Speeches are for presidents and valedictorians.
Nugget's two year well check resulted in two words I never fathomed for my little buddy, at such a young age, to have as suggested treatment for his "lack of 2-3 word phrases":
Speech Therapy.
Those two words, after being processed (slowly and with many a hard swallow and fighting off of tears for the sake of sparing his pediatrician another viewing of my ugly cry) translated into two more disturbing words: Gut-wrenching. Which, I suppose is really one word because of that hyphen in there. Or does the hyphen accentuate the fact that it is indeed still two words? To be perfectly honest, that’s totally beside the point.
What I'm trying to get at here, is, well, I don't really know I suppose.
All throughout my childhood, I grew up "gifted". I was flawless…at least in the eyes of the administrators of the educational system in which I was raised. Husfriend, he had speech therapy. He had speech therapy in MIDDLE SCHOOL to correct the trouble he was having making the “S” sound. That right there is the understanding I've had my entire existence of what speech therapy is intended for: To address impediments like slurs, annunciation hurdles, lisps, etc. Far be it for me to not be completely floored when Nugget’s pediatrician staked claim that the absence of his 20+ word vocabulary bank and failure to use groups of two to three words to communicate at this point is terms for therapy. Kind of like terms of endearment, except doesn’t quite turn you on nearly as much.
You guys, HE JUST TURNED TWO!!
Gurgley balls you guys! Gurgley! (Maybe he’s having issues because his mother doesn’t use “real” words in her common vernacular. Side note: speaking in rhetoric; no need to address this one.)
Perhaps, okay most likely, the shock has settled and I’ve successfully transitioned to the denial phase of this coping process. I just can’t believe that bringing Nugget to a speech therapist is really truly going to be the most effective means of expanding his communicative skills. He associates extremely well, almost better than most kids his age.
Counterpoint one: He doesn’t interact with other children very often….if ever. Nugget is almost always, I’d say about 80%-90%, around adults. When he does have the chance to get together with other kids his age, he’s attentive, sharing, babbles in Nuggetese, says what toy he’s sharing as he hands it to the other child.
Counterpoint two: Husfriend is not talkative…at all. Yes, I talk a lot. Yes, Nugget is around me for a majority of the day. No, Husfriend does not talk a lot. No, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s nothing going on in that brain of his. He doesn’t have the desire to hear his own voice as much as someone else in the family. *cough*
Counterpoint three: Nugget’s independence is uncanny. It’s not that he has ADD (trust me, we’ve had it checked out), but he is a very self-sufficient toddler having no reason to cater to a sibling’s needs for stimulation. There are times that he and I will be in the midst of a wicked game of “choo-choos” where he will stand up, grab his trains, and start heading upstairs to his bedroom. I will ask, “Can mommy come play choo-choos?” To which he responds, with a disapproving shake of his head and a wave of the arm, “Bye bye!” In my eyes, that is communication at its best…for a two year old. Which, by the way, did I happen to mention that? That Nugget’s pediatrician is recommending speech therapy for a two year, one month, and three day old toddler?!
*sigh*
Now I turn to you, you almighty sexy beast of a blogosphere. Be my village on this one. My psyche and my sanity (Which are kind of the same thing or so I’m told.) are at stake. This may not seem like such a big deal to some of you, especially in the grand scheme of things and stuff that parents are told about their child in these routine visits, but to me, to us, it is the biggest thing we’ve had to delve into when it comes to our Nugget. Have you ever been urged to seek speech therapy for your toddler? How did you cope? What tools did you use to broaden their communication skills? Flash cards? Videos?
I would love to hear from you or of someone you know that has experienced a similar nudge from their pediatrician. I dare not try Google just yet for fear of my self-diagnostic dependency on webMD. He may turn out to be pregnant.
14 reactions:
Couple things.
3/11/10 11:40 PMI was freaked out by the dr about my youngest at his 2 yr appt. Dr's tend to make a big deal out of speech at 2 yrs old because the state/govt program funding ends at 3 yrs old. True story.
Interestingly though, while there are definitely plenty of kids that do need speech help, a lot of kids (especially boys for whatever reason) naturally catch-up to "normal standards" by age 3. Then again, if they don't, you've missed out on those programs.
I started the initial process for my youngest & quickly found he didn't require it. It doesn't hurt to begin the process and if Nugget doesn't need it, awesome. If he does, he will quickly catch up because you got him help young.
