moonlight Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I have a two year old (turned 2 in beginning of November) who I can already see having problems saying some sounds. he doesn't do the "f" and "j" sounds. and I think there are a couple others that I can't recall right now... I want to have him tested, but i'm probably going to wait a few months...thinking 6-9 months..is that too long a wait? In the meantime, what could I try with him at home? Any online resources? or books I could order from bookdepository.com since they have free shipping here? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 There is a blog by a speech therapist mama that I used a little bit. I'll see if I can find it. She may even have age targets on there. I know that different sounds (or lack thereof) are considered normal development at different ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 looking at that site, he seems to be ok...the sounds that I am worried about don't seem to come til the age of 3 anyways..i'm hoping I am right.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilma Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 The j and f sounds aren't a big deal at this point - he probably has some substitute sound he uses? I'd wait until closer to 3 y/o to take a kid for an eval as long as he's communicating with you in a way that works. 3's are so much more capable of following directions that they're a lot easier to work with. On the other hand, if you don't understand what he's saying or if his articulation gets in the way of communication, go ahead and do a formal evaluation to help you get started, even if you intend to do the work at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Yeah, I'm with the others at looking at the charts for developmental norms. You might be ahead in expectations. Are you seeing other things overall like inability to blow bubbles, trouble retrieving words like names for things, using wrong words, frustration, missing other developmental milestones, low muscle tone, etc.? My ds started ST at newly 2, but he has verbal apraxia, a motor control problem where he wasn't even going to be able to talk without ST. I don't think they'd worry about articulation till later, much later. Call and talk with EI. Our EI had a booklet you could pull up showing the standards they'd look for. Basically they (EI) won't treat if you hit those standards, and I'm not sure private would either. You could call and ask. At newly 2, they're looking for a minimum of 50 words (which can include animal sounds) and overall increasing vocabulary. If you have that and normal motor control, I think it's anything goes. I don't think they quibble over particular sounds at 2, because it's developmental and takes time. But google for the age norms and see. Oh, and my boy didn't have those sounds till more like 4. They're sort of complex (motor control wise), and there are other things that come first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Talking Letter Factory DVD improved my son's speech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I am not criticizing, but why wait for an eval? Early intervention will do it for free. EI is for kids 0-3 so you don't want to waste time. Once he turns three then it is too late to start their services, but if you turn three while getting their services they can be extended until the end of August after they turn three. So, my son turned three in January and his services were continued through August when the school system took over. My friend decided to wait until after her son's third birthday and she had to wait until he was 4 and able to get services from the school system. When you say waiting 6-9 months, you are losing time. If you ask for an eval and they say he doesn't qualify you are free to ask for another one in 6-9 months. No harm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 I was going to wait 6-9 months because I am not in the US and I don't necessarily trust the system there. I wouldn't qualify for any of the programs there anyway really. At least I don't think I will? I am a US citizen, but not a resident these days...??? He has no other issues, just the 3 or 4 sounds and he is substituting "g" for "j" He is communicating fine. I wouldn't even had thought he had any issues, but a friend of mine mentioned that her kids did that particular substitution and it is in my head now that he might need speech therapy. I know her kids needed therapy, but I think they had bigger speech issues. My older 2 have not needed therapy at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 trust the system here, not there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted December 8, 2013 Author Share Posted December 8, 2013 Yeah, I'm with the others at looking at the charts for developmental norms. You might be ahead in expectations. Are you seeing other things overall like inability to blow bubbles, trouble retrieving words like names for things, using wrong words, frustration, missing other developmental milestones, low muscle tone, etc.? My ds started ST at newly 2, but he has verbal apraxia, a motor control problem where he wasn't even going to be able to talk without ST. I don't think they'd worry about articulation till later, much later. Call and talk with EI. Our EI had a booklet you could pull up showing the standards they'd look for. Basically they (EI) won't treat if you hit those standards, and I'm not sure private would either. You could call and ask. At newly 2, they're looking for a minimum of 50 words (which can include animal sounds) and overall increasing vocabulary. If you have that and normal motor control, I think it's anything goes. I don't think they quibble over particular sounds at 2, because it's developmental and takes time. But google for the age norms and see. Oh, and my boy didn't have those sounds till more like 4. They're sort of complex (motor control wise), and there are other things that come first. He has no issues with any of the above things you mentioned. He has at least a 40 word vocabulary, possibly 50 or more. I can think of 40 offhand. He is consistently exposed to two languages at home. His vocabulary is growing daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Articulation of a few specific sounds at that age is probably not cause for concern. My DS was in EI for gross motor issues and he doesn't say "l" and "r" properly--though those are very late sounds in language acquisition--and they were completely unconcerned when he was just over 2. (He is a few months older than your DS.) He tested out of EI in the summer and no longer qualifies. But I do like the website TeachMeToTalk.com, which is maintained by an SLP who specializes in toddlers. She has great ideas for play-based activities that parents can do at home. She does have a link about when 75% of kids have mastered certain sounds here: http://teachmetotalk.com/2009/08/31/speech-sound-development/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 He has no issues with any of the above things you mentioned. He has at least a 40 word vocabulary, possibly 50 or more. I can think of 40 offhand. He is consistently exposed to two languages at home. His vocabulary is growing daily. You're probably seeing some effect from the dual languages also. It can slow things down a bit. Add words in both languages and animal sounds, that sort of thing. And yes, if you look at that Teach Me to Talk site, she says what I was saying, that /j/ doesn't even start getting nailed till more like 4. It requires rounding (more motor control) and is much harder to do than /g/, which is why he's doing the substitution. My dd said /pish/ for fish for a while, and she never needed ST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 My boys' speech therapist (who is amazing) said that they should be 75% intelligible to strangers by about age four. I don't think I'd worry about a 2yo with trouble with those sounds quite yet; my own 2yo doesn't say all of the sounds quite correctly all of the time (although he is clearer than my 8yo and 5yo were at 2 -- and they did end up in speech therapy for a little while, starting at 7 and 4, respectively). I would go by whatever the developmental checklists say (our therapist gave me a little booklet with what to expect at each age, so I'd know whether to bring the two younger boys in or not, and I'm sure similar lists are online), but honestly, I don't think it hurt at all that we didn't take our older boys in as early as we possibly could have. I think being a little older was actually good (necessary, even) for DS1, because younger, he would have been very shy and reluctant, plus being older helped him to know that practicing was important. And DS2 just thought it was awesome because he got to go like his big brother, LOL. (He may actually go back in a year or two; she has him caught up to what's normal for his age, and she says that if certain sounds don't come in in a couple of years, we can bring him back in, but she thinks they will. His was a phonological thing more than actually being able to say the sounds -- he'd say them correctly but in the wrong places, like "tat" for "cat," even though he could say the hard "c" just fine if you asked him. Otoh, DS1 couldn't say certain sounds properly anyway.) Kids are so funny, though -- one of mine said, "foon and fork," and another said "soon and sork." :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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