My 3 yr old boy still not talking. Anyone else been through this? Kind of feeling like the lone ranger. Been through CDSA, and now JC Schools Preschool. Am on waiting list for NC TEACCH. Anyone with advise? Feeling very stressed.
Is he in early intervention for the speech delay? If not, get him in for sure. If there is NO hearing impairment detected, then further testing may be needed. From my understanding, NC TEACCH only deals w/ Austism. There are many other places that will do a variety of testing to find the specific cause of the speech delay. One place is at UNC. Went there for one of my kids but mine was for a research study. I honestly can't remember the name of the place though. Best place to start first though is EI. Go from there. Also, keep in mind some kids are just very late talkers. My sister didn't utter not even a sound until she was 2.5yo. I have a 5yo still not talking but his is due to Deafness. However, I have a 12yo w/ speech impediments and delays. Your son will do fine w/ you advocating this early for him. BTW, do NOT take no for an answer and always go w/ your gut instincts. I can't tell you how many times I was told I was an "over protective or over-reactive parent." Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. I have many kids that receive a variety of services. Don't know if I could help but I may know where to look. Best wishes, Stephanie--mom to 7
I have 3 boys, and none of them were early talkers...my oldest was 2 years, 8 months when I put him in a mothers morning out program, and that's when he finally started talking. Even though I did talk to him all the time at home (really, I did, I had no one else to talk to at the time, I was a stay at home mom!), I still think it's because he didn't have anyone else his age around to talk to...I remember he was 2 before he even said mama. It is is nerve wrecking, and this was 8 years ago, when the "autism craze" was just starting, so I was very nervous, but he turned out fine. But it was funny, because there was no baby talk, nothing in-between, he went from nothing, to everything all at once. My 3rd child is now doing the same exact thing. He'll be 3 next month, and this past year he was in the same mother's morning out program...he went the whole, entire year without saying a single word in class. He went two days a week, every week, and the only thing they heard him say was "mama!" when I went in to pick him up. Then all of a sudden in June, he started talking up a storm. They're not going to believe it's the same kid when I take him back in September! So my point is, don't get too frustrated. They may not find anything wrong at all. You should be able to tell without a doctor if your child can hear...so you can probably rule that out. Don't feel like the lone ranger, I've been through it twice! If you need someone to talk to, or have any questions, you can PM me! One question - is this your first/only child?
I gotta agree with Abdu... get him into some kind of programs but you work with him too. My child was late inn speaking too. I made it too easy for her they told me. MAke her say and use her words. Don't give him the cookie until she says cookie - (ahhh provided he can, of course). don't give him the ball untill he says ball. He will then realize if you want something you must ask for it. Don't withhold hugs and encouragement, though. I did this under the guidance of a speech therapist for about four months. She hasn't shut up since. Good luck - and don't worry!
Thanks for all the responses. We have had his hearing tested and everything is fine. From 12-16 months we went through cronic ear infections. Finally at 16 mon, we had first set of tubes. One week later he started walking, then running. So i know in his formative months he could not hear what we were saying. But since the tubes, he can hear fine. It bothers me that he should be saying SOMETHING. There are no words. We talk to him all the time, sing songs, you name it. His ENT of course threw the Autism word to me and i broke down, but have now come to terms, that is why we are on the waiting list with TEACCH. I guess we want to rule out everything to find something. The early inervention started 10/07. He started preschool this past April two days/week andreally had a lot of progression. He started crying sitting in our lap the entire day to kissing the teacher g-by when he leaves. He is the most loving child and of course he is my boy so I could just eat him he is so sweet. His older sister is 9. He follows commands really well and now we are trying to start potty training. We just pray everyday we will hear that little voice come out. We are hangin in.
Keep your chin up. You are doing what you can and the answers will come. Teacch is great, they will help point you in the right direction. Have you tried any sign language? Sometimes with a speech delay, being able to communicate takes the pressure off and helps! Good luck, love your baby and breath deep. You will find your answers and be able to help your darling soon.
We have tried sign language,but he didn't respond to well. He likes pointing to what he wants, and of course we are enabling him by giving him what he wants. I have heard many great things about teacch. Maybe they will help us soon.
Your son's timeline sounds almost exactly like my now 4 yo sons. He had tubes and his hearing tested at 12mos due to ear infections and him not responding to his name or loud sounds. He did not walk until 15mos and up until then he scooted on his bottom. at 18mos he was still non verbal and his dr sent us to EI which he recvd until age 3. He is also in JOCO public pre-school/ headstart currently. We went to TEACCH when he was around 3 and I left that meeting more upset and confused than when I walked in as they basically blew me off. I hope your appointment goes well and you get the answers you need. But if not please do not give up if your are still concered about your son- ask your son's dr about a referal to Dr Lynn Wegner- Developmental and behavior dept at UNC hospitals. We had one interview and one evaluation at UNC and on the 3rd appointment we finally got a dx of autism, which I knew was the case along. Getting an dx of autism is hard to cope with but I was so relieved as we now know for sure what the problem is. If you need anymore info or need to talk please feel free to pm me. also The JOCO chapter of the Austism Society of NC meets on the 4th Saturday of every month at the C3 Church in the Cleveland area from 10am- 12pm. Child care is available during the meeting and light snacks are provided. We would love to see you there. You can get lots of good info from other parents going through the same thing. The next meeting has been changed it will now be on Saturday August 30th.
