late to make consonants = late talker?

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the X-post, but it was suggested I'd get better answers here:

DS is 16MO. He understands a lot, can follow simple instructions, and has mastered point and grunt, but his only consonant sound is da, and occasionally ba. He doesn't say mama, and when he babbles or makes noises he either says dadadadada or squeals with no syllables. His PT (for motor skills) suggested we work on signing because of this 'delay.' Is this really a delay? If your LO started making consonants late, were they also a late talker, or did they just open their mouth and start talking one day? Just wondering if I should take this seriously and get an evaluation - 16MO seems a little young for diagnosing verbal delays. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Our doctor told us to wait for 18-20 months. Ask you doctor when to get an evaluation. Or call Early intervention in your county and ask when you should ask for evaluation. They may say now or tell you to wait a couple months, but you can get the ball rolling.

[Anonymous]

I would wait until the 18 month old checkup and see what the ped says. I think the ped was looking for about 10 words (or word approximations) by 18 months so you never know what can happen in 2 months.

[Anonymous]

While 16 months is young, it's not too early for a speech evaluation. My DS was evaluated at 15 months and at the time was found to have a gross motor delay greater than 25% but age appropriate speech. Within 6 months that changed and upon re-evaluation was found to have an expressive/receptive delay greater than 25% making him eligible for early intervention services through the county. I reccomend you go ahead and contact your county's early intervention group and kick off the process. The clock for doing the evaluation kicks in and it will be completed within the required deadlines but the waitlist for speech therapy can be long. We had to wait three months to get services. You don't say why your DS is receiving PT but neurlogically based delays in one area often show up in another area.

I think the suggested to work on signing is a good one whether or not your DC has a speech delay or not. Even without a delay, signing can be learned before verbal speech, it can't hurt and if your DS has a delay, you'll have gotten a head start on communication.

[Anonymous]

Be careful with relying too much on signing. If a child is having trouble forming words, he or she may not try as hard to communicate with words if there is another options that is easier for the child. This could cause more delays down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with relying too much on signing. If a child is having trouble forming words, he or she may not try as hard to communicate with words if there is another options that is easier for the child. This could cause more delays down the road.

This contradicts the research I've seen and my experience. Frankly it sounds like the school of thought that the kids will become too lazy tolearn to use speech since signing is "easier". Do you have research to support your opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with relying too much on signing. If a child is having trouble forming words, he or she may not try as hard to communicate with words if there is another options that is easier for the child. This could cause more delays down the road.

I, too, am interested to know what you base this assertion on. In terms of language acquisition, signing a word counts as much as speaking a word. If a child is having problems with speech but is acquiring language by signing, it's a good indication the problem is something other than a communication disorder. If a child is having problems with speech, chances are she already knows there's some sort of problem and having another way to communicate reduces frustration, provides an opportunity for the child to have positive social interactions and furthers development. As the child acquires speech, signing decreases. The delays you talk about are not a result of signing but of some other disability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with relying too much on signing. If a child is having trouble forming words, he or she may not try as hard to communicate with words if there is another options that is easier for the child. This could cause more delays down the road.

This comment runs contrary to every bit of research I have ever read too, and believe me, as a mom of a boy with apraxia, I've read pretty much all of it!

OP, your gut instinct is the best guide here. My DD did not say any words (though did form consonants) at her 18 m appt. The ped was mildly concerned, but I wasn't at all because she had no other signs of delay at all. Sure enough, within another month, she was speaking many words and by 21 m was using 3-4 word sentences.

DS, on the other hand, had no consonants and made few sounds at 12 m and I had him evaluated at 14 m, which turned out to be the right thing. He did not form his first consonant til almost 3 yrs old, and he didn't speak words til 3.5 yrs. He needed all of the help he could get, and I am glad we got him the therapy and other interventions he needed (I should add, he is now almost 6 and never stops talking, with forming words no longer an issue - there are plenty of others, but the apraxia is now off the table).

Only you know your child best. If you think in your heart your child has a speech delay, chances are that he does. If you think your child is fine, you may well be right. Personally, I considered the speech therapy we did prior to when our son was two a total waste of time and money. So if it helps at all, I would say to wait a few months and then re-evaluate the situation.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

In regards to the poster who stated the signing can lead to more delays I have also read this is not true and signs should encourage speech. However, I have experienced the opposite with my child. I have a speech delayed child as well and the words he can sign he does not even bother trying to make the sounds for. He will try to make sounds and mimic other words not but the words he signs when I ask him to say the words he just uses the sign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In regards to the poster who stated the signing can lead to more delays I have also read this is not true and signs should encourage speech. However, I have experienced the opposite with my child. I have a speech delayed child as well and the words he can sign he does not even bother trying to make the sounds for. He will try to make sounds and mimic other words not but the words he signs when I ask him to say the words he just uses the sign.

Signing improve language acquisition, not necessarily speech acquisition. There's a difference. You don't say how old your DS, provide information on the cause of his speech delay or what interventions he's getting. However, it's not the signing that is causing it or preventing him from saying words he signs. If it's a motor planning problem, it may be that it's easier to sign but that's why the word should be spoken the same time it is signed. Some severely challenged kids will never talk and alternative communication must be used. But, if that's not the situation your DS is in and he's refusing to speak, then you need to require that he attempt to speak. We all tend to avoid things that challenge us to the extreme but when properly motivated we will attempt. It's taken DS almost a year to intelligibly speak a few basic phrases. It's certainly much easier to sign than speak but that doesn't mean we allow him to give up trying. Like PPs, I have found no research that supports the assertion that teaching sign language causes delay - in any population.