sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
My 5 going on 6 year old son has congenital Lyme.
It has only been in the past 6 months or so that we are convinced he has problems with speech.
He can read fluently, his vocabulary is enormous, he is emotionally astute and can tell anyone how he feels, he can communicate anything.. so the problem does not seem to be purely or at all cognitive.
Rather, he does not seem to HEAR/distinguish a wide array of sounds, or, he does not how to make that range of sounds to speak appropriately. He increasingly sounds "babyish" to his friends, and that perception of him is causing him profound hurt and a loss of sense of competence.
I can't put in writing very well what all of the non-stop problems are, but some are- can't pronounce "th"- at all.. so, for example, fourth is always a "forf.."
we understood him just fine- then, for past months increasingly cannot.
Lyme or not, what can be done?? and if Lyme, anything different that must be done?
thanks, dilly
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
dilly bumps up...
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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Sounds like an articulation/oral motor prob which could/could not be lyme related - any history of ear infections?
Is it getting "worse" or is it something made more apparent now that his peer's speech is continuing to develop and your son's has not?
Is he in public school? I guess it varies by state, but he should be eligible for a speech/language eval to determine the extent/details of his problems.
Let me know how it works out...
All the best, Abby
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Hey Ms. Dilly,
How old is your little boy?
Our state provides services from birth to three and then in the school system,
From age 3 on up.
Depending on his age, he may not need to be able to produce the th sound yet.
All sounds that we produce have an age at which they should be mastered.
Some children have disorders of articulation (not mastering a sound by a certain age)
While others have difficulties with the processes of speech (phonological development).
You can PM me at anytime with details that can help me help you.
He can get evaluated for free with your local public school system though.
If he is under 3, then the Child Search program can do that also.
All of these programs are free in our state.
My 5 year old doesn't say his "r" correctly.
He uses a "w" for an "r".
I encourage correct production as this is a sound he should master at age 5,
But I don't worry about it. Me, the Mom, the Speech Therapist.
However, if you feel that it is affecting his social skills, you may want to get him evaluated.
PM me with details so I can be of further help.
Hang in there Mom. Remember there are 5 little boys for every 1 girl in Speech Therapy.
Hugs and kisses to you and your family,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
thanks for replying, Abby.
To answer your questions-
1. he had 3-4 ear infections between age 1-4, none since.
2. i think both situations are true- that his peers have advanced in how well they articulate and he has not AND that we have seen a genuine decline in the past months.
The time frame for his speech (defect) decline, coincidental or not, overlaps almost exactly with a very broad loss of much of the progress he made during his first 8 months or so of Lyme tx; his llmd suspects a con-infection kicked in at that time.
Only in these past months have we tried to "correct" some of his mispronunciations. He can "hear" some of those corrections, though for the most part he cannot change how it is he is saying those words, no matter how many times he tries during a process of hearing me repeatedly pronouncing whatever the word/sound is, even showing him where my lips/tongue are.
For a handful of sounds he does not seem to be able to hear the difference in pronunciation at all.
3, he will be going to kindergarten at a new school (for him) this fall, a public charter school. I am lining up my duckies to go in and speak to his principal in July,and will definitely be discussing this speech problem and what resources the school offers.
We don't see Dr. J again until August, so am at the moment throwing out the question about whether or not the problem can be Lyme-related.
Since it seems it could be, I'll contact Dr. J before my school meeting to ask what if any Lyme-specific guidance he can provide us and the school.
Thanks again..
dilly
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
sorry, Geneal.
saw your reply just after i replied to Abby.
Little guy will be 6 in August.
it is the social interaction element i am most concerned about, since he has always been extremely sensitive to how his peers view/respond to him, and lives in dread of making mistakes of any kind.
As well, though, i am alert to any decline in his well being, and am wondering if a speech problem can provide clues as to what co-infection he may have, and/if his neuro-Lyme is encroaching into new areas of his brain.
did the info i provided to Abby help explain?
hugs as always, dill
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Sounds like it could be one of many speech issues - if it's a decline in ability esp in the context of other Lyme and co. issues popping up I would definitely let Dr. J know -
speech is very complex - brain sequencing issues, oral musculature stength/coordination issues, sensory issues, phonological processes (as Geneal mentioned) just to name a few things that could be going on...
Yes, definitely get a school speech eval asap - Sept will be here before we know it!
As an SLP, I would not press him to hard at home to make the corrections (esp if he is unable to)-
you can certainly let him know you can't understand him (gently) and even try to work out some alternative ways to make his needs know if the unintelligibility is so pronounced...
Model the sounds for him, even with exagerrated lip movements, but no pressure for him to do it.
Sometimes health insurance covers speech evals in additon to school districts...you can even get both.
Hopefully a good SLP will set up a home based program to help you do all you can at home too.
Self esteem r/t to speech prob is huge for all kids - let him know it's ok if he sounds "different" right know
focus on his strengths - he sounds sharp as a tack!
Hope this is helpful
all the best, Abby
-------------------- "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" - e.m. forster Posts: 921 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2004
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
great info!!
someone, please copy this link to TREEPATROL'S archive in medical!!
i just added this to my newbie package!
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