Yesterday I took G for a free developmental screening through our local public school system. For a while now, he has had some issues with being intelligible when he speaks. As D sometimes says, G is a "mushmouth." Words run together, and there are times that I have to ask him to repeat himself again and again and again. And then still ask him to show me what he's talking about.
He passed 4 of the 5 categories, but failed the one with pronunciation/intelligibility. We will have him fully evaluated to determine if he qualifies for services. The speech pathologist seemed to think he has some definite issues that he is unlikely to outgrow. Given his history of ear infections, congestion, and current hearing loss due to the holes in his eardrums, it's no wonder his speech is a little wonky. Plus, he can't purse his lips....like to make a kiss, a pucker. I knew this from his kisses on my cheek, but it didn't dawn on me that this could impact his ability to make certain sounds (like q or r).
His vocabulary is great, and he was able to do most of the 4-year-old skills she asked of him, so that made me feel better. I'm not overly worried about him, although the speech issue coupled with the fact that he's a boy makes me a little apprehensive about how he'll do next year in pre-school. (Actually the boy "issue" in and of itself, makes me nervous about how he'll do. Boys are just so.different from girls.)
I tend to feel sorry for G a lot of time. Poor guy. Sandwiched in the middle. A boy. Who's 3. And with speech challenges to boot. Dang.
1 comment:
So interesting how many people I know with boys currently undergoing speech evaluation/support. I was really relieved when I realized I could legally wait until Michael was six to send him to kindergarten. Who knows if we will ultimately need to wait, but I'm glad we can if necessary. Harper was bordering on being ready early but I doubt Michael will be the same!
Good for you for addressing what might be an issue - lots of times I think parents just don't want to think anything could be less than perfect w/ their kids and it leads to delayed treatment and prolonged difficulty that isn't necessary.
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