My son didn't say his first word until after 3 and was above 50th percentile in articulation by 4. They speak when their brains are ready.

OP, I would think about going to the Camatras. My son tests in average range now, but his receptive skills are still delayed - but by how much is hard to tease out. Kids learn context and stuff that makes it hard at this age, apparently - easier later when you are looking at reading comp etc. We are going to them because they have the most well known in dealing with receptive issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but if your kid is 4, and having this many problems it's probably not a delay and more likely she has LDs or autism. There's not a "recovery." Not trying to be mean, but don't live in a bubble. It's therapy, therapy, therapy. Maybe a SN school. GL.

Right, because all speech delays are caused by autism or learning disabilities. You are absurd. Your post would be mean if it weren't so laughable.

NP. The kid is 4 not 2 and most speech delays in the 4 to 7 yr old set that OP is asking about is due to autism or learning disabilities (like ADHD, inattentive). The only person being absurd is you.

SLP here. This is grossly incorrect.

OP, I've had many students similar to your child, and while I can't say what her prognosis is, you're doing so many things right. Early intervention, socialization opportunities, realistic expectations. You mentioned strong receptive skills, which gives her expressive skills a strong foundation to build on. And most importantly, she's a happy, laughing child. I can't say enough how vital that is for her, and what a gift for you. Especially on the tough days.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to so many of the posters who shared their insights and personal experiences! Really helped a lot, actually.

Some of the nastier posters may not have read in my initial post that we are already being quite vigilant about ADHD-inattentive as both my DH and my son have it (as well as extended family members on DH's side) – and my son actually had speech delays when small though as a 10 year old now you would never know it. He's a straight-A student despite being quite daydream-y, and he sometimes still struggles with reading comprehension, although he has caught up with that as well.

So this is not my first time going through this, but every child is different. My LO definitely has an edge in many areas my son did not, so we are confident the speech issue will resolve in time, but I'm not ashamed to say that working at it every day and waiting is exhausting. Again, on the days where the progress seems so slow, it's just nice to touch base with other parents and remind yourself this won't go on forever.

Thank you again to those who genuinely reached out.

You need to step back and think of progress in terms of years. I remember the first school conference my husband and I attended that speech was not the biggest or only issue. We walked out and went "phew". It was very slow coming but it came.

And to the dopes who say all speech issues at four lead to autism, they have no idea what they are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:My now 14 year old was virtually unintelligible to everyone but me until he was 6.5 years old. He also didn't talk much so we thought he was incredibly delayed. After his articulation skills developed so did his language skills. Now he's not even a special education student anymore. He still has disabilities such as ADHD but he no longer requires services to manage his disabilities.

This is me. My son was almost unintelligible at four or six. Much therapy from 6-10.

He is almost 30. Went to an amazing college. Had an amazing job for several years and just finishd a top ten grad program.

Have faith. Try not to let your child see your anxiety. You asked for hope so I posted my child's accomlishments. But try not to let those things be your goals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but if your kid is 4, and having this many problems it's probably not a delay and more likely she has LDs or autism. There's not a "recovery." Not trying to be mean, but don't live in a bubble. It's therapy, therapy, therapy. Maybe a SN school. GL.

Right, because all speech delays are caused by autism or learning disabilities. You are absurd. Your post would be mean if it weren't so laughable.

NP. The kid is 4 not 2 and most speech delays in the 4 to 7 yr old set that OP is asking about is due to autism or learning disabilities (like ADHD, inattentive). The only person being absurd is you.

Citation to this data, please. Learning disabilities is not a diagnosis...you do know that?

OP here. Thanks to so many of the posters who shared their insights and personal experiences! Really helped a lot, actually.

Some of the nastier posters may not have read in my initial post that we are already being quite vigilant about ADHD-inattentive as both my DH and my son have it (as well as extended family members on DH's side) – and my son actually had speech delays when small though as a 10 year old now you would never know it. He's a straight-A student despite being quite daydream-y, and he sometimes still struggles with reading comprehension, although he has caught up with that as well.

So this is not my first time going through this, but every child is different. My LO definitely has an edge in many areas my son did not, so we are confident the speech issue will resolve in time, but I'm not ashamed to say that working at it every day and waiting is exhausting. Again, on the days where the progress seems so slow, it's just nice to touch base with other parents and remind yourself this won't go on forever.

Thank you again to those who genuinely reached out.

My DD was diagnosed at 4.5 with speech apraxia, though now that she's 5 we aren't sure that's the right diagnosis. She did private therapy 2x a week and therapy through the school district 2x a week. After about 9 months (when she was 5), her intelligibility had gone from 55% to 87% (90% is normal at 5). She still makes lots of phonological errors and has lots of work to do but she's making huge progress.

NP here. When I was very young, I didn't talk. I was in a special preschool for speech and I continued to receive special education services into first grade. I also received speech therapy throughout elementary school. However, in kindergarten I taught myself to read (in a school system that didn't start to teach letter sounds until first grade). I eventually graduated in the top 3% of my HS class and received several full-scholarship offers to private colleges. For spending money in college, I worked a commission sales job at a high-end clothing store. My chosen career requires me to speak and write daily.

