When is a speech Impediment an impediment?...

[IADad]

So, DS2 like many kids has a hard time prnouncing "r's." Anyone have insight on at what age this becomes a later than acceptable transition?

I assume school will tell us something, but I kinda would rather hbe ahead of the curve rather than behind....

 

[mom2many]

Clear up till 2nd-3rd grade is normal. Megan has a major lisp and I believe that is the age where it is considered normal. However by 1st grade is when the will normally pull in a speech therapist..sadly Megan still has the lisp.

 

[IADad]

I was thinking it's still in the land of the "normal" and i can see it improving...the other thing I'm not sure is am I supposed to try to teach him how to say the "r"s Like when we do phonics flashcards (which is his favorite thing to do right now, weird) I'll get him to Grrr, like a bear...but I don't dwell on it being wrong the way he does it. I think that's okay.

 

[MomoJA]

It's perfectly within the range of normal, but if you want to work with him, have him make rrrr sounds like a truck and then say rrrrrrun!

I used to notice when my nieces were young that they would each at a certain stage develop a sort of Northeast accent. My daughter totally has that accent now. My sister laughs all the time about how "Woid Goil" is always saving the "woild" in our house. I don't address it at all because I think it is cute, and because I know it will evolve.

Also, until very recently she would say lellow for yellow. This was odd because until she stopped sucking a pacifier, she would say yeyyow for yellow. Literally within one day of giving up the pacifier, she could make her L sounds, but she hyper-corrected for yellow. It took her almost 2 years to say yellow. I miss her saying lellow.

 

[Trina]

My DD was in speech therapy from age 3-6 for articulation delays. The first thing the therapist recommended to do at home was to accentuate the sounds DD had trouble with. Meaning, instead of pointing out the child's mispronunciations, just exaggerate them a bit when YOU say them.

 

[Xero]

Its a good question and I wonder this myself. ODS is so articulate and he is an excellent communicater, I mean there's nothing this kid can't tell you or can't say. But he doesn't say the "L" sound. He replaces it with a "Y" sound or a "W" sound, depending on the word. For instance "I yike to go outside" or "I wuv you mommy" or "I reawwy have to go potty" or "can I turn the yight on?" etc etc. That's the ONLY sound he has trouble with, other than "v" but its funny because of him I've come to realize that you rarely have to USE the "v" sound other than the word "very" which he says like "dery" lol. He pronounces his R's perfectly and everything else. Just those two sounds. I worry that it will never go away sometimes. I have no idea when or how its going to change. And honestly I get nervous because my younger brother had a speech impediment himself, with several sounds (R's being the worst and also T's and some others) and he is 11 now and the only thing they've managed to correct is the R sound and that FINALLY happened last year sometime. I don't want ODS to be talking like this until he's 10 or older haha. Don't get me wrong, I think its absolutely adorable, but it can only be cute for so long I imagine!

Its funny, I guess I was kind of unintentionally mean to him with his name and his brother's name. When you ask what his name is he always says "E-yi" which sounds like he's just saying "E. I." lol. And I swear his brother is going to grow up thinking his name is "Tywer".

 

[stjohnjulie]

This is a good one... I think a lot of kids have trouble with certain letters. I think even more go through 'phases' where they seem to have trouble with certain sounds. Luca actually picked up a lisp on the letter 'S' from a friend. She did it, so he did it too.. That was when he was about 3. He never did it until he started spending time with this other girl. He also has troubles with 'L'. But any trouble he still has at 10 is still considered 'normal'.

When he was younger we'd work on it a bit until he could make the sound, then I would ask him to practice it a bit. I always knew he was capable of making the sound, but he just chose to do it the way he was used to. About 6 months ago, I had said to him, "Ya know Luca, you might want to practice the L and S sounds because sometimes the other kids can be mean and I don't want them to make fun of you." He told me he could make the sounds and said a bunch of words with L and S sounds and said them clear as a bell. I had to shake my head a bit (on the inside) because the way he was looking at me was like "I'm not going to do it that way until someone gives me a good reason to." Stubborn. Wonder where he gets that from

 

[Trina]

Forgot to add to my former post... As a former teacher, I have to say that most teachers will bring it to your attention if there is cause for concern. That said, it certainly wouldn't hurt if you voice your concerns and request a casual evaluation.

