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24 month old speech delay- lack of mouth movement

13 replies

catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 07:45

My DS has few words and most of those are unrecognisable to others. He has been seen by a SALT and she thinks DS can't physically form the shapes with his mouth necessary for some sounds. Anyone experienced similar?
We have been given some tips on things to do at home and she is visiting us again next month and then more regularly. The SALT asked about tongue tie and I have suspected this for a long time so I'm going to make a Drs appt to get this confirmed/ruled out.

Do you think the book It Takes Two to Talk would be useful for us? It's very expensive so don't want to waste my money if the SALTs tips will do the work.

DS has good understanding, great eye contact, is sociable and can follow instructions.

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greeneggsandjam · 07/08/2014 07:51

What about the book Mr. Tongue? Games like blowing bubbles and licking lollipops?

catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 08:05

Thanks Green, I hadn't heard of that book I'll look it up. I'm ordering pin going balls today for blowing and DS does love an ice cream! One of the activities suggested is funny faces so we're working on that too, thankfully my 8 year old us a master at this Grin

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catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 08:05

Ping pong

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greeneggsandjam · 07/08/2014 08:12

Good luck!

Jellyandjam · 07/08/2014 08:48

My son also had difficulties with moving his mouth correctly to make sounds (no tongue tie but he had pretty severe silent reflux as a baby and used to choke and gag on food which I believe is related to his later speech disorder).
We also did lots of bubble blowing, using straws, blowing a small ball through a straw, playing instruments such a recorders/whistles.
We were also recommended an app by his first SALT called bigmouth sounds. There are two- a workout one in which there us a short daily routine where you copy 'bigmouth' to make different shapes
/sounds with the mouth and the other has stories and Hanes with the sounds in it.
I never had that book but I know others have said it's great.

catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 10:21

Thanks Jelly that's really useful. How is your DS doing now?

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IHeartKingThistle · 07/08/2014 10:47

DS was similar. I had to physically teach him some sounds like 'b' by getting him to hold his lips together. 'C' and 'g' took forever (age 4) as he couldn't see what I was doing with my mouth to copy me. It was weird as his understanding and vocabulary were great - like you say it was just getting his mouth around the sounds.

I thought he was never going to get it but when he was 3 and a half he spontaneously got his 'L' and he's never looked back. He started school at and had a few sessions with the school SALT because he was mixing up 'b' and 'p' and 'g' and 'c' - so he was saying things like 'I want to go on the slide at the bark'. That really helped and he has now been discharged. I think learning to read and doing phonics has been helpful too.

The SALT we saw at the hospital said he would have acquired the sounds eventually anyway but I'm still glad I was able to help him get a few sounds - it saved him a bit of frustration if nothing else! I did spend an awfully long time worrying about it though, and perhaps I could have done less of that!

Oh and we used the Big Mouth app too.

Jellyandjam · 07/08/2014 11:32

Hi, he is now five and doing brilliantly. Like the previous poster I thought he was never going to get there. It's good that you are getting seen early. I brought up concerns at his two year check but was told he was fine and just to keep an eye in it. Then we moved a couple of times so it was stop start with his therapy and constantly back on waiting lists. In the end we went for a private therapist and never looked back . He went from being almost completely unintelligible to being discharged within eight months!! He still sometimes gets confused with some words but picks them up quickly.
Again like others his understanding has always been great it was just getting his mouth around the sounds (I remember him being completely unable to put his tongue behind his top teeth (as needed for the l sound) and getting so frustrated, now he doesn't even think about it)!
Good luck, he will get there.
Oh PS just another thought, has he had his hearing checked? This can cause some speech problems. We had DS tested to rule it out- no hearing issues as I suspected but good to rule it out xx.

catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 12:03

Thank you both, it's really reassuring to hear your boys are doing well now. I've been getting quite worked up about it all. DS is an August birthday so I'm concerned about him being just turned 4 when he starts school. We have the GP this afternoon to check for tongue tie and I'll ask for a hearing test.
He seems quite 'young' in other ways and I'm not sure if there's something else lurking or if it's his speech holding him back. Time will tell I guess.

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IHeartKingThistle · 07/08/2014 14:26

DS was 4 and 3 weeks when he started school. I think it's been really good for him. Don't worry!

catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 15:12

That's good to hear, thank you.
I feel much more positive than I did this morning, thank you for sharing your experiences.

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Jellyandjam · 07/08/2014 15:37

I was also worried about DS starting school and he is an older one (birthday November) but I too think it's been great for him. Learning to read has really helped his sounds- for example when he was struggling with 's' he happened to get books that had 'see' a lot in them- because he saw the s it prompted him to articulate it (only after he had learnt to do that in therapy of course ) and this then translated into his spontaneous soeech before long.

catchingzzzzeds · 07/08/2014 18:49

Thanks Jelly.
GP says no tongue tie and DS has been referred for a hearing test. I feel much better prepared than I did this morning. Thank you all.

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