Worried about speech

[katieh]

Hmmm, I don't know what had happened... I have posted an answer and it is gone.
Anyway, will repeat - I am speech therapist. I voiced out, because I do see a lots of kids that were showing signs before, but parents brought them to us much, much later.
Here are articles that you may find useful (it is American Speech, Language and Hearing Association website):
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/12.htm
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/sldisorder.htm
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LateBlooming.htm

 

[Angelmum]

I am speech and language therapist.... If you will change your mind and would like to find speech therapist to work with your child (at least do the assessment) you may wish to visit website of our local professional association SHAS - Speech Language and Hearing Association Singapore

......I am very sorry, but many times parents bring their children to us too late

Will surf SHAS in depth, guess won't benefit my DD:nah: ..... but normal kids should be beneficial. Trying KKH SLT soon but doubt will see success.

how many yrs old = too late for normal children?:err:

It is always gd to get professional assurance that parents on the right track but I think most late 'speakers/bloomers' just not ready.:wideeyed: Not all so suay like me lah. Probably when the kid starts playgroup, got friends and felt like interacting ..... end up with never ending why this why that

 

[Lotus]

I like your style ... & I dun think I could have put up a better post.
:wink: :wink:

My older boy is 25.5 months old now ... he was able to call "papa" & "jiejie" just before turning one ... he's been sprouting mono-syllables since he was 18 months old & he's just beginning to form 2-3 words sentences, sometimes still getting the sequence of the words wrong.
Personally, I think it's more important to pay attention to the child's logical deliberations ... sometimes, when we bring ourselves down to their level, we can see more.

For example, when in class with my older son today, I said: "Seamus, look at the Elmo on Joshua's BACK" ... my son looked at me blankly & said "No ...", swinging his open palms.
I said: "There it is, on Joshua's BACK ... go take a look" ... my son then walked over to Joshua, picked up Joshua's BAG which was next to Joshua & pointed to the bag, saying "No Elmo ..."

Just like you, I'm fully convinced that the kid understand all that we asked of him ... & more.
So, even when he's no oratorical genius yet, I have absolutely now worries ... like you rightfully are, too.

I've seen other children not speaking comprehensibly ... or even audibly, but as long as they are able to communicate their wishes, I dun see anything wrong.However, it is of utmost importance to realise ... & appreciate that SPEECH is not the only form of communications.
In fact, some of this so-called "delays" are self-imposed ... through over-enthusiastic exposures of flash-cards or sign languages by parents to child, thereby making the child think that speech becomes unnecessary ...
:embarrassed: :embarrassed:

Hey thanks.

I become rather concerned as over the internet I see many diagnoses of developmental issues based on a small amount of data, ultimately causing parents no end of alarm.

However I do agree with Katieh that in the best interests of a child, parents need to be aware of possible development issues rather than be ignorant.

 

[Lotus]

Hmmm, I don't know what had happened... I have posted an answer and it is gone.
Anyway, will repeat - I am speech therapist. I voiced out, because I do see a lots of kids that were showing signs before, but parents brought them to us much, much later.
Here are articles that you may find useful (it is American Speech, Language and Hearing Association website):
One to Two Years
What should I do if I think my child may have a speech, language, or hearing problem?
Late Blooming or Language Problem?

Katieh,

Thanks for the links , I found the third one of great interest.

Both my son's paediatrician and school teachers also confirmed the importance of ensuring that milestones are met in the correct sequence, so we have been eagerly watching his progress. I think it's especially difficult for him as our benchmark was his older sister who was speaking in 4 - 5 word sentences by 24 months.

Also interesting that you're a speech therapist, as I once considered this as a possible career many eons ago.

 

[CanCanMum]

I am speech and language therapist.
You may want to visit for example this website (American Speech, Language and Hearing Association):
Late Blooming or Language Problem? This is an article for parents with basic information on language delays.
One to Two Years here are norms for the children aged as your son + some ideas how help, you may find them useful

If you will change your mind and would like to find speech therapist to work with your child (at least do the assessment) you may wish to visit website of our local professional association SHAS - Speech Language and Hearing Association Singapore

I voiced out, because I care - as a person who works with kids I see the huge difference when it comes to speech (and other means of communication) therapy with a two years old and i. e., five years old. The earlier the treatment starts the faster the results are seen, and I am very sorry, but many times parents bring their children to us too late

i have "revived" your post....:001_302::001_302::001_302:

thanks for sharing your knowledge and professionalism~~

anyway for my case, my son only spoke at 30months.....at that time it really came across my mind to bring him to a speech therapist....but i decided to wait a little longer for him to show me that he can talk.....and he really did it....was so happy and i called everyone to announce his achievement....

but i think i will definitely seek professional help if my son stutters....

this was wad i referred to last time for baby resources : Warning signs of a toddler's language delay | BabyCenter

at that time my son whines everytime we dun understand wad he wants though...it can be real irritating....bad for the ears.