 

[IADad]

Thanks everyone! He's only 4 1/2 and we are seing some progress so I think we'll go into and possibly through the pre-school year without worrying too much about it.

Right now, the big thing is this midwest kid sounds like he's from the east coast...hahaha

Oh, and the other thing we do is not let big brother pick at him about it.

 

[Squishy]

The first thing the therapist recommended to do at home was to accentuate the sounds DD had trouble with. Meaning, instead of pointing out the child's mispronunciations, just exaggerate them a bit when YOU say them.

^This.

Also, let's clear up a couple of mildly offensive cultural references here: Little kids do NOT pick up regional 'accents' until they master full sounds, so what you're casually implying are 'regional' is most accurately an impediment caused by insufficient development either in Broca's area of the brain, or some neuromuscular insufficency in the tongue, which is typically the cause of lisp's, etc.

While I'm at it, I'm all for respecting and supporting the role of educators, but I wouldn't wait for a complaint from one before taking some action here. The first place would be a discussion with the pediatrician, he's your best resource for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options.

But the easiest thing to do here is to articulate your words slowly and distinctly, kids learn what they hear..which is where basic articulation, as well as the whole accent thing come from.

 

[IADad]

let me clear up an mildy culturally offensive remarks I may have made.

If any stuck up easterner is so thin skinned that they took offense at my reference to an "eastern accent," I'd invite them to go get something real to be offended at.

 

[Squishy]

let me clear up an mildy culturally offensive remarks I may have made.

If any stuck up easterner is so thin skinned that they took offense at my reference to an "eastern accent," I'd invite them to go get something real to be offended at.

LOL! Nah, we're too busy laughing at the results of this weekend's 'Straw poll' in your mid western hot spot of cultural and intellectual activism!

 

[MomoJA]

^This.

let's clear up a couple of mildly offensive cultural references here: Little kids do NOT pick up regional 'accents' until they master full sounds, so what you're casually implying are 'regional' is most accurately an impediment caused by insufficient development either in Broca's area of the brain, or some neuromuscular insufficency in the tongue, which is typically the cause of lisp's, etc.
.

Oh my, I sigh as my proper Southern aunt would, I don't believe you were referring to little ole me because I clearly stated that I thought my daughter's "Eastern accent" was quaint and surely do hope no one took offense at that, but I just wanted to add that I never believed she "picked it up" as that would have been well nigh impossible seeing as we lived well south of the Mason Dixon line when she developed it, as did my adorable nieces at that age when they developed theirs. Nor do I think it is anything to worry my little head over because my nieces outgrew their "accents" with not the first visit to a speech therapist, neither a whoop dee do. But I sure do wish you could hear my accent as this goes through my head. It certainly entertains me and no offense meant, only great affection.

I certainly will be on the look out for a speech impediment, but as my child who now speaks with that "regional accent" began babbling and producing a range of vowel and consonant sounds at age 3/4 months and was "speaking" a tonal language as well as English at age 10/11 months, and as my nieces exhibited the same "accent" at the same age, I think I'm going to toss this up to a developmental stage and not panic yet. And that would be the advice I'd give IADad.

;-)

 

[IADad]

Oh my, I sigh as my proper Southern aunt would, I don't believe you were referring to little ole me because I clearly stated that I thought my daughter's "Eastern accent" was quaint and surely do hope no one took offense at that, but I just wanted to add that I never believed she "picked it up" as that would have been well nigh impossible seeing as we lived well south of the Mason Dixon line when she developed it, as did my adorable nieces at that age when they developed theirs. Nor do I think it is anything to worry my little head over because my nieces outgrew their "accents" with not the first visit to a speech therapist, neither a whoop dee do. But I sure do wish you could hear my accent as this goes through my head. It certainly entertains me and no offense meant, only great affection.

I certainly will be on the look out for a speech impediment, but as my child who now speaks with that "regional accent" began babbling and producing a range of vowel and consonant sounds at age 3/4 months and was "speaking" a tonal language as well as English at age 10/11 months, and as my nieces exhibited the same "accent" at the same age, I think I'm going to toss this up to a developmental stage and not panic yet. And that would be the advice I'd give IADad.

;-)

;-)

 

[IADad]

LOL! Nah, we're too busy laughing at the results of this weekend's 'Straw poll' in your mid western hot spot of cultural and intellectual activism!