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I have a 2.5 yo dcb that I have had for 8 months now and I am concerned about him. I have posted about him before asking if teaching sign to a baby causes speech delay. When he first started here he did not talk at all and only used sign. He no longer uses sign (since we dont) be he still doesn't talk. He now tries to talk but I can only understand about 15% of what he says. My 20 month old son talks more and much better than he does. Dcb cries a lot since he cannot say what he wants and I have been working with him but even when he repeats after me he talks as if he cannot use his tongue properly and sounds like a hearing impaired person but he seems to hear fine it is the repeating that seems off. I have no formal training in this area but I want to say something to make sure this is on her radar. Everytime dcm comes and a kid comes and talks to her she asks how old they are and seems to be confused so I think she is starting to be concerned but I just want to know the best way to bring this to her attention or should I leave this alone and let her figure it out on her own. My mom and my husband who interact with the kids on a regular basis also think there is something wrong but I don't know to the best way to discuss him since I am going with my gut.
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I would let her know you are concerned. Ask her to take kiddo to the doctor for a sight, hearing and speech screening. Now some kiddos are just late talkers, but a screening never hurts. I know in some places they have people that can come to the daycare or home and do them also. -
I usually start the conversation by saying "Does dcb use words at home?" And the conversation usually goes from there. She will answer yes or no and then you can ask her more questions and bring up your concerns. Tell her you are going to look up the milestones and share them with her (or have them all ready to give her) and go from there. If she admits that she is worried then you only need to share your own concerns and point her in the right direction. If she says she is not concerned then make a suggestion that he get checked by a pediatrician because you feel something is off as he is not meeting his milestones. Ask her if he has ever had a hearing test.
I had a two yr old with no language before and mom was in complete denial. Told me he used words all the time at home etc. I knew something was "off" but I could not put my finger on it. The only word he would say is "momma" over and over and just acted oddly. I had to term because of the denial and my inability to meet his needs. Anyway long story short it turned out the boy was deaf! I never would have guessed that he was deaf. Children have a very keen ability to compensate for things like being deaf so you just never know!Comment
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Can you look under his tongue to see if he's "tongue tied"? Its where that little piece of skin connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth. If the piece of skin connects to the tongue all the way to the tip, that's definitely going to interfere with speech and make his words sound funny. It may be restricting tongue movement.Comment
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Wow I would never thought about that. I will check tomorrow. He says about 10 words here and says them ever and over but they are still hard to understand and I have noticed his mom does not understand him either. She usually tells him we ok or looks at me and says I will figure that out later (in a confused way).Originally posted by NightOwl View PostComment
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