My son's speech. What would you recommend?

Question

My 3 year recently started daycare for the first time. My aunt used to keep him. I am concerned that he doesn't speak as well as the other children. I have noticed a change in his speech and vocabulary since he has been there. I am concerned that he maybe labeled if this doesn 't change before he goes to school. He will be 4 this year. He is progressing but what are somethings that I can do as a parent to help his speech and vocabulary.

Answer 1

I had the same concern with both of my children. I'm sure you feel as though you are the only person that can understand your child. If you can identify what sounds your child is having trouble with, go with him and sit in front of a mirror. Show him what your mouth, tongue, teeth look like when you make that sound. Example: L sound=tip of tongue behind upper teeth. Also, most schools offer screening for children as early as age 3 to see if there is a need for Early Childhood services(my daughter went last week, she just turned 3). You could call your school district and see if you could bring your child in to be evaluated for speech.

Answer 2

Maybe you should try speech therapy. My mom's manager's son had a speech problem and he does speech therapy. It has helped him tremendously. Another thing you can try is when you speak to him use words he may not know and explain it to him, and if it is an object point at the object when you say it. This way he would be familiar with it and use the term toward the object himself. Both choices may take sometime but they are worth a try, not only alone but at the same time. For speech therapy contact your insurance or your community board or center or whatever program you think may have that type of therapy. It is also good to inform the school you plan to send him to about what you consider to be a speech impairment in him, so they can tell you what actions or steps you should take.

Answer 3

You said you've noticed a change in your son's speech and vocabulary. I'm assuming it's changed for the worse. This might be a sign of a hearing loss, and I would suggest you make an appointment with an audiologist. If you feel that he has a speech delay , contact your school district, and they can have an SLP evaluate him, and start services if necessary. Remember, catching any problems early is the key, and if he does have a delay, it's best to deal with it now. I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 4

I would not do any thing, my grand son went to kindergarten with a little problem with his speech and he is doing fine now. some of the words example were th= f ch=sh , they correct them self with these little problems, especially after hearing other kids pronounce them. Another thing, when my son was five he wasn't pronouncing things right and the dr. said to leave him alone, "it could cause a mental block if you nag him about it" They will test your son before he goes to school and will let you know then what if anything should be done. Now and then it wouldn't hurt to correct him but, don't make it a habit. You may cause him a complex where he won't want to talk. My grandson's teacher told my daughter in law that all the kids in kindergarten at his class goes in to speech for a while and he didn't have to go. He corrected him self.

Answer 5

To put your mind at ease, just contact your local public school system. Let them know that you think your child might be developmentally behind in his language abilities and a speech-language pathologist will evaluate him. They will determine whether he needs speech therapy or if he is in the normal range. This would definitely make you feel better about the situation. It is free, so why not. Also, if he does end up showing signs of a developmental language delay, they will offer him speech services free of charge through the school. Just at least check it out so you can be sure.

Answer 6

When your child says something wrong correct him by saying it correctly he will repeat it unconciously. If his speech is noticeable getting worst, than I suggest consulting your pediatrician to rule out any other factors like speech impediments, or hearing problems that may have flared up.
Perhaps he is mimicing a friend in school also. Just monitor and watch him, if he responds to the correction than it is probably just a phase.

Answer 7

Most four year olds do have a problem sounding out their words. This is normal and very common. You should use phonics with him so he understands how the word sounds. You should also make him aware of the short and long sounds of each letter. This will help him form the words with his mouth so he will be able to pronounce each letter correctly. Thank you and may GOD bless.

Answer 8

I would talk to his preschool teacher. See if she sees any delay in his speech. Then, if there is a delay, look around for a good speech therapist and get him started now. It doesn't hurt to ask, and it doesn't hurt to get a little help. Good luck!

Answer 9

i have a 4year old grand son first when they moved back we couldn,t really uner stand him he still has trouble saying things but what i am doing is when he wants some thing he has to ask for it like he couldn,t say milk now he can i work with him every day i some times point out things and he learning to say them his doing a lot better . work with your son buy flash cards or like his little cars ask him what it is and his other toys not that hard to help him and you can make up games to help him but if he gets made don,t get up set take a break from it you can even do it with out him knowing you are teaching him

Answer 10

Sound out words clearly and have him repeat the sounds back to you. If you don't have the Leap Frog DVDs, it's a fantastic learning tool for the phonetic sounds. Talk back to him. In other words, if he says "I had a good day today!" Say, "You had a good day today? I am happy to hear that!" Mirroring is a great way for him to learn.