When do i get concerned about DD, 2.3 , lack of speech?

[VoodooLULUmama]

Ok, I already am concerned, but at what point do i push for more? She did not have 50 words by age 2, she is 2.3 and has maybe 2 or 3 sentences, other than that it is single words. or her own language. she can communicate, with pointing, taking us to things, but not in whole sentences. DH was muttering about verbal dyspraxia, HV felt it was not that serious , but referred her to SALT, still waiting for an appointment. when i compare her to her peers, she is definitely lacking.

so, any advice, experience, words of wisdom?

anyone?

she sounds completely normal to me - was what my dd was doing at her age and I have several friends with dc her age that are the same as well.

FWIW my dd was totally non verbal at age 3 and now she is 5 she can talk the hind legs of a donkey and some...
I was always quite relaxed as I knew the comprehension was there
When she started to talk it was in pages not words, she just had to do it in her own time
A SLT can be valuable though to rule out anything specifically, which helped us relax about things rather than worry

My ds had speech delay. But I was not overly concerned because he could communicate with words/pointing and his own signs. He obviously had good understanding when spoken to aswell. I took him to a speech therepist arranged through the hv. I would recommend this as it will reassure you, and its worth getting into the system as there is often a waiting list for these services. It is also worth getting hearing checked.

Ds has now started school and not only has caught up with his peers, but actualy has a very impressive vocab.

thank you all

i am acutely aware of any possible delay as DS is dyslexic, after ages of thinking, he is just not quite getting reading/ spelling / writing etc.. turns out there is a good reason why !

she has been on waiting list for SALT since August, HV reckoned she;d be seen by Xmas.

she does communicate, she does comprehend, she does not talk ! well, not a lot.

i don;t like being neurotic or fussy, but i am just feeling she has not really progressed much so i want to start ruling things in or out.

hi my ds is 2.6 and this is a worry for me he knows his alphabet from a-z can say most letters clearly he can say it both ways he can also read letters and numbers and apparently is very advanced but speech way behind

doesnt speak in sentences has a large amount of words he has now learnt alot of misprenounciations cant say certain letters when putting them together as a word and becoming more aware of how behind he is in speech a waiting salt have another assessment in 2 weeks

have been advised to take him to snap as they deal with speech delay as well as other special needs doesnt matter what i do he seems to want to do it all in his own time lol typical male

so anyone with success stories i too would love to hear them as beginning to feel so low now as i feel he'll never talk i'm getting tired of the funny looks when i say his age and he is still babbling he also looks alot older so this diont help.

good luck to all in same situation last few days really feeling down about it

Bubbla - I'm really not sure if this is what a SALT would recommend but we are having some success with the following:

• missing out words in fave stories that ds knows well so he has to fill it in - he likes doing it and I think it helps his confidence
• breaking down words quite clearly so he can hear the sounds well and then he repeats them. So if there is a word he sort of slurs say binman was coming out bama, we say BiNN dramatic pause MaN and really emphasise the end sounds.

As I say SALTS might think this is a good/bad idea but ds is responding well to it and definitely saying the specific words we do this with better and more clearly.

thanks very much i do try to do this but he cant seem to say certain letters sometimes wont copy what i'm saying i can get him to say it but if i then want him to say word asgain he doesnt

i guess this will be a slow process i wouldnt mind but corigated roof was said on his game on bob the builder and he virtually said it lol

i think he does things when he wants to do them not when i want him to do them so itry to get that certain time of day when he is more focused 11-12 and do somethings where he can repeat words

stick him in front of ceebeebies games on internet he tries to repeat all that they say try again ect not with me he doesnt lol

whats a mum to do i'm finding it hard as would love to have conversation with him as i see other mums and i'm struggling to get simple words although his vocab for the single words has increase 70% in last few months just seems to be taking ages

bubblagirl
please don't try to get him to say anything !!
Encourage talk by talking to him.Make language interesting by singing and expressing things as much as you can. Don't say "say..x" and don't ask questions and then look anxiously at him waiting for the answer. If he is having problems then trying to get him to perform when he can't will make him anxious and wary and add an extra layer on to his frustration with what may be verbal dyspraxia or some other 'motor' problem.
My son had verbal dyspraxia and i had made his motor problems in to a huge mountain by the time I went to see a specialist with him a) frustrated that he could not make himself understood and could not retrieve the words he wanted from the memory and b) flippin angry with me for constantly trying to make him.
Get him on some EFA's which really do help many kids and wait until you get professional support.
I have a really good website for slow talkers - I will try and did out a link

thank you i dont force him i just say the word and see if he will repeat as he will try sometimes but i guess at times maybe out of frustration may have tried so will be more aware when with him

i have found if i point at word say it then leave a seconds gap he may or may not attempt to copy i'm probably beginning to panic more as he is getting to an age i know communication is important

stilol waiting for nursery placement also which is frustrating me as i say really advanced with letters and numbers the fact he can read them off a page therapist was amazed but he is just so behind with speech still bables alot and although has alot of words most not clear i'm obviously ok with them but others have no idea makes me so sad as he is such loving caring and happy boy just this stops him being what he really would love to be

upsets him to have no one understand him or probably upsets me more in the truth of things lol if you could find link would be great thanks for kind words

sorry what is efa's ?

bubblagirl - I think EFAs are fish oils, like omega 3, that you can get in capsules, (or from eating lots of oily fish!).

Lulu - as you feel she understands well, then it may just be she's a late talker, and at some point before she's 3 it all comes together - but I think you have done absolutely the right thing getting her on the SALT waiting list. Pagwatch and other posters have posted good advice about encouraging communication. I would recommend:-

1. if you have free time during the day, see if you can get on a Hanen course (surestart in your town does run one). Hanen is a Canadian organisation that specialises in helping kids with speech delay (www.hanen.org). Even if you don't do the course, they have useful info on the website, and useful books (You Make the Difference (£13) and It takes two to talk (£30).

Also push for a hearing test, just to get that excluded as a reason for speech problems.

I have mentioned this before on MN but my son did not get beyond about 20 words until well over 2.6, the floodgates suddenly opened last November and by the time we saw the SALT she had no concerns whatsoever. He's certainly caught up with or passed his peer group now. This is not to say your DD mightn't have an issue but kids are all different and she might be developing something else atm.

Couple of things that helped - loads of reading and nursery rhymes . Trying to be a good example. e.g. if he says a word follow it up with a full sentence. If he says "bus" you expand it and say "yes, that red bus is going really fast".

Also dosed him up thoroughly with EyeQ high concentration omega's/ EFA's after reading about their Peterlee experiment. Perhaps we were an Eye Q success story?

i will try the omega 3 for him it cant do any harm he is trying to say alot more but no pregress seems to be made at moment so i completely understand your frustrations voodooLULmama

he had hearing test done but one test cant be done untill nearly 3 so i'd say get that done just to rule things out

thanks for advice also to others always open to how other people have dealt with things as i'll do anything to help him and get lost on what to do as not much support given

thank you all for your kind words

sorry for not replying sooner, have not been around much since yesterday

bubblagirl. i hope you get your DS sorted too.

am going to speak to HV first thing tomorrow and ask for things to be moved on, and if i need to see SALT privately, then i will do so.