Speech Difficulties

[babysniffles]

So DS1 has had trouble with his speech. I was waiting to see if he outgrew it (I did right before kindergarten) but he is 4 1/2 and still difficult to understand. So I took him in to the school district's school assessment. And he passed with 95%.
In the week before the test, he had been speaking much better, so I thought that maybe he had finally hit that developmental point.
Since the assessment, though, he has completely regressed. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what he is saying, and I have to have him repeat it multiple times.
I am at my wit's end. He is intelligent, and has no deformities or other problems that would be causing this. I now I know that he can speak properly, but is apparently choosing not to. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me and my husband to talk to him without losing our patience. What's worse, I think he beginning to associate speaking with negativity, as we constantly have to correct him just to be able to understand him.
Does anyone have any ideas?

[stevensmom]

you can take him back in and get him re-evaluated

[7mom7]

I had DS1 evaluated and even though they acknowledged that there were some issues they said they see kids so much worse and that he wouldn't qualify. We have a friend that is a speech therapist and she's pretty laid back about the whole thing and says they'll outgrow most. I'm not a very laid back type of person so that answer didn't work for me Is your son reading? As DS has become a better reader his speech has improved. The person who did our evaluation said that with some kids that are severe learning to read makes their speech so much worse. They told me to write the word that he's saying incorrectly on the board and sound it out with him. They also told me to correct him often. I've seen improvement with both... but if your son's speech is severe then why not go back for another eval. Our district isn't real keen on helping HSers so I'd go before he's supposed to be in Kindergarten.

On a side note, DS2 had developed a stutter and I called to have him evaluated by ECI. In the mean time our pedi said there's a correlation between speech issues and Omega 3 deficiency. I put him on Nordic Naturals Omega 3's and within a week or two the stutter was gone and has never returned. I'm such a believer. His stutter was very severe, he couldn't get anything out. If your son is able to speak correctly but isn't it might be worth trying the supplement just to see.

[m0mof6]

Does the school do receptive and expressive separately or do they average the scores? If he's high receptively but low expressively and they average the scores it looks like he has less problems then he does. You may need to ask them to separate the scores (or retest separately) to show how large the discrepancy between the two.

[babysniffles]

Originally Posted by m0mof6 Does the school do receptive and expressive separately or do they average the scores? If he's high receptively but low expressively and they average the scores it looks like he has less problems then he does. You may need to ask them to separate the scores (or retest separately) to show how large the discrepancy between the two.

I have no idea how they scored it. I was sitting there the whole time, though, and his speech was near perfect for the majority of the test. He earned that 95% legitimately, which makes it so much more frustrating that he has regressed.

Originally Posted by 7mom7 On a side note, DS2 had developed a stutter and I called to have him evaluated by ECI. In the mean time our pedi said there's a correlation between speech issues and Omega 3 deficiency. I put him on Nordic Naturals Omega 3's and within a week or two the stutter was gone and has never returned. I'm such a believer. His stutter was very severe, he couldn't get anything out. If your son is able to speak correctly but isn't it might be worth trying the supplement just to see.

I'll try that, thanks!

[m0mof6]

He probably isn't choosing to speak unintelligibly (why would he want go through that frustration?) but the regression is concerning. They may have a waiting period before you can retest through the school. Check and see how long it is and try the supplements the pp suggested - I've heard great things about them (otoh I've also heard it may do nothing) and it won't hurt either way.

[7mom7]

Originally Posted by babysniffles I'll try that, thanks!

Originally Posted by m0mof6 - I've heard great things about them (otoh I've also heard it may do nothing) and it won't hurt either way.

I wanted to add that the quality of the supplement makes a difference. There are some supplements that are useless. A nutritionist and our pediatrician specifically recommended the Nordic Naturals brand. We pay about $20 per bottle. Both of my kids take 4 chewables a day so we go through it pretty quickly. I find that most health stores in our area sell it, if you have a Sprouts nearby they carry it.

http://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Pro...4/?ProdID=1442

[lyn1270]

Originally Posted by 7mom7 On a side note, DS2 had developed a stutter and I called to have him evaluated by ECI. In the mean time our pedi said there's a correlation between speech issues and Omega 3 deficiency. I put him on Nordic Naturals Omega 3's and within a week or two the stutter was gone and has never returned. I'm such a believer. His stutter was very severe, he couldn't get anything out. If your son is able to speak correctly but isn't it might be worth trying the supplement just to see.

this is very interesting! I used to give my kids a vegan formula, but it is no longer made. and i can't get my kids to take any other kind. if they smell or taste ANY fishy flavor, it's over. and they've tried this and wouldn't take them...sigh..

[lyn1270]

also, my DS2 has had a speech issue since he was about 2. At first, I let others around me, i.e. docs, nurse practitioners, etc, submerge me in Mommy Guilt and make me feel ridiculously stupid (even thought I have a degree in special education!). Nonetheless, he as been evaluated and it was determined that he had a mild receptive delay (only by a few months) and a pretty severe expressive delay (about 1 yr). This eval was spot-on to what I was seeing. If you averaged the 2 evals together, which they do a lot, he was perfectly within acceptable ranges. We got speech therapy for him when he was 2.5y.o. for 3 months. he NEVER spoke to the therapist, but would talk all the way home O.o we stopped the therapy, and w/in a month, he was talking more and more. He is now 5.5y.o. and he can still be difficult to understand. We often have to ask him to repeat what he says. But, it is improving, and those closest to him notice the improvements. When he was 4, he stuttered terrible, and we could barely understand him. We were very patient with him. We would just wait until he could say what he needed to say. and if he couldn't, we would hug him and tell him it was OK that we could figure it out or he could ask when he could say the words. I also talked w/a speech pathologist last summer at a HS training. she stated that most speech issues worked out before the child would turn 7. she stated that if he was 7 and still not making progress or still displaying a huge problem, then to get him speech. she also stated that stutters were much more common in little kids than what people thought.

for me, it was just a lesson in patience. i have to be patient knowing that my child will improve in his speech in his own time. we mimic correct speech with him. we do mouth exercises with him, i.e. blowing bubbles, blowing "strawberries," making funny noises and faces with our mouth, etc (he, of course, thinks we are just being silly). we read to him constantly so that he can hear the way the words should be said.

just believe what your Mommy Gut tells you. if you think he needs speech services, then ask for a meeting with the evaluator to explain to you why he doesn't need it. and then ask if he can be re-evaluated. GL mama!

[HeatherDanae]

I can attest to the Omega 3 fatty acids...my youngest daughter did not talk until after she was 2 years old. We put her on Flax seed milk (due to her many allergies) and the milk is very high in omega 3s. Within a week she was speaking legibly and quite often! It was amazing!! There was even a point when we ran out of the milk and for a week I had her on soy milk...her speech started to regress and she started to scream for everything instead of talking. We put her right back on and will never run out again. The change is amazing!