Need Some Advice on My 2 1/2 Yr Old

L., has this woman ever had children of her own? I dont recall ever hearing a 2 yr old pronounce their s or f perfectly. I wouldnt worry about it.

I have a similiar situation with my 2 1/2 yr old son. The difference is he's had a couple of ear infections recently, which brought the problem to the forefront. I took him to see a Ear,Eyes,Nose & Throat doctor who did a test on his ears and found out there was fluid built up behind his eardrum which causes him not to say certain constanants very well. The pediatrician can't diagnose certain things. I understand what he says because I live with him everyday but the dr. said others may not. He will be getting tubes in his ears within 2 weeks which may improve his speech because things may sound muffled when fluid is behind the eardrum. My son's hearing is fine because he can hear sounds from a distance. So, I know he can hear, it just may be muffled.

My daughter is 3 years old and does not due her s's verry well. She has a speech delay due to water behind her ear drum. witch they removed with tubes. If she is devloping her speech normaly I would not worry about it. You might speek to her dr about it.

In my opinion yes you have the right to be upset over anything she said that you don't agree with. If your doctor didn't tell you somrthing was wrong at her 24 mth. check up then nothing is wrong. My 2 1/2 yr. old son does have problems talking and we have had to put him into CIS and Speech, he doesn't talk except for baby gibberish. With what I know about my son I can tell you that your daughter probably does not have a problem. I hopr this helps.

Hey L.! My daughter, Azlyn, just turned 3 in A. and believe me when I say that my family and I have a hard time understanding what she is saying half the time. Your daughter will get better. She's a child and its normal. I actually think its cute how she pronounce some words. It will get better. I see inprovements in Azlyn everyday. Dont worry about it. All kids are different. Good Luck!!!

I think it is impossible for anyone to determine whether or not your daughter may or may not need services via the internet. Since the concern has been raised, why not explore whether or not there is an issue?

You can get your daughter evaluated through your local school district's early intervention program for free. Your school district has a legal obligation to evaluate your daughter for any potential education related issues. These issues include possible speech delays.

The evaluations for toddlers are typically low-key and involve fun interactions, not testing, drilling or stress for her. By going through your school district, you can have a free evaluation by a trained speech pathologist.

One of two things will happen. You will find out that there is no problem and can go home relieved and reassured. Or, there is a problem and your daughter can get needed services. Again, you can be relieved that you did the right thing.

At roughly the same age, I had my son evaluated primarily because of delays and lack of comprehensibility. Ultimately, he received speech therapy services twice per month for about 10 months. The therapist came to our house and made suggestions on things that I could do to help strengthen the muscles in his mouth, including having him drink from a straw and play a recorder. Everything was fun and light-hearted for my son, Jack.

At the end of the ten months, he re-evaluated significantly further along than he had been. I feel confident that by giving him that early boost, we eliminated problems later in month. I discussed this with the therapist who agreed. She thought the worst thing to do was to ignore a possible problem when early intervention might correct the problem.

So, that's my experience, YMMV.

Getting your daughter evaluated is, I think, a no harm no foul situation.

best of luck

You are more the likely right about your daughter but for your own peace of mind I would take her. That way you have the best of both worlds. You can shut her of if she is wrong but you can also catch your daughter's problem early if she does have a problem. I know Jeff had speech lesson a little old then that and it helped him. Jeff had lots of ear trouble when he was little so much so that he did not always hear correctly because of inflection and wax build up.

Don't worry about your daughter! She's perfectly normal, both my children had trouble with pronouncing all their words perfectly at the age of 2! They are now 7 and 10 and both of them excel in all their school subjects with out any speech problems. Talk to your pediatrician, I'm sure your doctor will be able to determine any issues a little better than a lady who's "experimenting" with children for the army.
Good luck!

