Speech delay in my 3 yr old. Help

[Hardhaton]

Long essay so please bear with!
I have 4 sons 12,6,5 and 3. The first 3 grew and developed normally, however number 4 son developed fine until he was ill at around 4 months for the whole month of December he had a cold every week I took him back, he would drink his milk and vomit. Eventually the day after Boxing Day he hadn't eaten properly in 3 days I gave up and took him to a and e and was told his oxygen levels were very low, we were sent to a specialist department in another hospital and after being on oxygen for most of the day we were sent home, 2 days later he was worse, I woke up to a very grey boy he hadn't cried for at least a week by this point and again not eating so back I went to start a war and get him treated, it was at this point I knew he was in mega trouble, he was instantly rushed and put on oxygen a feeding tube inserted within ten minutes. He was taken for an x ray when he was lifted to the table the oxygen mask fell off and he's sats, dropped and hords of doctors rushed in. X-ray finally confirmed that his right lung was full of puss and was going to collapse if we hadn't have brought him in, we were rushed back to the specialist hospital and we were put on antibiotics and 24/7 oxygen for 8 days, I couldn't pick him up all I could do was hold his hand. Looking back he never cried not once in the whole of December and half of January. Now maybe I should of pushed earlier on but I didn't. He grew normally after this but never really cried much unless something was very very wrong. Now he's 3, but he doesn't speak much what he does say is wrong, so instead of saying dog he will say og and so on. He is in pre school, but he gets frustrated with the teachers and then throws a wobbly, we have just started speech therapy but I'm not confident that this will help.

I've got over any upset and frustration now I'm angry. Can the trauma he suffered done this or was this how he was meant to be?

[Hardhaton]

Any advice?

[jaybirdsinginginthedeadofnight]

What an awful time you went through! Have you asked your GP's opinion? Do they think that medically a lack of oxygen or trauma could have affected him? Some kids have a high pain threshold, and some just talk late. But you are his mum and an experienced one at that, what does your gut tell you? Does he have any other issues that are worrying you?

[Hardhaton]

He's started to gain a twitch in his eyes blinking odd. Also a constant moaning about his hands once I've got a baby wipe and wiped them he's then happy.
I need to go to the gp and get a hearing check done so the speech people can rule that out.

[Nojustalurker]

Like other have said ask the Gp for a hearing check and a referral to salt (speech and language therapy).

[jaybirdsinginginthedeadofnight]

I dunno if all those things could be related but your GP might, mention all your concerns while you are there. Make a list of questions so you don't forget anything. I hope you get some answers

[TheKnightsThatSayNee]

Does he often omit sounds at the beginning of words? If so he may have a disorder rather than a delay both can be treated very effectively.
You may be amazed at how much progress he will make with speech therapy. I work in Salt and I've seen kids really respond well, especially if the parents are onboard.
You should google 'the hanen programme' to get some tips in the mean time. It's simple stuff but effective.

[RandomMess]

It really could be something as simple as glue ear which one of my dds had. I different dd had very poor speech at 3 - we didn't understand her let alone the pre-school teachers or her childminder! It turned out to be an auditory processing problem which we sorted using johansen therapy.

Your absolute first port of call though is a hearing test and ask for a copy of the results as they will say your ds has passed even if is hearing is compromised as it is not poor enough to fit their hearing impaired criteria. My dd with the severe speech issues passed her NHS test every time but her actual hearing decibel levels were distorted so the low frequency sounds she was too sensitive to and the high frequency sounds were below par but not bad enough to be considered hearing impaired. The overall result though was bad enough to have severely impacted her ability to be understood because she didn't hear words in the same we did.

Hope that makes sense!

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

I would be a little concerned about the eye twitch/blinking. It might be nothing but it also could indicate something potentially serious, and it MIGHT be related to his illness.
I think it's really important that you see your GP about it. If you can film him with your mobile phone while his eyes are twitching/blinking, that might be really helpful to the GP.

[Hardhaton]

Cheers for the advice. X

[blueberryupsidedown]

He might have had glue ear when he was ill, or on and off, and couldn't hear well so missed some of the speech milestones.

There are lots of books you can read, different methods and games you can try. The important thing is to focus on the 'now' and try not to find a cause for it. Ds has a speech disorder and had no illness when younger, no health issues whatsoever. He said his first word at 3!

The other important thing is to try to give him tools to express himself. Have you heard or tried Makaton signing? Speech therapy does work, but it will work a lot better if you trust the speech therapist and do everything that is asked of you between sessions. You will have to do lots of the therapy at home, yourself.

[odyssey2001]

We have been told by a paediatrician that 25% of children have delayed speech. It may just be that he is in that 25%.

[MrsFlorrick]

((((Hugs))))
The hand wiping. My DS is 2.7 and cannot stand sticky hand. Throws a wobbly if not wiped immediately. My DD was never like this so I assume its a boy thing.

Blinking. About 6 months ago my DS did a funny blinking thing. It went on for ages. DD went through a similar thing too although younger age. I think its developmental. They suddenly realise they have control over their eyelids.

My vote on the speech is a hearing issue.
I had ear issues. Many many infections grommets etc etc.
I grew up just fine and am a big talker and my hearing is now perfectly fine despite the problems when I was a toddler/pre schooler. I also have a degree and a masters so early ear issues didn't hold me back.

My DS was a late talker and his pronounciation still isn't 100% clear the way DDs was at a similar age. And he gets very frustrated if not understood instantly.

I can't say whether your DS being so poorly so young has affected him. I'm not a medical type person.

Just wanted to hold your hand really and let you know that some of the issues you describe sound really normal for someone at that age. So
Try not to worry about all of them. Get the hearing checked and see what happens.
Btw your DSs ordeal as a baby sounds horrendous! You did well to cope with it.

[humblebumble]

You seem understandably concerned and with your experience and instincts I would say that you sense something isn't quite right. It might be nothing but there will be no harm in checking it out.

I would also recommend videoing his eye blinking/twitching as well and taking it to the Dr. There is a small possibility it might be neurological.

It could be hearing related. It sounds like you have thought of that already.

It could be that he is a late talker.

Let us know how it goes. It sounds like you are doing all the right things.

[LuisCarol]

The best advice we ever got was this... Trust your speech therapist, and ignore everyone else.