Why do some children have a speech delay?

[YoungJoseph]

Ds (3yrs 3months) is about to start speech therapy in a small group. I've never been given a reason why his speech is delayed from the ST although others (friends, colleagues etc) have suggested that because he is our 3rd child the others in the family are speaking for him. I've not noticed this but have just accepted that some children develop skills at different paces.

So if all children do develop at different paces why does his group have a disproportionate number of children in care? Everything being equal in the development of the child's brain surely there should be the same proportion of children receiving speech therapy from all walks of life shouldn't there?

So is speech delayed because of a difficult early start, genetic factors, place in the family or some other reason such as diet in pregnancy? Would like to hear from anyone who knows the reason even if it has never been properly researched.

That is very true Lingle. When we first saw a SALT with ds, she emphasised looking at books, singing, limiting a dummy to sleeptime, not too much background noise etc. These were all things that I did with the dds and with ds, dd1 was average with speech development, dd2 spoke really early and had a huge and varied vocab and had to see a SALT at 2, because she tried to speak so quickly that she had a very pronounced stammer. It is hard, when you have a child that has problems with development not to beat yourself up and feel that you have let the child down in some way.

www.blogtalkradio.com/Laura-Mize/2009/04/09/Teach-Me-To-Talk-with-Laura-and-Kate

At 10.00 onwards Laura Mize points out that as a speech therapist she has spent a lot of time visiting children living "In really horrible environments... and not them but their brother and sisters and cousins - they're talking. There are babies growing up in some pretty pathetic living conditions and they still talk".

hazey - you might find it interesting to listen to the programme. The broadcasters believe that:
(i) there is so little accessible information about strategies for children with underlying neurological issues (whether serious or minor) and
(ii) most parents just "want to get him talking"

that speech therapists can spend a lot of time doling out generic advice like "talk to your child" and miss the fact that there may be a neurological issue underneath.

sorry hazy - not that I am suggesting any such thing about your own LO

I think you will know why your child has a speech delay better than anyone else, but you need to be helped to find out. Sometimes we get into habits as parents that don't meet the needs of our children, so we may be over-protective/neglectful, or we may speak to fast/slow, or too quietly/loudly, but a SALT will be able to help you see if there is anything you can do differently.

The cause of the problem isn't particularly relevant, this will get treated if possible, it's how you communicate with your child from here on in that is important.

It's so hard and such an emotive issue isn't it.
DS1 had speech delay (he's now 4.11 and whilst he still has a few pronounciation issues, his SALT said he has now 'caught up' and within 'normal' range).

It's difficult to identify why - I spoke to him loads, went to singing playgroups etc when he was younger, no history of any speech delay in family, behaviourally no other differences to note of. He understood everything, but he just wasn't that interested in talking (interestingly, he is now very chatty). It just seemed that he took a bit longer to speak.
DS2 is also a bit behind speech wise. But he is catching up quicker and now chats away (thank god). Again at 2.6, most of his words are unrecognisable to anyone who doesn't know him. But his enthusiasm for speech and willingness to speak is encouraging. Slowly, his pronounciation is improving.
But blimey, to have two kids with speech delay and no physiological reason makes me feel like such a shit mum.

DD1 just avoid speech therapy, she'd learnt by the time we got the appointment.

As a toddler she was brilliant at pointing and sign language, but not words.

She's dyslexic, never stops talking, but even as a very bright 14yo, suddenly forgets the correct word for things.

Quirk of short term working memory I suspect, I do it too.

DS has a speech delay of about 2.4 years for expressive language and 2 years for receptive language. He has ASD and lost all his words at about 18 months old.
The Hanen programme 'More Than Words' really helped his speech.

DS has a speech delay, he's really improved since starting SALT but is still behind 2.5 years later. His speech delay is down to his ASD though, but we only found out a year ago about ASD an only had his official dx a couple of weeks ago so he was in salt for about a year and a half with no explanation. Friends and family suggested it was because he was an only child, I'm sure if he was part of a large family the blame would be siblings talking for him though.

I would include a 'genetic' problem as a physical one since a gene codes for a protein and a protein is a physical substance. Therefore if a child has a faulty gene/s then that might explain a speech delay.

However just knowing that someone in the family had a speech delay at some point doesn't prove a genetic link there has to be more research than that.

