Hi Mums
My 3 year old is needing a hearing assessment (first step before a speech pathologist) due to not being able to understand his speech properly. He has been going to day care for a year now and to me his speech has improved a lot but he is now the youngest in the group because he has moved up to a new room. In my mind I'm thinking he will keep improving now he is the youngest again and will pick up more sentences and new words from the older children.
There is a few sentences/words that I can't understand because he just talks to fast and I keep telling him to take a breath and slow down but it still comes out jumbled. We do read to him most nights, depends what kind of mood he is in and how tired he is. We sit down with him and do age appropriate flash cards. There is a history on my side of the family (father and brother) that had very delayed speech but not sure if this could be a factor with my sons speech.
What can I expect from this hearing assessment? What happens in a toddlers hearing test? I'm freaking out that something is going to be wrong. Can anyone else give me any tips to work on with my son before he goes to this assessment?
Thank you :)
Edit- he can say the alphabet perfectly, but when it comes to saying any thing that starts with F or P, he replaces it with S
3 Replies
Firstly don't freak out. Your son is still the same person no matter what the test results say. It's just that after the assessment you will have a complete picture of how to guide him through the next few years.
He is verbal, and is talking. So whatever info you get will help you springboard from where he is. I've met kids who couldn't say a single sound with out intensive speech therapy and be fluent speakers by the time they start school. It's all going to be ok.,
The hearing assessment for toddlers is done in a fun, playful way. They are very used to working with toddlers and babies!
They do a few tests and will check inside ears. They use a machine to test and it's quite straightforward. You will know then how to best to help him with his speech. If there is a problem with his hearing they will be able to help him with that too. If something is wrong with his hearing early intervention is best.
We have not long come through all this and have been released from speech therapy!
The hearing test is fun, my lad had to have 2 tests as he was at an awkward age.
The first test was playing games and when he heard a sound he had to look at a puppet. He outwitted them and kept cheating so he had to do another test where he and another technician raced marbles down a maze when they heard sound.
From there we were referred to our hospital speech pathologist to be tested and go on the waitlist for therapy. The speechy also picked up on some other issues he was having so we also had other referrals, but that's another story. The speechy gave us some homework to work on while we were on the wait list then we were offered 6 sessions before we had to go back on the wait list. She kept giving us stuff to work on while we were waiting for more appointments. If yours doesn't offer homework, ask what you can be doing to help your child succeed.
My Boy is now 4 yrs old and can speak very clearly. We sometimes have a moment of regression but it only takes a few seconds to put him back on track.
My husband's family has a history of speech problems, so it may be passed down, but sometimes kids just need a little extra help.
It sounds like you doing the right things to help your little one succeed, don't stress. If they pronounce a word wrong, go back and help them form those sounds again and practice. Slowing down is also great. You're doing fine.