Speech delays & sensory issues w/ SB

[bcain]

My dd has a speech delay, and some sensory problems. Her receptive language is on or above level, expressive language is delayed. She's using more signs than speech at present. (we have been learning this together with Signing Time videos).

I'm wondering if others have had this experience?

Knowing that chiari II causes a change in the shape of the cerebellum, I was googling the subject. The cerebellar disorders can affect speech, balance, and proprioception, also the tracking of the eyes can be disrupted. I didn't recall this info when I was reading about chiari II. Must be chiari isn't considered a cerebellar disorder yet.

Here's the link I found.

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec16/ch221/ch221j.html

[Dodger67]

I have read that hydrocephalus can have an effect on speech - not sure if its necessarily linked to chiari?
One of my school classmates (way back in the dark ages LOL) had shunted hc and he spoke really slowly - while he pronounced the words at a normal speed, he had excessively long gaps between phrases.

[angel]

I have noticed some of the kids at SB clinic that i take my son to has a bit of a speech delay. Their vocabulary is fine with some of them it is the flow of thier speech. Sometimes they have a longer pause than most. It doesn't seem to stop them however they are very sociable and talkative. I am not sure why or what causes it but I have noticed it in some of the other kids I have met.

Angel

[canadian mom]

My daughter has a speech delay as well. She has been seen by a Speech Pathologist since she was 1 years old. She will be entering Grade 1 in September and she has improved greatly but there are still some concerns with expressive language and word retrieval.

[bcain]

I am worried, my dd expressive language is coming along very, very slowly. I know from talking with at least two other moms on this site, that their child was also speech delayed. I'm hoping it's a temporary delay.
I can see her trying to mouth to repeat a word or sound, but gives up. Looks very frustrating for her. I hope it gets easier.

Canadianmom,
Does your dd get occupational therapy as well? And oral sensory motor stimulation? My speech therapist didn't do it, until I asked her to, because the OT suggested it take place at the beginning of speech therapy sessions. My dd put two words together first time with the OT, and not yet with the speech therapist. I'm learning new things every week. Oh... I didn't even know what to ask for, OT started just 2 weeks ago, and she's 21mos. old.

[canadian mom]

I am worried, my dd expressive language is coming along very, very slowly. I know from talking with at least two other moms on this site, that their child was also speech delayed. I'm hoping it's a temporary delay.
I can see her trying to mouth to repeat a word or sound, but gives up. Looks very frustrating for her. I hope it gets easier.

Canadianmom,
Does your dd get occupational therapy as well? And oral sensory motor stimulation? My speech therapist didn't do it, until I asked her to, because the OT suggested it take place at the beginning of speech therapy sessions. My dd put two words together first time with the OT, and not yet with the speech therapist. I'm learning new things every week. Oh... I didn't even know what to ask for, OT started just 2 weeks ago, and she's 21mos. old.

Jenna did get OT and will continue to through school, but it doesn't amount to a lot of time. She never recieved the oral sensory motor stimulation, which I've actually never heard of.
When we started with getting Jenna to communicate with us, we taught her some sign language, and then just did whatever the SLP told us to do. We saw regular growth, and some months there was huge growth. My encouragement to you would be that as long as you see that there is growth, celebrate, and keep doing what you are doing. That is wonderful that she put 2 words together already with the OT! Yeah!!:Banane21:

[LillyPie]

My daughter has speech delay as well, she is 5. She is going to be getting OT, PT and ST through pre-school. She did have PT and ST in the past as well. I remember speaking with a geneticist when I was preganant and she did mention problems with speech.

[bcain]

Wow, I took notes with the genetisist, but I didn't hear the speech delay part. I did hear some learning disabilities with organization, and math. Poor kid would have inherited that from me anyways!

Oral motor stimulation is a sensory integration approach. Kind of like waking up the mouth sensors and muscles, to ready them for speech or eating. We touch around the mouth with gentle pressure, then massage just quickly the inside of the cheeks, and then swipe the roof of the mouth just near the front 2-3x. We encourage other oral toys such as whistles, bubble blowing, pinwheels, party rollout blow toy.

Sensory integration can help with a lot of problems, it's used in addition to PT and SpeechTherapy, my OT is trained additionally for Sensory Integration(SI). Sensory integration can help with balance, fine motor skills, hyperactivity, attention problems, behavioral problems. We are just beginning it, I've been reading up on it as well. It is a newer therapy, pioneered 50 yrs ago by Dr. A. Jean Aryes, also known as sensory processing disorder, an inefficiency of the neurological system. It is becoming more well known and used since the early 90's.

[smoop]

We started getting concerned when Analise wasn't talking still at 19 months. We started speech therapy around 20 months or so. They speech therapist told me that because Analise was working so much on gross motor skills her speech skills were taking the back seat -- that this was to be expected. She only needed speech therapy for a couple of months and by age 2 was stringing words together. She is now 4 and is on track with both expressive and receptive language..

[bcain]

Sarah is turning 2 this week. She uses new words every week. She is putting 2 words together now. She's still behind but picking up the pace.

Sensory Integration has been helpful. She now actually sits and plays with toys, she didn't before. She never liked to be held or cuddled and she allows it now. She tolerates brushing teeth much better as well. She is learning to tolerate swinging motion. She signs and says "more, more", when the therapist and I swing her in the spandex fabric. I don't do the brushing and proprioception techniques as often as I did the first 2 weeks, but I stick it in when I can.