Can someone tell me about speech delays?

[TwinFoxes]

So I've posted before that DDs don't talk all that much. They had been evaluated three times, and I was told they were in the normal range, to get them re-evaluated when they're two. They turned two a couple of weeks ago. They communicate pretty well, but only speak a few words clearly. They have many different inflections for "gah" that I can interpret. But sometimes they get angry because they can't get their point across, and they get upset and cry, as I'm desperately trying to figure out what they're trying to tell me.

I talk to them, I ask them open ended questions, I take them to classes with their peers. I keep waiting for the dam to break, but so far it's not happening.

Their pediatrician isn't concerned about their hearing. But for the first time she's said it's definitely concerning. She used to say wait until they turned two before worrying. :(

So, what sort of treatment do your DCs with speech delays receive? How long before you saw improvement? Do you see behavioral peds, or someone else? I'm so frustrated and sad. I'm trying to figure out the best course of action here. Thanks for any advice!

[luckytwenty]

My son (who is now an extremely articulate 7 year old!) had a speech delay. At 18 months, he said maybe 1-2 words, and it didn't really improve closer to his 2nd birthday. We had him evaluated at 23 months and he got put on a waitlist for a free speech therapy group preschool (very highly regarded in the area.) But we were worried so we went to a local college and signed up for one on one lessons with a speech path grad student.

He began talking (one word at a time only) after four sessions. He began calling me Mama. It was very helpful. After the summer, at which point we got off the wait list, he had about 200 words. Still all one word phrases.

He was in group for another three/four months and was building his vocabulary but not graduating on to 2+ word phrases. The clinic checked his hearing and found fluid in his right ear. He also had had six ear infections.

Then, my daughter was born when he was 2 yrs, 7 months. While in the hospital, he got off the ENT waiting list and had tubes put in his ears. (Yes, so my husband had a wife and baby in one hospital and a kid getting tube surgery in another hospital! Craziness.) While I was out, my MIL was with him for a week.

I'm not sure if it was the new baby, delayed respone to therapy, tubes, or having someone who couldn't interpret his every grunt as well as I had that can be thanked, but all I know is that when I got home from my c-section, I had a new baby and a completely chatty, speaking in sentences 2 1/2 yr old. It was quite an adjustment.

Anyway, once I was able to get out and about again, we went back to the speech clinic and they re-evaluated him and graduated him from the program.

I suspect that part of the problem was me. I'm very intuitive and was very very in tune with my son's needs. I think I "spoke for him" even when I tried not to. He'd grunt, and I'd say, "Oh, you want apple juice?" And I'd be right. So he had no real incentive to speak on his own. Of course fluid-clogged sore ears had to make the situation worse.

Sorry that got so long--hope it helps!

[egoldber]

Did they give you the number for EI? You shoudl call ASAP because there may be a long wait for an evaluation.

When we did EI, they did a brief phone intake and then scheduled an evaluation. Even if you go in for speech, they will probably have more then just an SLP there and they will do a global evaluation, but probably emphasizing speech. With twins, I wonder if they will want to evaluate them separately to get a better idea of how each is doing. we had the choice of having the evaluation in our home or at their offices.

We lucked out with older DD and got in quickly because they had a cancellation. They evaluated eating (related to oral motor and speech), muscle tone, expressive and receptive language. They will ask YOU a ton of questions about what they can and can't say, do, etc.

My older DD qualified for services for expressive language delay. She received services through Infant Toddler Connection (the EI folks) and then transferred to Child Find (the county school based EI) when she was 2. We had a SLP come to the house once a week for about 18 months. Each work they worked on a skill and then we had "homework".

At age 3, I think you can contact either Infant Toddler or Child Find. In Virginia, the evaluation through Infant Toddler is free, but the services are provided on a sliding fee scale. With Child Find, the evaluation and services are free. FWIW, I was much more pleased with Child Find than Infant Toddler.

ETA:


I suspect that part of the problem was me. I'm very intuitive and was very very in tune with my son's needs. I think I "spoke for him" even when I tried not to. He'd grunt, and I'd say, "Oh, you want apple juice?" And I'd be right. So he had no real incentive to speak on his own.

This was part of our problem too. :o Also, in knowing older DD better now, she is a cautious perfectionist, who waits to do anything until she can do it completely correctly. That's the way her whole development has been!

[luckytwenty]

About EI: we lived in Missouri at the time and my son didn't qualify despite his expressive speech delay. Kids needed to be 50% delayed in both expressive and comprehension and his comprehension was normal. The eval was free but extremely frustrating! Hopefully your state has a better program.

[TwinFoxes]

We've done EI evaluations, once in California, twice here. In california when they were a few months old, they qualified, by the time we got an appointment and were seen in VA, they didn't qualify. They had made a lot of gains, but I also think CA has a more relaxed program.

S had her ears checked today, they're normal. D's appointment is in two days. They've each only had one ear infection, which is surprising because I had tons when I was a kid!

I get what you're saying about the not needing to talk, but I try the "I'm not sure what you're saying, use your words". Sometimes to try to get them to talk, other times because I honestly have no clue what they're saying! They have big thoughts now that can't be expressed with gah, gah GAHHH! So frustrating to us all.

At this point, we're going to try to get an appt with EI, but also outside of EI. Our pediatrician gave us some names, but I'm trying to figure out what to expect. Thanks for all of your responses!

[hillview]

Call EI -- they are GREAT. Also wrt hearing, my doctor said DS2's hearing wasn't a concern (he hadn't done tests) I made an appt with an ENT and they found that the reason for his delay was HEARING. He needed tubes, adnoids and tonsils out. Good luck!
/hillary

[TwinFoxes]

I'm definitely calling EI, but just in case we don't qualify AGAIN our Ped recommended getting the ball rolling elsewhere as well.

Has anyone gotten help for speech delays outside of EI?

[JBaxter]

We checked into it with Nathan but our insurance would not cover it and it was EXPENSIVE.

[hillview]

At my EI they have a list of therapists (who don't work at EI) who they will refer to.
/hillary

[Gena]

We've done private speech therapy in addition to services through EI/school.

If your insurance covers it, or you wan afford it out of pocket, you can contact a private SLP for an evaluation/therapy.

Have you done any signing with your DDs? When DS was speech delayed, signing really helped give him a way to comunicate and decreased his frustration.

[TwinFoxes]

DDs do basic signs; more, milk, hungry, water etc. But maybe we should do more, that's a good idea.