Delayed Speech

[2dinkers]

I need to know if any other Moms have had a child that didn't talk until later (I'm such a failure). My dd is 20 months old, she has her own language, she babbles, she sings, grunts and yells, but not much direct effort to communicate. YES, she still has her Binkie (told you I'm a failure), but I try to limit it to bedtime and when I just can't take the whining anymore, it's more of a crutch for me.

Should I be worried? My doctor suggested a speech therapist a few months ago, but I was hoping she would pick up on it soon, and she hasn't. I could be in denial, but I...I just don't know.

Anyone have a thought? Experienced this before?

[kymommy]

If your Dr. suggested a speech therapist, I would definately have her evaluated. Ask your Dr. about your local Early Intervention program. They will come to your home and evaluate your child for free in most states. Usually speech therapy is fun for kids. The therapists use lots of fun ways with toys, whistles, and bubbles to work those oral-motor skills and get kids talking.

[lvrofmusik]

I would also definitley recommend a speech therapist. My oldest, a boy was starting to talk when he sister was born (he was almost 11 months old) He could say bi bi, momma, dada. the basics. He completely regressed, and wasn't talking even by his 2nd birthday, it was all mumbles and whining. He went to speech and that helped a lot. We also found out that he needed tubes in his ears, because he couldn't hear anything. So all that we were saying sounded like mumbling. I would definitley follow your dr's recommendations. My son still has some speech problems and he is going to be 6 next week, more than likely he will need speech in school this coming year. Nothing to play around with. Hope this helps.

Cheri

[2dinkers]

Thank you, Ladies. Of course it isn't what I wanted to hear, but, I definately needed to hear it.

[LadyLavender]

Most of all, YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE. Every child is a different individual who does things at their own pace. Have confidence and don't be so hard on yourself!!

Sending hugs!!

[2dinkers]

Very encouraging, thank you ladies.

[AmyB]

Jayne has started a speech delay thread in the catch-all forum for anyone who is interested.

Thanks, Jayne!

[2dinkers]

Thank you Amy B And Jayne. I will check it out.

[Rach]

definitely! You should be able to get a free eval through your insurance or through the county school office.

early intervention is so important. Don't feel like a failure. All 3 of my boys have needed speech therapy. I have seen people from EVERY walk of life and every involvement level, and every parenting style there.

are you in denial? You'll know after you get an eval If she doesn't qualify, fabulous, maybe you could try to do a small homeschool preschool program with her. I do anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour a day with my kids on weekdays. There are so many resources online! At that age it seems like little things, but that's huge for them...doing puzzles, learning colors, stacking blocks, counting, sorting, etc...

If she does qualify, a lot of speech therapy is you learning techniques and doing them at home during the week. I have learned so much through this process! They have really changed my expectations for my boys. I hear the results they get, and then I KNOW that he can do it, so I make him do it, whereas before I didn't think he could so I didn't push him. I hope that makes sense!

[Mab]

when i saw your title, the first thought that poped in my mind is : how many languages is your child exposed to?
I don't know if this is similar to your case, but maybe it will shed some light to someone in a similar situation:

My daughter was exposed to 3 different langages, my husband is Afrikaans, I speak more English, and my parents, Italian. and we each spoke our language to her - so, she did take a bit longer to speak, compaired to other children her age, but by the age of 4, she was fluent in English & Afrikaans (which she heard & spoke EVERYDAY) and doing rather well in Italian AS WELL... where the other children could only understand/speak 1 maybe a bit of a 2nd language.

But :
Take courage, 99% of all children have learnt to speak by the age of 10.

Then remember, Mom knows best. You CANNOT be a failure. God knew what He was doing when He chose YOU to be a mom! He loves you and your children, and He would not chose a failure to bring them up. if He did, then He would be a failure, so don't go around saying you a failure. The enemy loves it, but our loving Lord does not!

I know you will do what is best for your child, Remember, each child develops differently. where one may be quick to walk, the other may be quick to talk. (and once they start, you just wish they could sit still and keep quiet! hee hee