Speech problems for 7 year old???

Question

I have a son with an articulation problem. He was tested when in pre-k but no problem found since at that age most kids are not able to make certain sounds.Tested again in kinder and found out that in fact he was no able to make sounds according to his age so he was put in speech classes and he is doing great. My questions are: could this be a hereditary condition since it runs in my family?? (little brother couldn't talk until after he was five and had speech classes too) Also is it because I'm not a native english speaker and I know I don't make all the sounds associated with each word and he pick it up from me??

Answer 1

yes it usually runs in the family, but I'm not sure its a genetic issue. And yes, he may have picked it up from you. Some kids who are exposed to a second language at home have a harder time understanding the english language at school, and if you have a really hard accent, that might be a little harder. BUT, it shouldn't affect his academics

Answer 2

This is not a genetic condition.The only reason these things seem to run in families is because it is quite common for kids to have problems with articulation.

Your little brother likely had a language acquisition delay and/or disorder since he didn't talk until he was 5. This may or may not be accompanied by articulation problems, but not usually.

I doubt he picked it up from you. He's had other speech models, as well. Teachers, TV and adults and teens fill this need, too.

Answer 3

It could be possible he picked it up from you.  My friend had the same problem  in grade school because her mom spoke Greek in the home, and she wasn't able to do certain sounds. Speech therapy helped, and now that she is an adult she has no problem with her speech.

Answer 4

It could be both.  There is def. a genetic link and what the child hears also affects speech (such as an accent)

I have seen both.

I am a speech-language pathologist

Answer 5

Children do mimic the sounds that they hear. That is how they learn to talk AND it could be hereditary.

Answer 6

sounds hereditary to me but dont worry cos with a little help am sure he will be fine,

Answer 7

Have you ever considered dyslexia? Delays in learning speech can sometimes be an indicator.