Severe speech delay

LegacyUser

Hi all, Im really hoping you can help guide me in any way. My son is 2 years & 8 months & is non verbal. We are working with a speech therapist but he still doesn't have any words, he does babble a lot, sometimes I swear I have heard him say ''whats that'' if he sees something new or say ''juice'' when he sees his juice bottle. His concentration isn't great & he's quite headstrong ie: if he wants to play with something he generally won't come over to me if I call him or if theres a certain cartoon on tv I could be calling him 20 times before he'll look up.
Got his ears checked & his hearing is fine. He started playschool in Sept on the advice of his speech therapist. He enjoys going in however I am getting incident reports about him everyday now that he hit another child or pinched them. I do believe he understands most of what I say because if I ask him about acting up in playschool he gets a really sorrowful face & looks like hes about to cry.
Has anyone here used Geminii speech app? Or have you heard of anyone finding it effective? I really believe if I can get him talking he won't be as frustrated & I need to get him talking quick because I really hate the thoughts of him not being able to tell us what he wants & as a result of that frustration he lashes out hitting or pinching other kids.
No other red flags other than sometimes waving his hands when he gets excited.
Where do I go from here? Is there somewhere I can go to get him assessed? Am I jumping the gun a bit or what should I do?

farmerwifelet

Get in touch with your PHN or GP and don't take no for an answer (gp fobbed me off PHN referred my son to early assessment unit).

Try photos of things he needs. Food, drink, telly or whatever.
point and say the word clearly. then if he picks one say You want "juice" etc- and if you need to get his attention go over to him and gently touch his shoulder and call him. Sometimes they zone out and really cant hear you then startle when you get loud (I learned the hard way!).

My little lad had no words at all until nearly 3. Then only two or three. He is 6 now and talking away. He was diagnosed as ASD but the early therapy we got did wonders for him. I upset him earlier giving out and he just told me his heart got sad. So hang in there and keep talking to him. the more you talk the more he soaks up it might not come out for a while but the words will be in there somewhere!

fmpisces

Guest 1 wrote: »

Hi all, Im really hoping you can help guide me in any way. My son is 2 years & 8 months & is non verbal. We are working with a speech therapist but he still doesn't have any words, he does babble a lot, sometimes I swear I have heard him say ''whats that'' if he sees something new or say ''juice'' when he sees his juice bottle. His concentration isn't great & he's quite headstrong ie: if he wants to play with something he generally won't come over to me if I call him or if theres a certain cartoon on tv I could be calling him 20 times before he'll look up.
Got his ears checked & his hearing is fine. He started playschool in Sept on the advice of his speech therapist. He enjoys going in however I am getting incident reports about him everyday now that he hit another child or pinched them. I do believe he understands most of what I say because if I ask him about acting up in playschool he gets a really sorrowful face & looks like hes about to cry.
Has anyone here used Geminii speech app? Or have you heard of anyone finding it effective? I really believe if I can get him talking he won't be as frustrated & I need to get him talking quick because I really hate the thoughts of him not being able to tell us what he wants & as a result of that frustration he lashes out hitting or pinching other kids.
No other red flags other than sometimes waving his hands when he gets excited.
Where do I go from here? Is there somewhere I can go to get him assessed? Am I jumping the gun a bit or what should I do?

Hi, I was wondering how did you get on, as in if you managed to see your GP yet?
I have a little experience with the Geminii program as some of the classes in the school I work in use it. Unfortunately I cannot say that it has worked magic (it's used for maybe an hour a day in two or three bursts) so I'm not sure that we could realistically expect a result too soon with that amount of usage, but the thing is you just don't know how much info is being absorbed so I'd never say that it's a waste of time. I also know of an app that is quite good called Proloquo2Go https://www.educationalappstore.com/app/proloquo2go (for a bit more info) to assist with communication. As was also mentioned above, PECS is very effective (Picture Exchange Communication System) https://www.pecs-unitedkingdom.com/pecs.php for more info, we use this system widely in school.

LegacyUser

Hi, thank you so much for the replies its very much appreciated. His GP & PHN know he has speech delay. I rang his speech therapist to get a report for his playschool (they're looking for a support worker for him) & I'm due back to her in a few weeks for another appointment.

It sounds like she's going to request for him to be assessed, she just wants to talk to his teacher to get her opinion on his development. Does this mean he's being assessed for ASD? If so what tests do they run? And how long does it take?

Ill definitely look into that app you recommended if you think it's better than Geminii.

fmpisces

Guest 1 wrote: »

Hi, thank you so much for the replies its very much appreciated. His GP & PHN know he has speech delay. I rang his speech therapist to get a report for his playschool (they're looking for a support worker for him) & I'm due back to her in a few weeks for another appointment.

It sounds like she's going to request for him to be assessed, she just wants to talk to his teacher to get her opinion on his development. Does this mean he's being assessed for ASD? If so what tests do they run? And how long does it take?

Ill definitely look into that app you recommended if you think it's better than Geminii.