I have 3 wonderful daughter's 2 of whom were in speech therapy for two years at school and 1 who is still in their. My daughter that is still in speech has trouble with her s' & f's and her l's & r's. The pathologist's from both schools my daughter's were in said that it is normal and they really don't learn all the correct sound's till they are usually in the 2nd or 3rd grade. And then even at that time they will still make a slipup once in awhile. It is NORMAL. I am a mother of 9 and I have dealt with speech issue's for years where my kids are concerned. I think you have all the right to be upset. But, if you really are concerned or just want to check up on it, DON'T waste money taking her to a Dr. Call your local elementary school and ask for the speech pathologist. They should be more than willing to answer your question about age apropiate pronouncation. As long as your two year old is talking and saying word's even afew correct, at this point there's not much to worry about.

I have a child with a speech problem. We have been doing therapy for 10 years now. I always find out about things that could have helped if we had started younger. There are several people I know whom I think their child may have a problem but I have never said anything for fear they will react as you have. Please disregard how you feel about this woman and take an honest look at your child. An evaluation can't hurt and will put your mind to rest once and for all. I would also like to mention that my other child had an articilation problem due to early loss of a front tooth. This was taken care of with less than a year of speech therapy. Please have your child checked as things are easier to "fix" the sooner you address it.

Children will not all be able to correctly articulate (pronounce) all their words until they are about 4 years old. As long as your daughter is putting words together and has a vocabulary that she is using, you should not be concerned. If you are concerned, mention it to her doctor the next time you are in, they will be able to refer you to a speech consult if needed. Good luck!

trust your gut. If you don't think there's a problem with your daughter's speech, then don't worry about it. Just smile and nod at the advice or say, "thank you for yor concern." And then do what you feel is right based on what you know about your daughter. trust your instinct.

Lindsey,
In my opinion, YOU are the childs mother and NO ONE else. I have a daughter whom is 3yrs and 3 mos. She still has problems saying her r's and z's. Some toddlers have a difficult time pronouncing some sounds until around the age of 4. If you see no improvement by that time, them I may worry about a speech problem, just keep an ear out for improvement or if she constantly asks "What?" that may be cause to have her hearing checked. Chances are she is right on track though!

Don't let this woman rattle you! I've got three sons, and all had trouble with some of their letters-and have outgrown( me!)and any speech "problem". It is a stage that most children go through, if in three or four years she still has difficulty saying things-then look in to it.
Have a great day-J.

Hi L.,
My 26 month old speaks very well, but only for ME..:-)
Her Daddy can't even understand everything she says. Plus it sounds like she's a First baby so, she won't speak so others can understand her probably-I am speaking from being around other moms in the MOM'S group i belong to-any kids my daughter's age that have older siblings can speak much more clearly than she can.
As I said I can understand her but I have to translate except around other Mommies. Examples: Loves "Tuk" (Truck) Daddy is "Da-ee" Loves Nemo "Memo" duck says "Kack" etc...
I wouldn't worry about it if YOU can understand her she's probably alright.
Plus-I have a friend who thought her 2.5 yr old wasn't developing (speach, motor skills) and she kept telling her ped. that-she was told -she will catch up give her time. Turns out the little sweetie Does have a slight speech and motor skills delay BUT the Dr's wouldn't do much about it till she was 3 (THREE). If you are really worried talk to your Dr, but I think this lady sounds like while she was well-intentioned, hasn't had kids herself...:-)
Hope it helps!
Good Luck
C.

Even a 4 or 5 year old can still have issues - but with time and maturity, they will work themselves out. Enjoy your daughter's precious "baby speech..." it goes away all too quickly.

Don't worry - your baby is just fine!

I am a Child Development Specialist and most 2-year-olds have problems pronouncing some sounds. They also often leave off the beginning or ending sounds on some words. At her age, she should be able to be speak in short sentences. From my experience, this is going to nag at you until you get it checked out. Why don't you call your pediatrician and ask if the speech is normal? Or, you could take her to a Child Guidance Clinic at your local City County Health Department. They often have the ability to test speech and hearing at these centers. Even if she were to need speech therapy, it doesn't mean that she isn't very smart. My own daughter needed speech therapy to get her "R" sound in. She found it so much fun, she didn't want to quit going. Today, she is a newlywed who has graduated from one of the most well regarded colleges in Washington, D.C., where she was a Presidential Scholar. She has a fantastic job in management with an arts foundation. Good luck with your daughter, I'm sure she will be just fine.

