Speech Development Question

If you are concerned about this, you can contact TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Services) for a free speech evaluation. These services are available until the age of 3. At the preschool I work at 3 and 4 yr olds have a speech evaluation each fall, but no younger children. I have heard the speech pathologists say that a child should have "one word' utterance at age 1, "two word utterance" at 2, "three word" at 3, etc. If she is not frustrated, having behavior issues or otherwise delayed, it may be more being the youngest child not being a preemie.
My son was born at 28 weeks (26 yr old) and has physical and mental disabilities. So I have experience with the need for pediatric therapy. Child talk at different times. Having older siblings she may be too busy trying to keep up with the older ones. Enjoy her happiness...sounds like she is headed in the right direction.
P.

Please don't stress over this. My twin granddaughters were not talking at two and they were evaluated and we were told they were autistic. WRONG They were simply late talkers. I have read many books and researched and found that many children are just late talkers. If she understands you that's great. I would say not to worry some kids don't talk until 3 or even some at 4. My girls never stop talking now and have great vocabularies, reading at 3rd grade level at age 6.

B.

My now 22 year old son was not a preemie but he too had speech delay. At almost 3 he only said a handful of words and no sentences. The pediatrician told me he would not run any tests unless he wasn't speaking by age 3. A month before he turned three he said his first 2-word sentence and just took off from there. She sounds like she understands you well and hears well so I wouldn't worry about it. Course peace of mind has no price so if you're still worried a checkup can't hurt.

Please get the speech checked out. This is not quite normal. But, could be developmental since she was a preemie. You can check with your local hospital to find out a place to go to check it out. Many have free screenings. If you are military and at BACH, there are many resources. Just call! But, stay on top of it and MOM KNOWS BEST!! If you have a gut feeling, get it checked out!

I bet a bunch of people will tell you "don't worry, each child develops differently". But if you are concerned, then you should do something. My daughter was also premature (born at 32 weeks). We realized at about 18 months that she wasn't saying nearly enough words. (Our first child, only 16 months older, had a HUGE vocabulary, so we were really trying not to compare.)She could follow all directions, and could understand everything we told her - she just wasn't talking a lot. We mentioned it to our peditrician, and at her two year check-up he said that yes, she does have an expressive language delay, and suggested we contact Tennessee Early Intervention Services (TEIS). I thought we had to wait for a referral from the pediatrician, but later found out that YOU as a parent can call TEIS at any time if you have a concern. They come out to your house and do an evaluation. If she qualifies for services, they come to YOUR HOUSE (or child's daycare) for FREE. My daughter has finally started talking (in fact, she never stops!). But now we can tell she has an articulation problem (we can usually understand her, but nobody else can!). However, you cannot recieve articulation services until they are much older. Anyways, if you are concerned, you should give TEIS a call. At least then you know that you have done all you can, without any regrets later on. If they say she's okay, then no worries! If they say she needs services, then they are free! Good luck!

I had twin preemies and had the same problem with them around the age of 2. They would babble a lot and try to talk but weren't quite where they should've been. They understood directions from me but couldn't communicate back to me clearly. My advice to you would be to get her in some sort of speech therapy as soon as you can. She probably does have a little developmental delay due to her early birth and any extra help would be great. We ended up finding out that my boys had auditory processing disorder....they mix their words up a lot....which may be due to their premature birth. They're still in speech therapy and doing great now! Good luck to you!

Hi MP
My daughter was preemie too... born 29 wks and wasn't walking or talking at 2. She babbled a little and mumbled a few things but was delayed and as her parents we were also concerned as this was our 1st child...but we didn't wait...we sought EARLY intervention...the best thing we ever did. Children get free assessment through the state for me.. it was TEIS. We had to get all three services and the best part was they came to our home weekly and we were not out of pocket or inconvenienced as everything was provided for us before she turned 3 yrs old... PT,OT And Speech therapy. The pediatircian also monitored her and made recommendations as well.

One thing everybody said about my daughter was she seemed to understand what she was told and was smart...your daughter sound very smart as well. My daughter is now 5 and we still get the services through the public school and privately (our choice) but my daughter can now not stop talking...so even though it seems stressful now you seem to be on the right track and your concerns are valid.

Preemies do seem to take a minute to catch up but when they do... Look out world :-) Hope all works out.

My son was a late developer in speech. We had him tested by a speech therapist and ENT at age 3. I would recommend you do that and I think there are several good places near you, even colleges (ECU/Greeneville) that have places. We did it with a local college where we were living at the time.
We also held him back in 2nd grade. We also sent him to a private church kindergarten and then public kindergarten just for the experience. Don't rush to get her into elementary school. Delaying that is always good for the child. Our son is now 18 and I think it was a good thing as he has worked through many of his issues. Just a mom tip as well-- We only had one and I am assuming you do as well. Be sure that you allow her to talk. Don't let her grunt and point. Make her try to say what she wants. I understood every request my child wanted by his sounds, but wasn't letting him actually try to talk. Be sure you are reading and talking to her. She probably is understanding and has no reason to answer because you gratify her needs. Just step outside the box and see her environment and test yourself. Hope this helps.

From what I understand when preemies are born so early, they are that much behind until they are older, maybe age 5, can't remember the exact age. Some children don't talk until after age 2 anyway and if your child is a preemie, she may be even that much more behind. The doc should tell you at her 2 yr appt how she is doing. They will ask what words she is saying and about how many so start keeping document of what she is saying clearly. The words that she does say....are they clear? Like mommy, daddy, up, down, etc? If those words are clear, then she is on the right track. If those words which are usually the first words are not clear and unable to understand, then you may want to ask the doc for his/her advice.

