Advice on Speech Issue for 4.5 Year Old

Hi L.,
My son also had the speech screening in pre-school and I, too, noted my concerns on the permission slip. He had a hard time saying "w's" (instead of 'luckily', he'd say 'wuckiwy', etc.) The eval stated that certain soounds are more difficult at that age. He's speaking just fine now, at 6, so we didn't do any additional speech therapy and he' fine. That said, if YOU feel it's pronounced enough to be concerned about, maybe you should ask your ped for a Rx for an eval. If you'd like to find a private therapist to come to your home, I can point you in the direction of a friend who works for EI but does a few private clients as well...

ADDED*** L.--I do specifically remember being told NOT to make them repeat the words/sounds they're having an issue with over and over....if they can't do it, they CAN'T do it!

Just to let you know you cannot do early intervention. It only going to 3 years old. It is now special education from the county. You can call them to have your child evaulated but most likely they will not give you speech theapy for they all say the "s" and "z" sounds don't come in until your 6 years old. If they do need speech theory you will have to go to one of their offices for help. When your child goes to kindergardern then they will give speech help in that class.

Dear L.,
Congratulations on your little prince and princess. It is not too late for you to do somehting yourself. If she is having a problem promouncing the consonant sounds, it will only get worse by the day. My daughter had excellent diction at 3 years of age and had an operation on her neck which put her in therapy with s and z, for several years.
If you cannot work with your children with flash cards, using a mirror with you and her, sounding out the alphabet sounds, I suggest you get an ear, nose, throat specialist to make sure everything is structurally good. No sense putting your princess through any embarrassment at school.
Don't fret, Mom. She might not be trying hard enough and maybe her watching you can make the difference.
God Bless,
E.

My son just turned 5 and has had the exact same problem since he started talking. He has now had 2 speech evals through preschool analthough they note the lisp, they also recommend that we wait a year. Apparently this is very common and not a reason for concern. I did also ask a friend of mine who does speech therapy, and she is in agreement. If you need a second opinion for your peace of mind, maybe you should get one, though! Good luck!

Kids generally outgrow lisps. There's the "Cindy Brady" lisp where the toungue thrusts to the front. Then there's the "lateral lisp" which my 14 year old had. The tongue flattens out and does a more "Sylvester the Cat" sound. He had speech therapy through most of elementary. His kind of lisp added more siliva in his mouth as well. He has a bit of those on occastion but not much. You can request Early Intervention to do a free evaluation. They can recommend anything that is needed out of the home and what you can do in the home, if they feel it's necessary. They can tell you if something is wrong, and can ease your mind on things that are fine. Give them a call. It's free. You would have to go to them for the speech and then would trainsition to kindergarten if needed.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Early Intervention is for children up to 3, after that it is the IU unit (if you are in Pennsylvania) that does testing and treatment. Call your local IU, the PA Department of Education, or your school district and request an evaluation. IU will go to many preschools and even make home visits in some cases for treatment. My daughter receives all of her IU services at her preschool.

If your health insurance covers speech therapy you can go through a private provider.

I guess you could work on those sounds with her. If she does the "th" sound in place of the s or z say "did you mean _____". Have her correct it (without frustrating or embarassing her) But honestly I think those sounds will come naturally!
If her speech is intelligable enough for her friends, teacher or family members to understand at least 80% of the time she's prob fine.
If you really feel it necessary to get a second opinion I think they'd say the same thing. You could go through a private agency (pay out of pocket costs if she doesn't qualify) but I would wait until she's closer to 6 before going that route!
My son is around the same age & I too notice some sounds I sometimes have to question! He usually talks so fast & that's the prob with understanding! LOL
Good luck Mama!