Hi, that's no problem at all you're most welcome. I really wouldn't like to speculate as I don't know you or your son but there's no harm in asking what he is being assessed for. I also don't know the exact ins and outs of how diagnosis is carried out and again, I would not like to speculate. I work with children with disabilities, including children with ASD because I am an SNA. I wouldn't knock the Geminii program for a second and like everything, what works for one may not work for another (or can take more/less time than others).

farmerwifelet

Hi there
it usually covers a whole range of things. At this age its hard to tell one thing from another as they are so similar. So they might be reluctant to give a diagnosis. We got occupational therapy and speech for about two years before we got an official diagnosis. Therapy is key. They test there understanding and abilities to do tasks. And how they relate to people. Not explaining it very well. They will ask you a lot of questions. Dont get too caught up in a diagnosis. Ongoing therapy is more important.

LegacyUser

Just spoke to the manager of his playschool. The teacher in his class is out sick for a week so she's going to wait for her to come back before she gives the speech therapist any feedback as to whether he needs further assessment or not.
In my mind I don't think he has asd but Im not a trained professional & have no experience of it. She did say she noticed him one day walking on the corridor on his tip toes & flapping his hands. The odd time he walks on his tip toes, 9 times out of 10 he's on his flat feet. The odd time he flaps his hands when he's excited. I know all these signs point towards asd & to her credit so just said it could be an age thing rather than a problem as such. If it is asd id like to know so we can get the ball rolling on doing whatever we can to help him. Im very open to whatever they say or recommend as I'm more of a practical person than an emotional one if you know what I mean. Put it this way if he gets assessed & is diagnosed with asd my first reaction won't be to cry or get upset, i'll be asking what can be done & how do we do it.
It's really hard to know. I've read some stories online that have said their boys didn't speak until 3/4 or 5 years of age & are getting on grand now, well able to articulate what they want & hold a conversation.
I'm happier after meeting the manager this morning. To me she's level headed about it all & isn't rushing to any conclusions but is also aware of the issues at hand. Time will tell I suppose.
His teacher is back next week so I'll have a better idea of how they want to proceed.
This forum is great for anonymity, plenty of pages on facebook I could join but some of my friends list are already on it & they have loose lips so god only knows what would be said if I asked for advice there. Thanks again everyone.

farmerwifelet

no bother! Hi might be on the mild end or not on the spectrum at all it really is hard to tell. Eye contact is another (or lack of!). It really is all about helping him be the best he can be. Sounds good that the manager isn't rushing things!

I get the anonymity thing I started attending a parents group and one of our neighbors is in it and I find it very uncomfortable. Can't really open up its quite awkward!

LegacyUser

Ok a little update. Speech therapist is going to call to his playschool to see how he is in that environment.
Yesterday & today he sat down & painted a picture for the first time & used lots of different colours. Both myself & his teacher are delighted with this because he sat for the duration & concentrated on what he was doing. It’s a small step in the right direction.
I also downloaded the Gemiini programme to see would it help. We’ve used it about 5/6 times since yesterday afternoon & he’s mimicking some of the actions eg: when the girl puts her hands up & says “upâ€. I’m convinced he said up while doing it with me. He’s currently sitting at the table having a big bowl of ice cream after his dinner & he’s engrossed in it. Loath as I am to have an iPad at the table for mealtimes this certainly seems to be grabbing his attention in a positive way.

LadyBetty

Hi OP my son is same age as yours and also speech delayed. He has said many words but doesn't use them consistently or else drops them altogether. He goes to creche and childminder, and is happy going there, no issues except that he is virtually mute. He babbles plenty at home, interspersed with the odd real word.

Anyway I wanted to say we have found Gemiini program to be very good. It's not a magic fix as another poster said above, but whatever way they do it he was engaged instantly from the first time we played it a few months back. We also play it on the laptop at mealtimes. It has definitely unlocked something in his brain, he really concentrates on it and has new words from it.
Do you know you can search their library for certain videos and add to your assignments, so we added videos on brushing teeth and now he lets me brush his teeth, used to be a battle.

One thing I find hard is he doesn't label anyone, so no mammy, daddy, granny...I added Gemiini videos on mommy/daddy but he hasn't grasped it yet.

I am looking ahead to when he turns 3 and thinking how will we ever toilet train him with the lack of communication

Just started private speech therapy, no results yet, she is working on building up eye contact with him.

Hope your little boy enjoys Gemiini, it is a great sign that he is sitting to paint pictures too.

LegacyUser

Wow, that's great to hear Lady Betty. It's great to see positive changes. So far I think the gemiini programme is working. As you said he's engaged & concentrating when watching it. He's good on mimicking the hand movements.
Yesterday evening his father came home from work, when I picked him up to ask him who's outside he saw the van & said ''daddy'', it doesn't sound very clear but it's obvious what he was saying. Likewise at the weekend we did the rounds at the weekend to show the grandparents the picture he drew & he carried it in showing it off proud as punch.
Maybe it's just something clicking in with him, maybe it's the gemiini programme but whatever it is it's certainly very encouraging to see positive changes.
I'm a bit like you, dreading the potty training but a lot can happen in a few months so hopefully it won't be the ordeal I'm thinking it will be.