3 year old speech delay question

[mumofboysandadog]

My ds has just turned 3 and is severely speech delayed. He's starting to say a new word every now and then but then we could not hear it again for a while and it's not very clear either. Sometimes it takes us a while to figure out what he is actually trying to say. Is this the normal way kids learn to talk who aren't speech delayed? Is this a good sign he will start talking soon? In desperate need of some hope 😞

Is he seeing a SALT op? Is he delayed in other areas?

Yes but it hasn't been very helpful and now we have to wait 8 weeks to see someone again. He's a bit behind where he should be but he's got a good understanding. He didn't walk until 19 months

I would push to see salt. Has he had his hearing checked? Even if understanding is good he may be going off non verbal cues

I would agree that making sure hearing is checked is the first thing.

Then, does he communicate with you without words?
Show you things.
Take your hand and lead you to what he wants ?
Move your hand to do what he wants doing?
Take turns in things like peepo ?
Point to things ?
Find things you ask for - either the 'dog' or 'train' or whatever in a picture in a book, or his wellies or favourite figure or car or whatever you ask him to get, at home ?
Does he anticipate what is coming next...... the "don't forget to scream" in Row, Row, Row your boat, or the "tickle you under there" in Round and Round the Garden ?

@UsingChangeofName he's had his hearing checked and it's fine. In answer to your other questions, yes to all of them. He's been hand leading and pointing for a long time now. Will find things I ask for and carry out tasks i.e put X in bin, give this to Daddy, get your shoes, tidy up toys etc. He's either starting to say words now or we've just got better at figuring out what he's saying. Tbh I think it's the latter as he's always 'talking' it's just gibberish

My DS was severely speech delayed at 3, no words, perhaps a few single words. He also had very poor social skills.

He got an EHCP before starting school and went to a speech and language resource base at a mainstream primary and flourished. He's 7 now and caught up, with his speech and academics.

We found NHS SALT not helpful, probably due to it being underfunded and over subscribed and paid privately for him to have therapy. He was introduced to PECS which helped, we didn't use them for long.

We also saw a developmental paediatrician within the NHS.

Can only speak from our experience with our lb who had speech delay.

No worries with understanding, knew colours, numbers etc early.

I did get worried just before he turned 3. Just after 3, he started talking. He's 9 now, and you'd never know he had a speech delay. Bright, articulate boy.

It's very common with boys, and in pur case he was taking things in before he started speaking.

The gibberish thing btw- ours did that when he was 2- mastering moving his mouth to make different sounds I think.

I hope its the same for your child.

DS said his first very unclear words just after 3, it took until he was 4.5 and a lot of speech therapy for him to be able to speak in sentences that could be understood, he did catch up though.

Have you looked into your local offer or asked your pediatrician what help is available? Ours got the LEA to pay for a 1-1 at nursery who practised the speech therapy exercises, we paid for a private speech therapist because ongoing speech therapy for young children on the NHS doesn't really exist in our area.

One thing to ask the speech therapist next time they see him is if it could be verbal dyspraxia, rather than a speech delay as that definitely needs speech therapy.