L. honey, relax. It's normal for 2 year olds to mispronounce sounds. Their little ears will eventually coordinate the sounds with speech in their brains as they grow. In the unlikely event that a problem does, lndeed exist, there is plenty of time to address it. In the meantime just enjoy your little girl and concentrate on school.
God bless,
A. RNC,CCRN

I think you have every right to feel how you want. BUT it can't hurt to have you daughter checked out. If you dad-in-law's girlfriend is butting in and you don't feel comfortable with her advice tell her so as nice as possible of course. I am a first time mom so it happens to me alot. try to remember two things. No two kids are the same and EVERYONE especially family will give unsolicated advice. I know it is hard but if the information is unasked for i try to take it with a grain of salt and a smile. Good luck with school!!!

My opinion, at 2 1/2 they are still developing all their language skills and sounds, I would say just give her time and she'll learn it. My 3 yr old is still having some problems with sounds like the "l" is pronounced with a "w". I figure by the time they are ready for school then that would be a time to worry.

L., don't be upset, she's only trying to help...she means well and we all tend to get "offended" or "defensive" when it comes to our kids....i'd wait a bit longer to get it checked out but some kids do need a little help on those hard letters.. You decide when it's time to check it out or if it's not necessary but don't let it hurt your relationship with this woman....she's only speaking what she thinks would be helpful.....hang in there, it'll be ok....R.

There are very few 2 year olds that can speak that well. I would not freak out yet. They are still learning how to form their words. If was 4 with the problem I might would take her to get looked at but definitely not at 2 years old. I have a friend whose child turned 2 in April and he still can't talk so I wouldn't freak out at all. She is perfectly fine and normal!

I am a speech language pathologist and the only sounds you should be worried about at 2 1/2 is the /k/ and /g/'s. If outside family members can understand 50% of what she is saying...she is doing great! The /s/ sound does not fully develop until about six years of age.

I am a pediatric physical therapist (I work with lots of kids who have speech problems, just not on their speech) and I have a 2.5 year old too. It is normal at this age to not pronounce all letters well. The important thing is that she's talking right now. However, if you want to humor the girlfriend, check with your pediatrician about it...they would most likely need to refer you to a speech therapist anyway. Of course, it's always possible she (the girlfriend) hears something she's not telling you, and the pediatrician would be the one to agree or not. It can't hurt.

Don't waste your time being upset with this woman; she is just trying to be helpful. It's completely normal to feel a little defensive when anyone suggests your child is less than a genious.
The nurse at my ped's office tried to refer my son to a speech therapist at 18 months because he was only saying one or two words instead of four, but he signs and understands everything very well. I believe his speech may be delayed, but I am willing to wait until his 2 year old appt. to reassess.
In my research, many doctors have found that the longer you wait to diagnose speech problems, the harder it is to correct.
If you really want to know, talk to you ped and tell her your concerns. Research is online and see what is normal for your daughter's age group.

Sorry, I think you father-in-law's girlfriend needs to get checked. Your daughter is YOUR daughter and she is fine. My little girl is 21 months and those are two of the letters that, from time to time, she has a hard time with, granted she is only 21 months. Your baby girl's speech will improve by the time she is 4-6 yrs old. If you notice that she still can't pronounce some things, YOU work with her first before bringing her to see a specialist. I suggest that if the girlfriend continues this, you should probably ask her not to analyze your 2 yr old child. She's a practically still a baby and still learning words so she's not going to be a professional speaker just yet! :)

To ease your mind a little more, you can visit various websites to learn more on your child's speech development. Hope this helps a bit and supports your feelings with this issue.

Folks with any experience in children will always be giving you advice on one thing or another. Some is good and worth listening to - some should just go in one ear and out the other. All you need to say is you appreciate her caring enough to think about your daughter and you'll mention it to your pediatrician the next visit. Your daughter is just fine with not being able to pronounce things. That is what makes little kids so cute when they talk, sometimes until they are even 3 or 4. The other lady is probably thinking she is an expert in all fields and with all children because of her education and training, however, I'm afraid she is jumping the gun on this one. Good luck in school and enjoy those misprounounced baby talking moments. They are precious!

