my son 4 years old help

[mbcfour]

Okay i would like to get some other parents advice on my issue. My son is 4 years old and i feel like he has a speech problem. He can talk fairly good i can understand him very well but my husband and other people can not. He has improved a lot from age 3 to 4 but for example when we ask him a question he can not answer us back he will tell us i don't know. Not sure if he's just embarrassed of himself not being able to talk or what. It breaks my heart that when he is asked a question from someone other then me or his dad they have to look at me so i can tell them what he is saying. I've tried to take him to a speech therapist but simply can't afford it. Is there any tricks or something that we can work with our son to help him talk better and understand what we say to him?

[specialmom]

Hi.  You could do silly faces and then freeze them.  Stick out the tongue and do o's (like move it around in a circle), move the tongue to all four sides of mouth, move tonge along outside of lips, etc.  There is a cd your local library may have called "SPEECHERCISE".  It has silly songs which you do along with it to help with speech.

You can also have him drink thick liquids through a straw (milkshake, thick smoothie, yogart, even applesauce---  my son's favorite!)  He can do the opposite, blow through a straw (bubbles into a cup, a cotton ball across the table----  cut the straw at first as this is easier).  Lick a lolliepop, chew chewy things.

I would also say, "look at my mouth, this is how you say balloon."  Then say it slowly for him so he can see how you hold your mouth when you say it.

Socially, you'll need to help more as this can make it a little tough communicating with peers.  You don't want his confidence to dip, so just help more than you would ordinarily.

It sounds like your son's articulation is behind a bit (many kids are).  Once he gets into public elementary school, they evaluate ALL kids for speech and provide speech therapy if needed.

[mbcfour]

thank you for the advice.. We have been saying things slower for him so that he can see how we say them and if he says a word the wrong way we have been working on that word with him. He gets fustrated when he tell him to repeat the word for us and to say it the right way but we explain to him why we are doing that to him and for him. He seems to have lots of trouble with his th, r, gl, fl, like the word them they the climb flower he has lots of trouble with. I will try the things you have mentioned to me and i will check with my library to see if they have that video. Thanks a million!!!!

[tejodouro]

If you live in the US, have you requested an evaluation by your local school district?  If they evaluate your child's speech (free of charge) and there is an issue, they will provide free speech therapy in order to get him ready for elementary school.  This is the federal law under "no child left behind".  Check it out if you reside here. If you are in England, I am  not familiar with the law there.  It might be worth checking it too. Good luck.

[mbcfour]

thank you well he's in pre k and they did evaluate him not to long ago and to my surprise they said he's at age appropriate language. I don't know what they did or how they tested him but for other people to talk to him they can't understand him there's words that he can not pronounce right. He does really good there's alot he can say right but there is some words he can not say right. I don't know i'm sad for him and he gets so fustrated at himself but we will work with him

[tejodouro]

if you do not agree with their evaluation, i believe that you can get a second opinion with the school district having to pay for it. you might ask your director of special education.  you can take him to a third party specialist and have him evaluated by a speech pathologist and the cost is to be paid by the school district.  at that point if your specialist tells you that he has an issue, you take the report to the district and request that they implement your specialists' recommendations. I never had to go against my district.  They usually provide the services that I expect.  Do your research and make sure that you know what rights your son has.

[RockinRuth]

My four your old son is in speech therapy.  I watch on a monitor.  For an hour they play games and read books and use flashcards.  Meanwhile sounds are incorporated.  He has a hard time with c, k, and g coming from the back of his throat, he will use the tip of his tongue for the sound and people can't understand him.  Diffulculty with S and and a couple others.

[hdcMom]

My son is 4 1/2 and didnt really start talking till 3 years old.  We have been attending speech since he was 2 and they JUST recently saw that he as a doubled uvula (the hangy thing at the back of his throat) and than the speach therapist felt the roof of his mouth and she said...that he has Submoucus cleft palate.  What a shock.  His is very mild but it does effect his speech some. Has anyone heard of this before?