To change my 20 month old Ds' name?

[HonoraryOctonaut]

He's recently had all his teeth on the too row removed except for his two canines.

His name starts with a 'sh' sound and he's likey to have quite a bad lisp and need speech therapy. It seems like a good idea right now to just officially change his name and avoid him not being able to say it. It's hard enough have a speech problem I think without struggling to say your own name.

He knows his name and responds to it, it's a lovely name and it suits him. And I haven't thought of an alternative name yet either. His middle name is no good for the same reasons as his first name.

Theoretically (as we have no official diagnoses although the specialist refers to him as autistic anyway...) as things stand at the moment ( although will hopefully improve with age) I would hope that he could have some sort of implants or denture plate but he has some sort of fixation with his mouth (sensory issues apparently) which is what has cause most of the problems with his teeth. You can't get near his mouth, he has to be sedated for a dentist to take a look and trying to brush his teeth means a complete meltdown - I've had him banging his head on the floor, scratching himself until he bleeds, throwing up, biting etc. total nightmare. He's had 6 abscesses removed and a severe infection which is why he lost a lot of his gum (although the pain he must have been in for quite some time could easily have caused the meltdowns at me going near his mouth so might resolve it's self now he's been treated). Caused by a problem with the roof of his mouth having not sealed properly before he was born
or something, his teeth came in rotten.

He already has two middle names, although the last one is a family name and would do I suppose but it isn't him Iykwim. He's Séamus and I can't really see him as anything else, which I guess answers my origional question

I sympathise with you OP, my niece has a lisp and pronounces her 's's as 'th'.

She has two s's in her name and blushes when she is asked it, and says she wishes she was named differently (she's 10).

I only agreed to Séamus on the condition that no one called him Shay. Bites me in the arse now though

Why do you call him Mouse? That seems like he will be teased about that too .

His middle name is Ruaidrí which could work if his Rs are ok.

Your poor niece Redfor, could she change it or choose to be known as something else before she starts senior school? Not that she should have to but if she's not confident about it etc...

Oh thats a bugger your poor baby though sounds like he has been through a lot dowhat you have to so his life is that bit easier.

OP, I feel for you. My daughter can't say K and her name begins with...guess what?

She's starting speech therapy soon and I think being able to clearly say her own name will be such a help to her, and her confidence.

Call him Ruairdi

Isn't Seamus the Irish form of James?
Could you use that as an alternative?

And I agree you should phase out Mouse, esp with a possible lisp

I think with the other issues you describe that changing his name would be very confusing and difficult for him. My own ds has autism and hates pet names and nick names. He is 'his name' and that is that.

His name starts with a th which he says as f, so I do get where you are coming from, but honestly, I'd leave it as it is. It's his name.

I'd come up with a really cool nickname and use that and his birth name. If he really struggles I'd get him to use the nickname but at 2 he won't be introducing himself to that many people. You will be with him a lot and tell people his name and once every one in his toddler group then class knows it then he will not need to re-say it.

Oh just saw about some kids not liking nick names, obviously only use if appropriate.

The surgeon said he would have been in significant pain for around a year so awful to think of him being in so much pain. And toothache is awful at the best of times. The abscesses were under his teeth though so bit easily seen - I took him to 3 different dentists and they couldn't get near him, carried on forcing him to have his teeth brushed which would have been agony for him, and luckily it was spotted whilst he was in hospital recently for periorbital cellulitis and was sedated so didn't object to much and could be examined properly. I feel very very guilty about it.

We (his brothers and I) only call him mouse at home, or mousey-pants etc it comes from my 3 year old not being able to say Séamus.

Ds2's name begins with ch and he didn't learn to pronounce it until he had his adult teeth. He also had a lisp. We were very careful in the choosing of ds3's name incase of the same problem. Ds3 couldn't pronounce r's which, fortunately didn't impact on his name but his best friend was called Wowy Rory. He still has a lisp but doesn't seen bothered by it.

I wouldn't change his name I would deal with the issues if they arise.

I think at 20 months and his family calling him mouse he wont really register his name will he so if his parents change it now or use Ruhiri by time he is nursery age he will be used to it being his name

Gosh octonaut that's quite awful. I am so sorry. I too would be feeling incredibly guilty but honestly, how could you have known it was something so unusual and not just a general - if tantrummy - dislike to toothbrushing? Good luck, be kind to yourself. And fwiw, I'd stick with Seamus; Seamus is the child you love. He might surprise you yet!

I would start using his middle name a lot, you can then ease him onto that if you need to or revert back if all is good.

Fingers crossed for him.

Her parents have told her it would be silly to change her name now, and told me in private she is going to have to get used to it (meaning she'll still lisp with a different name).

Before they knew the lisp would be permanent (3ish) they used to get her to say 's' words like sausages, strawberries etc and would giggle when she attempted to say them.

We had a boy and girl name ready for our baby who had been given a high chance of having Downs Syndrome. As soon as my son was born, we named him Frederick, shortened to Freddy for everyday. Over his first couple of years it became apparent that speaking was and is going to be very difficult for him. Now he is nearly five he calls himself, eddy and taps himself on the chest. I never dreamt of changing his name, I loved it all along and wanted to use it, however his early years panned out.
Stick with your choice, it's a beautiful, strong name x

Could you refer to him as Amos? It's not the same but it's closeish (depending on your accent, obviously!) to Seamus without the sh sound

Och, you've all been through the wringer a bit . Honestly though, it will all calm down and he will get there.

Seamus is the Gaelic eqyuivalent of James and Hamish and Jacob are both also from the same derivation.

Personally I'd start calling him "Shay" (sorry!) and then if it turns out to be a problem you can change it to "Jay" (short for James) at that point.

(Although you would so be "that parent" at school if you turned up with "This is Seamus but we use the English version and call him Jay short for James"!)

I like shay too its easy I know you dont like it but at least its a derivative sort 8f, btw I think mouse is adorable