I seriously wouldn't pay attention to this 'opinion' of hers. While she may have tested kids in the army, the services are notorious for putting people in positions for which they are not fully trained.

Secondly, she is a phlebotomist, which is a person trained to draw blood or do saline flushes...where in there does that qualify her to make a diagnoses of a speech impediment? HA!

Anyway, it is perfectly natural for a child of only 2 to have some difficulties pronouncing certain letter sounds or whole words. Someone needs to relax and not worry about it. I am thinking her.

My son had some problems pronouncing some of his words at age 2...but then so did my daughter and most other kids I know. My kids are ages 9 and 6 now, and they speak perfectly normally.

Please don't let this lady stress you out or cause undue worry. Just tell her thank you for your concern, but that you believe that it is a common thing in a child that age, and if it continues until she is maybe 4, then you might start to worry, but otherwise, you want to let her be herself and not have to get her all upset by making her think she doesn't talk right.

Good luck to you!

hey L.,
i just now saw your request and then saw you had many replies... i only read the last few and well i had to respond.
do i think she may have stepped over a boundary? a little.
is it really that bad? no, because she is meaning to be helpful and not at all malacious.

now what to do....
if i had been told what you had... well i would be super proactive and i would error on the side of caution. i guess i just think better safe than sorry. and why not find out from a real professional. so i would set up an appt and go a few times. based on what you say..they may tell you that therapy is unwarranted at this time. but she might benefit anyway and worst case she needs the help and gets it. that is certainly not a bad forecast.
As for everyone saying there whatever year old is hardly understandlable. well it does vary child to child, culture to culture and then just based on the child's mouth shape, tongue size and so on. and not to brag but to give you an opposite report from the last few i read. My 16 month old can say almost anything i tell her the first time and everything with in a few times. of course nothing is over 3 syallable words or 7 syllable sentences (of 3-5 words) and she has been doing this for 2+ months. she has not problems with S, T and H or anything else. Each child just varies.... but i would rather know now then wait until school age when if your lucky a teacher notices it or even comments on it to you.
oh and my little one had acid reflux and now what seems learned aversion to food. so the recommended treatment is speech therapy. and well i am calling tomorrow to schedule her for her first appt. does she need it? I don't really know and i won't until we give it a try. Will it help? I am sure it will in some way and heck it certainly can't hurt.

So i guess i am saying to just give it try. obviously you are a loving and concerned mommy or you wouldn't be on this board in the first place and i am sure you only want the best for your children. so if you can make time i would give it a try.
oh and if the woman was wrong so be it... and if she turns out right... you can thank her later. and then if she is always making unwarranted recommendations that prove useless..well i would start ignoring her. but for now i would take it as she cares.
best of luck, i truly hope it is nothing and God Bless,
-mb

YOur daughter is right on target. If she can say the s and f sound by itself then she if fine. Putting them on a word is more advanced and a little harder. My daughter (just turned 3 this month) can say the s and f but when she has to start a word with them, it comes out as a d. Nothing to worry about!!!

L.--
It is not uncommon for a 2 1/2 year old to have the errors you are describing. If she CAN produce the sounds correctly encourage her to say them correctly. BUT not every time she opens her mouth, otherwise she will get tired of being corrected and MAY back off of talking. I would correct her when it is just you or just you and Daddy with her. Don't drive her crazy with it just gentle reminders to help her begin to use her sounds correctly. If other people are having a lot of trouble understanding her then you MIGHT want to check with a speech pathologist to see what they think. But if only the errors you mentioned are present then there is a good chance it is just developmental and she will improve as she matures.

Good luck I hope all goes well. By the way I am a public school speech therapist. Hang on things will get better just don't panic!!!!!

