Support thread for speech and laguage delay toddlers...

[Orangeflower7]

Hi, I have a little boy of 2.5 and we have just today had our first speech and language referral appointment as he is not saying many words yet. I thought maybe other parents might be in the same position and would like to share experiences for support?

It took a few weeks for the appointment, which we were referred to by the health visitor. The therapist told us he has a moderate language delay and has given us ideas of some signs to use with him, she has advised us to keep language clear and simple and we will get a place at a toddler group run by speech and language therapists who will observe and support us. Not sure how long that will take as they only have 6 children in a group but there is an option we can go to the next town if necessary. He also had his hearing tested by the hospital audiologist last week and they said his hearing was fine.

Is SALT a charity or speech group? I will check it out now on Google. Andhave a look at helpful books on Amazon.
Funny how it takes someone else to point out the obvious on something you're so pre-occupied with!

SALT- "Speech and Language Therapy"

Thanks Orangeflower!

Hey Orange, thanks for replying

Its more than encouraging to hear that perhaps some of my concerns are making mountains out of molehills, you know how it is, when one thing (speach) is wrong you start to examine everything else and see problems everywhere.

Fluoxetine is a fab drug, i was on it a few years ago, its fantastic for depression, one Id really rate, and i have had a few unfortunatly i am quite a 'manic' depressive, and fluoxetine was sending me into manic spirals which were getting harder and harder to control. Settled on Quetiapine now, and after much playing with the dose have found a level that 'works' for my head, now just have to manage the side effects (read as drowzy all the blimin time!)

I would like to say about the signing, my DS had words from 10 months, seemed to have lost them all by a year and didnt even attempt 'words' again until he was 2.5 he gabbled on and on but nothing coherant. In the time he wasnt talking i spent hours reading and singing and dancing and well, nothing worked. Then i found Something Special on ceebeebie. I would have married Justin if I could he saved my sanity (what little was left to save!) I learned so much makaton from just the tv. I recorded all the episodes when they came on and we had them on continually - bugger the screen time, we needed a new way to 'talk' to our son! He was also doing the infuriating point moan whinge scream the house down whenever he wanted something. When he pointed this time at the biscuit cupboard for example i did the sign for biscuit back to him and he did the sign for yes!
Just like that.
It was genuinly amazing.

He was nearly three and it was the first conversation i ever had with my boy
Id do the sign with the tv/the item im signing as a prop with him, then do the word with the sign, then id drop the sign, and then he dropped the sign. It was a long process but it has given him loads of words and more importantly it did get him communicating and seeing it was worth while in communicating with me, his speech is getting better, but so far behind he needs the help. Wish id done it when he was a baby, could have saved us all this!

Hey all, ds2 is 2 and not saying much at all. He had a tongue tie release op last month so hopefully we'll hear a few more sounds soon as he has a bit more mobility of his mouth but SALT Paeds and ENT all agree that the tongue tie can't have been causing a complete lack of speech so some sort of processing disorder is suspected.

He's picked up a few more words recently (Mama, just before Chirstmas, Dada not long after and recently 'yah' (yes), 'mo' (no), 'woah', 'eww', 'woof', 'mow' (miow), moo and 'maa'). His language ability is fine, he can understand anything said to him and can follow instructions well so it really just seems to be his ability to form sounds. He does a lot of tonal babbling where if you know what he saying you can make out the rythm of the words but none of the sounds are present.

He's been under SALT since 12 months due to feeding issues so we're old hands at this stage and he's recently started sign language too which has eased frustrations all round!

HI- nice to find this thread as lots of your experiences seem very familiar to me (although admit have just skim read for now). I have a 2 year 11 month DS who is about to see SALT for a second time. He has an unusual speech delay in that he appears to know lots of words but can pronouce very few clearly and misses the first syllable off nearly all his words. In context I can understand about 90% of what he is saying but have to translate for everyone else , including DH and out of context I can be lost too.