It may or may not have anything to do with her having been born prematurely. She's still quite young to be talking. Every kid is different. Some are 'hands-on' learners, some are very verbal (usually girls moreso than boys), some are more artistic and perfectionistic while others are 'outdoorsey', etc. Just enjoy her 'as is' and don't borrow trouble. Most verbal learning happens from age 2 to 3, anyway; and doctors will help you notice if there's a problem that needs addressed during the next year or so.

One of my best friends had a child when she was very young (the first grandchild in 2 large families). They were trying to remember when he started talking, and one of the aunts said, "He probably just got up one morning and said, 'Mom, I think I'll start talking in sentences today!' " And that's almost how it happens! Our youngest (girl -- now 21) was 'outdoorsey' and was least interested in books and speech of our 4. She still doesn't divulge enough information in a lot of cases, but she reads and talks just fine!

My grandson had numerous ear infectons. The peditrician was not overly concerned that he was not talking well. Due to the frequent infections he was refered to the ENT. The ENT quickly picked up on the speech deficit and refered him to the First Steps. He was 2 1/2 when he started the speech therapy at home. He was taught simple sign language,and my daughter was given things to do to help him. At 3 yrs. he started the pre-school component for 3 hours a day 4 days a week. He loves going to school. (He qualified for 4 out of 5 deveolpmental delays). His teacher said he has done so well he would not qualify for the program now if he were to be evaluated for the 1st time now. However since he has been in the program he will continue until time to start kindergarten to help make sure he stays up with the others his age. His home eval and therapy were free of charge as is the preschool. The ENT said they see too many that are left to catch up on their own and in the long run they have more behavior adn communication issues. While most children will be fine and catch up on their own, an evaluation is invaluable for those who need the intervention. We are glad our little chatter box got the help he needed. (Oh, prior to the referal,he passed the hearing test with flying colors)

I have a 2 year old little girl who has been in speech therapy since she was 15 months old. I would absolutely seek out a speech assessment. Sounds like she is very intelligent and understands a great deal and is just having trouble with the verbal. My daugter's therapist lives in the Louisville area. She has a website you could check out ans post a question there if you would like. Her site is http://www.teachmetotalk.com

Tersa

Talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. You could always contact a program called First Steps to evaluate her speech development. They are a federally funded program found in all states. They work with children until the age of 3. They are a great program and offer a variety of resources. Your pediatrician should have the information regarding First Steps. If the dr doesn't have the info, look them up on-line to get the contact numbers for your area.

M P,

My son was also born prematurely and is now 17 months old. Our peditrician does ask at every visit if he's talking yet, so at his 15 month visit, we asked if we should be concerned that he's not talking. He told us that if he's not saying discernable words by age 2, then he would recommend some kind of intervention. He also told us that prematurity doesn't have much to do with it by this age, because premies catch up pretty quickly.

That's just been our experience so far. My advice would be to consult with your peditrician and let him/her suggest what the right path is for your daughter.

Good luck!
R.

M., When does your daughter see her pediatrician next for her yearly check up? Ask her doctor. I would be very surprised if her doctor did not write her up for a speech therapy evaluation. If she hasn't started to put at least 2-3 words together fairly clearly in the next few months, I would get her evaluated. S.

My son was not a preemie and he didn't talk until way after 2 years old. He didn't have a need to -- he had an older brother and sister to do the talking for him. The doctor told us to quit having them talk for him and eventually he came around and started talking. Talk with your doctor. They can do tests such as a hearing test to make sure her hearing is fine, but if she can understands you then I think it is fine too. It just might take her a little longer. My younger son is now 5 and will talk your ears off! Not everyone understands him, but as long as I do that is fine!

My son was also a premie and had a speech delay. They should have some words by the time they turn 2. In fact, if I remember correctly, they should be just starting a few 2-word phrases at that point. Speech therapy worked wonders for my son. I know that some people say don't worry about it, that she might just be a late talker, but I am glad we did not put it off. The older they are when they start therapy (if they do need it), the longer it will take them to catch up. It really can't hurt to do it. Good Luck!

She should be developing some words at this point even if she was a preemie. I'm not sure where you live, but if it's in KY they have a free program called First Steps for children under three. They can evaluate her in your home for free. If they do determine she has speech delays they can provide speech play therapy in your home as well for a small fee (we're talking 5-7.00 a visit). It is a government sponsored program to give children who need it a little extra assistance before they get to school age. Even if you're on the fence, get her evaluated just to ease your mind...it's free, so nothing to lose. If she does have delays, then you know you did what you could to identify it and get it corrected.

Good luck!

http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_e...

Easter Seals is great with helping all family's with children birth to 3 years find early intervention help. Depending on your income some of their services will be free. Visit the link and read their Early Intervention pages then plug in your zip code and state and find an Easter Seals in your area to call.

MP,
My daughter was a premie, she didn't really talk well until she was 4 and then only I could understand her. She is 8 now and has had speech therapy evey year since pre school and now this next year, I will be holding her back in second grade in order for her to catch up with speech and maturity. They may not test her for another year but you can talk to the ped about it and see what he/she thinks.

Good luck.

E.