For anyone who doesn't already know, Joshua is significantly behind in his speech development. At 23 months, he only says a total of about 5-6 words. We've been a little concerned, but had up until recently thought he was just one of those "late talkers" and that at some point he'd suddenly explode with vocabulary and start chattering away. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened yet, and our concerns have grown. We finally contacted Joshua's pediatrician, who referred us to a group called Kids on the Move.Kids on the Move is an organization that conducts early intervention with young children who have developmental delays. We had someone come out to evaluate Joshua, and she confirmed our concerns. He is currently in the 10th percentile as far as expressive development goes, and if he doesn't make leaps and bounds in the next month, he will drop to the 3rd percentile. This means he qualifies for their assistance. We don't know yet what that will involve, be it home visits, classes at the KOTM building, a combination of the two, or what--we are waiting for them to call us back and set up an appointment to discuss the particulars. Hopefully we'll get started soon.
We really hope and pray that this program will help Joshua learn to express himself better. It's almost heartbreaking to see him point at something but only give a little grunt, or call our attention and then just say "Unh" because he can't let us know what he wants. Here's hoping our little guy will soon learn to say more words and start really talking with us!
9 comments:
I have a nephew that at 3-years-old was only saying a handful of word. He was put in a special program like what you are talking about. Now he is a normal 5-year-old who can say anything. I think programs like this are amazing. Good luck to little Joshua.
Oh that is my dream job!! I actually applied to work for them and went out on visits with them - they're awesome! I don't have enough experience with little children so I didn't get the job, obviously. But they are a great organization. I'm sure it will help a ton! Good luck
I am definitely proud of you for putting your child FIRST, and seeking the help that's out there! It's definitely good to get professional help from those who know. He will be absolutely fine with time and effort, bec I KNOW that kid is smart!
We are keeping him in our prayers.
Love, Mom & Dad
Carina, i will definitely keep joshua in my prayers. Im glad that there are programs out there to help!
good luck!
Anna wasn't talking at 18 mos old so we taught her sign language (signing times videos) and after a year or so - she was talking. The most important thing was that we could communicate with Anna - signing - and then later with speaking. :o) You are a great mom!
Tiffany did something like this with Brady. Talk to her about it. Brady is amazing now!! I can't believe how much he has grown!!
That's great that you can get him into a program early and fantastic that they have a program around that you can utilize. My nephew has reading problems that they're just catching and he's almost eight, so this will be so much better for little Joshua. Good luck and we'll keep you in our prayers!
Early intervention programs can do WONDERFUL things. By the time kids reached me in 5th grade, things had been right on track for quite a while.
Hang in there, though... the journey can still be stressful.
Benjamin had the same problem. He was almost three and speaking at an 18-21 month level. We did private speech therapy -- expensive and less than helpful for him (however it does work for other children). If one-on-one therapy doesn't seem to get results for Joshua, ask if they have group therapy. Once Ben was put into a group speech therapy class he blossomed. The preschool environment worked wonders too. Sometimes getting the child into a new environment will do the job. Hang in there. It happens to a lot of kids and catching it early is the best way!! Also, if he continues to be delayed after being with KOTM when he turns three, the public schools are required to offer free education assistance for special needs children. Ask around and you might get free preschool!! Email me if you have questions. Ben's still in the special needs pre-K and his speech is WAY better and he's learning all the preschool stuff and he's only been in for a total of 6 months!!
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