Back in elementary school, I was bored in the pull-out special ed. I was reading and the other children in my group were not. At the time, I didn't understand why I was there. Toward the end of elementary school, the speech therapist at my school gave up on me and told me I would not longer receive speech therapy because I would never accomplish the goal they had for me (pronouncing a certain letter). Those words have always stuck with me. (And, yes, I eventually accomplished that goal, all on my own, when I dropped my regional accent. In my region, that letter was rarely pronounced, so there was little reason to say it. When I went to college away from home I magically was able to pronounce it. Take that, mean speech therapist!)

The point is, it's a road. It's not necessarily a long road, but it might not be short. When your daughter speaks, listen to her. If she's unhappy with her program or a therapist isn't kind to her, she might have a reason for it. If she's bored, it may be that she's being grouped with children who cannot follow simple directions and she can follow complex, multi-step directions. Make sure the environment she is nuturing, encouraging, and helpful.

If her receptive language skills are on-target, she may be just like I was at that age. Quiet, shy, and listening. She will very likely blossom one day and you may find yourself complaining that she never shuts up!

Good luck to your daughter and your entire family. I know this is really tough, but together, you'll get through it.

I'm 19:55.

Too many here seem fixated on OPs use of term recovery.

I recall well feeling flattened when my kid's SLP switched from using the word 'delay' to 'disorder' (DC has apraxia of speech).

I'd really fixated on 5 yo/kindergarten as the date by which I hoped my DC would 'catch up.' So I understand OPs need for support right now.

Eventually the apraxia was 'resolved' but DC still has it. Other issues have cropped up (ADHD and writing issues) in DCs case. DC is shy but totally capable of making their needs, wants and ideas across.

OP, there are hopeful stories out there. One relative on my DH's side who had severe speech delays at age 4. She was able to say so little her preschool was recommending a "special" school for elementary. Parents decided to put her in public with private speech therapy and her speech exploded in K. She recently graduated valedictorian of her school!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but if your kid is 4, and having this many problems it's probably not a delay and more likely she has LDs or autism. There's not a "recovery." Not trying to be mean, but don't live in a bubble. It's therapy, therapy, therapy. Maybe a SN school. GL.

Right, because all speech delays are caused by autism or learning disabilities. You are absurd. Your post would be mean if it weren't so laughable.

NP. The kid is 4 not 2 and most speech delays in the 4 to 7 yr old set that OP is asking about is due to autism or learning disabilities (like ADHD, inattentive). The only person being absurd is you.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but if your kid is 4, and having this many problems it's probably not a delay and more likely she has LDs or autism. There's not a "recovery." Not trying to be mean, but don't live in a bubble. It's therapy, therapy, therapy. Maybe a SN school. GL.

Right, because all speech delays are caused by autism or learning disabilities. You are absurd. Your post would be mean if it weren't so laughable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Decided to check in and would just like to say a huge thank you to the first three posters.

To 20:28, we are fully aware about potential LD's (duh), and I already said there are additional evaluations in our future to stay abreast of what she needs. I didn't go into all the therapy and what she is receiving, because I didn't get on here to get a diagnosis, I just wanted to hear positive stories from other parents who have been through speech delays with their kids. Not interested in the nastiness, although I knew on DCUM it wouldn't take long.

You're in denial. Your kid may and probably won't grow out of her speech delays, so you can hear all the positive stories you want and it won't affect your kid's outcome.

So yeah, my kid's age is in the double digits and we've been doing speech therapy and related services since age 2. Get used to the new normal. That's my positive story for you.

As a parent who's been there, hearing a positive story from another parent can be the very thing that makes you take a deep breath, smile, and get back in there with a positive attitude for your kid. Super-important in the giant sucking void of doctor visits and never-ending therapy. Just sayin'.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Decided to check in and would just like to say a huge thank you to the first three posters.

To 20:28, we are fully aware about potential LD's (duh), and I already said there are additional evaluations in our future to stay abreast of what she needs. I didn't go into all the therapy and what she is receiving, because I didn't get on here to get a diagnosis, I just wanted to hear positive stories from other parents who have been through speech delays with their kids. Not interested in the nastiness, although I knew on DCUM it wouldn't take long.

You're in denial. Your kid may and probably won't grow out of her speech delays, so you can hear all the positive stories you want and it won't affect your kid's outcome.

So yeah, my kid's age is in the double digits and we've been doing speech therapy and related services since age 2. Get used to the new normal. That's my positive story for you.

Not sure how we are in denial when we started getting her speech therapy early, do home practice daily, have had the evaluations done and continue to not rule anything out (or fear any diagnosis) as she grows and develops. You have no idea what my "new normal" is, but I've never shied away from getting her the help she needs. I also have learned a lot from talking to other parents on DCUM, and I don't see the shame in turning to a community for support. Doctors can be great, but they aren't living it day to day.