speech and eating in 3 yo (who also has dribbling prob) - long explanation.

[ArmadilloDaMan]

Ds dribbles - alot.

Was at paed today (unrelated) and mentioned it. He asked about ds speech - which is good, but of course now I'm worrying about words he pronounces oddly (but of course didn't think of this till after).

Ds also has probs eating but we think it is all psychological (i.e. 'littlesoditis'). But if there is something wrong, then it could be linked. He seems to eat fine, and manages hard food (like oatcakes) adn things like yoghurt. BUt won't eat food that requires lots of chewing (like meat) and if has something like crusty bread, will often chew it for a bit and then spit it out rather than swallowing (lovely habit ) but we have always assumed it is just psychological.

Which is why I'm worrying about speech thing.

Basically he has probs wtih words with 'rl' in them.

So girl is 'gee-il' (2 syllables to rhyme with 'keel'), world becomes 'wee-ild' - almost unrecognisable to others.

So am I overthinking this cos worried there might be problem. WHich of course, I didn't think there was until paed took me seriously.

Long winded but hope I've got it all down.

Are all his teeth through?

yes we think so.

He dribbles constantly, basically it hasn't stopped as he's got older or reduced at all since he was baby. NO partic times of day, gets worse with cold, but always there so don't think linked to teeth coming through.

My 3 yr old dd pronounces girl as "gil" or "gel" and sometimes "gee-il" like your ds. I think that Moondog is a SALT (Speech & language therapist). Perhaps it's one of those hard blends that takes a while to perfect.

Sorry, can't help re. dribbling.

I wouldn't worry too much. My friend DS dribbled all the time. Still does quite often and is 4yo. Some kids prefer different textures. I know some kids that won't eat bitty food like rice or some fruits without gagging. Prob just a phase.

Hopefully then dribbling is something he will grow out of (which we have assumed up till now).

As long as words is normal, then I think we will assume eating is purely psychological.

Just panicking I think cos I wasn't really expecting him to say anything other than 'oh some grow out of it later than others'. HE wanted to look in ds mouth, but ds wouldn't cooperate

sorry forgot to say thanks for these

My ds dribbles loads - soaks several tops a day.
Only 22 months so his lack of speech doesn't worry me.

One Gp suggestted that it could be due to very large adenoids - Does he snore at night?

My son also has difficulty with extended chewing.
Something to do with having to mouth breathe as adenoids make nose breathing difficult

ds has very large tonsils apparently (this is unsurprising as I do and my dsis does). He seems to breathe through his nose alright though (me and dp can't very well, but both completely diff probs).

I'll keep an eye on that though, thanks.

HE snores a bit, but not hugely.

How old is he? My DS also dribbles a lot, he has mild / moderate CP so there is a reason for him, but we have found that talking about it has really helped. We say 'you're dribbling wipe your mouth' and we've shown him how to suck it back in(!) and we remind him to do that. This was on the advice of the Occupational therapist. While it's not particularly pleasant we felt that it's better for him to learn to manage it now (he's 2.8) rather than when he's older. My DS also objects to things that need a lot of chewing, but like you, we think this is mainly littlesoditis (love the phrase!). However there is some lack of clarity in his speech, not the sounds you describe though! Can't help as to if your DS has an underlying problem but the reminders about the dribble may help.

oh sorry, just read thread title where it says how old your DS is!

he's 3.2

Will give the reminding him a shot - I hadn't thought about that.

Thanks for that.

I really, really wouldn't worry. If the paed had thought there was anything at all amiss they would have asked you to make another appointment to assess that possible 'issue'. They wouldn't just leave it cos a child wouldn't let them look in their mouth, if they were concerned.

And you say his speech is good; so there's unlikely to be a problem I would think - at 3, many children still have immaturities in the way they pronounce things. I also believe that it's very common for toddlers and very young children to dislike foods that are hard work to chew. My ds at this age would just chew each orange segment of all it's juice but spit out the actual segment!

I wouldn't worry if this was me.

thanks.

I'm 99% sure I'm worrying unnecessarily.

I was fine there - it was just then I came out and started going over it

I do that sort of thing just remember no paed would let you go out without a follow up being suggested, if they were concerned about anything.

thanks

sounds like my DS1. He always ha a dribbling problem which gradually went away - I got him to drink through a straw alot (tip for MN!) which helped.

He also had speech problems which his nursery teacher picked up on. I took him to GP who referred him to speech therapy. They discharged him after one session but then in Reception his teachere referred him to the SALSA and he has really come on pronounces most words fine now.

Eating? Ha - haven't that one sorted out yet but sometimes I think we're getting there slowly!

He also had problems breastfeeding - BF counsellor said he had quite a high palate which may have made a difference.

He's nearly 6 now so it has taken a while.

sorry didn't see your reply.

That's definately worth knowing.

Most people I know, their kids have stopped dribbling by 3yo.

Thanks