My daughter has had speech delays since she was a toddler. She talked a bit later than I expected her to and then some of her sounds weren’t correct. I didn’t worry. Most toddlers have difficulty saying certain letter sounds and blend sounds. When she was preschool age she was making progress on her own and was mastering some of the letter sounds and blend sounds that she previously couldn’t say.
When we started Homeschool Kindergarten this year and officially began learning the blends in Phonics class, I realized there were at least a half a dozen blends she wasn’t saying properly. I spoke to our family doctor about it and she told me that she didn’t usually send children to speech therapy until they were 7. She told me most kids at age six were still not saying those same blend sounds.
[amazon_link asins=’1461084946,1223081273,0609805851,1523805927,0740309374′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’wpplugin01-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’95641029-e3fe-11e6-9e63-eb01a2ed1575′]
But, I was worried. At the beginning of this year, we found out that my daughter wasn’t hearing properly. She failed her hearing exam. We brought her to the ENT doctor and he told us that fluid wasn’t draining properly in her ear. The fluid was built up behind her ear drum and she wasn’t hearing well.
I felt terrible. I felt guilty. I knew she was constantly saying, “What” or just wasn’t hearing us but I didn’t know it was at this level. So some of the sounds just weren’t heard correctly, so she was saying them incorrectly or not at all. I am trying not to beat myself up too much, but as a mom it is very easy to place them blame on myself.
I wish I could go back in time and get the hearing test done sooner.
So the next step was tubes in her ears. Immediately after the tube placement, on the drive home actually, she could hear perfectly. She told us that everything was too loud. Within two weeks she was saying blend sounds (like “th”) that she couldn’t previously say. {For example, she never could say “the” – it sounded like “vu” with a short u sound.} We were excited. We actually were hoping that she would be able to start saying all her blends and letter sounds.
That wasn’t the case.
This Spring she had a few encounters with kids who made fun of her. She was embarrassed when they asked her to keep saying incorrect words. Kids can be so mean, can’t they? So we made an appointment right away with a local speech therapist.
This summer, she has seeing the therapist once a week for kids speech therapy. She was diagnosed with a moderate level of speech delay according to the testing. And now? She is doing so well. The speech pathologist is very happy with her progress. We still don’t know how long it will take but I am excited to see her correcting herself each week on “the new way” way to say words versus “the old way”. And my Princess is so much more confident and happy too. She actually loves visiting the therapist and doing speech therapy activities.
Parenting is tough stuff, isn’t it? You want to protect your kids from everything and help them excel at anything. My prayer is that she is able to get past this without any issues.
[amazon_link asins=’153473421X,B0019VJEHO,B000URL2KU,B00HH0X7GK,1477693548′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’wpplugin01-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’86a9773e-e3fe-11e6-9cad-137f91e064aa’]
Hannah is dyslexic but wasn’t diagnose until recently because she had so many tricks to get by. We’ve been through a program and now she’s doing terrific, but I remember all of the feelings you are sharing.
This will be a little drop in the ocean of her life that most likely only you and Tyler will remember. You’re great parents and all of the care you are giving her are going to give her such a great headstart in life. Hugs!
Thank you for the encouragement, Tiffany. I really appreciate it! Blessings to your Hannah as she is learning.
Parenting is really tough but I like your attitude about the whole situtation. 🙂 You’re doing good momma – sometimes we need to hear that. 😉
Thanks! I appreciate that. I do need to hear it from time to time.
I hope you stop blaming yourself because you didn’t know. She is doing better and that is what you should be thinking about. Children can be very cruel toward each other and that it no ones fault but the other parents. Thanks for sharing. Your daughter is beautiful in every way.
Thank you Rebecca. You are so sweet for saying this! I honestly appreciate your visit and comment!
Like I mentioned on Twitter, I agree that there’s nothing to be ashamed about. I’m just glad you found the resources you need to move forward!
Thank you Jen. And yes, thank you for commenting on Twitter as well. I am excited because at her last appointment yesterday, the speech pathologist said she should only need six months of therapy. She is advancing quickly and doing well.
There’s no shame in getting your child help that she needs at all. It is a shame that some kids are mean.
I was in speech therapy and I turned out alright. She’ll be fine! She is absolutely beautiful by the way!
Awww… thanks Ashley – for the encouragement and kind words!
speech with help and progress is fantastic. sounds like you are on the right path.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. It is a great tool for kids to learn with and help improve their speaking habits. Beautiful daughter.
My daughter still struggles with her speech and some sounds and she is 17 years old. It is better to get them help as soon as you notice the problem to avoid more delays. My daughter’s communication issues stem from waiting until she was 4 years old to have cochlear implant surgery. I don’t have any regrets because having surgery was a major risk and it took letting go and giving it to God before I wanted to pursue it.
I had her second implant done last summer and it was worth it as well. She will continually need additional assistance and I am excited to see where she goes as an adult. This year she is a junior in high school and is starting the teacher intern program. She will have the benefit of being able to help other deaf students.
That is an awesome testimony. Thank you for sharing. Because despite her hearing and speech issues she is excelling and that is so great! Blessings to you and her! 😉
My niece has CP and has had many hurdles to overcome but she is the sweetest and loving child.
My daughter is two, almost three, years old and she has passed her hearing tests. However, she is still not talking except for Momma, Dadda, and Bubba. That is the extent of her vocabulary. It concerns me a lot.Yet, the doctors and my wife aren’t concerned because her siblings didn’t start talking until they were 3 years old. You’re right that parenting isn’t an easy thing for sure.
Del, my speech pathologist likes to see children at age three. Then it is easier for them and they can be done by Kindergarten. I wish we had done something sooner. Because by age five and six my daughter was getting teased. She become quiet. She didn’t like people asking her to repeat herself. The sooner the better in my opinion. I wish I could go back to three and do it all over.