2.5 year old with speech/language issues

[lynnesg]

Today I took my DD in to the pediatrician because she has, what appeared to me to be, speech and language delays. Everyone around me would give the ''my kid didn't talk til 3 bit'' but I just knew there was something else. She not only has trouble talking in general, but she parrots people when they ask her questions (repeats some of what they say) without an answer. She can answer me yes and no questions, but with strangers or people she is unfamiliar with, she freezes. I hope you can understand, that I am absolutley crushed right now. I always knew she wasn't where she should be, but the pediatrican wants me to have her assessed for developmental delays and also to go to an SLP. I can't stop crying, I just want to know what's wrong. Could she be autistc? Could she have a proccessing disorder? HELP! I have no one to talk to.

[mom2reenie]

My thought of mind is

--if you felt she had a physical ailment, you would treat her somehow and if needed a specialist would go to them

--same with speech.  Peds aren't trained to diagnose speech problems, they can just recommend further testing

Getting a child assessed doesn't mean they will need services or even have a delay (here in Illinois there has to be a 30% delay for early intervention services, so just because a child is delayed doesn't mean they qualify for services). 

Well meaning friends and family have always said "oh, they'll start talking" or "my child was a late talker and look at them now" and that's fine, but IMO it doesn't hurt any for them to receives the extra services.  I'd rather get them services and find out later they didn't really need it, than not get them services and find out later they really did need it.

Another great thing is if she does need services, they will help with the transition to the 3+ program in your area.

[quaz]

deleted

Edited by quaz - 5/25/11 at 10:34am

[Emmeline II]

Quote:Originally Posted by quaz 

First, take a deep breathe before you panic.

As the PP mentioned, a doctor is fairly generic, and for more speciality items, all he can recomnend are specialists to look at items. It doesn't mean she has an issue. You are at the exact same point you were before you talked to your pediatrician, except you are now going to have a specialist really answer your questions and address your concerns. 

I am a strong believer in mommy gut instinct, but I also know it can be a bit off.

I think before your mind jumps to conclusion, is she showing any issues other than speech? Is she showing any signs of autism?  There are a wide variety of speech disorders, that can be serviced by SLP's, and that doesn't necessarily mean larger issues.

  

A pediatrician that wants to refer you to a specialist is much better than one who says that you are imagining things! or keeps saying "let's wait and see" while the child could have been getting early intervention.

[LoriAtYCT]

Hi there - I'm an SLP and I just wanted to say that people posting above are spot on.

You yourself knew that something wasn't as it should be, and your pediatrician is respecting your concerns and getting your daughter to the people who can figure out what's going on, and help if there are things that need attention.

There's a really wide array of things that can be going on. Really, truly huge - so let your SLP, and OT, or your developmental specialist, or whoever your MD recommended - spend time with you and your little girl and get to the root of what's going on.

Because what you want at the end of the day is tools to help. That's what we always want when our kids are struggling - whether there's a diagnosis that accompanies it or not. 

Love and good thoughts for you!

[lynnesg]

I had her evaluated, and to my complete surprise, she tested at the 30-33 month range across the board! Speech, emotions, fine and gross motor skills, everything was fine. I am just so surprised. Also the SLP explained that parroting at her age (30 mos) is at its peak. She explained she is probably parroting because she doesn't know the right answer or is nervous. I am so glad I didn't wait and took her in when I did. It's off to preschool now!

[Emmeline II]

Great! Now you know and have a baseline for any future concerns. I'd make sure you Dr. gets a copy of the report.

I reread your OP and noticed what you said about "freezing." My son still does that a bit (at 7yo) and the dev. ped said that it was anxiety. It seems normal to me that a 2.5 year old would be a bit anxious when questioned by strangers or people she doesn't know well .