any positive stories about speech delay in 2.5yr olds? (no other health issues)

[tinatutor]

My 2.5yr old has speech delay. Speech therapist said 3mths ago not to worry and it will just 'come' eventually.

He currently says about 30 words, none of them very clear. He has no other health problems.

People keep telling me 'not to worry' but I have NO IDEA how he's ever going to catch up with his peers when he is currently talking like a 12mth old.

Would love to hear some encouraging stories.

[lljkk]

Are 12 month olds supposed to talk? None of my 4 children know that .
All DC missed early language 'milestones'.
So right now, my 17 month old says nothing recognisable (well, maybe 'blat!' as a generic word for anything of interest to him).

Of the older children:

DC1: Reception teacher complimented him on how articulate he was.

DC2: Got (gets) to read lots of narrator parts at school assemblies because she can read whatever is put in front of her and her diction is so good.

DC3: Only one who has had speech therapy -- and only in last year (since starting reception). Still doing well at learning to read.

Does that sound encouraging?

[BlueKangerooWonders]

My first one sounds like yours tinatutor, and she was checked by Health visitor, and again 3 months later, and then was put in a queue for speech therapy assessment and when we had it another 3 months later, she came out with a range of 4 and 5 word sentences, and we all sat there looking at each other for a while, wondering why we were there...

However my second also sounds like yours but in this case there actually was a problem... He had mild oral dyspraxia and it took 2 speech therapists to diagose. His tongue had a flat end, not pointed like most tongues. Weekly speech therapy and daily exercises from 2.5 to reception and he now speaks just like anyone else of his age.

And dc3 has been chatting non-stop at least 1.5 years earlier than the others.

So my conclusion is that anything could happen. And if there is nothing wrong, your ds will be absorbing all that vocab and just be waiting til he's ready to use it. And boys do tend to be ready to talk after girls.

[MerlinsBeard]

My DS2 had speech therapy for speech delay when he was around 2/2.5. He had severe delay and couldn't say as many recognisable words as your DS. He only said mama when he was 2!!

He is now 4 and thru a lot of hard work and an amazing nursery school teacher he is able to communicate properly and - this is my favourite part- age appropriately!!

We used makaton to give him a visual to concentrate on so he wasn't concentrating on trying to speak so much (i can't make that make better sense sorry!) and although he never really "got" the signs, it helped him communicate and then in turn form the words. It also meant that when he got frustrated thru lack of communication skills, that he had something he could use to convey what he couldn't in words.

He still struggles a little with sentence formation but if i give him time to get out what he means instead of interrupting him then he gets there in the end.

[allaboutme]

my nearly 4 year old has good vocabulary for his age but pretty much only recognisable a lot of the time by me.
Even his Dad and grandparents dont understand a lot of his words.
He has just started speech therapy this week and I have been told that its pretty common but he WILL have caught up by reception age (next September) and I hvae nothing to worry about at all
At 2.5 he was pretty much in the same boat as yours, so your DS will get there too! Probably sooner as I didnt look for any help or speak to the HV until my DS was 3, so if you seek help sooner your DS will get there sooner I am sure.

PS My 17 month old only has 3 words and pretty unclear ones at that and he's doing better than a lot of friends babies his age!

[Reallytired]

My son's speech was very delayed at 2.5 years. He had servere glue ear and his language caught up very quickly when the glue ear was treated. It may well be worth asking for a hearing test.

[brightonlad]

I was pretty much mute until I was about 2.5/3 and after speech have gone on to a full and succesful life, although I think I would now have been diagnosed with dyspraxia.
Kids learn stuff quickly when they're in an environment that requires it.

[tinatutor]

i love mn!

thanks everyone so much (have posted this on both threads, no idea why it posted twice!)

You've all given me loads of reasurrance and I feel much, much better.

The SALT did assess my son when he was 2.3 and said she was very encouraged by the fact that he was using elaborate mimes and gestures to communicate, he could follow instructions and was very friendly, confident and affectionate. She said they were all reasurring signs that speech was just around the corner.

I've asked today to be referred for a hearing test, just to put my mind at ease really and so I know I've done everything I can to investigate.

thanks so much - i don't know what i'd do without mumsnet!

[fettle]

Tinatutor - you've just really reassured me by what your SALT said as my 22mo DS doesn't really have any recognisable words, but you've described him perfectly - he makes very complex mimes and gestures to communicate, can follow very complex instructions and is very friendly, happy and confident - so I have more hope now that he will just suddenly start speaking!

Glad you feel more reassured too! I too love MN!!

[nicnic01]

Hi, My Nephew is 2.3 (my dd 9m so too early to tell although im sure she said apple this morning) and he has only just started saying the odd "word". He now says, there, bum, anda (grandad) omma(grandma) mam, dad, and up. He said nothing for so long that it now seems to be progressing very fast.He does seem to be on a roll at last. My sister has never been worried about it and hasnt asked HV (he is due 2 year check any thime now). I would hve spoken to HV sooner if he was mine but I do have to say that even though he doesnt speak he is still a clever lad in every other sense. Just not in any hurry to chat yet. I think as long as there is progress at some rate, he will catch up in the end. Its intersting to hear people are being referred to speech therapy. I will wait to see what HV says about nephew.