Speech Therapy for Babies?!?!

United States
April 28, 2008 10:49pm CST
I've been hearing a lot lately about kids as young as a year and a half going in for speech therapy, especially from women with kids my own son's age. My baby's going to be two in July, as are these other kids, but their moms have had them in speech therapy for several weeks now. Am I the only one who finds something fundamentally wrong and disturbing about this? Maybe I'm just missing something, but it doesn't seem as though a toddler would need such extensive TRAINING in speech. Kids naturally pick those things up between one and three years of age. I can understand if they're not even saying simple things like mama or dada by the time they hit two, but I figurer as long as they can communicate and they're at least babbling a bit, they're good to go. Check for hearing and all that, but is speech therapy really necessary so young? It just seems unnatural; what do you think? Would you have your child in speech therapy? If so, at what age would you consider it? Blessed Be
1 person likes this
8 responses
@giorazor (46)
• Georgia
29 Apr 08
i dont know what exactly that mean but i got son...... he is 1 years and 7 month old and he is very interesting and serious kid... he loves when his perents r talking to him like with big man..... than he laughts.... i think we should treat them as indipendent people and they will start talking and even thinking earlier then others kids..
1 person likes this
@magrylouyu (1627)
• United States
29 Apr 08
My stepson began speach therapy when he was 3 years old when he started Headstart. To this day, he will be 5 in June, he has a hard time with the letter S. He cant say school, shark, and sell. He even has a hard time with Zebra, his cousins name. His cousins name is Robert and he says Robber. I believe 3 years old is a perfet time to start. I believe this because even starting the Speech therapy at 3 it has now been 2 years and still struggles. I think 18months is a bit young as well.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Apr 08
It may be strange but it's not all that uncommon and is sometimes necessary for some children. Some children aren't even saying fundamental sounds at that age and that is definitely a problem. Yes, all children develop differently and at different rates, but if they aren't talking, at least saying something at that age, they may need to see a speech therapist.
@makingpots (11915)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I completely understand what you are saying, LadyDulce. My son started speech therapy in January and he is only 3 1/2. I cried for the first week every time I took him.... it was 6 hours per week that I would not be with him. I felt he was just so young. But he has truly flourished and now I wonder if his self esteem would have begun to suffer if not for all he is learning. I watch him play with some kids who can not understand him and it seems to frustrate them both a bit. In my son's case, he has what they call a jargon language. He is a very happy, social and friendly little boy who began trying to talk at 6 months. He just wanted to hold anyones attention as long as he could so he literally developed a made up set of noises that sounded like honest attempts at words, but were nonsensical. When at 18 months, those words were not becoming more clear I just knew that he would need some type of assistance. But like you, I wanted to believe he would naturally just start picking things up however at two and 1/2 it was not really happening, still. I live in an area where parents push their kids to excell and provide TRAINING in areas just to give them a leg up. I hate the thought that I must appear to be one of 'those' parents. But I do know I am doing the best thing for my child. Yes,..... as you say, Blessed Be to all those children out there who really just need to be spoken to and allowed to speak more at home. I live with guilt that I could have done better in that area for my son. But mom's are just going to find "something" to have guilt about IMO.
• United States
29 Apr 08
I don't see anything wrong with sending my toddler thats about to turn three to speech therapy. Its not as extensive as you might think, my roomate's son actually has been in speech thearabp for a year and he's four now. He goes to school for about three or four hours, and they just talk and basically act like a pre-school child would. From what i'm told they work with the child partly, but try to get them to talk with other children more. It is the communication that gets them to be talkative. Of course for my roomates child he has a inner ear problem so thats why he goes to school. Alot of children have to go because they have a speech problem, or because of an inner ear problem. However I don't see the problem in letting your child just go so that they can learn to talk more, and be more in control of themselves. That way if they want something you can understand what they want, and they dont' get frustrated trying to tell you what it is.
@ashly1979 (1376)
• United States
29 Apr 08
yes lady i went to speech when i was little and now my son is slow in school i was slow in school to i could not coprhend things that others did for many years people would make fun of me just becaues i was not like tham i had no friends in school take care
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Apr 08
My son was in speech therapy at a very young age due to being tongue-tied. He couldn't even talk yet. Speech therapy isn't just about speech. It is basically to teach how to get your mouth and tongue to move how they need to move. My son couldn't suck so we went to speech therapy to teach him how to move his mouth so he could suck. Yes, he continued with speech therapy so others could understand what he was saying. I am not sure why these kids are in speech therapy. If it's just to be in it then I think it is wrong. But I am all for speech therapy even for newborn babies such as my son if they really need it. A good speech therapist will NOT do speech therapy on a child who doesn't need it.
• Canada
29 Apr 08
I don't see anything wrong with it. Its not like these parents are enrolling their kids in a harmful program. Sure, that is a young age, but why not? It may not be neccessary, but if you can afford it and it will benifit your child, then I do not see any harm in it. I do not think it is unnatural. But if I had a child, I probably wouldn't put him or her into a speech therapy program untill he or she was about 4. That is just my personal prefrence. But I don't see any harm in putting them into a program when they are even younger.