Speech delay - does it ever resolve ??

[SameIssue]

Anyone here whose child didn’t speak at all (not even 5 words in the right context) till the age of four?

we have tried everything at this point and are desperate so looking for some hope here!!

DC2 didn’t speak until 3 and can talk fairly well now. I do appreciate that’s a whole year younger though.

What interventions have they had so far @SameIssue?

Sons in sen school and there's children that started speaking at 7, equally we ve been told at 5 that best case scenario could be some single words but to be prepared for him not to speak.

So although it could still go either way, it really depends on the reason for the speech delay too.

Thanks both for responding.

In terms of intersections, he’s been under audiology assessments to ensure there are no hearing related issues. He has seen one speech therapist on a weekly basis for six months and another one on the same frequency over a subsequent six month period. At home, various techniques (visual aids / flashcards / pictures based learning, miss Rachel YouTube videos, watching cartoons with him where we interact/comment a lot) as well.

He does understand what’s being send to him, does follow instructions for the most part, does make eye contact but almost no speech and does show some behavioural concerns owing to frustration around inability to adequately communicate his needs/wants.

Sounds like you’ve got things in oma e to help him. Just wondering if he has had an OT assessment and has been referred to Portage too?

Does he currently have an ECHP?

He was referred for OT assessment by the nursery almost a year ago but nothing has come off it. Apparently the waitlist there is quite long. We were told that it’s only after assessment and official diagnosis of some sort and some other series of bureaucratic steps is when you end up reaching the ECHP. Is that not the case?

For now, the only professional intervention has been via speech therapists, nothing for any assessment/evaluation for behaviour/development and of course no ND type diagnosis.

Absolutely not the case. ECHPs are based in need rather than diagnosis and I’m not trained but I’d say being non-verbal is a pretty strong need.

You can always apply for an ECHP here. The SN Section is usually also quite good for getting support with this process

That’s good to know, thanks very much!!

I’ve just reread your post. Has been been referred for ASD assessment yet @SameIssue?

Is he currently 4 years old?

Does he do gestures like pointing to what he wants and to get you to notice things, clapping, waving hello/goodbye, know body parts/colours/basic shapes/numbers?

No he hasn’t been assessed, he is on the waitlist for OT assessment which I am assuming is the same as ASD assessment?

He does take our hand towards things that he wants, does say “bye” sometimes when leaving the house, does clap sometimes, doesn’t really say hello.
And no he doesn’t know shapes, colours or body parts. He will be exactly 3.5 years old in a week’s time.

At 3.5 that is a bit of a red flag, OP. It seems like more than a speech delay. Pointing to a few body parts when asked is a 18-24 month old skill for example.

Does he understand what your saying? Does he follow instructions like go get your shoes, wheres the dog, pass mummy the red cup, can you point to the dinosaur? If not, I'd be pushing for an paediatrician referral immediately.

Why did nursery refer to occupational therapy? What were their concerns?

No OT and a referral for assessment for ASD are completely different. Did Nursery offer you a referral to iscan or a Paediatrician?

My grandson, who lives with me, will be 4 at the end of September.

He has never spoken. He didn't learn to gesture until he was 3, then it's limited to waving 'bye bye'. He doesn't point or understand if I point to something. He never requests anything from me, in any way at all. He'll hum a tune when he waves 'bye bye'.

We're in the US by the way. His dad and I took him to a retired pediatrician who just does autism assessments. She was with him for two hours and concluded he doesn't have autism. He is friendly, outgoing, plays appropriately with toys, shares his games/toys to involve whoever happens to be there.

There is something very wrong with him. I don't think he understands much of what I say to him. If I say, "Get Teddy" he'll get his teddy. If I said, "Nana is hot, can you switch that heater off for me' and I point at the heater, he'll pick up the nearest toy and give it to me. (btw, he knows how to switch the heater off because he's always doing it).

I've tried to teach him shapes and colors and got nowhere. His speech therapist gave up as he was making no progress at all. We tried getting him to show us laminated photo card of his favorite things, or things he needs. We got absolutely nowhere. He just couldn't get the concept. The cards ended up in his toys box. He's had his hearing tested. It's fine.

His dad was an early talker, very intelligent, and I could have conversations with him at a young age. Sadly his mother wasn't very intelligent and there were many times and we seriously wondered if she was playing with a full deck. She ended up in a psychiatric hospital when the baby was two months old and hasn't raised him since.

I'm at my wits end. I'm in my 70's and worn out.

I’m not sure how the system works in the US and I’m aware that your healthcare isn’t free.

In the UK I think you’d be looking at a Paediatrician to try and work out why he’s delayed, possibly with genetic testing?

Thank you for replying. My son's healthcare is free for him and so his son is covered as well, so no worries there. I happen to be old and so on Medicare, so again no worries for me for my healthcare. America is not as bad as some may think. 😉

We did do some more of the common genetic testing and it was all normal. There are more obscure genetic tests we might get. It doesn't seem like any sort of genetic issue though, unless he got his mother's faulty brain, which is a worry for me. Although coming to think about it - his mother was talking fine at 3 years old.

So far we've taken him to, besides our family doctor, a geneticist, a pediatric neurologist, the (retired) autism pediatrician. He had an auditory brainstem response test, (ABR). His hearing is fine.

Here we just get a referral from any doctor, or PA at the local clinic to see a specialist. It works really well, except there's usually a two or three month wait to see a specialist.

The autism pediatrician suggested we take him to a daycare a few times a week, to be around other children. He's never been around other children because we live in the middle of nowhere. It would mean 100 mile round-trip to the nearest daycare. At one time we were told, because he is nonverbal, he could start pre-school as soon as he turned 3, which would have been last September. The gatekeeper at the school said he had to wait for another two years to start pre-school!

Over here they have meaningless slogans such as 'no child left behind' and 'early intervention is the key', yet the local school district is perfectly okay with letting our little boy falling through the cracks. The school is obligated under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to evaluate & help our little boy. The state will step up and help, but - gatekeeper. Even his speech therapist called the school and got told no by this same woman. It'll get sorted when nana goes off her rocker. 😆I think I have one last fight left in me.

Thank you again for responding. This whole thing - his mother going mental, resulting in me, disabled and in my 70's, becoming a mother again. My son is a great dad, but he has to work so much. We are farmers/ranchers.

What is their reason for not letting him attend pre school? Is there a way you can appeal?