Stressful though, I know. xo
It's hard being in mommy mode at dr. appointments when words like "therapy" get thrown around like it's no big deal. But UD is a smart cookie. I agree. It couldn't hurt to check it out. Hugs and best of luck with it. You know your baby best.
3/11/10 11:51 PMMy son struggled for YEARS with his R's mostly. And that was in 2nd grade still. Yours is 2. 2!!! Kids that are only children and are NOT in daycare from a young age I've found, usually don't develop speech as fast. Mine's kindergarten teacher basically said that up until 2nd or 3rd grade, some kids are still developing their speech pattern and not to worry.
3/12/10 12:04 AMIt's ultimately your call and a second opinion never hurts. You'll find that all kids are different though. Either way, I hope you guys find YOUR answer.
Yes, it COULD be an issue... But when The Girl was small, she didn't talk much at all. She was more than three before she started really having much to say. However, when she DID start to talk, there were no "baby talk" words. Her enunciation was darn near perfect. She went on to be identified as "gifted and talented" in Kindergarten which they told us is very rare.
3/12/10 12:08 AMSimilar factors... The Girl had almost no friends her own age until she was almost 5 (due to where we were living) and spent most of her time around adults. She never went to preschool but knew her alphabet and could count to over 100 when she started kindergarten.
But I think what Undomestic Diva said was wise... better to start the process and find out that it isn't really needed than to miss an opportunity to catch an "issue" early.
I completely understand the "gut-wrenching", though. When The Girl was about 2, she tested with a high lead level in her blood. For nearly a year we had to have her taken in for blood tests every 6 weeks or so. It was HORRIBLE. Eventually she had two "lead free" tests in a row and they wanted me to keep bringing her every six weeks for another whole year... ummm...NO. I cared about her health but the trauma of that blood draw (3 vials per draw, not just a finger stick) was way too much.
Hang in. Before you know it, Nugget'll be a teenager. And then, my friend, the REAL fun begins!
I got grief over my 2yo's speech, too.
3/12/10 12:12 AMIt's hard, particularly when I'm such a talker. However, she turned 3 last month and told me today, "I'm not scared of baby mosquitos, mum, because they don't have teeth'.
So there, Doc.
You are doing the right thing by seeking help, but i have a feeling it's all going to work out.
What I know about the development of boys (which really isn't much since I have a girl). As long as he can communicate with you I think he is doing just fine.
3/12/10 12:43 AMIf you are worried it doesn't hurt to see a therapist. What is the worst they could tell you ... "we will get him speaking like the normal 2 year olds." Or, the best they could tell you is "he is fine, what the hell are you doing here, go home."
Don't fret, sweets. He is healthy and happy. Do you really want another chatter box in the house to compete with?
I have been amazed at the help my 3 year old got with speech therapy. They are working on the confusion of words with her (she vs her, yesterday vs tomorrow). It has really been wonderful. My daughter has developed more confidence because people are constantly asking her clarifying questions, and she really likes the therapy (she calls it "Speech Play").
3/12/10 5:26 AMI say try it & see how he does. As Undomestic Diva said, it's better to get him in now while he still qualifies for funding 'cause without the funding, it's pricey!
What? What happened? I left this long comment and then WOOSH... blogger ate it.
3/12/10 7:08 PMOkay, so in summary, what I said was:
Wait a little... not so long that you miss out on funding.
And also, just for fun, blame the husfriend.
We are in a similar situation, in regards to speech therapy, although my Son was recommended for it at his 18 month appointment.
3/13/10 1:40 PMMy Son is very intelligent. He can identify almost any object in our house (if we ask where something is, or ask him to get it, he does). He shows that he knows what words mean, but he does not use ANY. NOT ONE. He is now 20 months old, and still says "babababa" or "dadadada" but does not really speak. We were referred to speech therapy 1) because by this age they'd expect him to say SOMETHING and 2) he had sever oxygen depravation at birth, and is under close watch for delays.
We've not had our first appointment yet, and although I'm a Mommy & I LOVE to worry, I do think he will catch up in his own time. He's always been ahead physically, I just don't think he's a talker. My cousin did not speak until 3, and like a previous commenter said, he had near perfect speech when he started. His first word was a sentence.
I've made the decision to follow the doctors recommendations and go through with the therapy, however at this young age I'm not going to label my son. I'm giving him time to figure things out for himself.
First, it's not a life sentence nor an inditement on your parenting. It doesn't mean your child isn't intelligent or has a learning issue. Actually, no one really knows the cause of speech delay.
