AIBU to worry about my late talker? Stories please!

[Ferntree]

I've come to this thread because of the traffic.

Basically - I am interested in real life stories about late talkers, if you have any? AIBU to be extremely worried about my DD?

My DD is 3 and a half and has only just started talking. Until recently she communicated by pointing and gesturing and saying "uh uh" sounds. She now says some words, and asks "why?" And "what's that?" Quite a lot.

Speech and language therapist said her understanding was good - she understands complex instructions. It's mostly her speech - expressive language delay. However, she had a bit if an issue with pronouns.

Her childminder speaks Hindi. It has suggested that the exposure to another language may have contributed to the expressive language delay.

A colleague (who used to be a nursery teacher) suggested that late talkers tend to go on to be dyslexic. AIBU to worry about this?

Stories about either late talkers or dyslexia will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[WowserBowser]

My Ds is exactly the same! 3 and a half and only recently started talking in much the same was as your dd.

His speech therapist only sees him every 3 months or so and i am going to try and push for more.

It felt like the day would never come that he would talk. I'm still concerned how much what he says is gobbledegook.

[BitchPeas]

My DS was basically mute apart from exploding Tantrums till he was 3.5. He's now 6.5 and has not stopped talking, he never stops talking!!

His was down to glue ear and once he had grommets age 4.5 he caught up straight away. He also saw a speech and language therapist at age 3 who said it was down to his dad speaking Nepalese and Hindi around him.

[Nanny0gg]

DGC didn't speak at all till 3.

Now aged 6, doesn't shut up, very articulate, doing well at school and no sign of dyslexia.

Had very little speech therapy.

[crypticbow08]

Of course yanbu to worry, but not all late talkers are dyslexic or have continued problems. Ds was 3 when he finally started talking, and even after he really struggled with his pronunciation of words for a while. I felt like it was a never ending battle. He is 5 now (in reception) and does excellently at school, talks fantastic and his teachers all say they never would have thought he had speech issues.

[Itsjustmeagain]

One of my children was a late talker (roughly the same age as yours before he started talking. He actually DID turn out to have an auditory processing problem (he is 7 now). However, with extra work he is now catching up with his reading and writing and is doing well at school. SO my story basically is - even if it does turn out to be a sign of something more it doesnt automatically mean he will have HUGE problems :).

[MumOfTheMoos]

I didn't start talking until I was three (40 years ago now).

I'm a younger child but once I started, I started without too much baby talk, so the assumption has always been that I could get everything I needed up until that point without bothering.

I wad an early reader and have always been a good talker.

I don't have dyslexia or anything like that.

I did have glue ear though (nickname wad 'p'dun' - as I said 'pardon?' so much). My mum had to really fight to get it taken seriously and I had my operating (grommets) at around 7.

[Pumpkinpositive]

I wasn't "late" by national standards, but late compared to my brother. Then I needed 4 years of speech therapy as speech was totally unintelligible even to family. (I had severe head injury as a baby).

Speech normalised and I became an incorrigible chatterbox, which has persisted 30 years on. .

No one believes me when I tell them I had ST as my accent is considered quite posh with very clear enunciation.

[Dec2013mummy]

I was a late talker and when I did I could only be understood by those who knew me. I had severe glue ear that wasn't picked up on and tonsils that were blocking the back of my throat. I am now a teacher and practically talk all day. I have also come across children who have been late talkers who yes have had other issues, but have also come across some who have gone on the hit all development milestones. The main thing is getting the right support and encouragement and that sounds exactly like what you are doing.

[Moreisnnogedag]

I was a late talker (much the same age as your DS) but didn't have any problems. Conversely my older sister spoke much earlier than me but almost certainly has dyslexia. I had a carer who spoke Zulu around me, went to an Afrikaans school but parents spoke English so maybe that played a part!

[Sizzlesthedog]

My DH didn't utter a word until he was three. Highly intelligent scientist now.

[sillystring]

DS didn't speak until he was almost 4. Nursery were pushing me towards speech therapy and suggesting there was something "amiss" as he communicated in mostly squeaks and grunts. I knew deep down there was nothing wrong, don't ask me why, I just did. Around his 4th birthday he suddenly began speaking in full sentences and now at age 13 we cannot shut him up. He's very bright as well, top set for everything.

[cantbelievethisishppening]

My daughter was a late talker. I was worried for a while. She wouldn't smile much either. She is now nearly 16 and can talk for England.... Also predicted all A/A* in her GCSE's

[londonrach]

Copied from goggle.......op sending hugs and know this time next year all will be ok.

