28 Month Old Dropping the First Syllable

Updated on February 07, 2008
E.T. asks from San Diego, CA
10 answers

My 28 month old son is dropping the first syllable of almost all words. He makes himself understood, but the speech and hearing guide for 2-2.5 year olds says that this age group should have 250 words, speak in long monologues and that people outside the family should be able to understand the child most of the time, which I don't think that they do. Any suggestions?

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H.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

There is an option of having him evaluated by a program called the regional center to see if he needs a little speech assistants. or wait till he is three go to your local school and registar him and request a evaluation through the speech program. if you are truely worried this will but your mind to ease.

Every child is different and does things at different speeds but this is alway a better be safe then sorry approch you have nothing to loss only to gain.

hope it all works out.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.W.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Hi My girlfriend experienced something very similar with her daughter and they tested her for Autisum and she has a mild case of it a little speech thearpy and she is doing great now maybe you may want to check into that if you have not already.
Good luck and sometimes it is nothing at all. DOnt worry to much I am sure it will all work out fine and your a great mom. Good luck.

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H.S.

answers from San Diego on

My 4 year old is still doing this. As luck would have it I have a speech therapist in the family who told me that it is very common for boys to drop the first syllable of any "complicated" words (more than 1 syllable). We were told to make him repeat his words and concentrate on his enunciation. If he could not say the words then we needed to visit a speech therapist and have him tested.
This has worked very well, as we have discovered that our 4 year old is simply being a "lazy" talker, instead of having a real problem. You will notice his confidence will go sky high when he figures out that you and everyone else can understand him. The words will start pouring out.
Best wishes for you and yours.
H. Stanley

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N.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have to agree with Susanna on this one. My son, 29 months now can speak ok, but needs me to translate to others some of the time. He has been in preschool since 2, which really has helped, but he has a few speech issues, as many kids do at their age. He strangely adds "t's" to the end of many words??? & he doesn't speak as clearly as many of us would like him to. As long as your son is speaking many different words, I would say don't worry until he's 3. I've heard a speech therapist tell parents that it's normal for children to hold onto abnormal speech patterns until they're 5-6 years old. Just remember, he only started talking about 10 months ago...

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A.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi, I am a speech-language pathologist and I recommend, like another mom did, that you contact your local Regional Center (call 311 if you can't find the number) and request an assessment, and specifically, a speech and language assessment. They may find that he is within normal limits, which will ease your mind, but if he is not, you can get him help sooner, which almost always results in better outcomes. Good luck!

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T.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

hi E., i wouldn't worry too much about it right now since every child develops differently, i have had 4 children and none of them did things at the same time as the others. just keep on helping pronounce words correctly , he'll catch on. :) T.

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S.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi E.
I don't agree, Many, or even most, children don't speak much when they are two years old. They have a few words down but most of it is still their own sort of language.
My daughter started preschool when she was 28 months and thats when she really started to talk.
I don't think you need to worry.
They learn new things every day and that can also slow other things down.
I hope this helps a bit.
Thanks,
S.

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S.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi E.,

Sounds like it could be an auditory processing issue. My son, when he finally became verbal, was doing the same thing. I don't want to needlessly alarm you, as I noticed that another mom responded with the thought that you might have him tested for speech delays (ex. apraxia) that often come with Autism. My son was diagnosed just before his third birthday and is doing wonderfully. It's always better to be safe...it may not be relavent, but if it is related to Autism...there is so much wonderful help out there now. I am not sure where you are located, but you might start with calling the "Officer of the Day" at your local Regional Center, if you are located in California. They will ask you a battery of questions and identify if your child qualifies for services under the Head Start Program. It is a free service...your tax dollars are hard at work here. If you have any questions...you can e-mail me at ____@____.com Luck!

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H.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

It's been a long road of speech therapy for my son who is now 7 and started speech somewhere around the age of 4. I had no idea at the time but his ears were severly blocked with wax and who knows when it started! After failing multiple hearing tests, the school nurse recommended testing. I routinely took my son for check-ups and the Dr. NEVER ever recommended a test, or cleaning-which still floors me to this day. My son had multiple sounds to master and I remember on spoon he would drop the s. S is a tough sound but so were alot of them for him. He kinda spoke his own language-made up his own words for numerous foods like peanuts and cereal and even his own name!! Oftentimes when he's speak people would immediately look at me for translation. It is all fixable but the school district should take responsibilty for him after age 3 incase your insurance did not cover speech. I think it is too early to tell with your son but just monitor it and start early!!

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A.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Dear E.,
I would suggest checking with your doctor... if he/she/it thinks that your son is experiencing some type of problem then going to a speech therapist is a good idea.
My son dropped alot of syllables, due to almost biting his tongue off when he was two.... it took awhile to heal and his speech was unique. Because we understood him,( or at least his sister did ) this was not a problem until school began. His kindergarten teacher recommended speech therapy, which lasted about a year, was paid for by the school and worked miracles. He is now 21 and speaks quite nicely, when he chooses.
Good luck, and don't measure your son by what the books say, they are guidelines at the very best. Every child is unique, treasure your son and help him if he needs it.
Big hugs,
A.

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