 

[katieh]

Many kids are stuttering/blocking when they are 3-4 years old. Often the reasons are: emotions (they are excited, want to tell something fast), the articulators are not yet so fast as their thoughts (they didn't have enough practice with long sentences yet) - such form of stuttering is called developmental stuttering and goes away by itself after some time. However, if you will observe that stuttering increases, that on your child's face and whole body you may observe tension and lots of effort to speak up fluently, he becomes angry, frustrated with his talking etc. and it will lasts longer than few months - this is a warning bell and then speech therapist may help.
Lotus, our profession is great, all of my colleagues and me myself are very happy to be 'speechies', this work is so rewarding when the kid is making progress

 

[stonston]

When it comes to speech, parents play an important part.

- Do you speak to your child with your child observing your lip movements?
- Do you encourage your child to speak (example insisting on hearing 'Please' before giving something, teach your child how to request 'Can I have ___?')?
- Do you expose your child to adequate vocabulary and opportunities to speak up?
- Do you set an example by talking to your child in proper english (no baby talk)?

The right environment also determines if the child can pick up language early.
My son was speaking like a bullet train at 18mths. Many vocab but talk too fast and end up inaudible. Reason being my family tend to talk very fast. But we exposed him to a wide vocab from young, speak to him in proper english/mandarin, allow him to observe our lip movements when we talk to him, encourage him to speak up (by forcing words of out him before giving him anything).

It takes patience. Try encouraging your child to talk more before you simply label him. If you did not provide the environment and opportunity, it's not the child's fault

If your child really refuses to speak or can't seem to be picking up new words or not making progress after you tried different ways to encourage your child, then seek professional help.

 

[Daddy D]

I see many NUS/NTU students also cannot speak properly... so no fear bah! haha
Our kids still have many years of education to go... hopefully they pick up the correct speaking skills along the way.

 

[adoncia]

I need some advices here.. my dd is turning 19 mths this week. She is pretty active and talkative in a way she speaks baby languages. She can say simply words like papa, mama, etc. Longer words like orange, apple, which needs 2 tone, she simply fails to do so. Unless I ask her, say 'Ap' then she follow, then 'ple' then she follow again. When I ask her to say help, she simply say fork. Banana, she will say nana. She seems to leave out the front part of the word. Sometimes her pronounciation is not very accurate too. Should I bring her to the pro to seek further treatments?

 

[stonston]

I need some advices here.. my dd is turning 19 mths this week. She is pretty active and talkative in a way she speaks baby languages. She can say simply words like papa, mama, etc. Longer words like orange, apple, which needs 2 tone, she simply fails to do so. Unless I ask her, say 'Ap' then she follow, then 'ple' then she follow again. When I ask her to say help, she simply say fork. Banana, she will say nana. She seems to leave out the front part of the word. Sometimes her pronounciation is not very accurate too. Should I bring her to the pro to seek further treatments?

at tt age it's quite normal.
continue to encourage her to speak. remember tt they learn by modelling, she'll need to see the way you move your lips to be able to imitate. jus keep repeating the correct word to her and she'll get it soon!

 

[Angelmum]

She seems to leave out the front part of the word. Sometimes her pronounciation is not very accurate too. Should I bring her to the pro to seek further treatments?

When I told DS 'mrt', he said R T .... those were the days. so fast .....he already doing PSLE this yr.

 

[SunShine07]

i think as long as they are trying to speak up even though not accurate, should be ok bah???

My son 18mth, recently keep trying every word that i try to teach him, starting can't say 'cat' after few times of teaching he can say. Somtimes 'dog' and 'duck' sounds the same.

The doctor told me as long as he know what is 'cat' should be ok, as long as he understand what is it

 

[Daddy D]

When I told DS 'mrt', he said R T .... those were the days. so fast .....he already doing PSLE this yr.

Wah.... PSLE.... must be sibei stressful

 

[Angelmum]

Wah.... PSLE.... must be sibei stressful

I leave the stress to tuition ctr..... DS got stress cos he sitting for PSLE :001_302:! But I nvr gave strict rule must score above 80marks so shld be lesser stress.

 

[adoncia]

Thanks for the advice. I try to show her how I pronouce the word. The thing with her is that, she can't sit still and listen to me. Even she can, she will be busy with other things and won't look straight at my lips movement. I'm so sad... =(

PSLE??? OMG!!! Can't and don't wanna think that far.. Wanna enjoy the way she is learning to speak properly now.. So fun... =D

 

[elantranine]

My boy just turn 18mth old, but still can't talk. He can only say words like 'cat, dog, duck, papa' which is still not very accurate in pronouncation. I am pretty worried.

Any mummy also face the same issue?

