LD Toddler

Our son started speech therapy at 15 months as well. They started him on sign language. He responded wonderfully and now can communicate complicated stories by acting them out. He is now 2 1/2 and just today said hello to someone he didn’t know. He can only say a few words so don’t hope that the speech therapy is going to catch him up. We also do a lot of dietary intervention as well as vitamin supp. and DMG which is supposed to help with speech. If you notice anything else like violent hyper behavior, red cheeks, runny nose, loose BMs etc, write them down. It is more than a learning disability. We were able to bring our child almost back to normal behavior with diet. We were told he would always be in special ed. Well, they were wrong. If you would like more info on the diet and such, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

Good Luck

I find some of this remarkable. Who told you this? Before I would pay for speech therapy, I would ask to observe a session was therapy was given to a child this young. Was it they say your son is not doing at 15 months that he should be? My own son was very delayed in his speech but other than doing exactly what you’re doing, reading and talking with him and generally trying to stimulate his speech and language growth, no one recommended formal speech or language therapy until he was at least three.

You could check out preschool programs. I put my language/speech delayed son in preschool very young and it was helpful. I had to find just the right preschool that would be understanding of his issues with language but the experience of being around other children and participating in the language-based activities had a positive impact on his speech.

Your son is really little. I wouldn’t conclude anything yet. That said, early intervention can’t hurt. I have two sons who had speech therapy as preschoolers. The oldest was 3 before we had him tested. I thought he was just a little slow to develop. He is now 8 and still has a host of LD kind of issues. The younger was almost 2 when the pediatrician insisted we have him tested. He qualified for speech therapy under a state program. The evaluators made similar comments about his attention span and thought he had sensory integration issues. We had the same speech therapist as we did for our older son. She told us that his speech was progressing normally albeit delayed and the studies show that such children (unlike our older son) don’t have long term problems. She also told us he was cognitvely advanced and didn’t have sensory integration problems. Remember that his play too was like a younger child.

He is now 4 and in preschool. He still has a horrid attention span and drives us nuts. He craves stimulation and is a risk taker. At preschool, he is an angel. His teacher tells us how good he is and how smart he is. (we are always sure she is talking about some other child) His language skills now are at least average.

Our son who will be 9 tomorrow was very speech delayed. Unfortunately, noone paid attention to me and my concerns until he was over 3 and it took until he was 4 to get testing speech therapy etc.

He has been in an ni class since K and is now in 3rd-going to 4th. He has continued with speech and speaks well has met above his bench marks and spells well.

Reading is going slowly for him but math is good. As far as I can tell when they start behind in speech it follows that other learning is delayed due to lack of understanding.

I hate to tell you but from our experience the baby will learn but there is no way of rushing the process.

According to the experts, the average baby can be expected to say what he or she means and mean what he says for the first time, anywhere between ten and fourteen months. A small percentage of children start a couple of months earlier and some, perfectly normal babies, don’t utter a single recognizable word until midway through their second year. Slow down when speaking to your child, this gives your child time to pick out the words, also speak clearly and simple words are best. Example, when changing a diaper say “now we’re going to to change your diaper - this is your diaper” as you hold up the diaper. Baby’s are not quiet ready for the reading of books but simple rhymes with vivid pictures often catch even a young toddlers attention. Do plenty of pointing out of single objects, animals, or people, then start asking “where is the dog”? you will be surprised when he points to spot. Simple games such as “Peekaboo”, “clapping hands”, “itsy bitsy spider”, “This little piggy”, “So Big”, “Eyes, nose & mouth”, “ring around the rosies”, “one, two buckle my shoe”, and pop goes the weazel”, these games do more than entertain, they improve socialization skills, teach such concepts as object permanence, coordination of words and actions, counting skills and language skills. Refresh your memory and learn a few of these games. Shape sorters, dexterity toys,(toys that require turning, twisting, pushing, pressing and pulling) encourages children to use their hands in many different ways. Bath toys are also able to teach these concepts and allows the joy of water play. Cheer you baby on as new skills are mastered. Achievement, while satisfying, oftens means more when accompanied by recognition.I found some interesting material in the book “What to expect the first year” by Eisenberg, Murkoff, and Hathaway. Good luck with your child.

My younger son started receiving speech therapy just as he turned 2. The difference within just a few months was remarkable. The speech therapist (private therapist through Early Intervention) showed me how to expand his speech. I later also got him private OT through Early Intervention to work on some sensory issues. Again, much improvement.

I can’t say enough about how well Early Intervention is done in my area. The transition to the mediocre school system services is disappointing (but I knew how to play the game and ended up getting him satisfactory services there). But the school system SLPs and OTs are substandard, at least in my area.

My younger son had an extensive history of ear infections from age 2 mos. until 1 yr old. I had to ask for an eval. when he was 2 yrs and even I couldn’t understand him. He was evaled. but not put in the program til he was 2yrs and 10 mos. His attention span at the time was terrible even for 30 minute therapy periods where games were played. He wasn’t dxed adhd til 2nd grade( I thought it long before but it wasn’t causing problems).The speech therapy helped tremendously, and my husband and I think it also helped with his reading and spelling ability, he is an A B student(4th grade). At age 2 he only had about 8 consonants and consistently used W as a substitute for most of the missing ones.(me want wa wa mit wate = I want a chocolate milkshake) He also did not say the hard g or k sound til he was 4 yrs old.
I have to say though I was not concerned about his speech output at 15 months old. I would have been concerned if I felt he was not understanding what he heard, and that wasn’t the case. I would agree that talking with your baby about everyday activities helps as well as modeling correct speech for your baby. The speech therapist will give you at home suggestions as well.Best wishes to you and your baby

Slow down, 15mths is very young - especially where language is concerned. I have never heard of a toddler with “Learning Disabilities” . Do a search here and look for developmentally appropriate skills found most often in youngsters your child’s age, this might be helpful.