Your 2 1/2 year old is fine. Some letters are developmental . They will get them with age. It's common for even a 5 year old to not get the W or the S. However, she hasn't gotten better by 5 then have her tested. If most people can understand her by 3 you are fine. We worried about our daughter(after a friend that was a speech Pathologist told us she was worried) and wasted money to have her tested. They told use. Different letters come at different ages. Good luck.

I would ask the pediatrician at the next appt, but otherwise, just help your child practice words that have s or f in them. My granddaughter turned 2 in March and she doesn't always pronounce s or f either. Don't worry too much about it. We have a pop up picture book that has a page with snakes. When we get to that page, my g-dghtr will make the s sound and say Nake. Speech takes time to develop. Children have to practice using the tongue muscles to make the sounds.

L.,
I know it hard to hear that someone thinks something could be wrong with your child. And I do understand that some people have strong personalities and will rub you like sand paper. The bottom line is - your child. Not how the woman makes you feel. When my middle child was little, he didn't talk much and what he said was garbled, being mom I understood the language. I kept thinking it was getting better and at 4 1/2 realized he really needed some help. One day at the pediatrician we were discussing this and I said something about his enlarged tonsils.(huge tonsils!!!) She had them removed and the Adnoids which were larger than half dollars. Within weeks he had perfect speach. So the long and short of it is, there might be something or there might not, but it won't hurt to have it checked out. Because I waited my child's middle ear hadn't learned to hear - and his brain was having a hard time discerning the signals the middle ear was sending. It won't hurt to have her checked out. And if nothing else you will be able to blow FIL girlfriend off when the doctor tells you your daughter is perfectly fine!

Good luck!

Yes, it is very common for toddlers to have trouble making certain sounds, but they are very specific sounds. How well can you understand her? What about other people? Do you have to "interpret" her for them?

I would talk with her pediatrician at her next well visit, or if you're really worried, make an appointment before then. Chances are, the pediatrician will not know which sounds she should be able to make, that's pretty specific to speech therapists. (I'm a physical therapist and know motor development well, but only vaguely aware of specific speech development) If there's a concern, the pediatrician can recommend a referral to the early intervention program for a formal evaluation.

The speech therapist will determine if there is a developmental delay in speech production (articulation) or if it's "within normal limits". If there is a delay, they'll recommend therapy. The earlier the intervention the easier to correct and the less impact it will have on learning to read and spell.

Trust me, waiting makes it harder. But some kids, for whatever reason have trouble making their lips and tongue move the right way.

As a former teacher I know that all of the speech sounds may not be articulated until a child is in 3rd grade. At 2 1/2 your child has barely started talking. If you are concerned you can make a game out of it by mimicking the sound of a snake over and over for the 's' sound. For the 'f' sound make sure her teeth are touching the bottom lip just outside the mouth and have her repeat words, even silly, made up words. The more fun the better. Most health departments have screenings if you are really concerned. And sometimes if the child has a problem it is better to catch it early rather than later. It sounds like this woman is really only wanting to help, but it is a little disconcerting to have a "problem" pointed out.

L.,
Honey don't waste your time and energy on being upset at this woman because she doesn't know what she's talking about. Save your money because I don't know of a 2 1/2 year old who can say all their letters perfectly. There are some grown ups who may have trouble with that. I wish you well in school.

I would not get too concerned. She has given you a heads up. You are perfectly capable of working with your daughter on these two letters. I have worked with 3 years olds in church for more than 20 years, and some are hard to understand when they come in. By the time they are 4, they speak clearly.

Try to put your feelings aside. Sometimes we have to overlook how we feel in order to rationally make decisions. Take a look at her advice... is it going to hurt to take her to your ped. doctor and find out? A lot of kids don't pronounce their letters correctly, but someone trained in that area will be able to hear differences that you may not and tell whether she speaks like a "normal" 2 1/2 yr old or not. I understand how it is to feel like someone attacked you as a mother (whether or not that was the intent), but try to set your feelings aside and look at the situation rationally. After you do that, you may find that you don't agree with her and you don't take her. At least, then you have thought rationally about it instead of let your feelings cloud your judgment. Good luck!! =-)

Hi L.- I am a retired Speech Pathologist. If you can understand what your daughter is saying, then I would not worry. You are correct in saying that many children have not mastered all sounds by this age. For peace of mind, when she turns three, you can have a free speech screening done at the Tri-District Early Childhood Program. That phone number is ###-###-####.