Speech delay is normal but if ur child display autism traits behaviour you MUST seek professional advice asap. My son has mild autism. We brought him to KKH for speech therapy n professional advice when he was 18mths old.
How he is 5 yrs old, he speaks very well despite he is autistic. So let ;s hope your son will speak up soon, like I say look out for any ASD traits like not responding when call his name, aloof play, little eye contact, doesnt point to share what he sees even if he cant speak. These are some early triats tat my son showed so thats why we brought him to KKH as early as 18mths not knowing he is autistic.

The trick is, he is normal even if u bring him to speech therapy, it will do him good to speak faster, on the other hand, if he has a condtion which u cant confirm at his age now, it is WORTH to start early intervention for him. Like my son, i dont regret giving him the speech therapy as early as 18mth though some ppl tell me n try convince some more he is just late speaker. Imagine if I just follow through?? My son wont be talking at all!! So you the mother will know ur son best n decide wats right. Good luck!

 

[VroomVroomBoys]

My son has mild autism. We brought him to KKH for speech therapy n professional advice when he was 18mths old.
How he is 5 yrs old, he speaks very well despite he is autistic.

I've come across friends who have children who are mildly autistic ... when professional help were sought early enough, the children seem to have been "corrected" ... as in they are now able to enter a normal primary school & doing quite well too.

For the case of you son, you said he's 5 now ... but still used the words "despite he is autistic". Has he not yet been "corrected" sufficiently, after so many years of KKH treatment?
Please dun misunderstand ... I'm just trying to compare money/time spent vs results achieved, although I'm sure no parents would save on the money/time spent.
:embarrassed: :embarrassed:

 

[stonston]

I'm stuck btw encouraging early intervention and 'labelling'.

Early intervention is always good. In fact, it is very good for the child. However, with early intervention comes LABELLING. to you now if your child has yet to progress to primary school, you won't understand. once ur child has been to KKH, records are PERMANENT. and it follows them into the school system.

it's very sad tt although some children hv successfully corrected their 'diagnoses', they are still labelled and treated differently. is tt how u want ur child to be treated? and u may not even be aware of it!

i'm seeing the effects of 'labelling' everyday and i hate it. those kids are also humans, they are also normal. there's no point in labelling them if they can function as normal human beings and be as successful as the rest. u noe some of the kids get into depression because they noe they are being labelled? kids are not stupid. even if teachers dun announce it to the class, the class will realise sooner or later based on the teacher's language and attitude towards the 'labelled' child.

if given a choice, i would choose to go to private practitioners to get early intervention. and as parents, you can help with the early intervention if u are willing to go read up about it. i have frens who have successfully given their child early intervention on their own with help from frens in teaching/medical field and advises from online forums (overseas support groups). their children are coping well in secondary school now without being labelled and their kids self-esteem is very high.

btw, a 'labelled' child often think tt they are slower n cant perform as well as their peers. jus bcos they hv been diagnosed at such a young age, it follow through with them till the end of their schooling life!! and for some of them, they can even perform better than their peers of the same age. imagine the psychological damage done to them jus because of a diagnosis at a young age.

and at such a young age, is it fair to make a diagnosis based on behaviour?

i noe of 18mths children who do not respond when u call their names. y? cos their parents nvr ever called their names. so they dun recognise it.
and they dun look u in the eye cos they dun realise tt they should be doing it when someone talks to them. cos their parents nvr look at them when they tok to them.
so is it fair to label the child as 'autistic' jus cos of this?

sometimes as parents we gotta tink carefully. did we give our child fair opportunity to learn n excel. did we try our best to teach them before handing them over to professionals to 'label' them?

sorry if i offend anyone. but everyday i see kids who are being affected so negatively because of these labels. society has yet to learn to accept kids with special needs, even mild/minor ones. is it fair to ur child to label him/her so young?

early intervention is good if there is no 'labelling'. but at KKH, in order to 'qualify' for speech theraphy n such, some form of diagnosis must be made, even if it may not be true. tink carefully before u make a decision.

 

[LoVeS]

for my ds who is 24mths old, the only 2 words he can say is "play this" Other than tat all his words are single~ So does tat mean i haf to worry of his speech too?

 

[VroomVroomBoys]

sorry if i offend anyone. but everyday i see kids who are being affected so negatively because of these labels. society has yet to learn to accept kids with special needs, even mild/minor ones. is it fair to ur child to label him/her so young?

early intervention is good if there is no 'labelling'. but at KKH, in order to 'qualify' for speech theraphy n such, some form of diagnosis must be made, even if it may not be true. tink carefully before u make a decision.

I really dunno IF or WHY anyone would get offended.

Your straight talk has certainly enlightened most (if not all) of matters we would never come to know of if we are fortunate enough ... conversely, if we were not that fortunate, then your critical informatiion could well be important enough to change lives.

THANKS. :biggrin: :biggrin: