My son is having difficulty with his words, any tips?

Question

My son, William, is 3. He's obviously very bright and understands a great deal - for instance, he's just built a makeshift ladder and is using a tool to pull the biscuit tin towards him in order to steal chocolate.

He's not progressing in speech, however, even though we know he understands complex sentences. He can say a few words (daddy, mummy, bikkit {biscuit}, me, my, cushion, doggy etc) but his vocabulary is very limited for his age and he cannot form sentences.

We play a game where I pretend to be asleep and he steals the cushion and today he did say "My cush" which was not only really cute but also gratifying.

I work a lot with him with flashcards, word games, miming words as I speak them, association games, anything I can think of.

Does anyone have any games they play or any tips for how I can better help him get to grips with the sounds?

We've considered that he may be tongue-tied but we've been waiting for a paediatrician for a long time and we're eager to help him.

Thanks all,

Pax,

Ape

Answer 1

have u checked his hearing?

Answer 2

Aww, it's okay sweetie.  Your child is still very young.  Just keep on working with him... talk to him as if he was a little older, in other words, don't use any baby talk!  You are doing the right thing, keep up the good work!  Your child will get better!

And also, in schools and pre-schools they have speech therapy... he might be able to qualify for that help.

Answer 3

with your son being three i would go see a specalist most kids do catch up at about three and i think it will be one of the only ways to see if he is not talking because he has great parents to anticipate all his needs or if he really does have an underlining problem but bring him soon because the eairlyer you start the better it is with speech development

Answer 4

I would definitely get him in to see a speech therapist as soon as you can. Everything you are doing is great, you sound like a really good mom, but he should be speaking more at his age, and probally needs to see a professional. Please don't take offense, just giving my advice. Best of luck!

Answer 5

I know that every doctor says don't let your children watch TV but my son had the same problem and when he started watching good children's programs he started talking so much. I think shows like Wonder pets and those kind of shows help him understand what different words are. Good luck and just keep working with him.

Answer 6

AS already mentioned...check his hearing...regardless of how bright he may be, IF he can't hear well his speach cannot develop normally.

Answer 7

maybe William doesn't like flash cards..or word games. try music, sing with him, dance with him! it's fun and i believe by singing it will make him learn words and by memorizing the lyrics help him expand his vocab bank. if you still have more doubts about his ability, then perhaps seeking help from a paediatrician will ease your mind.

Answer 8

I think that since he is 3 years old, he is going to be just fine, keep doing what you're doing. The best thing to do for a child that is developing their speech is to always speak to them as if they were an adult, no "baby talk" allowed. Also, read to him as much as possible! Kids love to be read to and it does so much for their vocabulary.  

Answer 9

send him to a speech pathologist to see if they think it is a problem

When you read to him point out the sentences with your finger and see if he can repeat it

Answer 10

take him to speech therapy, I know someone who told me that their friend's son didn't say one word up to age 4 and then one day the were all sitting around the dinner table and the little boy said: "Would you please pass my the rolls?". so just to let you know, he will understand and talk at his own pace and I wouldn't even  consider autism because he seems  REALLY creative and smart.

Answer 11

In order of priority:

1.  See the medical professional.  If he is tongue-tied, it's better to get it done as soon as possible.

2.  Determine if your area has schooling for 3 year-olds.  If so, request an assessment by the on-site speech therapist.  If not, look for a speech therapist (should be recommended by your pediatrician if there's a problem).

3. Try to motivate him by offering favorite activities and feigning ignorance if he doesn't communicate as well as he can.  Keep rewarding fuller and fuller sentences with trips to the park, ice cream, etc.

4. Last, just keep in mind that every child develops at their own rate.  If the pediatrician finds no problems, then just continue to motivate the child toward speech and the explosion of words should happen very soon.

-Trozzur

Answer 12

Well I'm sure that continuing these exercises will surely help.

Hopefully these sites can help you out and get some more info and I certainly recommend the paediatrician just in case. Best of luck!

http://helpforkidspeech.org/questions/in...

