My Sons Speach

Please don't worry. Intervention is extremely successful for this. SO many kids have this problem too. My son is in Kindergarten and several kids in his class go to speech and it is no big deal at all.

sorry you feel so stressed. it depends on what is causing his speech to be unclear. I've seen kids who have unclear speech and over time, with theapy and hard work at home most do improve.

I would write your questions for the speech therapy appointment that way so can be sure to have an understanding of what is going on.

here is the speech therapy association national website - they have tips for you in order to get the most from your appointment

http://asha.org/public/talkingwithaudorslp.htm

good luck

Hi, L.:
It is good to get his speech checked out early.
Don't worry. He will be successful.
Good luck. D.

Unless there's a physical problem like a birth defect, something extreme, most cases of poor speech (speech delay) are totally able to improve! You made the first step by getting him tested. They will tell you exactly where he's at. Parents many times will either not see the problem as well because they are used to the poor speech and they can understand the child, or the parents over worry when there's a mild problem and it seems worse than it really may be. Either way, an evaluation will tell you where your child is at and steps will be made to help correct any problems. As your child enters school help will be given there if it's needed.

I'm on my third child out of 5 who has had speech therapy.

My soon to be 23 year old had the mildest delay, was considered 6 months behind. They gave me things to do at home with him for 6 months, I did it with him, tested him again in 6 months and he was right on track. I over worried with this child.

My now 14 year old had horrible speech but I couldn't see it because I understood all of his attempts to talk, his "code words" for things. I took neighbors and finally my husband to tell me there was a problem. So by his third birthday I had him tested and he was found to have a lateral lisp, where the tongue flattens out. Instead of the typical "Cindy Brady lisp" where the tongue thrusts to the front, he had a "lateral lisp" where the tongue flattens out and sounds like Sylvester the Cat. He had speech all the way through most of elementary school, and to this day he still gets some siliva build up and will slush talk so we just remind him to swallow his spit and he's fine.

One of my triplets, who is five, just finished up speech preschool, and will keep going once a month through July. His is more typical delays, with also the triplets effect causing a problem. Having three children the same age with the same immediate needs day in and day out I cannot keep up with one on one speech assistance with my son so he gets lazy at home, but will produce well outside the home because he has to in order to make others understand him. At home, everyone knows what he's trying to say and with all the chaos his speech slides. He doesn't get the same one on one help from me at home like my older boys got, but we do our best. Th main thing is that he has better speech outside the home where it matters. We just have to try to reinforce it as much as we can at home, which is why he's going to be seen once a month through July to be sure he doesn't regress.

As you can see, there are many kinds of speech delays and as soon as you get professional help in to help things can move quickly and will most definately be improved! Try not to stress. You've made the first step which is a good one. Now just go with the flow of the next steps and things will be fine. He won't be in college being misunderstood, except by his girlfriends, lol.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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M y youngest DD speaks better now, but it is still hard for her(7) but it was always hard to understand her. She has a half inch overbite which contributed to her having difficulty forming sounds used by the teeth and tounge.

Just keep in mind that there are some sounds that young kids just CANNOT make with their mouth/tongue when they are little--it is quite common. And it can change almost overnight. My son used to say words ending in "er" like "ah" like fath-ah, moth-ah, kick-ah, sweat-ah, etc. I swear to you, O. day he picked up a grayish crayon and said to me "Is this gray or sil-VER?" I almost fell over! And that was the end of the cute little "ah" words. :-( I kind of miss it.
See what they say at the testing.

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My 4 year old's speech is also unclear. Strangers cannot understand him and family has a hard time. I had him tested over the summer and we then did speech therapy 3 times a week for 60 days. That was all our insurance covered. I tried private therapy but my son did not like the therapist and refused to talk to her. I will try until I find someone he will work with but am now trying to get him into the public preschool. Speech is expensive. I am hoping he gets in. It is a lengthy process but hopefully will be worth it in the end. My son will not talk to adults or kids he doesn't know because he knows he will not be understood. He is very aware of his problem so my husband and I worry about his self esteem and social growth. I found sitting in speech therapy with him made it easier for me to understand him. Yes speech therapy does work when you have a cooperative child. You can also look into what your public schools offer. I live in NJ but I guess PA is similar.
Feel free to message me if you want to hear more of my ongoing story or just to vent. I know how frustrating it can be to have a 4 year old who knows what he wants but you can't understand him to get him what he wants. Or watching him with other kids/adults who have no idea what he is saying. It is heartbreaking.