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5549102 tn?1376522673

speech

Almost 22 months old he's started saying words I understand him, but he doesn't really say them correctly. Should I worry. When he says drink he pronounces it ju. Instead of bath he says bah with the sign language. He isn't deaf and he passed his hearing test. Should we put him in speech therapy or wait it out until he's older and starting to form sentences? He does pronounce some words very well like cat dog mawmaw pawpaw daddy. Momma if you can get him to say it bye. Hey gone car choo choo eye no and nose and there are more. Anyhow, what are your thought he's my first and my mom claims to be too old to remember?
11 Responses
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973741 tn?1342342773
It's always scary the first time we separate from our kids.  I'm sure it will go okay if you've thoughtfully chosen a daycare/preschool facility.  

Sounds like a good plan to watch but not worry at this point.  good luck!
Helpful - 0
5549102 tn?1376522673
Thanks for all of the great advice and I'll be keeping an eye on him. We went to the beach this weekend and he really seemed to open up a lot more.

He does listen very well and follows directions. His understanding is great. Right now I'm going to see what happens. We are planning to put him in daycare for 4 hours a day in the next couple of weeks for 4 days a week. While I go to school. I don't know why but I'm scared to put him in there. I know he will be fine I just don't want him learning bad habits such as biting, hitting, and kicking or even words he doesn't need to say.
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973741 tn?1342342773
That's why speech therapists do not typically do full evaluations for speech until the age of three unless there are other problems.  There is a wide range of normal.  but I personally would watch closely.  My son's speech issues were indicative of his developmental delay.  
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757137 tn?1347196453
Interesting. One of my many grandchildren did not speak until he was three. He was a perfectly normal child, and still is.
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973741 tn?1342342773
Yes, I've read that.  I think that a mother should always keep their eye on things.  Speech in the early years is tricky though.  Many speech pathologists don't evaluate until a child is three unless they have eating issues.  

I would consider a half day one time per week preschool for him though.  Gives a really good perspective and an extra set of eyes from the valuable insight of a person that sees lots of kids.  My son did preschool at age 2.8 for one half day a week and I to this day thank the teacher who said to me "I have some concerns" about my son.  I didn't like it at the time and was super scared/mad/ anxious all at once.  But that is how we got him great help.  They also said that they thought my younger son's speech wasn't where it should be but for him, I knew in my heart that it would be fine so didn't worry.  What I had been through with my older son put me in a position to know.  But it's hard when it is our own children and we are trying to do what is best for them.  

in your case, I'd just keep an eye on it.  I'd read to him and talk to him all the time and also, socialize with him and other kids his own age.  Play dates.  They are a little brutal for parents at that age but essential for helping a child move along and progress in their social skills.  (speech is part of this.)  good luck dear and keep us aware of what is going on!
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803938 tn?1403748253
Einstein was very certainly on the autistic spectrum, probably Asperger.
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757137 tn?1347196453
Not all children start to speak at the same age. Some are quite late. Einstein was three, but really didn't speak well until he was a few years older. Sit back and be patient. He is just taking his time.
Helpful - 0
5549102 tn?1376522673
He only knows 2 more and bath. His cousin is partially deaf and he picked up more from her and lol we taught him bath and he actually learned the bah the same day from learning to sign it.

He doesn't know all of the signs and I am hoping he will learn them all. I never knew how easy sign language was until I started learning for myself. But I will keep that in mind. Do you think we should encourage more signing or should we wait until he's older?
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
As always, SM gives great information and advice.  I would like to add one thing though...you mentioned he signs?  Did you teach him sign?  The reason I ask is that that can delay speech.  Dont' misunderstand me, sign is a great thing for kids (and adults) to know, and it's wonderful if you did teach him, however it is a language and children that sign are considered bilingual.  Almost all children from bilingual backgrounds have a bit of delay in speech (I took a class on this not long ago - interesting stuff).  If this is the case, no worries at all, he will catch up, and again, him having sign is a very good thing for him, so do not think you did anything wrong.  
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5549102 tn?1376522673
Alright awesome advice! He just started saying go go. That's what he calls his green eggs and Ham book lol. It has the cat and the hat on the back of the book. He picked the go go up from the song they play on the cat and the hat cartoon on PBS. Here we go go go go on an adventure the thinga magjigger is up and away lol! He did also cat n hat yesterday but only once.

My little one was an early bird as t everything from being born at 35 weeks to rolling over both ways crawling (he crawled before he sat) then started wobble walking and falling to crawling at 9 months and was full blown walking at 10 months. He learned to climb by 11 months and is now all over the place and being pregnant I can barely catch him lol. He has always been alert since birth and he had very few issues such as jaundice and low sugar also reflux. He is still a small child which I'm thankful for especially right now he's easier to carry if need to and lift considering the pregnancy. He's 32 inches and weighs 22lbs he still wears 12 months and can still wear 9 month pants for a better fit. He's very active and strong for his size and he eats all the time. He loves to build, pretend, play with his play doh, read, and be outdoors.

Anyhow so far everything he does he does do very well. I will definitely wait on the speech and see how it goes. Thank you for the great advice!
Helpful - 0
973741 tn?1342342773
Hi there.  Well, speech is a funny thing in that kids develop it at different rates.  There is a very wide range for normal.  Dropping letter sounds at the beginning, end or in the middle are all different issues in relation to speech.  Is he putting any words together, like two words such as 'go bye'?  "me juice"?  That is probably the next thing to look for besides the articulation piece.  

But I think at this point, I wouldn't worry.  A lot of speech issues self correct.  My own son had some issues with not saying the middle part of words.  When he was three he said 'Tho   as'  leaving out the M for Thomas.  We had him evaluated for speech and he was within normal even with that.

He self corrected with no speech therapy.  The reason we had him evaluated was that when he was 2.8 months old, I enrolled him in preschool for 3 hours once a week.  The teacher was a wiz and came to me saying she had concerns about his speech and that he tripped a fair amount.  Speech pathologists often look for other motor things going on. I was a little floored because my son walked early and seemed coordinated but sure enough, he did trip a fair amount.  Speech is part of motor planning/ motor control just as all other movement is.  So, often issues in fine motor go hand in hand with speech.  My son turned out to be fine in speech but to indeed have sensory issues.  

Anyway, sorry.  Got side tracked.  I would do nothing now formally and just see if he grows into speech.  If at 3 full years or so he is still hard to understand or is leaving out parts of words, then have him checked.  

Now, you'll want to read to him a lot. Talk to him all the time.  have him watch you say the words sometimes.  There is a cd you can get that my son liked for speech called 'speechercize' that helps kids make letter sounds to music and to work on vocal muscles.  

But he will probably be fine sweetie.  Give him time and he'll probably self correct.  If he doesn't, many kids go through some speech therapy and go on to be very articulate.  peace
Helpful - 0
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