I think DS s problem stems from glue ear, which he has had constantly since about 10 months so his hearing is under par and he hears things a bit fuzzy. He is beginning to find it frustrasting but actually has lots of strategies to deal with it like showing us if we don't understand. what he does find hard is noisy group situations and funnily he hates loads noises. We used to go to a music group, which he loved for the first 10 mins but then it all seemed to be too much and his behaviour was awful.

I think it does affect his behaviour, particularly the glue ear and he can get quite angry and is quite loud! Embarrasingly so sometimes! We have yet another ENT referral next week so I think I will push more for some action as they just keep saying wait and see.

Interesting to read what someone said about other development being faster and speech gets left behind as they can't develop everything at once as that really fits DS. Physically he is very able and also excellent at logic things like jigsaws.

Our last SALT meeting was when he was 2.6 years and she said to come back at 3 as there was such a wide range at 2 but by 3 you should be able to understand about 80% of what they say. Will be interested to see what exercises we get to do.

Hope you all get on well with your SALt sessions.

Hi all my dd2 is 21 months she can physically say about 10 words now but only usually uses 3. She never babbled like other babies did and still doesn't :( unless she's shouting, screaming or saying an actual word she's quiet, doesn't talk to herself during play or anything like that. We are on wait list for SALT. She can't say daddy yet (lost this word at 14 months along with another) so calls us all mummy! Also her first words seem to be a bit odd! Instead of useful words like cup/bottle etc some of her first words were shoes and zip!

My DS2 has a severe language delay (and has been diagnoses as having ASD) however the est thing I was ever recommended before hs DX was the Hanen Programmes - 'It takes two to talk' and 'More than Words'. They are a bit american, and a bit pricey, but please dont be put off by those things because they are brilliant.

Its based on lots of modelling and lots of waiting. While we did the SALT run More than Worse course our DS went from 3 words to about 50 in 2 months.

Good luck. I know how hard and frustrating it is.

My experience: DS wasn't saying anything at 20 months (only three words: mum, yes and woof). Took him to GP and she refered to to audiologist and speech therapist. Saw speech therapist (16 weeks later) and he saw that DS had glue ear (which the GP could have seen herself but she was lazy and didn't look in DS' ears!!) was treated with steroid drops in the nose. DS didn't start talking, was very slow in learning any words at all and was still not babbling by the time he was 2.5. Got many assessments with salt but no therapy as such.

DS has a very special gift with some other aspects of his development. Like some other children mentioned here, he is very smart with numbers, shapes, puzzles, electronics. Even though he couldn't say numbers, he could point at the correct number from about one year old.

He started babbling at 2.5 and talking just before he turned three but his speech was very unclear. His vocab and understanding is good.

He was refered to a very excellent nursery which has a speech and language unit, as part of a regular school-based nursery. They are doing small miracles with him. He is progressing very well and now at 4 he has confidence in his speech but still very unclear (most people wouldn't understand him unless they're a teacher or have young children themselves).

He is still very clever with numbers and can read basic words (learned because his big brother is in Reception and learning phonics). He is going to regular school from September and although I am anxious about it I am sure he is fine.

A few things:

• he is a loner 'at heart'. He likes playing on his own and his social skills are behind; he might not turn when his name is called as he doesn't care. He is often 'in his own words'
• he is very 'smart' with some things, I think to a very unusual leven (he figured out on his own that ten tens make one hundred)

OK well based on that I'm now an expert in speech and language development!

Wow it's interesting to hear all your experiences. Good to know the 'time to talk' book might be helpful. My ds likes puzzles and numbers too. Hmm...

Just bumping this thread up again. Does anyone find their speech delayed toddler can be a bit of a loner or is this something else I should be worried about?
DD can be very happy playing with her toys or watching a DVD for ages...

Hi, I have a speech delayed nearly-2 year old (he will be 2 in two weeks). He has seen a SALT once, and we are working on the programme she gave us plus the Hanen Two to Talk book ideas. He is coming along a bit (from no words at all a month ago to "ta", "dada", "cat" and "car" now) but it is slow and frustrating going and I worry a lot about him. He is seeing the SALT again at the beginning of June.