I know that you have received a lot of advice-I was hoping that I could maybe give you a few ideas on things to do with her at home. My daughter is almost 2 1/2 and she sees a speech therapist. She just had a slight delay that her doctor picked up on at a routine visit. She was saying a few words, but not nearly as many as she "should" have been saying. Anyway-they actually set me up with a free state service for speech. I am a stay at home mom and the therapist comes to my house for 1 hour once a week. The therapist does not consider her to have any kind of delay anymore-but she still comes until the session is over, which I am fine with because its only going to help her. My daughter talks a ton she just has a problem with pronouncing some words (like all 2 and 3 yr olds). I try to do activities at home to help her. All of the leapfrog stuff works really good. They make a fridge magnet that sings abc's that my daughte loves. I just try to incorporate learning with everyday things and it has helped out so much. For example if I'm folding towels I ask her to tell me the color. Everytime we read books I ask her to help me read it, and make her count things on the page. She also loves doing puzzles. We do abc, number, and object puzzles. If she has a lot of trouble saying a particular sound I tell her to look at mommy and I will say it-it helps them to learn how to move their lips and tongue to pronounce the word. The most important thing my therapist told me to do is make her talk! For example if she wants something in the fridge and says That and points to it, I say what do you want cheese? Then I have her say cheese please before I give it to her. Even if I know exactly what she wants I don't do it for her until she at least trys to tell me what she wants-just doing that she has increased her vocabulary so much. She loves doing all those things-its like we are always playing a game. I make it fun while she is also learning!! I hope that I gave you some ideas for ways to try to help her. Good luck!

L.,
I don't think I would take offense to your step-mil. She could just be concerned. My 2 year old boy has been in speech theropy sense he was 10 mo old. Yeah sounds young huh?! But, he had a forward toungue thrust that affected his eating solid food. His speech theropist has worked with him 2 hours a week sense. He is now 2 years & 2 months and even though we have alittle bit of trouble still understanding a two year olds speech. It is clearer than if we hadn't done this. His doctor said he is more advanced in his speech than most boys his age. Cuz boys are pretty lazy when it comes to talking. Ain't most men? So I believe in any help that is out there for you child check it out.
He gets help through early interventions here in Arkansas. You might want to check this out. It is a free service.
Good luck and I bet she is beautiful!!!
Jan

I have taught preschool for several years now and can tell you that at 2, your daughter is still developing her speaking skills. I, personally, would continue to work with her on the sounds she is having difficulty with, but there is no need to worry until she's 5 (at the earliest.) I'm sure you're father-in-law's girlfriend meant well, but it really is too early to recommend speech therapy for your daughter.

Just remember YOUR her mother! If you feel there is a problem, check it out. Go with your mother's intuition. Good luck at school.

I am a mother of a 3 and 6 year old, as well as a professional educator of 19 years. Our 3 year old has issues with the same sounds and a few others. The speech teacher at our school has been around emma several times and she recommended that I have her evaluate through the city head start preschool program. If she qualifies she can have therapy at her preschool, they come to her. However, she also gave me a list of sounds and their developmental stage/age appropriateness. I found out that Emma is right on target for age 3. However, I want to have her evaluated this Fall. If she can receive early intervention, that would be best.

You, as a mother, have the right to protect your child. Feeling threatened is normal and we all want our children to be "perfect". Keep in mind that as her parent your job is to do what is best for your child, regardless of what others think.

Bless you in your parenting!!
C

L.,
I would not worry just yet. I have 4 beautiful children, and everyone had a letter or two that they could not clearly say when they were little. But they all grew out of it. My youngest is now two and sounds like she has a lisp half the time. But unless it continues with out improvement I'm not worrying. If you are really worried about it you can always ask your family doctor.
Hope this Helps
P.

You can talk to someone for free- call Janna Baker at Sooner Start. ###-###-####. I met her at the library one day. I think they give you things you can do at home with her.

Those are normal letters to have trouble with. Personally I wouldn't worry. Just repeat the word correctly so she hears it correctly. His girlfriend sounds like my MIL who never finished highschool but seems to think she is doctor somehow.

Your FIL's friend may be right but it also may be too early. It woldn't hurt to call a speech therapist/pathologist office and just ask how old they start testing. This does seem early though. Don't be anygry, that is a waste of time. SHe just wants what is best. And even if she doesn't well...its still a waste of time.

Work with your child yourself and correct all speech problems that you see. When my kids were little I worked with them constantly. I corrected all grammar and pronunciation errors and now they both speak like adults. Its amazing how many doors have opened for them because of the way they speak- so don't underestimate the power of good clear speech.

M

Let your 2 yr. old develop as she may. My own daughter started talking at 6 months but not everyone could understand her words. Until it becomes a REAL problem, I wouldn't worry about it. She is only 2 and as long a you don't do the 'baby talk' with her, she will learn to pronounce those letters in time. I know when my daugher was 5, she still had problems with certain letters. She is 11 now and has no problems what so ever. Go with your gut. You know your child better than anyone. Good luck.

NO! Your daughter does not have a problem with her speech. I am an educator and she is still developing sounds and is certainly is not something you need to worry about. When she starts school if there is still a problem then the school will also help with fixing the problem, but honestly she is only 2 and it is not considered a problem at that age. You have every right to be upset about this lady bringing this up!
I'm upset and she is not my child. Pray for this lady she sounds like she needs it.

God Bless,
C.

I am not sure if you are in oklahoma, but sooner start is a free state program that evaluates speech and learning issues BEFORE age 3. http://www.okdhs.org/programsandservices/dd/ss/ Good luck. It is good to just have someone who really knows evaluate, and then you can have a response to your GIL

A.

It sounds like she was trying to be helpful even if it was misguided. As soon as you have children, everyone will volunteer advice. Everyone wants to be the one with the most helpful advice. I have three daughters. The first one was very advanced in her speech, the second had difficulties with speech and the third learned to walk and talk early to keep up with her big sisters. As for the speech thing (I taught school for 10 years before kids) the parent can often understand the child much better than other people because you have learned her speech with her. If, at two years old, the only sounds that are a problem are the s's and f's, that is not a problem and she would likely not qualify for speech therapy if she were tested. Keep in mind that a speech problem does not incicate a learning problem. My second child has been in speech therapy since she was 2 years 8 months. She tested in the 6th percentile for speech then. She just finished kindergarten and is doing quite well. Much of speech is unlearning bad speech habits and practicing the correct habits. The earlier it is started, the better and easier the success. It sounds like your child may not need any intervention at all. If she does, do not take it personally. There is nothing you did to cause the problem and it is not a reflection of your parenting. If there is a problem, she can be tested free through the state (regardless of your income - high or low) and they have programs and they also have programs that will pay for therapy if it is not covered by your insurance. (This information is true for Arkansas, I do not know about other states) Now that you are a parent, put on our tough skin because people will often say things thinking that they are being helpful that are misguided or you are not ready to hear. I remember a preschool teacher (2 year old class)saying to me that she didn't think that we would need to learn sign language at "this point." I was floored. She had just started speech therapy and that thought had never crossed my mind. Needless to say, she was trying to be helpful, but was not qualified to make those types of judgements. She wanted to make me feel better, but really made me feel worse. As for advice (including mine) listen to it all and filter out what is most helpful to you and go with it. Good luck!

Hey L.,
I'm sure she was just trying to help. Don't hold it against her. I'm a speech therapist. At 2 1/2 yrs old, if f and s are her only errors, she's doing fine. Those sounds are high frequency in conversation, so they are probably noticeable. Sounds like she is talking a lot. That is a good sign. If she didn't have many words, that would be a different speech concern. We don't just work on sounds. However it sounds like your daughter is on track with both. If YOU are concerned you could have her screened through the local educational coop. She would have to be 3 years old for that. If she will be in any kind of day care or preschool when you start back to school, she will probably be screened at some time anyway.
Have a great day,
J.