WHAT have famed pianist Arthur Rubinstein, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, India's self-taught mathematical genius Ramanujan, Nobel Prizewinning economist Gary Becker, talk show host G. Gordon Liddy and renowned physicists Richard Feynman, Edward Teller and Albert Einstein all had in common?

Aside from being remarkable people, they were all late in beginning to speak when they were children. Edward Teller, for example, did not say anything that anyone understood until he was four years old. Einstein began talking at age three but he was still not fluent when he turned nine.

[MammaTJ]

DD1 was a very late talker due to glue ear. She can talk perfectly well now at 19 and iirc, she had caught up by about 6 years old.

No dyslexia.

[Dragzena]

My 10 year old didn't speak until he was nearly six. He saw speech therapist at 3 who said he had good comprehension. No one could find any reason for his lack of speech. He has since been diagnosed as having dyslexia.

It's not holding him back, he is currently studying for maths gcse (taking it next year) and is a chatterbox.

He can't write legibly but does all his work on computer and copes very well. It's hard to judge him against his peers as I home educate but he seems to be academically bright, we just need to find ways around the effects of his dyslexia.

[Molecule]

Dd3 didn't talk until she was three, but was able to understand everything and managed to communicate her wishes very well. When she did speak it was in full sentences, and she has barely drawn breath since, and she's now 15. At her first parents' evening I was told she was extraordinarily articulate, and she is now predicted pretty much all A*s at GCSE.

My two dyslexic children were both talking well by two, as was dd1, so certainly my lot don't conform to the theory that late talking is a predictor of dyslexia.

[Littlefish]

I presume your dd's age means that she will not be starting school until September 2015 at the earliest. This is good news! Is she at a good nursery? Do they have a good understanding of speech development?

Do you have any kind of language until in your area where your dd could do a split placement with the nursery? We have a couple of children at the nursery where I work who do this. It seems to me an ideal scenario with half the week being spent in specialised provision, in very small groups, with a complete focus on language and speech development then the other half of the week being spent in a pre-school setting with lots of opportunities to practise the language and speech skills in a larger group setting.

[JaceLancs]

My DS did not speak at all till nearly 4 and then only occasional few words pre-school
He had a statement of SEN until high school with 15 hours 1 to 1 support and limited speech therapy input which I had to really push for - there was also some doubt around his ability to process information especially complex information and could be quite clumsy - no specific diagnosis was ever made
During high school years he was a fairly quiet individual but did ok academically and found his niche in a small group of friends
DS is now 21 just about to graduate from university (predicted to get a first in a fairly academic subject) He is still not that talkative! But when he does its always very well thought out - he is a whizz with maths and a bit of a business entrepreneur which I could never have imagined. He is very independent and the only area he struggles with is making new friends especially in a relationship sense
I really used to worry about him, but he got there in the end - with a bit of tlc
You do need to push for help if you feel it's needed - and there is quite a lot you can do yourself to enhance language development - particularly with advice from speech therapist

[HappyAgainOneDay]

I'm a bit dubious about foreign languages being spoken around small children inhibiting their ability to speak. Isn't this the normal way that bi-lingual children pick up a second language?

We have neighbours who are German and their little girl aged 4 is speaking both English and German.

[basgetti]

My DS had regular speech therapy for 2 years, and couldn't make any sounds other than vowel sounds until he was over 3. Various diagnoses were given at different times, including verbal dyspraxia. He is now almost 6 and whilst it occasionally takes him a little bit longer than others to find the words or expression he's looking for he is happy, chatty, has lots of friends and is great at reading.

[kelda]

There are many monolingual children with speech delay. Two of my children have/had speech problems, nothing to do with them being bilingual.

One had glue ear which contributed to her being late to speak. She needed grommets twice. Have you had her hearing checked?

My ds has a severe speech disorder, verbal dyspraxia (a severe articulation disorder). So far no suggestion of dyslexia.

[kelda]

That's good to hear basgetti my ds is nearly six as well and his diagnosis is definite, and to be honest, there is little progress in his articulation despite intense speech therapy and practise at home.

[Ferntree]

Thanks. I will just keep an eye on it.

I'm going to take her out of the childminder and into a Montessouri nursery. That should help, as well as extra support at home.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

My DH also didn't talk until 3 and not very well then. He's a very successful IT manager now. No ill effects. DD (3.5) also has language delay. I'm trying not to worry.