Speech question.

[chrfath]

For what ever reason I am feeling nervous today and need some one to reasure me that this is okay.

Veronica turned 2 last month - she has a few signs - more and eat. She had been saying a few words up, cat, dada, not much else I guess. She has stopped saying any of the words she was using. She is just gesturing for up now. She is babbling like mad and really working on standing. Lots of motor skills right now.

Part of me says oh, she is just working on other skills but part of me is getting nervous since she dropped the words she did have. She is definately understanding alot and is very social. She is super interested in signing and really tries hard to copy the new signs we work on.

She has actually been doing great since we cut back on our EI services.

Anyway if anyone has any thoughts or could share I would love to hear.

img.photobucket.com/albums/v410/wooliewuvies/voutside.jpg

[kellyds]

I don't have any advice. Since our little guy with DS is only three months old, I'm still in the GETTING advice stage. :-) But I wanted to say - Veronica is adorable!

[momofrussell]

From all I have read from other parents, this is VERY common in kids w/DS. They might start saying some words and then drop them for a bit.. then they start back up again.

I wouldn't worry if your child is signing and communicating somehow. Gesturing, pointing, signing, ect... THAT is part of speech and communication. It's if they are doing NOTHING for a LONG time and never try to communicate or talk that you might need to be concerned.

Does Veronica walk yet? There is also a corelation between walking and talking... so usually after a child learns to walk, the speech comes after that. They work hand and hand in developement usually.

A.

[newmom]

We have tried to make sure our little guy at least TRIES to make a sound while doing the sign for what he is trying to say. It is the only way that I can make sure he knows we value the spoken word but know that the signing is our communication for now...and maybe for a long time. This way he is not frustrated, and we can communicate, but I feel we are at least not ignoring the goal, which is speech...

[donnita]

With all kids, I think it is common for one skill to regress while a new skill is developing. All the body's energy goes to learning the new skill for a while.

Donnita

[alisonzmom]

Veronica and Alison are very close in age - Alison was 2 the end of March. Veronica is quite the cutie!!!

Like Veronica, Alison is using fewer of her "words" the last month or so BUT is working really hard to get the whole walking thing down. I figure that she's putting so much effort and energy into trying to walk that she's sort of letting other things slide for the time being. I know that when she was starting to crawl, she completely stopped signing but started up again once she had mastered crawling. Even her ST commented the other day that she wasn't as "chatty" as usual and said that it's probably because all she wants to do at this point is walk!

I'll bet the minute we have to start chasing the two of them around, they'll be chatting our ears off!!!

Just curious, since I'm in Western NY, where abouts in NE Ohio are you? Maybe we're not too far from each other!

Barb

[Valerie]

Nicholas turned 2 last month. He did the same thing you're describing, and I wondered about it, too. But from reading here, I guess it's pretty "normal."

He has only used sign for 3 words, (eat, more, and milk) but he can say around 35 words, when HE wants to. He said his first word at 13 mos, acquired a few more up until 18 mos. That's when he started working on walking. Then he completely stopped talking for about 3 mos. NO WORDS! Still gestured and grunted or pushed things away, etc, but would not say anything. Then he had his heart surgery at the end of January, the day after we got home from the hospital he was walking and absolutely NO MORE crawling. I think he just had enough energy to do it, then! ;D Anyway, after that he started talking again, and has acquired several more words.

The thing with him is, it seems that after he's mastered a word, he's done with it for awhile and moves on to something else. For instance, he spent one whole day obsessed with his socks. He kept taking them off, waving them around, and saying "sock. Sock." This was ALL DAY LONG! ;D That was about 3 wks ago, and I didn't hear him say it again until yesterday. So I know he can say all these words, but like I said, it's when HE chooses to! I cannot get him to repeat after me.

Except one time. He heard me say bullsh*t and repeated it perfectly, clear as could be! Now why is it our kids are supposed to have speech delays, but have no problem picking up words like that?

[jeannette]

Before MeKyah started speech therapy, her pt said she my slow up in gross motor when she starts sp. It's normal for a child to reduce progress in one area when starting something new. So, I wouldn't be worried. She's still babbling which means a whole lot.

Jeannette

[Connie]

Christie,

Collin is now 5 but I can relate to what you are feeling. I think it is normal for all kids to (not drop) but stop using skills they have previously mastered while working on new skills.

Be patient...she'll be a chatty kathy before you know it.

I know Collin who I have always referred to as being a basically non-verbal child is really starting to talk now. Just in the last 2-3 months things have really picked up and he has started talking in 2 and 3 word sentences and using a lot of independent speech and not just mocking or mimicing me.

Hugs,
Connie

[laurasnowbird]

We have been told more than once by Ethan's therapists that it isn't uncommon for kids to "take turns" in their skill development. I do get concerned when Ethan quits doing something he seemed to be doing well before, and try to pay a little more attention to those things to "get them back".