In answer to what luci asked: he is rather a loner when other children are around, I note that at nursery he does tend to play on his own quite a bit, but at home he loves to interact and play with the rest of us and will drag us into playing ring a ring a rosies and place books in our hands (we are all adults in the house).

theDudesmummy, my daughter is very similar. At home she gets our attention by placing books in our hands to read to her or for her to point out objects she knows the words for and does like to "horse around" with her elder sister.
At nursery she is however very much a loner and can spend ages playing with particular toys. She also likes to sit in the same chair at the same table when she just arrives. Am hopeful as her speech improves so will her social skills.
At nursery

Hi there, I'm mainly a lurker here on mnet but found this & wanted to post. My 2.4yo dd is very delayed with her speech. She only started trying to say 'mummy' a couple of months ago & even now I am 'my' and her dad is 'dee'. She has always been slow to reach her milestones but does get there eventually. She is a fussy eater, a poor sleeper, and I would say the loner tag does fit her. She likes things just so but I am putting that down to her age & in other ways she can be very adaptable.
A HV wanted me to consider seeing a SALT & dp thinks she is not quite 'normal' but in all honesty I feel she just does things in her own time & will speak when she us good & ready.

She loves dvd's (watching too much tv possible cause of speech delay? But it diffuses so many tantrums!) & one we found which seems to have had an almost instant impact is the 'Bee Bright' series (feat. Justin Fletcher) - no makaton but she has tried a few words from it & can miraculously now do her shape sorter which she never could before (there is a shape sorter sequence on the DVD) - would highly recommend that to all the telly addicts!
It can be heartbreaking when I hear others her age talking constantly in sentences but I keep faith they all get there in the end, even if they need a little help along the way.

My DS watches mainly the "BabyTV" satellite channel, we try to limit him to half an hour wind down time in the evening (or sometimes, I have to admit, a little more, when he is upset, or we are ultrabusy, like recently when moving house). He loves it but perhaps he needs something a little different, I have now ordered the Bee Bright DVD on the recommendation of sleepyhead.

I have been feeling so frustrated at his total lack of talking, and was beginning to think he would never say anything, so now when he says ta (which he does whenever you hand him soemthing and say ta to him), in that sweet little voice, it is just wonderful.

Hello, not sure how I've missed this thread? Great, great idea!
My ds is 2.6, diagnosed moderate speech delay, maybe 3 or 4 words max, talks constantly, all complete nonsense!
I'll be back to study this later on, looking forward to getting to know you all and sharing frustrations!

Hello - I'm another one with a late talker. I've been greatly encouraged reading through all your experiences - it's good to know we're not alone.

My DS is 2.2yrs and has around 8 words. He's on the waiting list for a SALT assessment, and has a hearing test on Thursday. Can anyone tell me what to expect at the hearing test? DS is usually less than cooperative in unusual situations (screamed when having his feet measured for shoes, refused to let the HV weigh him etc!) so I'm a little worried it will all end on disaster.

Hi - I have a 20mo with no words at all and glue ear. Lots of babbling, pointing and screeching (!) etc but nothing yet. I should probably get him referred to SALT soon, but I am not sure if they'll do anything due to the glue ear...

LukeyLou - my DS is exactly the same re: cooperation! Unfortunately they have never been able to get any reliable test results from him. It depends somewhat on the audiology dept but generally they will sit on your knee while one person plays with toys in front of your DS to distract him. The audiologist plays sound at different frequencies from the left and right to encourage your DS to turn to look at a TV screen that then plays a cartoon. This way they can check for response.

Then there are the ones that require headphones, which my DS will never wear and gets very distressed about :(

Not sure what the next move is for us. Good luck with the test, your DS may surprise you with complete cooperation!

LukeyLou... ds2 was like that with almost everyone too but when it mattered on the day of his tongue tie op and in the appointments running up to it he was an absolute angel.

