My 22 mo son was recommended for speech/behavioral therapy because he doesn't listen to commands very well and at the time he had limited words although his vocabulary has now grown. He's been seeing two therapists now for about two weeks and they both seem very nice. I guess I am wondering how soon I will be able to see a significant difference. I know every child is different. Has anyone else gone through this with their child and what did you think about it?
Thank you all for your responses. It was all very helpful. My son doesn't have a hearing problem. He turns when we call his name, etc. His biggest problem is he will learn a new word and then won't say it the next day. He also is very stubborn. Wants to do things his way. I have noticed he has a good repor with his speech therapist. She makes him laugh and he really responds to her. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Hi T.-
My son is having speech therapy and behavioral therapy as well. I started knowing a significant change after 3-4 months. It has made a great difference. He still needs work with articulation, but he is now a little chatterbox. Everyone comments about the difference.
Good Luck
K.
My son had speech therapy at 2.5 years, we really started to
see results in 3-6 months...
Now a year later, he goes to a special pre-school where he
gets more therapy....a year ago he was barely saying single
words, now he says full sentences, questions etc.
Therapy is DEFINITELY worth it...
hang it there, it will get better soon.
K.
It took him 22 months to get to the point he is, don't rush it! I work with kids who are similar to your son, just older. Some parents have pushed for MAJOR change, but didn't give enough time. If you want your son to be successful, do it at his pace!
Hi Terry,
We have been doing ST for about a year and a half. My son was 2 1/2 when we started ST through the early intervention program through essex county and then he was transitioned (sp?) into a pre-k speech program in our district school. He has improved 110%. For my son, the change started a couple months in. He went from about 15-20 words to now full sentences and use all correct grammer. He even tries to say new words and doesn't mind the corrections anymore. I would stick with it every child will develope in his or her own time. Good luck!
HI T.
I think that doctors rush too soon to recommend therapy for these babies. You say his vocabulary has already grown, I would give him more time and don't push it, but at the same time, teach while playing. Also, you are the one who has to get him to listen to commands by teaching him what to do; therapy will provide very limited results unless you change what you are doing so that it works.
By the way, don't expect perfection in terms of him following commands. He is still little. I have to repeat things to my 4 year old every day, but I always make sure he follows through with what I asked of him. If you know you are just going to do it yourself, then don't ask him. Good luck!
Chris
T., my oldest son walked at 10 1/2 mos. and his speech was great at 1 year old. When he got to be about 2 years of age, I have noticed that his words wre getting to be very unclear and then I realized he was not talking good at all and many people weresaying, just give him time, he may be a late bloomer when it comes to speaking. I felt that was not the case. I had him evaluated and it turned out that he needed speech. Mothers know their children. So, then he got speech and it still does, but we can tell that he won't be needing it much longer. Maybe another 6 mos. You will see the difference and as you said, every child is different. What you can do, whatever they are doing with him that day, reinforce it after that time and the next day. Are the therapist coming to your house which they do for us. I like it because I can do it with him and reinforce it and I tell my husband so he can reinforce it. The therapists are not "gods" and they aren't miracle workers, but they do help and with your input it will make it better. He will get better, just do it with him. I'll pray for you....
my daughter started speech therapy at 18 months, lasted for about 9 months. when she started she had some to none words, and seemed to not be able to understand much. i saw a difference within the first two weeks, not in words but in her command of sounds. i thought it was great. she started with speech therapy twice a week for 30 minutes to once a week for 30 minutes. they tested her every few months and the delay for her age started getting smaller and smaller. after about 9 months she scored higher than her age group. that is when the therapy ended. she is now 4. she has a twin sister. there is a difference between their language abilities, but i cal say freely, had i not taken her to speech therapy god knows where'd she'd be now with language skills.
so, my advice is hang in there. the process is slow, and you should notice widening of sounds and words as time passes. also, if you're not doing so already, leave your son with the therapist while you wait outside. when we first started i stayed in the room with them. she was partly distracted and looked to me for help when she was faced with questions and/or tasks. it was slow at that point. when i suggested to the therapist i stay outside she said i thought you'd never ask. :)
my last comment is: i highly recommend speech therapy, esp. conducted by a person who seems kind, not in a hurry, and gives you feedback afterwards (feedback as in what you should do at home).
good luck
Our (then) 4year old had speech issues...she tested at 24 months when she was 4 years old...within 10 months of ST 2x/week, she was functioning at 3 months above her chronological age - she did fantastic with it.
Our son is 2.5 y/o and has been recieving ST for 4 four months. (we had another therapist when he was 2 y/o but he did not respond to him, so we let him go--now he has a female and he does evry well with her). He went from 0 words to about 8 words; including "mama" and "dada", which feels really good! For us, it is a slow process, but process onetheless. We are confident that in a year our son will be more verbal. One thing the therapist told us was to make him ask for what he wants. like, if he pint to juice, say "juice" and encourage him to repeat. Just be patient, your little angel will talk soon.
Has his hearing been tested? He might have a hearing deficiency, not totally deaf, just hard of hearing. Or maybe he is just stubborn and ignoring you. <smile>
My son is 4 1/2 years old and has been doing speech therapy for almost 2 years now. It is the best thing that has ever happened to him. He has dramatically improved and I am very grateful for the therapy. Every child is different, but I started noticing a difference about 6 months into the therapy. Don't be discouraged if you don't see an improvement right away. There are things that he will be improving on that you may not even notice. It is great that you are getting your son started with the therapy at a young age. Hopefully he will do great and be completely caught up with his speech by the time he starts Kindergarten (this is what I am hoping with my son). Good luck! -P.
My daughter has been receiving behavioral therapy and occupational therapy for about 8 months now through early intervention trough the state. She ages out of that system on monday & will start in special preschool again sponsored by the state next week.
The therapy has helped her emencely (?) and I highly reccamend sticking with it. She started showing improvement after about 4 months her speach has just taken off. Be patient and before you know it you will see improvement. It is so worth it.
My daughter started talking at 9 months old and by 1 yo had about 40 words she used clearly. 1 week later she STOPPED talking COMPLETELY!!! I freaked out. Dr. said wait and see. I called the Dr. every month for a year and told him it still did not return. At 2 yo she was evaluated and speech therapy was started. There was very little progress in the first few weeks. I was concerned but the therapists said that for a lot of kids there is a "take off" moment and after that it is bigger progress quick. She did also warn me saying that some kids go slower but if your seeing progress then your doing well. My daughter was "kicked" (in a good way) out of the program after about 9 months. She was caught up and past where the "NORMALS" were. She is now 7yo and I want them to come back and install an OFF switch!!!! ;) I guess my point is this: If you are seeing progress, relax even if you think it is not fast enough. Their brains are trying to learn EVERYTHING at this stage and even a brain needs time to catch up. He is learning more than you know so be patient. Be supportive and have the therapist teach you what you should be doing when she is not there. If you get involved in the therapy you will see the progress and you will also know how to reinforce what the therapist is teaching. A.
