My son will be 3 in a month and a half and can not speak well at all what am I doing wrong?

Question

My son is almost 3 and you can not make out hardly any words that he says. I have been reading to him his whole life. I have been making him slow down and say the whole sentence word at a time to ask me something but once I tell him to say it all at once it comes out a big mumble of a word. I do not know what to do. Has any one else had this problem and what do you do to help?

Answer 1

Your state likely has a free program for assessing toddlers' development.

Check this list: http://www.coping.org/links/statecon.htm - call and ask one of the programs in your state for an "early intervention program." They will either help you or give you a number for an early intervention program. When you call them, ask them what you need to do to get your child assessed by a professional speech pathologist. Once again, your state probably has a free program, so there is no harm in checking.

There is likely nothing wrong, but you are right to get him checked out. Blessings to you and best of luck!

Answer 2

I have the same problem with my son. Quite likely, there is nothing wrong with you or his intelligence. There is enough guilt in a mother's life without creating more :). I would suggest that you take him for a hearing test as step 1. My son was hearing 98% which is excellent. The problem is that he used to breath so loudly, that all he heard the whole day was his own breathing. The test is simple and painless and the results are usually immediate.

If they do discover a problem with ius hearing, consider having tubes put in. It is a simple and relatively painless procedure, and can really mprove matters. Besides, if he does have problems which require tubes, he may have more permanent damage if it is not seen to.

Once you have done this, discuss speach therapy with your GP or child's doctor. It is possible that he has a muscular problem (been there!) or any other which is causing him to mumble. The therapist will also give you excersizes to do at home.

If he still has a pacifier, get rid of it. The kids learn how to talk around the pacifier, making for garbled words. My son is allowed his only at night.

Dont worry - hundreds of mothers have this problem, and there are so many amazing things out now which can help... GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

You are doing nothing wrong! There could be many reasons that your son may be having a hard time or it could just be nothing. You are doing the best by just being concerned and not ignoring it. That said, I would also caution against worrying too much or pushing him too hard. I agree with other answers that you should contact your pediatrician about your concerns. You can also look in your area for a "Parents as Teachers" program or something similar. This is a program through the local school districts that is designed to evaluate and monitor kids development before they turn 3. Once they turn 3 the school districts must step in directly to provide screenings and such. If there are any delays, they can get you hooked up with services (like speech therapy) that will help. Many of these services can be provided through the school districts at no or low cost to you. You should be able to contact your local school to get contact info for your local program. I've also listed the national website. Your son will probably not be able to enroll in Parents as Teachers due to his age but they should be able to get you in touch with the right people for the next stage.

Answer 4

Have him checked out by a doctor. They will run some hearing tests. Make sure they do one that's with words...not just the beeps. My son could hear the beeps, but the words he couldn't make out most of them in one ear. (They say a word through the earphones and they point to a corresponding picture).

I was the only one that could understand my son for the longest time. I was with a friend and she was just conversing with him let and right! I was amazed. I asked her how she did that and she replied that she "speaks" that language because of her son and his speech problems.

I think you can go to the elementary school and request that a profile be done. My son goes to speech therapy once a week at the public school (his older sisters attend there). They said he would be a "Houdini" - "Now you see him, now you don't" because they would pick it up so fast. I think he might, if needed, go for 30 minutes a week when he goes to Kinder next year.

You aren't doing anything "wrong". I commend you for reading to him and for being concerned.

But do have him checked out and see what your options are.

Answer 5

It would be good to speak with the pediatrician to get some insight as to whether or not the delay is in the normal range or not. My son had similar problems due to numerous ear infections. Here in PA with the recommendation of a pediatrician, counselors came out to the house and tested him and then provided speech therapy (all at no charge) until he tested in the normal ranges. Now my son is a happy, healthy 5 year old who talks non-stop.

Answer 6

I would check his hearing first.
Also,
I had a friend who's son didn't talk much, it was because he pointed and she got what he want. She didn't require him to talk. If you encourage him to talk, I would see what the Dr recommends.
Maybe there are speech/word games you can play with him.
All child development goes through stages it is important that he goes through every stage or he could have trouble elsewhere later in life. If his coordination and other skills are where they should be there may be nothing wrong. He may just take longer to develop in that area.
Don't panic, he is most likely just fine!

Answer 7

Have you tried teaching him speech. How to pronounce words? Try doing that for a one to two hours a day. He isn't just going to pick it up by listening to you. Plus if you do speak to him in "baby talk" stop! This can confuse them a lot! Studies have show that parents who do not use baby talk have children who learn to speak earlier and have a better grasp on language as a whole.
Some children just have trouble with this and actually need to seek professional help. Try teaching him yourself first. After that consult a pro.

Answer 8

My son will be 2 in August and can only put out 2 words. I'm in your boat. I don't know where you are from or about your helath insurance but I actually have a few people coming to my house tomorrow to meet with Justin and give him an assessment to see if there is a problem. Our insurance covers it all.

Answer 9

Make him ask you for stuff even if you know what he wants, make him say it. My sister in law's son was a late bloomer in the speach department too, but she was home with him all the time and knew his "language" so if he pointed and grunted she would just do what he asked instead of making him say the words. Also he wasn't in any type of daycare or around any other kids so he had no example to follow.

Answer 10

Not uncommon for boys to develop speech that slowly. When you have a girl you will see a huge difference as females literally have more developed language and speech areas of their brains than their male counterparts. Continue to speak and read to your son, but be patient.

His speech will develop much more rapidly around kids his own age that are talking. You will be surprised how quickly children pick things up from each other.