Since he's been learning to sign though he's been gradually getting better with people.... he's even started playing with other kids and interacts a bit better with adults too now.

previous generations of mumsnet late-talker mothers (including moondog who is a speechtherapist) shared/developed some ideas for teaching time. Those of you with the logic-loving number-loving engineers may benefit (almost certainly will benefit perhaps I should say). Moondog will probably say you will all benefit, including your typically developing kids. My DS2 had a severe language delay at one point but understood time as well as his peers and this helped his confidence enormously.

• buy or make a big calendar - at first it's best if the days are all in one vertical line, as the child may not yet understand the idea of moving on to a different line. You want the spaces to be as big as possible. Every night without fail, (the without fail bit is crucial) tick or cross off today. Do this for a long time. Then start to put symbols on days that have either passed or are to come. And start to use expressions like "tomorrow will be day number 17" (obviously wait till your child understands from using the calendar that today is day number 16 - if numbers aren't his/her thing, you'll be talking in a different way).

• if you can possibly afford it, buy a timetimer (www.timetimer.com). This is briliant for showing how long it will be until the next event. use it for uncontroversial/pleasant events for a long time before using it for disliked events. you can use it out and about - you set it, and say "when the red's gone away, we'll go home". If you can't afford it, get some sandtimers.

• some late-talking kids are very drawn to clocks. consider removing all but the hour hand so that the whole family simply refers to "one o'clock", "two-o'clock" - ikea has cheap ones that come apart easily. Then reintroduce the minute hand later - much later. Start off in the kitchen (I'm assuming your child is out of the kitchen at least 12 hours a day!)

do an advanced searched for "moondog calendar" or "timetimer" for more old threads on this topic.

babydubseverywhere, your lad sounds like he'd love these time-teaching things.

getting an understanding of time helps a child loads....

I'm just marking my place here as no time to chat just now. DD 5 has a speech disorder and my 2 year old DS doesn't talk (suspected ASD). Will come back later for a proper read. I noticed someone mentioned More than Words. I just did a course on it run by our local development centre and found it really helpful.

Musicmaiden and SummerRain - thank you. Here's hoping my DS will show his angelic side :)

Hi again sorry been away a bit, had a bit of a busy weekend with the little ones.
Got the "It takes two to talk" book and have just read the first part, it does make a lot of sense and have been trying to just respond to the sounds and communications my son makes to me during his play and general routines.

Quite a few of the unhelpful 'parenting types' apply to me, rushing about, talking to him rather than listening to him, saying 'say' as in 'say shoe', standing back from play (mainly, as tired!) and the entertainer bit, well in terms of taking him to stuff he probably doesn't need just to get a bit of a break. Feel a bit bad now, but definitely think I need to slow down more and just hang out with him more, it is different having a second and I feel more busy. It gives this example of a mum who is shopping and her child is tying to show her a banana, her mum is looking at her watch to go, that's just like us (well more like scooting along flinging stuff in a buggy so he doesn't escape before rushing to the school pickup) Then when I have both boys I do a lot of orders, getting them to share for example, and for quite a while I just kept them out as long as possible to avoid being home with both of them and the bickering over toys. So anyway, perhaps with some ideas from there things might pick up. Actually the last day of two he has been saying more, quite tricky to understand though

To explain from what I have read so far there is technique called OWL which is basically Observe (your child at play or whatever) Wait (so not to jump in first, just wait till they might communicate to you) Listen...then respond so if they say something looking at a bird you might say 'bird' just try and interpret what they might mean and see how they respond back...anyway I have tried this a but just the last day or two and he seems to be trying to communicate with me more I would say.

I am interested in hearing about glue ear. My ds had a lot of wax in his ears and the GP was not very good just told us to put some drops in from the chemist, didn't recheck, have them syringed or anything. Is that the same as glue ear?

Would glue ear be picked up by a gp? Dd was poorly a while back and had an ear infection so her ears have been looked at recently. Also she had hearing check at 4 weeks as she was a little bit prem, could a serious hearing problem have developed since then?
I am going order the 'two to talk' book as it sounds really helpful.
It's so nice to talk to others with similar issues.