Pronounciation deteriorating at 5 and a half

[sheeplikessleep]

DS1 has had SALT in the past, but was discharged about a year / 18 months ago, as his speech had improved a lot.

In the last few weeks, both DH and I have noticed that DS1 doesn't seem to be hearing as well as he used to, we are having to repeat things to him and he is appearing not to hear. He is saying 'pardon' a lot.

His teacher approached me yesterday and said that she and the TA think his speech and pronunciation seems a lot less clear since Easter. She mentioned how odd it is, it has been just recently and before Easter he was fine.

I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts / wisdom to impart.

I've booked him in for a Dr appointment next week to check his ears and from there, ask for a hearing test (if the Dr doesn't find anything obvious). I'm going to google glue ear / gromits etc, as I know very little about those, but do these just come on suddenly? He has had a hearing test as a toddler (before his SALT).

Thanks

I'm a speech and language therapist. Getting his hearing checked is an excellent place to start so wait for the results of that before you do anything else. Has he had any ear infections since his last hearing test?

Do you know which sounds in particular he is having trouble saying?

Oh Lotta, thank you so much for posting, it's great to get an expert view.

He did have an ear infection a few months back yes, he had antibiotics for it.

I'm trying to think of which sounds he is having trouble with. He is generally mumbling a bit more, but also struggling with ... 's', 'l' I think... it's difficult to remember, but it's good for me to make a note ongoing over the next few days. I'm not confident on which sounds tbh.

When he was discharged, there were still a few sounds that he was 'mispronouncing' (is that a word?), but his SALT said the sounds were normal for his age. I will email DH and see if he can think of what specific sounds and will post back up ...

Thanks again

Don't worry if you can't think of specific sounds - the SLT will pick up on it when/if he gets re-assessed. Depending on waiting times in your area, it may be worth getting him re-referred to SLT now. He will need a hearing test as well so carry on pursuing that. If both you and his school have noticed that his speech has become less clear, a SLT referral would be a good idea.

Good luck with it

Lottapianos - thanks again for posting.
Waiting times are about 3 months here. TBH, we might consider going down the private route, now he is at school. I'll see what comes out from his Dr appointment first, then his hearing test and take it from there.
Thanks again, appreciated

Mine are under salt. Since starting school they have lapsed. Dont know if it's lazyness trying to fit in with peers. Lisp is worse, Lots of dropping aitches and missing out the middle tt in words like butter. Not sure if salt problem of lazy.

Definitely not lazy but are those things part of the local accent where you live? If so, your children will pick them up - that's just part of their language development

Do most of the children in his class at school speak differently to him? I ask, because I used to send a Little Lord Fauntleroy off to school in the morning, and collect a Phil Mitchell in the afternoon!