Speech delay or more?

[Rex1412]

Hi everyone.

My DS is 27months old, he has around 20 words, although struggles to communicate.
My DS has a hearing test booked for next week and has been receiving speech and language therapy.

My DS points to request and show interests. He will wave for hello and bye. He can clap and cheer.

He enjoys imaginative play, going for walks and visits to the park.

He understands simple instructions like where is granny, say bye bye etc.

He will sometimes get balls, books, cups etc if you ask but this is very inconsistent.

If you ask him what does the lion say he will roar.

Does this sound like additional support needs or just a speech delay?

Thank you for any responses in advance

[Rex1412]

Bump

[DodoBaggins]

It sounds like a hearing issue to me but you'll not truly know until the hearing test. Wait until you have that and then discuss the concerns with your audiologist who should talk through the results with you.

[aamaa]

This is exactly how my son is. He is 25 months old. He has less than 5 words but does other things like pointing, waving, clapping, imitating. He responds to his name about 60 percent of the time and is very curious. His eye contact is good and he is quite social. He knows a lot of objects around him and can point them to us when asked. He can also make animal noises and can follow simple instructions. However, his speech is very limited. We had his hearing test done last month and it was normal. He has difficulty making sounds and has been like this for sometime. When the health visitor visited him at 18 months, she told that he was ready to talk and almost there. 7 months later, he still doesnt have much words. I'm very worried too.

[Rex1412]

Thank you both for responding.

@aamaa can I asked how the hearing test was done? I am concerned that my ds will not be able to do it.
Thanks

[aamaa]

The hearing test was done in about 15-20 minutes. There were 2 technicians/nurses(?) who made it seem like a play for my son.

There were 2 parts in the test. The first one required my son to follow instructions and do as asked. It needs a bit of compliance so if a child does not understand it can be difficult I guess. But I am sure the technicians are used to such situations and might have some solution. My son didnt need any intervention.

For the second part they needed to look inside his ears, for which I had to hold him on my lap and distract him with a cartoon. They had a TV for that but it had limited cartoons, so I used my own phone (which was held by the second nurse). This was a bit difficult with him struggling to get away, but it took less than 5 minutes for both ears to be checked.

I'm sure your son will be able to do it. I worried just like you about him being able to do the test, but it turned out well. Good luck and hope your son's speech catches up. Also, if you dont mind, please let us know how it went for him.

[Rex1412]

Hi @aamaa thank you, that’s very helpful. I will update you with the results. I hope your son’s speech gets there too, it’s such a worrying time x

[BrizzleMaverick]

My youngest was the same, could only say a handful of words at two years and this continued until his 3rd birthday last September when suddenly he started saying more words and putting them together then since Christmas he can talk in full sentences. His pronunciation is not always 100% clear on some words but he just doesn't shut up at home now!

We do have the issue that he will not speak in front of adults he is not familiar with. Nursery hear him talking to other children in the class and the staff can get about two or three words out of him but he just goes shy. Even if I'm out with him at a friend's house etc. he will go quiet and not talk or whisper for me to say it. I think he just needs more confidence as he was so late with getting his words.

[Rex1412]

Hi @aamaa my ds passed the hearing test. So that’s positive, although back to square one with regards to speech delay.

[Rex1412]

Hi @BrizzleMaverick thanks for sharing the positive story, I hope my ds catches up like yours.

[aamaa]

@Rex1412

Hi *@aamaa* my ds passed the hearing test. So that’s positive, although back to square one with regards to speech delay.

So glad to hear your son's hearing is fine. I'm thinking if our sons might benefit from going to nursery. The health visitor thinks it's a good idea. I'm planning to send ds to nursery from September. Hopefully, things will go well.

[aamaa]

@BrizzleMaverick

My youngest was the same, could only say a handful of words at two years and this continued until his 3rd birthday last September when suddenly he started saying more words and putting them together then since Christmas he can talk in full sentences. His pronunciation is not always 100% clear on some words but he just doesn't shut up at home now!

We do have the issue that he will not speak in front of adults he is not familiar with. Nursery hear him talking to other children in the class and the staff can get about two or three words out of him but he just goes shy. Even if I'm out with him at a friend's house etc. he will go quiet and not talk or whisper for me to say it. I think he just needs more confidence as he was so late with getting his words.

Quite reassuring to hear about your son's story. Bless him! Hope my son gets there too some day.