speech impediment in 2y5m dd?

[BlackberryandNettle]

Can anyone advise me regarding my dd's speech? She is 2y5m and communicates well, just not verbally. She does speak, however she only uses a few words she can say well and almost always uses 'look' , 'this' with pointing to communicate.

She honestly seems to find pronouncing several words very difficult, also she will rearrange the first syllables of words with more than one syllable - for example paper is 'aper' and table 'abble', although she can say 'pay' and 'tab'.

I'm worried she is becoming frustrated and being held back by her speech, she seems very behind compared to most toddlers we know and has now been left behind by the others her age at nursery as they've changed room - this worries me as she's now no longer exposes to their chattering to her (she's at nursery 3 days)

Should we arrange speech therapy now? She seems almost reluctant to try to say words so I think she may be aware of not being able to say things clearly and put off trying. How can I encourage her without making things worse/upsetting her?

Looking at what I've written, perhaps she's not so much rearranging as missing off the vowels from words with more than one syllable. Even mummy is ummy

Have you had her hearing tested? Glue ear can hamper pronunciation as everything sounds muffled to them. DS is 2.9 and we're waiting for grommets - he is loads better than he was but other people still struggle to understand him! Might be worth ruling out?

I second the recommendation for a hearing test - HV or GP can refer. Even if her hearing turns out to be fine, it's worth ruling it out. I'd also look at a referral for an SLT assessment. A speech therapist can tell you whether the way your DD is saying words is just "normal development but following her own timetable", or whether there is something else going on. Again, your HV can do this but it's likely that you can also self-refer. If you Google you should be able to find the referral criteria for your area. Waiting lists are usually several months long for initial assessment then the same again for actual help so better to get on the list now than wait and see. In the meantime, the Hanen centre's book "It Takes Two to Talk" is a good practical guide to how you can continue to help your DD at home.

My lo is the same age and tbh we are having an awful time with the speech therapist, she's just awful in twisting answers and seemingly trying to get an autistic diagnosis (the people she's referring us to are just as baffled when we go!). I went through my gp for a hearing test but the test is quite basic, they have sound coming from one side to which they want your dc to turn their head to it and they'll only say she can hear, not what they can hear. Glue ear they can hear, it's just under water type muffled sound.

I wish I could tell you how or where to get a referral to test for glue ear but I'm still looking and trying myself!

Btw, my lo is still sounding out with almost no actual words, communicating amazingly well, just not verbally.

Personally I wish we hadn't gone down the speech therapy route until 3 if she's no better, I think she'll get there in her own time. I have friends whose children didn't speak properly until past 3.

Sorry that you and your DD are having a rough time, ice cream, it sounds as though you've been poorly served. My little one is similar age (2.7) and was basically non-verbal until 2.4. His speech is now normal for his age and like you say, many children do catch up between 2 and 3. However, I don't regret seeking help for DS early, as at the very least it's done no harm, whereas if he'd turned out to have been one of the late talkers who do need help, waiting might have done.

We have seen NHS and independent SLTs and both were great with DS and v supportive and helpful towards us. As far as DS was concerned, he just spent a bit of time with some nice ladies playing with new toys! It sounds like you've drawn a short straw with your SLT. Perhaps you could ask if there's any way you could get see a different SLT for the next block of therapy?

The hearing test should be based on play audiology at this age, not just turning towards sounds. DS's hearing test was sophisticated enough to determine what range of frequencies he could hear. The audiologist also examined his ears and if there had been any suspicion of glue ear, would have used tympanometry as an additional test to rule it in, or out. Can your GP re-refer to the audiology service, or explain why s/he and the audiologist were confident glue ear wasn't/isn't a concern?

As you say, fingers crossed your DD will get there in her own time anyway. As a late talker myself, and mother of another, I can confirm that many of us do :-). It's a good sign that your DD is so communicative, and good at making herself understood. It's amazing how much toddlers can communicate without words, isn't it? Does she use makaton/signing? If not, might be worth looking into. DS used signing and it bridged the gap a bit until the words came. SLTs were both fully behind signing and advised that it doesn't delay speech. He dropped the signing v quickly once he found his words.

*play audiometry