Elsie Said:

how can i fix me problem with talking?

We Answered:

Don't be so self conscious and don't be so hard on yourself. Speech therapy is still an option so never rule it out. Believe it or not famous people have had speech problems. Winston Churchill and Thomas Jefferson stuttered. Don't be ashamed to seek out speech therapy, doing so only shows you want to be the best "you" you can be. I wish you the best no matter what you decide.

Dolores Said:

Speech impediment Help?

We Answered:

first, try to get rid of the zits and lose a few pounds, people today are very stereotypical and have a hard time looking past that (they are quite ignorant :() for te speech, try listening to how others say those letters then try to match the sound, if you go to http://dictionary.reference.com/ and type in words with those letters/sounds, the find the little audio symbol and click on it, it will say the word (the symbol is a speaker) this question hits close to home, my sister had difficulty saying R's and S's ans would reverse them, she would even write them with the opposite letter, she had speech therapy too and the problem disappeared but occasionally pops up and we correct her

Wendy Said:

How would you go about finding out if your child has a speech problem?

We Answered:

Hi!
I'm a speech therapist and your daughter seems to be on track. Some sounds (like r) don't fully develop with 100% accuracy until children are around 5. I wouldn't worry. I would just provide a lot of clear models and encouragement for her. I am also pretty sure form your description that she won't qualify for services. Children need to have a 34% delay or greater to qualify and based on her age, it does not take much to do well on the assessments.

However, as a mom, I understand being concerned and wanting what's best for your child. I always tell parents, it can't hurt to have children evaluated. Early intervention evaluations are free, and if nothing else, it will put your mind at ease. Children often enjoy the play and pictures that go along with the assessment, so it's not an unpleasant experience for them to go through. The therapist who evaluates her can also give you a lot of really simple and fun suggestions on how you can help your daughter to develop clear speech even if she doesn't qualify for services (Too many things to try and type out here).

I'm not sure how it works in Canada, but there should be early intervention programs provided by your county. You just need to contact the county to schedule one. You could also try calling the school district and asking them if they could direct you to an early intervention (EI) agency that would do an evaluation. The same agencies that do preschool evaluations for schools do EI evals.

No worries and good luck!

Justin Said:

Is Speech Therapy needed for my 4 yr old??

We Answered:

If you are concerned about his speech you can request that your child is refered to speech therapy throught the nursery or the health visitor. If you live in the UK it is seen as better for the child if they begin speech therapy before they start reception class.
Whether the nursery staff think he has a problem or not they should respect your wishes and concerns for your child and refer him. If there is a problem the sooner its caught the better, and its better to have him refered and the speech therapist say he doesnt need it than not to bother at all.

Nicholas Said:

AT WHAT AGE CAN YOU DETERMINE IF CHILD HAS A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT?

We Answered:

Do not panic! My brother had the same problem until got 6 years old.
After that everything went normally.

Edgar Said:

I can't pronounce my vocalic R's?

We Answered:

Sounds like you've been shortchanged by your schools for not getting the services you needed earlier. You should ensure that you get services again after you move.

It also seems like the advise and treatment you got might be confusing you.

Yes, there are 2 basic movements for the tongue: retracted and retroflexed (pushback). Retracted is where the tongue bunches up (makes a hump) in the back of the mouth. Retroflexed is where the tongue curls up and back (like a wave or backward "C") Either way is correct.

Many speech-language pathologists try and "teach" these positions. We feels it's better to find out what you do naturally and then emphasize your natural tongue positioning. Try to say an R word that is correct or an R sound (like what does a pirate say: "Arrrrrrh!"). What does your tongue do in that instance? Repeat that positioning when practicing and saying R words.

R is a really difficult sound because of the vocalic properties. That is it can act like a vowel and change pronunciation. We've found that there are 21 different types of vocalic R (and even up to 32 if you consider each of the 11 R Blends (br, fr, cr, shr, etc.)). For a list of all 21 R's see: http://www.sayitright.org/article.html

If you've worked on a variety of sounds (share, car, tire) at a time, you may have gotten what we call "traditional" R therapy, which treats the sound like a consonant. But being so complex it needs a more subtle approach.

We recommend working on only one sound and word position at at time until success is achieved. For example, just work on AIR final, by practicing words such as: share, pair, stare, care, bear, mare, flair, wear, tear.

Compare to a word list like: share, car, tire.

What you get with this first list is phonetic consistency. Your brain, jaw, lips and tongue are all moving the same way repeatedly becasue you are saying the same sound. Just like doing physical exercises at a gym. The second list (what you've been working on) is all over phonetically and confusing.

The key is to pick the correct intervention target (starting point). This is where a qualified speech therapist can help. We recommend to start with sound that you already have some proficiency with, but might stuggle somewhat with as well. Don't start with the hardest sounds, nor jump around practicing different sounds. Stick with just one, until it improves. If you can't consult with a speech therapist this summer and what to get started, just try picking one sound and practice it.

You can find more information on phonetic consistency here: http://www.sayitright.org/R_Phonetic_Consistency.html

Discuss this info with your speech-language pathologist. Come up with a game plan. Be insistent on getting help.

You are wise to be concerned, but have plenty of time to get this worked out. Stick with it. Good luck.