Should my daughter be put in speech therapy?

Question

She's four and still can't pronounce "R"s. It sounds like she says our cat's name is "Noah" instead of "Nora." Frustrating for all, but will she learn on her own or should I go ahead and put her in speech therapy?

Answer 1

It's really up to you.  If you have time to sit and work with her, then I would try yourself.  My son is 2 and cannot pronounce S's or P's...I try to work with him a little bit each day.  If you prefer to put her into speech therapy, it would benefit her also.  I may have to put my son into speech therapy, I just wanted to try first, before I have to pay for therapy.  Good Luck!

Answer 2

I had a little cousin also four at the time, who could not say his R's at all. He was evaluated by a speech therapist in my family and was told that it was nothing to worry about, he would grow out of it. He is now five and speaks perfectly clear including his R's. I know that every child is different but I don't see a cause for concern at this time. However, if you are really concerned talk to your pediatrician and request a referral to a speech therapist, or just call a local facility and set up a speech evaluation with a speech therapist there. Good luck.

Answer 3

if shes four I presume shes in school or nursery of some sort - so the first thing to do would be discuss it with her teacher there and see if they think she has a problem.  If they do then consult your doctor and ask him if she/he thinks your child needs to see a speach therapist.

Answer 4

My daughter has trouble with "V" and it sounds like "B"...I lub you daddy, but she'll figure it out in time, and as often as I correct her, I think she'll get it. She has been speaking quite well, and enunciating, since she was a little over 1 year old.

In fact, the other night she was working on her "V"s and getting the teeth/ lip thing down just fine.

I wouldn't sweat it, if it keeps up in kindergarten, grade school, and being around other children, as doesn't pick it up, then you might consider speech therapy.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I am in the same situation - my daughter is almost 5 and can't pronounce R.  also, she sometimes sticks her tongue out when pronouncing S and it sounds like TH.  She is going to Kindergarten this September and I hope she will either grow out of it or teachers will tell me what to do.  But I still think 4 is too early for speech therapy...  :)

Answer 6

Yes, by now she should be able to say Nora.  My brother was held back in Kindergarten for this exact reason!

Answer 7

r's are in the phonetic class called  "liquids", along with l's they are some of the toughest letters for kids to pronounce. i would say work on correcting her yourself for a bit, it takes time for kids to get these sounds. if by age 5 she's still having trouble i would say for sure its time..but shes in the stage now where shes still picking up nuances of language..her vocabulary is still expanding and shes most likely beginning now to pick up pronunciation. model correct sounds for her and give her verbal praise for correct pronunciations, a sort of behavioral approach of reinforcements. good luck!

Answer 8

Too soon to tell ..see what the experts say

Answer 9

Talk to a speech therapist and see what they think.  Sometime children have they  way of figuring things out.

Answer 10

I would have her assessed before making that decision. It may be that she just needs a little more time to learn the sound..after all, it is kind of a difficult sound to make and not one where the child can watch how you shape your mouth because it is all in your throat.

If you get her assessed they will be able to tell you if she needs assistance.

Answer 11

Well, my friend is a speech pathologist and she said no--the "R" sound is one of the last to develop. If she's still not saying it by the end of kindergarten, the school will give her speech as a pull out program.

Answer 12

I think that if that is her only problem, she should just learn on her own. I have seen children who are five and six and still can't say their r's. It's just a difficult sound to make for younger kids. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I guess just work on it with her a bit. Like when you say something with an R sound make the R really pronounced. Good Luck!

Answer 13

I think she will learn on her own- if you have the ability, just try to work with her and pronounce "r" words, maybe flash cards- she just may get the idea.

Answer 14

I think age four is just a little too young to start worrying about her speech development...not saying not to stay aware of it...but that's usually something the school will pick up on immediately once she begins Kindergarten or first grade.

I had a hard time with R's and L's when I was a young child, never had speech therapy, and my speech is perfect today, so give it a little more time before you come to any conclusions!

Answer 15

I think they wait until the childs 8th birthday to correct this-if it still exists.  Each state's law is different.  The school can't legally say anything to the parent until the child has reached a certain age for that particular letter.

Answer 16

no she might just not learn as fast as others

Answer 17

I had a similar problem when I was younger. I was replace the R sound with a W in most words. Such as "dwesser" instead of "dresser"

I remember going to speech therapy in 2nd grade, which is when I moved from NY to NC. I'm not sure why I wasn't put into it sooner, but its possible that my first school didn't offer it. So I was about 7 when I finally recieved help to correct my problem and my speech is great now! So I don't think you should worry just yet.

Answer 18

don't ignore the situation. The earlier the speech therapist has the child, the quicker and easier it is to fix.

do not listen to those people who say she is just a 'late developer'.  oh and has nothing to do with IQ