Normal 5 Year Old Speech?

Get him evaluated. I am not an expert and very few of us on here are. It can only help if he needs extra help. I do not know if that is or is not normal speech. My gut instinct is that it is not. BUT I may be totally wrong.

I would contact the school district and request a speech evaluation. I would also put the request in writing.

My son did not develop speech problems until age 5. He was screened twice at age 5 (K) and "passed". At age 6 his speech was horrible and this time when he was EVALUATED the ST flat out told me the district failed my son by not screening him properly and he lost a year of treatment. She was also a district ST.

When my daughter was EVALUATED at age two it was by a totally awesome ST. Then referred to and treated by another awesome ST. When she was transferred to the district (aged out of IE) her speech was so much better. I feared the district would drop the ball again (and only screen her). So I video recorded/voice memoed as many examples of her disrupted speech as I could. I then emailed them to the evaluator and brought more with to the evaluation. I'm sure she thought I was nuts, but after what happened to my son I came armed with evidence :-).

It could be a phase or could be more....at least get him evaluated so that you know.

Best of luck to you!

My daughter just turned 5 a few weeks ago. Based on my perception of her speech and that of her friends, I think you should follow up with your son's pediatrician. Are you taking him for the standard well-child check at 5? Bring up your concerns. My child's doctor took time to engage her in conversation to get a sense of her speech. Your son's doctor should hopefully do the same. But please do mention that you have wondered whether your son's speech is normal or not. I'm not an expert - I can't sure either way.

I would have it evaluated. If it's nothing, you'll be relieved and if it's something, you can tackle it early on.

It is not totally abnormal if the child is very excited about the story he/she is telling but it is something that should be evaluated. An evaluation can be done right at the school. Ask for a case study. Ask for it in writing. Your child will be evaluated and if is need them she will receive speech therapy. It will not cost you anything if done through the school district.

I'm not sure whether it's "normal" or not, but I would say it's not unusual. It would appear as if his brain and his mouth are on two separate speeds and one is just catching up to the other. He's bridging the timing gaps the best he can with the tools he has. He is only 5. As he gets older and if it doesn't self correct, you may want to guide him in taking deep breaths before he speaks, allowing for him to "gather his thoughts" as it were. You might even look into tricks stutters use to calm themselves and speak more clearly. His "ands" are like the universal "um" and "like". It can be trained away, but I wouldn't try until he was older and better control overall.

My husband stops mid sentences all the time. I'm not sure why and he says he doesn't notice when he does it. It's not kept him from living a full happy life, just one of his quirks. "So babe, I was thinking we should look into getting a hotel for a night.........maybe hit the zoo in Ohio. Make a long weekend of it this summer." That was not where I though that sentence was going, but whatch ya gonna do? :)

Hello: My answer to this is yes and no. It is actually common for children to repeat words as their speech/language is developing around age 4-5. Generally, it would stop on it's on after about 6 months. If has continued past 6+ months, it's worth evaluating. My 6 year old daughter does the exact thing that you described and it did not "self-correct". It is important to specifically ask for a "fluency" evaluation because your son is probably smart enough and has enough language skills to outwit the expressive/receptive language test given by most school districts and private speech therapists. If you ask your school district about an evaluation, please be sure to have them check for "dis-fluencies". Fluency problems are important because they disrupt the flow of speech and may limit your child's willingness to participate in class discussions or social conversations. Now that my daughter is finally getting the therapy that she needs, her fluency is getting much better (it has been 6 months now). FYI: The speech therapist works on helping my daughter improve her processing speed and this improves her fluency. I supplement her therapy with the following program: Hearbuilder Auditory Memory http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=HBHE3...

Best to you,
C.

No honey, it's not. Have you never had him evaluated by a speech therapist? Did no one EVER talk to you about that? They should have.

Get a speech pathologist to do an evaluation. Don't just wait for the school to do it. Ask the ped for a recommendation. The therapist will write a detailed report that you can use to get your child services.

By the way, speech therapy isn't JUST about articulation problems. It's about receptive and expressive speech. Your son has difficulties with expressive speech. PLEASE get him evaluated.

He needs to be seen by a specialist.

A speech therapist will be able to hear what is going on.

Check with the school. If it is speech, he will receive speech theraphy !

It's best to get an answer !!

Get the evaluation - talk to the pediatrician, and the school and ask for one. If there's no issue, great. If there is, you now have the starting point to help him. It's that simple. Of course, it's nerve wracking. My son was diagnosed with autism at age 4. His daycare people noticed that he was "different" in some areas - quirky, but nothing they could pin down. But because they said something, we got him evaluated and he got pre-school services from the school district.

You can do it, mama. Communication is important, and if he needs help and gets it, he'll have less frustration to deal with in the future.

I know my daughter will need speech as she was in it for a while but became too expensive she's also 5 and will be starting school this fall. She had trouble with certain letters and sounds. Which are the same ones her aunt and I both had issues with until 5th grade

My son did this too - and did outgrow it. HOWEVER, I agree, always best to get another opinion w/ speech as early intervention is typically an EASY fix. Good luck!

Both of my children speak really well. Too well some days, lol. But I am told by strangers all the time about how "well" they speak, so I'm not sure what's normal.

Is he usually excited when he does that? I know when I'm really excited I stumble over my words and repeat things. So it could be a personality thing. Does he generally speak fast?

If you're not sure or are concerned then definitely bring it up to your pediatrician. But not at a well child visit. Make an appointment just for that.

Call your school district and get a speech evaluation from a distrct speech therapist. Easy. But he just sounds like an excited 4 yr old to me.