Does anyone have a child that was a late talker.?

Question

My daughter will be 4 late November.She talks but it isn't very clear.Some words she says well but others you can't understand.Her doctor said not to taker her to a speech therapist until she is 4.I guess she wants to see if she will out grow it.She started daycare 3 months ago and I can tell she has improved.Before that she was with me everyday.Thanks

Answer 1

My neice is 6 and sometimes you still can't understand her. At age 4 she wasn't a great talker either. She had to learn how to speak clearly and sometimes that takes a while. She got much better when she started school. Being around other kids will help. Good luck.

Answer 2

my 19th month old still isnt talking i dont want to alarm you but my nephew is 10 and dont talk due to him ceing autistic

Answer 3

I am sorry, but this is honestly the time when you should seek early intervention.

**Keep in mind that although doctors are very knowledgeable, it is NOT within their scope of practice to determine whether or not a child has a speech/language delay. Many doctors will tell parents of non-verbal children to 'wait' until they reach a certain age or that they do not need therapy. You have valid concerns; therefore, at this point, you are your child's best advocate.**

If she is not intelligible (meaning, she's not being understood) most of the time, even by familiar listeners, speech therapy will be very beneficial. She is at the age where she is becoming aware of her speech patterns. The last thing anyone wants is to have a child who is already self-conscious about her speech.

Many children just don't 'grow out of it.' If she has phonological processes, they need to be addressed therapeutically. A 4-year-old child should be able to be understood 100% of the time.

Have you had her hearing checked? Does she suffer from frequent ear infections? A full audiological evaluation may also be warranted. A child who has suffered from ear infections could have fluid build up in her ear. If a child cannot hear the speech sounds well  (produced by adults and peers) then there is no way she will produce them accurately.

Answer 4

I thought the same thing about my son...I would say to keep her around other kids that talk ...I did that with my kids...I am not sure if you have a Moms group in your area but I got my kids invovled in one of those and as they played with the other kids.... had play dates ..played with there cousins ...I suppose just being around other kids that talk helped them to learn new words...I also read to them...My husband was told by someone before (not sure who) but that kids that don't read before kindergarden read on a different level than a child that started being read to before...most of them don't catch up...It was said that the gap never closes...I Believe that reading to them has helped with there talking and as I read to them I ask them to point out common things they should know ...like show mommy the hat ...or what color is that shoe.. before you know it they will be talking and showing you that they have put on there shoes...

Answer 5

I didn't talk until I was four and now I won't stop.

She is still a baby and her speech will improve soon, just don't repeat baby words, repeat words slowly and carefully. Have you had her hearing checked recently?

Answer 6

no. but my cousin didn't start talking until she was about 2 or 3