Payton Quit Talking This Week

[hez]

I mean, he just quit. He says 'No' and 'OK', and seems to have reverted back to asking 'Huh?' all the time like he did before he learned his (what seems like and maybe is) hundreds of words.

Last week he started stuttering. We'd had a bad day, and I thought it was maybe due to that. When DH got back from Germany on Sunday, Payton started talking less and less as the stuttering got more and more pronounced. We've been letting him finish his words on his own, being patient, and trying to speak more slowly ourselves. But over the last couple days he's simply dropped more and more of his language. He clearly understands us, and clearly communicates what he wants (hands me his cup when he wants more water, answers Yes & No questions with OK & No appropriately). He just doesn't seem to *want* to talk.

I miss my chatterbox!

Have any of you experienced this? Is my first instinct to bring this up at his 2 year app't and get a referral to a speech pathologist the right one? Or am I totally over-reacting???

TIA

[crl]

I'm not an expert at all. But I would definitely discuss with his ped. If the appointment isn't within the next couple of weeks I would probably call for a specific appointment. There are some developmental problems that follow this path. (I only know because we are in the process of having DS evaluated for speech delays, etc. so I've been reading a lot.) Your ped. might suggest a developmental doctor or other specialist. . . .

HTH,

[hez]

Thank you!

We got a few more words out of him tonight, including a couple that were unsolicited and fairly clear. I'm still wondering if he isn't frustrated or embarrassed about the stuttering, since he seems to half smile as he's doing it as if to say, "I know, it'll get out soon, Mom!"

Obviously I'd be worried if he hadn't spoken much at all yet, but gosh, he was so clear and talkative two weeks ago! I will definitely be taking him in shortly anyway-- thanks for letting me know I'm not over-reacting.

I'm taking him to the zoo in the morning in the hopes that a fun day with mommy at one of his favorite places sparks some more of his normal speech. One can only hope!

[jadamom]

I did a google search and found this article from the Univ of VA, which I hope is helpful:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu...wth/sttrng.cfm

I would probably call the pediatrician's office and ask what they would recommend.

[wendmatt]

I hope it's just a phase. It would prob be best to have it checked out to be on the safe side. Let us know how tomorrow goes at the zoo and hope to hear he chatted the whole time!

[zuzu]

Sorry, no experience with this. Hopefully it's just a short phase and your chatterbox will be back soon. I would check with the ped, just for my own peace of mind.

Have a terrific time at the zoo! :)

[hez]

I called the nurse at the ped's today. She had to call me back, and in my message I mentioned that I wanted to talk about Payton's speech. Well, after I described what was going on, she said she'd guessed that might be why I was calling based on his age.

Apparently lots of kiddos go through a stuttering phase right around now, which is also what I've been starting to gather through all my google searches the last couple days. And the refusal to talk isn't completely out of the ordinary, either.

We have his 2 year app't on the 9th, and she's made a note in the chart for the doc so he knows we'll want to talk about it. At this point we'll just do all the things they tell you to do for stuttering, and keep up with the reading and everything else we've been doing with him.

I'm just so frustrated and it's hard to hide from him (though I think I'm doing a decent job-- it's just difficult). I broke down in the shower before I called the doc, and I'm not a crier.

Well, we're off to the zoo. It rained all morning, so we might just get an hour or so in before naptime. Thanks for the support mamas. I very much appreciate it!

[hjdong]

I'm glad to hear that. I have no helpful info (DS wasn't a huge talker prior to 2 so there wasn't a whole lot of regressing to do LOL). I hope everything works out well.

[alkagift]

Heather,
I hope he's back to his chatterbox self soon! FWIW, my son does have a speech issue, but it's a motor planning thing--his brain can't get the sequence right so that he can say what he intends, if you understand what I mean. In any case, he's doing that stuttering thing now just in the last two weeks--usually when he's going too fast and he wants something. I spoke with my speech pathologist about it and she says it's developmentally very typical. I would give him a bit of time and see how things go.

Let us know how he's doing!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew, who is TWO!

[hez]

I can report a little more progress this weekend. Payton got 'bear' out at the zoo yesterday without even the hint of a stutter, and we worked on 'cheetah' (he loves 'em!) and a couple other animal names. If he 'forgets' that he occasionally has a stuttering problem, he either double-taps the word or gets it out with no issue at all. If he's really concentrating though, he can say that first consonant sound about 20 times before he gets to the second syllable (which he sometimes repeats 10-15 times, and sometimes gets out on the first try).

We're still being patient, using eye contact, repeating what he said to be sure we understood, and praising him every time he speaks just about-- except when he says 'No' nonstop ;). He's willing to repeat words for us, which also helps when we don't catch it on the first go-round. He's looking a little less flustered than earlier in the week.

So, I have hope we'll work ourselves out of this and Payton will be my chatterbox again in a couple weeks. Hopefully our sitter will be able to be as patient with him.

Thanks again for the support!!!