weeks, start daycare at age 3 with very limited speech.  I would compare his speech to that of a child between 18 months-2 years but within a few weeks of being around peers, his speech improved drastically.  Sometimes it helps children build their vocabulary when around children their age.  Maybe having your child around others near his age would help him some too? I also agree with PPs about your involvement being a key factor to his success.

I was honestly thinking about that too! He stays at home with me so hes not around kids his age (my older ones are 7 and 8).

Ohiomama81

Well off to bed for me ladies. FX that i get a call back tomorrow from the childrens hospital and early intervention to get the ball rolling on a plan for my happy little guy. Thanks again everyone!!