3/13/10 4:34 PMMy daughter was identified as "severely delayed" when she was 20 months old. I initiated the evaluation, my ped. doesn't get concerned til they're 2. But my mommy gut told me something wasn't right. I knew she was delayed. She didn't "parrot" my words. If I asked her to say "ball" she'd either stare at me blankly or say "guy-ah" which was her name for everything. She was starting to get VERY frustrated because she was not being understood and her tantrums = good times.
Her receptive speech was above-age, but her expressive speech? Not so much. And her older brother was on the opposite end of the spectrum: VERY advanced verbally.
Six months of SLP and she was speaking in complex sentences.
Yes, I could've let her figure it out on her own. I could've waited til she was older and started spontaneously speaking on her own. But it was affecting her. Not being understood led her to frustration, and I could tell it was impacting her confidence, too.
I feel like, if our child is developmentally behind, we owe it to them to try to do everything we can to help them. Especially something like SLP which is completely non-invasive. My daughter enjoyed going. They sang songs, played games - what's not to love? She probably had more fun there than at home! lol
Oh - she's now 4 1/2 and an evaluator mentioned that she believes my daughter is gifted.
Sooo, to make a short story even longer, don't panic. He'll be fine. And you wouldn't believe how many kids need a little help - you are NOT alone! And neither is your nugget!
my son was 21 months old. he was only saying one-two word sentences. and he didn't have a vast array of words in his repertoire.
3/13/10 8:18 PMthey suggested speech therapy. i didn't listen. at 26 months...he started talking in paragraphs and 12 years later he hasn't shut up!
my daughter didn't really start talking until she was 3. she too hasn't stopped.
my little one, he is 6. he had some troubles because of chronic strep throat. once he got his tonsils out, he never stopped talking.
me? i'm hiding in the bathroom hoping they can't find me.
My son is three years old and has had SLT for a year. I was just told at his most recent eval that our involvement and encouragement has made all the difference. My son is still delayed, but I shudder to think where he would be if we had waited. Best case - you start and he ends up not needing it. I can't tell you how comforting it is to know (among all the other questions) that we have done everything in our power to help him.
3/13/10 10:24 PMI have lots to say about this and really should be sleeping, but here are some thoughts.
4/13/10 12:53 AMCounterpoint #4: We are living in a milestone-obsessed era. Poll ten moms. One of them will have had a kid who needed speech therapy. My son's preschool class of 18 last year - THREE of them were in speech.
Yes, I had the nudge when my son was 2. I freaked out. Googled. Freaked out more. Took him to speech. Fretted, read, obsessed, drove to appointments, for about a year. When he was ready, my son started talking. Oh my, did he start talking.
Now he is the most verbally precocious 5-year-old I know.
Most likely your son will be talking up a storm in a couple years, and the speech experience will be something you look back on as something you are glad you did . . . but also something you can't believe was ever needed.
I know I'm late with my comment, but I just stumbled across this post. I wanted to let you I am the mother of 2 late talking boys. I was you in 2004. My older son say a single word until almost 3 1/2 years old. He started speech therapy through Early Intervention when he was 2. He wasn't talking but he understood everything - what they call expressive speech delay, not receptive speech delay. I knew there was nothing wrong with him but I could tell that the therapists wanted to put a label on him. They even wanted him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician (his report was so off base it's laughable now). I sent him to a regular preschool but when you can't talk, it's hard to communicate with peers, so naturally his social skills lagged also. When he was 3, he qualified for special education preschool. Special education. Like you, I was raised gifted so it was really difficult having a child in special education. I would have expected my child to be in gifted, not special education. But it was a great class and gave him daily speech therapy. Young kids love speech therapy - it's all play based. Long story short, his speech and social skills became age appropriate. It was never clear if his speech delay was due to verbal apraxia or if he was a natural late talker (i.e. Einstein Syndrome...check out the book by Sowell). Now he talks all the time. I never thought I'd actually say the words "be quiet" to him because for so many years, that's all there was with him - quiet.
5/21/10 7:38 AMMy younger son also was a late talker. Not as late as my first. But he went through speech therapy too. With him, I was very laid back because I had "been there, done that" (I think his speech therapist thought I was nuts for not being concerned about his delayed speech)
Please, if you have any questions, let me know. Whether it's next month or next year, your son will start talking when he is ready.
Post a Comment
Express aghast reactions below: