Speech Therapy? - Colorado Springs,CO

See if there is a local Scottish Rite - the local chapter here provides free speech therapy for young children who need it. They will test to determine if the child would benefit from therapy, or don't really need it. It's a wonderful organization.

The Public schools have a program called child find, which will test and give the services if they are needed.

I went to speech therapy about that same age.
It made a lot of difference in my life.
I don't believe it is something that you grow out of.

With my whole heart,
C.

Call Developmental Pathways for a free evaluation to see if it's something you should be concerned with. It's free and through the public school system by county. We used them for help with my son who was a very late walker. They are excellent and funded through taxpayer dollars. Look them up and find where the local center is for where you live. Ours was in Lone Tree for Douglas County. Also known as Childfind.

I have had 2 children in speech therapy in the past and both are doing great now. The r and l sounds are the lates to come and I think he will probably grow out of it, but regardless, you can ask the school when you go to register for a speech screening and they will do it and tell you if he needs it. It is all very simple and they do a good job through the schools.

I'm looking at a sheet that was sent home with my 4 year old's speech eval last fall. It says l comes at 4-5 years and r at 6-7 years. My son was in speech therapy for 9 months before we moved here, and it helped a ton. Ask the school and your son's doctor for a speech eval, and find out where to go from there. He may not even need therapy.

Hey there. I wouldn't worry too much about it actually. When he does start school, they should pick up on that right away (or of course do tell them, either way) and send him off to speech classes. It might not be called that anymore, but I'm 27 and I couldn't say my "Rs" up until about the 4/5th grade! My school noticed more so than my parents so I went to "speech" classes for about 1/2 hour every other day. Like I said, there may be a different name for it now, but I went to very small school (less than 100 in the elementary) so I'm sure where ever you do send him to school, they should have something to help. And they make it fun...do games computer, etc. Not just like sitting in a room trying to say it all day :)

Don't know if this helped at all...but maybe!

Contact the speech/language department immediately after he is enrolled to get him evaluated, then the approrpiate therapy can begin if necessary. It is important though to get him referred so he can be on the waiting list for an evaluation however b/c depending on the district, they may have a long list of other kids that are ahead of him waiting for evaluations as well. The sooner he is referred, the sooner he is evaluated, and the sooner therapy can begin.

I had a son in speech therapy, and the l should be coming about now, the "r" is a developmental sound, and we were told not to get concerned, but that it would come later (around 2nd grade). I am assuming that your son will be in kindergarten this fall. THey will normally do a speech screening with kindergarten registration. When they do that you could discretely mention to listen for those missing sound, then they can take it from there. With my sons, the problems fixed themselves once they went to school and had the modeling of the other kids. Good luck. It will all work out.

My son who is now 5 had speech therapy last year because he was missing many consonant sounds and blends. Through the evaluation process, I learned that certain sounds are developmentally supposed to "kick in" at different ages. I can't remember all the specifics, but r and l were two of the last ones. I was amazed when the therapist said that the "r" sound is not considered abnormally late until age 7!

If your son just needs those two sounds, I would guess that he is probably still on track developmentally, although you can always check with his doctor on that. (It was my pediatrician that initially recommended that I seek out speech services for my son.) Most school districts will not provide speech services unless they do a full evaluation and the testing shows the child is at least one full year behind in speech development.

Hope that helps!

There is a list of sounds and ages at which they are typically acquired. I don't have them with me to refer to, but someone in the school where you enroll your child should know and be able to guide you in whether your son needs speech therapy or not. Also, if it's a public school, I believe they are required to serve your child, if needed. Good that you are on top of it and early. -S. (teacher, gr. 1-3)

My little boy had the same trouble at age 5. My sister-in-law works with learning disablities and says that these sounds are the last to develop. Now at age 7 he's fine with all sounds. I've noticed that several kids in his class are still not making good r's and nobody really seems concerned about it. Try not to worry just yet.

My newphew had the same kind of speech difficulties. They privately hired a speech therapist that came to their house once a week (she played "games" with him). It has helped him a ton. I would ask your child's Dr. for referrals and get started right away. I would also ask the school for help too. Although the schools are sometimes slow to react due to "processes" they have to follow. If it were me, I'd get on it ASAP. The longer you wait the more of a habit his incorrect speech will become. Good Luck.

The "r" and "l" sounds are some of the last to develop. I wouldn't worry too much about the sounds quite yet. If you are concerned, mention it to your son's new teacher and ask her opinion. I'd say if the sound doesn't develop by the time your son is 6 or 7, then have him evaluated.
I have a 6 year old whose "l" is just starting to sound correct, my hubby wanted him evaluated last year and I told him to just be patient...as our son grew his sounds developed. I hope this helps!

You will want to call your local school district as soon as possible. You will want to explain your concerns and request an evaluation for an IEP. The evaluation can be done at your home or at the school (depends on the state).
He will enjoy the evaluation, the therapists will sit down and play with him. After the evaluation the speech therapist (and other professionals-usually 2-5 adults) will let you know what services they think he qualifies for. The evaluation and speech services are 'free.' They are paid via taxes dollars.

Also Tricare will provide a speech evaluation but it can take forever to get an appt depending on the area you are in.

Hang in there! It cannot hurt to have him evaluated that way you are not worrying about it. Plus the earlier you catch something like that the easier it is to deal with!

R.

I went to a speech therapist starting in kindergarten and I loved it. I went for my "s" sounds, which I can now say perfectly. Miss Linda, as I called her, took me out of class and had me come practice saying my "s". I could do it very well with her instruction, but I still botched it everywhere else. After a few years of this my mom told Miss Linda she should quit giving me candy bars and rewarding me for having to come to speech. Miss Linda did, and sent me home with lots of worksheets to practice. Soon I was saying my "s" perfectly, and I did not get to see Miss Linda anymore.

I think if my mom had tried to teach me it would not have gone nearly as well.

Miss Linda worked at our school and a few others; it may depend on the district.

i think you should definitely ask the school about their speech therapy program. when i was in second grade, my teacher approached my parents about me attending the school's speech program for my r's and s's and some stuttering. i had never before thought that i had a speech problem, but once i met with the therapist, i realized what they were talking about. i don't know why no one thought to help me with it sooner. we had just moved from a larger city with a public school, that even had a big program for the deaf, to a very small town with limited resources. so maybe what made the difference in a teacher (and my parents) taking notice of my speech problem had to do with the size of the class, or maybe it had to do with the price of the speech program. i don't know. perhaps my parents were waiting for me to grow out of it because i remember my mom telling me it had been worse when i was younger. but i improved quickly with the therapist, who only visited our school a couple times a week. and i felt better about myself afterward.

My daughter has difficulties with her r's, she is 13 years of age. We waited for speech therapy because of the advice she will grow out of it, well she did not and by the age of 10 we started speech therapy and it was wayyyy to late. now at 13 that is the way she speaks, which is sad. So my advice is to watch this, but by the age of 6, first grade look into some speech therapy.

I have seven children, several who had speech issues from mild to severe. My advice is to not worry about it right now. It seems to be one of those things that the more you push and make your child self-conscious and upset about, the more he will resist any efforts to change. Let the school know you are concerned, and they can evaluate his speech and let you know what is considered in the normal range for his age. This is a battle I would let the school worry about so that I could keep my relationship with my child more positive. Moms have enough corrections to make without including this one. Keep in mind that the school will have guidelines about when to accept kids into a speech program depending on the severity of their speech deficits. The school will only accept a child when they can get funding for him. Your son may be in the normal range for his age right now. If he continues not being able to say certain sounds, he could become eligible in the next few years.

This is so super common especially it seems with boys. My son who is four is just now coming out of not saying his l's or r's well. I just gently repeat what he says correctly. Definitely ask the school if they think he needs special therapy. I can say unless he isn't able to really talk well or be very articulate they may wait a while to see if he outgrows it.
My son talks super fast and with the l's and r's sometimes it is hard to gauge what he just said. I know because I am his mom but others sometimes ask him to repeat it slowly and clearly. Once he slows down it is amazing that he says it just fine. His preschol teacher wasn't worried at all and just said he needed to learn to slow down.
The school should accomodate you with any concerns, test him to see if he needs any extra speech assistance.
I babysit a lot of boys and I can say I see it a lot in younger boys and they outgrow it.

My cousin's son had trouble speaking and they found out it was because he couldn't hear... he ended up getting tubes put in his ears and now speaks fine - just with a cute southern drawl :) If its not that (r and l don't sound as serious) he might just grow out of it.

My little brother did exactly the same thing- "r" came out as a "w" sound. He did outgrow it. I wouldn't push your son into speech therapy. He will more than likely overcome this "accent" as he interacts with more kids his age, in an attempt to communicate better with them. Good luck!

Have you tried Brain Integration Therapy?
This was the only thing that worked for our 6 year old, who went through a useless school therapist and a highly recommended therapist in town for about a year.

You need to locate a school that offers a speech language pathologist. They work with kids and adults who have speech impediments. They can offer a series of exercises/lessons for you to work with your child at home, and they will also work with him at school. Sometimes the child grows out of it, sometimes they don't, so you probably want to work on it now. You may also be able to find a private Speech language pathologist, but they tend to cost a pretty penny. Many elementary schools have one on staff.

When you get to your new location find a Child Development Center and ask for a free screening. I was amazed because I went and had one done today for my 3 1/2 yr old. (We did it because she is going to Headstart in the fall and they require the screening). They will be able to help you identify if he is behind and then if he is refer you to those who will help him. Your doctor should be able to help you find the phone numbers or the local Department of Family Services. Sometimes though you may just have to flat out ask and have him tested with the school. Good luck.
J.

Hi , When you sign your child up for Kindergarten mention to the staff that he has a speech problem and that you would like to have him evaluated by the speech therapist . I know at our school system they will evaluate then meet with you to decide what your child needs . When your child says a word with the incorrect pronunciation don't tell him to say it like you , but instead just repeat the word correctly and go on . Hope this helps .

I am a teacher for children your son's age and I would say as soon as you register him at the new school, talk to them about his speech and see if you can get him tested to qualify for speech therapy. L and R take a while to really develop the sound correctly, especially the R. I would just talk to them, have him tested and go from there. Don't stress about it too much though, its a very common issue ;).

Hi, It is an age thing. "r"s and "l"s are very hard for little ones to say. Just be patient and give him a lot of words that have those letters in them. (Big words get them excited because they are learning something new that another kid their age doesn't know.) It'll start to resolve on its own. You shouldn't have to worry about speech therapy until he is in the second or third grade.

I started speech therapy when I was in Kindergarten. I loved it! I just went to a specialist a couple times a week during class time and we "played games." I always got a sticker or treat. I think my mom had to talk to the school to sign me up. Definately talk to the school, I don't think you grow out of it. I have heard 10 year olds that still talk with an impediment. Good Luck!

My grandson was in 1st grade this last year and was still having problems with some sounds like th being f. He had a great teacher that noticed it wasn't getting better and she talked to his mom and got him into speech therapy. However, we were told that most kids self-correct the letter sound problems on their own just by listening to adults talk and that this usually happens by the end of 1st grade. They don't usually put them in speech therapy until 2nd grade if left up to the teacher but some teachers don't even notice until latter. You do need to ask about speech therapy for your son if you want to get a head start on the problem but again, he may self-correct around 6 or 7 years old. The speech therapist my grandson has uses some easy but fun hames to teach the right pronunciation.

Most schools will test kids and recommend speech therapy at school. My son went and it helped. They play lots of word games and it was fun. It wouldn't hurt if you mentioned it when you are registering for kindergarten to make sure your new school offers it.

I would talk to the school specifically about it. On your own, keep working with him, but make it fun. Like lions laugh out loud. or red roses run radiently. Or. talk like scooby doo: rokay raggy rat rever ru ray. If he thinks it's fun, he might try more

l's and r's do develop later than other sounds, generally. Do contact child find at your school for a screening and an evaluation if necessary. It is also true that students have to qualify for services, and the problem that your child has has to be educationally handicapping. In other words, is it affecting his educational experience in some way? With speech sound errors, they may or may not affect him socially and in learning to write and spell words with those sounds in them. Good luck.

My recollections are the same as Sarah's. I'd call Child Find if you have concerns, though. We just went through it earlier this year with our 1 1/2 yo and everyone was very helpful and considerate. At least you'll have an answer and be able to rest if he is okay. Our older son is not quite getting r and l yet and his speech therapist said to give it two years before calling again for those if they were the only problems. That puts him at almost 7.

I think you should notify the new school to see if you can get a speech therapist. But firstly, I would tell your son how much you love and accept him even though that is how he talks. What I mean to say is make sure that he understands emotionally that you are not trying to 'change' him, that even if he talks like that forever, you will always love him. Maybe let the issue go at home and the school can help him etc. I am not a speech expert but I do teach languages, and many chidren outgrow this issue, however I know a girl who at age 16 still has this impediment, and it really affects her life. Maybe age 5 is still too young to worry about it, but I would contact the school and get guidance on this issue.

if he is attending a public Kindergarten then he can be (you might need to advocate for him and fill out paperwork in the office requesting it for the process to begin) tested for speech- a type of special education services. Be forwarned that it takes many mispronuciation to qualify. I would have him seen by a speech therapist- your insurance might pay for it and many take medicare. If you are from Col. Springs betsy Straka is fabulous with young children. If he is having his speech mispronunciations pointed out to him without you being trained on how to correct/help him properly- he will be sensitive and more frustrated. He needs someone to help him form his mouth in the correct way. If the children in Kindergarten notice the speech problems- then you know it is obvious and it will make him more self conscious.

I am a special education resource teacher in an elementary school with 4 children of my own under the age of 12. I suggest that you ask to have your child screened by the speech therapist at his new school. She may feel his articulation is developmentally appropriate or may feel he could benefit from therapy once a week at school. Hope this helps.

L.

Your son's preschool teachers should have referred you to Child Find (if you live in CO) for a free speech screening or evaluation. Articulation issues are very hard to work on in the classroom setting alone. Besides, regular education preschool teachers are not going to "fix" this. There are specific strategies to use that minimize the embarrassment and frustration on the part of the child which the speech path will share with you and your husband.

here is something i just found out. wait until he is completely enrolled and school has started before you start asking for any kind of extra services. if you ask before then he may be denied enrollment -- even if it is a public school. so i imagine that being an army family that you have good medical coverage. i would take advantage of that and start speech therapy now.

M K,
he will absolutely grow out of it:
I would tell the teacher(s) in a new school that
he has a slightly different way of talking right now,
that you work on it,
that if any advice or help is available in school,
then you would like your son to receive it,
but that you do not worry as you know this is going to change when he will grow elder.
BY NO MEANS do not let your son to get frustrated over this situation: he is right: this is the way how he talks right now: many kids 'get' some letters later, and "R" is the most common one. As he grows, he hears how others talk, and he will practice on its own also, as at some point of their life, they do not like to differ from others much: he will practice and he will get it right! (but, if he gets frustrated that he is 'different' now, and it is considered being not good, he might have a little psychological trauma, pull back, not to communicate so much, avoid responding in the class: KEEP HIM HAPPY, this is very important, really, as if he enjoys communication and studies, then the little things will settle by and by, you will see - hear :).
You can tell him, for instance, that this is not a disaster at all, just a little bummer, and it will work out overtime.
I raised 3 kids, they all developed with different speed, and myself, I did not pronounce 'K' until my age 8: sometimes it came out right, and sometimes it just didn't, leaving a gap in the word... but then suddenly it started coming out at all times, and now I speak three languages fluently, with an accent of course, but not skipping sounds :)

All the best to you, and your son! M.

I have had 3 of my boys go through speech therapy. They started at 2 and 3 though. It was suggested by our pediatrician who asks about their speech. There are exercises that can be done. I'm not sure where you live but where I live they have a great program through "Kids who Count". Also, right in the elementary school they have a speech therapist who starts with them even before they go to school. If I were you I would call your pediatrician and see if they suggest any specific person or program. If not, then call your local grade school where he will be going because they can give you some activities to do that will seem like you are playing a game with him and not working on his speech. Good luck!!

I have read in child development books that speech problems are common and "normal" through age eight. Nevertheless, there's a free program in Douglas County Schools called Childfind, in which they evaluate your child and treat your child for just such a problem. It should be very, very easy to get a referral. Start with the local elementary school office staff.

My daughter had great difficulty being understood and it frustrated her (and us) at times. We took her to ChildFind and after testing she was enrolled in a speech therapy program. Her therapist was great and she loved going! By the time she started kindergarten, we could all understand her and she was a much happier camper. I'd strongly recommend having your son tested when he gets to his new school. Talk to his new teacher and request a screening. Keep pushing until he is evaluated and possibly placed into a program. Good luck!

I personally had the same problem when I was that age, I received some speech therapy through school (I would ask for it when you register him to make sure he gets it). It helped me but I also feel that I grew out of it some as well. But I also remember being teased alot from the neighborhood kids because I couldn't say my sister's name correctly "rr". Good luck, just keep helping him out, but also don't make it a big deal. My mom helped me but I never remember it being a chore.

I didn't read the rest of the responses, so this may have been covered already, but can he stick his tongue out "normally"? He may be tongue tied, if those are the only two letter sounds he is having trouble with. Both of my girls were tongue tied, but I caught it was they were newborns, and we got their tongues clipped at 2 months old. You should be able to talk to your pediatrician about this, but many people don't know what it is, and I believe it is hereditary (guessing, as my hubby was tongue tied as a baby and both my daughters were). My cousin was tongue tied until she was ten. Her mom took her to a speech therapist and they noticed she couldn't move her tongue properly, and the sounds she couldn't say were "r" and "l", they both sounded like "w",

Good luck!