Instead of taking her in, call your doctor and speak with him about what the girlfriend said. Most 2 year olds are still having a problem saying their s's and f's. Don't worry, I'm sure that you will find out that she is exactly where she is supposed to be.
G.

Hi L.,

My 2 1/2 year old has a remarkable Vocabulary, everyone says she is amazing and brilliant, and she lisps and can't pronounce L's very well. Everything is 'Exewent'. This lady probably thinks she is being very helpful, so unless she is giving you an annoying smirk and being intentionaly rude, she is probably trying to be just that...helpful and concerned. Ask your Dr about it on your next visit and don't fret unless you notice something significant. Most advice is unsolicited and best to be ignored. Remember the 'well meaning' women who told you horror stories about Labor when you were preggo? They now give you advice on raising your kids. Just smile and nod while ignoring her or tell her you had it checked out and the Dr said it was fine. Good luck with school!

http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/acquisition.html

Lindsey,

It's probably just a bit early for those sounds to be perfect and as long as she can produce them, things are probably okay. Above is a good reference for phonological acquisition and ages. You should probably give thought though to a hearing test to make certain she is able to hear the high frequency sounds so she can produce them. Hearing loss most typically affects high frequencies most and both /s/ and /f/ are in the higher frequency range. Your daughter most likely received a hearing screening at birth before leaving the hospital, but it's never a bad idea to double check if there are any concerns related to speech and articulation. I say this as an audiologist. Best of luck. A.

I think you have a right to feel however you want to. With that being said, you should think about what her intentions are. Is she trying to make you feel inadequate as a mother, or is she simply trying to help? I have a professor who is an autism specialist and is married to a doctor, and has a sister who is a hearing specialist. When her husbands grandson was born they found out he was deaf. Of course they got him help, but my professor felt that the help they were getting him was inadequate at best, but she never voiced her concrens as she felt it was not he place since it wasn't her child or grandchild by blood. I agree with her position, but everyone is not as tactful, so I think you can be a little offended by her statements. As far as your daughter needing speech therapy, I would hold off and see how much she improves. If at three she is having noticeable difficulties the speech theraphy is an option. My son's school had speech pathologist come out and test all of the kids and she suggested that I take my son for speech therapy because he didn't seem to understand what she was saying and had pronunciation issues. He was 28 months old!! Of course he doesn't understand some things and has pronunciation issues. Now at three he talks fairly well and even makes LONG sentences so I wouldn't worry too much about your little girl just yet. As her mother, you'll know if she has a problem that truly needs addresing. Good Luck

L., I think that its normal for a 2 1/2. I wouldnt worry about it.

Hi L.
I am an occupational therapist in baton rouge. I have a 3 year old son. Even with my background, I questioned my son's speech development not too long ago. He too has a difficult time with S, F and tends to end words in "ID"....I have consulted several speech therapist....coworkers as well as ones that I do not know. They have assured me that this is not a problem at this age. Sometime between 4 &1/2 & 5 these things should correct themsleves....and if not therapy is so easy and short lived. Hope this helps ease your mind. Let that baby be her self and love her.....I am confident that we place too much pressure on our sweet angels these days.

If your peditrician is not worried about it then I wouldn't be worried about it. My daughter is 4 years old. At her 4 year old well child check up I asked her peditrician about her speech. Sometimes it is still hard to hear her and she stills says her "L" like a "W". He showed absolutely no concern about it. He said she will probably correct it over time when she is in school. We work with her ourselves as well. I believe I had more to worry about then you. Your daughter is 2. My daughter did not say much at all at the age of 2. She did not really say much until she was 3. I believe your daughter is just fine. If you are worried ask your peditrician. But I wouldn't worry too much about it.

L.,

At 2 years old children aren't going to pronounce words correctly all the time. I don't think you need a speech therapist now. My daughter couldn't say words with rand o together in it for a long time but she finally got it right. Tell the girlfriend thanks but you will wait a while before considering going to that expense.
Good luck with school and everything.
G.