Answer 13

First, I'm going to try to find you a link to this GREAT article I found, which might help.

Second, to give you a heads up, here are some of the highlights of the article I read, that I feel make a big impact on this situation:

*some places in Europe don't even begin to teach boys to read until they are around the age of 7, because boys really do progress much slower than girls.

*you're not alone

*it could be genetic - this woman's son had extra skin, like her husband. her hub never had it clipped and was fine, but she cut the boy's skin anyway (had it done by a pro, anyway), and he didn't start talking. also, her brother had had speech problems growing up.

*procedures, such as clipping the skin beneath the tongue and getting tubes in the ears don't make a guarantee that your son will talk.

*sign language will be helpful in the meantime

*just because they went to speech therapy, didn't mean it made their son talk, however he did form great bonds with others.

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My friend is going through this same problem. I thought I was for a while. My son doesn't say anything, but every blue moon, I'll catch him trying to say something.

My daughter is two and can barely put sentences together for other people. I have to be a translator, and I don't always understand what she's saying.

I've met kids that I can barely understand, or who barely talk, between the ages of 2 and 4, and I've met a little girl, age 2, who could talk like an adult (amazing?!).

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I just want to say some supportive and encouraging things:  you're on the right track. You're doing well, and there's nothing wrong with your son. As long as you're proud and encouraging him, he feels that about himself. When you feel like there's something wrong with him, because he's not developing as fast as you'd like him to in areas, he feels like there's something wrong with him. It might be discouraging.

In the meantime, you can talk to your pedia about it. You can also go to a Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist and see what they'd have for you, since they specialize in that area. They'll be able to test his hearing and his mentality, and possibly recommend you to a Speech Therapist if need be.

Don't be so hard on yourselves. You're doing a good job from what it reads.

Best wishes. God bless.

Answer 14

First of all don't worry too much about it I know some  children who didn't speak a lot until they were 3, and later they were very good students.Actually I know one boy who is extremely gifted , but nobody could understand what he was saying until he was 3 1/2.  However make sure that somebody reads to him every day at least one hour!!!, get him involved in the book, ask him questions, make him name objects etc. Read to him short, simple books  over and over again.He will start to repeat them . Books should be always around him. Take him to the bookstore , let him choose his own books Encourage responses from him, always pay attention when he tries to talk to you even though you can't understand him.Of course it won't hurt to evaluate him by a speech therapist.

Answer 15

Wow.  My 2 year old can do all that, he did all of that half a year ago...  Are you sure he isn't qualified for early intervention?  Talking to him one on one will help the most, taking him out to expose him to situations where he is exposed to new ideas/thoughts/words would help, especially if it's stuff he is interested in.  Being a boy, I expect all things that go are interesting - so take him to a construction site and talk about all of it, get books on big machines and read them to him.  If he wants something at home, like a meal or a drink, make him say the word before he gets whatever it is.  Encourage him to say his words at all times.  Name his emotions for him.  Name everything, even if he is tongue tied he can sound words out and while other's might not get it you will (and so will he).  

That being said, don't be too hard on him.  Einstein didn't talk until he was 4 years old, talking isn't everything and if you think he is very intelligent he surely might be.  Just encourage him to try!

Answer 16

it sounds like it may be an apraxia or aphasia issue to me. I am no pro, but my youngest has been struggling to overcome what we are pretty sure is apraxia for the last 6-12 months. he only knew 10 words at 24 months old, and was not combining words at all. He got speech therapy and has made great progress.

I think it is time to teach him some basic signs so he can communicate with you and be understood. The words that he learns signs for will be the first words that he says verbally. My son still signs and says (at the same time) his colors, and basics like thirsty and hungry. he also knows words like please, thanks, and sorry.

If you are interested, I have a very good article on developmental verbal apraxia that I can e-mail you as an attachment. All you need to do is send me your regular e-mail address. the YA secure e-mail does not allow for attachments.