I agree with Lingle. IME SALT tends to be more geared towards needs than making diagnoses and looking for "reasons" - so just because SALT can't pinpoint an exact cause for language delay doesn't mean they are secretly blaming parents/environment etc. It's sad to see so many posters on here blaming themselves needlessly IMO.

Dolomites - I am a complete amateur, but it may well be relevant that you spoke so late, I understand that benign late talking (i.e. the sort that resolves spontaneously) can run in families, I know SALT asked me if I was a late talker for that reason.

PS. benign is just how I am describing it, not an actual medical term for language delay!

DS1 has Auditory Processing Disorder and HFA. His speech was 18m delayed at 3 years old, it's now disordered at 7. He's understandable now, but sounds odd and apparently always will.

DS2 has an unexplained phonology difficulty, but is within normal limits, SALT is keeping an eye on him due to DS1. He's 3.5, and progressing normally but with a delay. Never had a dummy! I think some is learned behaviour from DS1.
My eldest, DD, spoke very early and clearly. It's very strange!

I have three dds with severe speech delays.

I have been told by a number of people that their children spoke early 'but of course they spoke to them all the time.'

From this I can deduce that I really shouldn't have locked my daughters in the cupboard under the stairs a la Harry Potter.

But seriously, in my daughters' case there is a strong familial element. I couldn't talk when I started school. My grandmother remembers being laughed at when she started school as her speech was so bad. I could write a long list of various cousins, uncles, aunts, who also have this delay. It doesn't take a genetic expert to work out that my family speech delay is hereditary.

In my ds s case his speech delay was due to being born at 26 weeks, it's very common with prem children. Now he's 4 and we have been discharged from salt as they said now his pronunciation is fine he just talks too fast and all the time. They assure me he will speak slower when he wants to and not before so their is a element of personality as well I think.

Interesting jeee.

Likewise, people have told me how their LOs have always been good speakers, as they've always spoken to them lots. I also hide the 'wish my LO would stop chattering away' threads on Mnet.

Thank you everyone for your reassuring words and stories. Our creche are unworried and say he's always been able to make it very clear what he wants - he plays with the other children and bubbles to them in his second language and they all seem to understand each other. The doctor is also unconcerned and feels that right now he has enough not to be a concern for salt-like processes.

Yes, I was a late talker too, as I said 4, but I was reading at 3. They/we are ALl different.

I'm pretty sure he's got good hearing too - seems to have inherited that from his dad who had to leave a shop on Monday because they had that noise deterrent used for teens! ;)

Still sad to see there are some who insist it is because of our shoddy parenting. But the there are black and white views surrounding many facets of parenting.

This is interesting to me as my Ds has speech difficulties.

He was a delayed talker and now at 4.4 years he talk a lot but doesn't pronounce many of his sounds properly. The SLT has said some it it is due to his late talker but some it it runs deeper than that. He has only had one appointment so far and we are now waiting for a full assesment. His understanding and lanuage are fine.

He is the youngest of three. My oldest was an early talker, middle child was average despite having some hearing loss and DS is very late. I really don't think I have done anything differently with him, I feel it's just the way he is. Some people do say it's becasue he's my third or becasue he's a boy but I personally don't feel it is, if it was the case then why is just his speech sounds a problem and all his other aspects of development are fine? I am hoping his SLT will be able to help but the fact he is so stubborn will make it difficult!

Bet that was in France Bonsoir.

Many reasons for speech delay. I was blamed for ds1's speech delay (when he was 2). I was told that I was talking too much, then I was told I was talking too little. Actually he's severely autistic. Now a teeenager he has been given a communication device and is finally learning to talk using it (not 'talk' using his voice, 'talk' using the communication device). Although speech delayed, his biggest problem is his language disorder.

DS2 was also delayed and his speech sounds (not language) were disordered- by that stage people began to think that hmm perhaps it was developmental. He fixed it himself (literally) overnight when he was 3. Now has performed professionally on stage and gets distinctions in LAMDA exams (not really a stealth boast, - just to show how what can appear to be a pretty severe problem in a young child can be completely fixed. (Or not in the case of ds1)

Even ds3's language development was a bit odd. (But speech was always fine).

Many factors can contribute to speech delays in a child such as genetic factor, less involvement with parents. I would suggest you to visit a professional speech therapist and see if he has a different perspective.