Was your child's speech delayed?

Re: Was your child's speech delayed?

• lemen99 member

  April 2011

  Yes.  Andrew (26w) is currently in weekly ST and has been for 7  months.

  backstory:

  He did he first babble "babababa" at 11 1/2 months adjusted.  At about 12 1/2 months adjusted he did another sound "gagagaga".  A couple of months later, probably at 15 months adjusted he said "car'.  That was all.  He made no attemps to mimic.  He could not imitate any movements orally (like sticking out your tongue, for example.)
  

  At 18 months adjusted we had a speech eval.  His receptive language was great, but he was not progressing normally in speech (so we're told it's not even a true "delay" but some kind of oral-motor breakdown probably due to his brain damage at birth - grade 2 and 4 IVHs)

  Speech therapy was so slow going.  Finally after about 5 months he started with new sounds.  At 6 months he started taking off with new words, and now in the 7 month we have a few new words a week!  He is almost 28 months old, about 24 1/2 months adjusted and has about maybe 20 words, maybe 12 spontaneous words.  He is nowhere near caught up for a 28 month old or for his adjusted age (24 months) but he's improving.

  To help the process we are enrolling him in preschool starting next week.

   I wish that we would have recognized this sooner - maybe that wasn't possible - nobody seemed concerned - but we're hoping to catch him up so he can fit in with his peers at school.

  I wouldn't worry yet but I would keep an eye on it.  If you don't see signs of improvement in a couple/few months, then schedule an eval! It's a good sign that they babble a lot, Andrew really didn't. We've gotten a lot of comments about quiet/silent he is.
  

   

   

   

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• MaxandRuby member

  April 2011

  DS2 (late term preemie and currently 18mos) is speech delayed but not too far behind.  He only has a couple of words at this point, and mama and dada are not the words he has. 
  

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• wishesforfish

  April 2011

  I noticed that our children are about the same adjusted age. We were just told by a speech therapist that babbling is normal at this stage and first words come along in 2-3 more months. The SLT observed DS during his PT and said that his babbling was age appropriate and that saying Mama, dada + babbling is normal.

  My twins say a lot of baba/gaga/shiga/bada/bokya. Strange two syllable things If you are truly worried, making an appointment with EI never hurts. 

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• Wally3 member

  April 2011

  Ds (34w)  is speech delayed.  I felt he was always behind in speech.  I thought he might catch up on his own.  At 2 he was evaluated and did have a speech delay.  He started therapy at 26 months had about 20 words, and would not rpeat words as asked.  He has been in therapy for about 3 months now (9 months) he has over 50 words, will try to repeat words most times if asked.  Is spontanously saying a new word every day or two, and is starting to use 2 word sentances.  "They" say if you (the mom) feel like your LO is delay he probably is - though it is really early.  My sister works evaulating children and if the mother ever voices a concern they do an immediate referal.  Ask your pedi for the name of your local EI place if you are still concerned at 12 month appt.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

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