My son is almost 3, has all his teeth, and is still drooling, sometimes worse then he did when he was teething

Question

He will be 3 in november, and has his full set of teeth, molars included... he is in a program called *child find* here in denver, to help him with developmental delays. He has caught up totally on his motor and fine motor skills, but still is lacking improvement in verbal and non verbal communication. He isn't talking yet, although he does say a few works (e.g momma, dadda, banana, birdie, doggie, georgia(auntie) ) But nothing extensive, and no 2 word sentences.

(on a side note he does start preschool @ the end of august, he qualified for the fact that hes not talking, and needs a push me up on his communication skills)

Any tips or pointers?

I believe he is drooling more now then he did when he was actually teething. I sometimes wonder if his drooling is linked to his speech delays, but his drs say that's not the case cus he can blow things, he tries to whistle, has wonderful movements while opening and closing his mouth, and hes been drinking from a straw for ages now

Answer 1

it seems like you've done a lot of research and talked to a lot of different doctors and as a mother you probably want only the very best for your son - i understand that.  have you ever just thought about the fact that all kids do things in their own time, some slower, some faster?  if he's not exactly bang "on schedule" with his speaking etc, maybe he's just taking longer to get things sorted out in his own head.  my advice would be - don't push so hard.  enjoy your son for who he is, encourage him to be happy rather than brilliant.  then his own brilliance will come in time.  pushing him might just make him feel inadequate and miserable.  i know - it took me years of therapy to realize i wasn't a constant disappointment to all and sundry!  good luck!

Answer 2

it sounds like an oral apraxia type thing. My son's SLP says that that is the first thing she thinks of when she sees a child that age who still drools. She is pretty sure that my son (also 3 in november) has verbal apraxia...he doesn't drool, but he has only been talking for about 2-3 months, and his enunciation is still bad. He will be screened for preschool later on this month. feel free to e-mail me later for more details. it sounds like our boys are very much alike.

part of the test for apraxia (both verbal and oral) is kind of an oral-motor work out. can your son: stick his tongue out? point it from one corner of his mouth to the other? point it up? point it down? blow raspberries? puff his cheeks full of air? My son can only stick his tongue out and blow raspberries. He has almost no lateral (side to side) movement in his tongue, and he cannot l**k his top lip or his bottom lip. He also cannot puff his cheeks full of air.

sign language has been a lifesaver for us. My son was so frustrated with his lack of communication . Within weeks of learning his first signs he was using them to communicate his wants/needs. Check with his EI coordinator from child find and see if he has a budget for equiptment. My son got $200 worth of sign language DVDs---a series called "signing time" and he still has about $500 that we are trying to figure out how to spend...I think I have figured out how to spend all but about $70 of it.

Answer 3

I have heard that drooling is associated with speech delays as well. I have  an almost 2 1/2 year old that is just going in for evaluation with child find (denver area too) as she barely talks so I've seen that symptom come up in research.

Normally when it's related to a speech delay (problems with the muscles in the mouth or tongue) it also causes problems eating, drinking, and other things that you say he's been tested for and can do. I do have this link bookmarked about drooling written by a person who describes a similar situation as yourself - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Don't know why I have that bookmarked as my kid doesn't drool... probably because I bookmark everything :)

Best of luck to you and your son.  

Answer 4

what do the dentist and pediatrician have to say???