I have a 4 year old boy that isn’t anywhere near the speech level that he should be. He had a brainwaves test that was inconclusive and has an appointment with the nurologist next week. My pediatrician has also mentioned a developmental pediatrician he could see. He is in the public school system, but the teacher and the speech-path are both perplexed. I’d like to know if anyone out there has been down this path and if there are any do’s or don’ts that I should watch out for.
Re: 4 year old that doesn't talk
Don’t discount the possibility that, with sufficient time and remediation, he may learn to talk nicely. I had an expressive language deficit as a preschooler which delayed my acquisition of speech, yet with help, I did eventually learn to talk. (I was considerably delayed, however. I didn’t begin to speak in sentences till I was three, and I still used baby talk when I was five. So I did learn to speak, but not on schedule.)
Yours truly,
Kathy G.
Sara wrote:
>
> Sounds like my older son. He proved ultimately to have a
> language-based learning difference and dysnomia - or the
> inability to retrieve the names of things or word retrieval.
>
> He’s never been very verbal but over the years - and with
> some help - he talks. We were fortunate enought to find a
> wonderful preschool that was receptive to his presence and in
> his early years a few good teachers who were patient with his
> differences. An excellent speech/language pathologist also
> worked with him.
>
> An important question to ask is if he seems to understand
> everything that’s said to him and if the issue seems only to
> be his expressive - not receptive- language. One or both,
> working with a speech language pathologist couldn’t hurt.
>
> Good luck.
Re: 4 year old that doesn't talk
Our son doesn’t talk either. He started talking after we tried dietary intervention and some supplements from Dr. Block in Hurst, TX. She specializes in learning disabilities. Her experience with her own daughter taught her that many learning disabilities are the result of food allergies and can be alleviated. I can truly say that we have made more progress than any doctor ever thought possible. We saw a neurologist as well and he thought we were crazy to try the diet intervention, but it worked. Check out gfcfdiet.com. It is for autism but there are many members who are not autistic and are speech delayed who have found this diet to be very helpful. Also look for other signs of food allergies such as temper tantrums, red cheeks or ears, runny nose, ear infections, rash on bottom, loose BMs, violent or aggressive, hyperactive, glued to the TV, not sleeping through the night.
Karen Rangel
TX
Re: 4 year old that doesn't talk
Thanks everyone for your thoughts. And Karen, I saw the nurologist today. He mentioned the diet possibility and considered it valid. Not all doctors are the same. He also said Nicholas seems happy and ajusted and that he’s better off than most with similar speech delays. Thanks again.
Sounds like my older son. He proved ultimately to have a language-based learning difference and dysnomia - or the inability to retrieve the names of things or word retrieval.
He’s never been very verbal but over the years - and with some help - he talks. We were fortunate enought to find a wonderful preschool that was receptive to his presence and in his early years a few good teachers who were patient with his differences. An excellent speech/language pathologist also worked with him.
An important question to ask is if he seems to understand everything that’s said to him and if the issue seems only to be his expressive - not receptive- language. One or both, working with a speech language pathologist couldn’t hurt.
Good luck.