Baby Talk - Corpus Christi,TX

My daughter spoke , not exactly baby talk, but not like a grown up before she started pre k. Within about a week of starting school all of that disappeared. Once she was around other kids, she just automaticly picked up talking correctly. If it is a speach impedament, the school will be able to help with a therapist, which is also no big deal at a young age (maybe in older kids there is stigma, but with the little ones, they don't care, they just think it is fun.)

Hi K.!
There could be several factors causing your stepdaughter to speak that way. My almost 6yo had a horrendous speech problem. I found out that it was because of little to no interaction with other children, the guardians (us parents) not communicating properly and too much TV/video games. I was able to get him enrolled in the pre-k and see the speech therapist at our nearest elementary school. He's already completed the school year and has progressed so much, I can hardly believe it. I look back at old videos and can’t believe how I ever understand what he used to say. Yes, get her hearing checked as well, it wouldn't hurt to cover all the bases. Good luck and be patient!!!

My step daughter who is 6 and starting Kindergaten, has the same issue. I took her to the doctor last week for her school physical......they gave me a prescription for speech therapy twice a week for 20 mins at a time. The doctor says they usually grow out of it by 1st grade but if I see no progress to go to speech therapy!!!!! They do it at school. Good luck hope I helped!!!

Hi K.-

I don't know what the "magic age" is for worrying about this, but my son is going into 1st grade and having volunteered in his kindergarten classroom multiple times I know that none of his classmates used baby talk in kindergarten. Some obviously spoke more clearly and had larger vocabulary than others but I wouldn't have called any of it baby talk.

Has she had her hearing checked by her pediatrician? Many times speech problems are caused by a problem with a child's hearing. You can have the pediatrician do a routine screen or for a more thorough evaluation you could take her to an audiologist.

I wouldn't let it go until she is made fun of in school. Regardless of what is causing it, whether it's not having a role model around speaking clearly, or if it's a hearing or speech problem, it's not your stepdaughters fault and she shouldn't have to be teased in school about it for things to change.

You could also call the school district to have her evaluated, she may qualify for speech through the school.

Good Luck,
K.