All About Delayed Speech

[kash313]

hi,

frankly speaking i dont know what really worked i even dont know whether some thing worked individually or everything together contributed to it as i started everything at same time but my boy showed tremendous improvement within 3 months.
i searched for speech n drama class on kiasu n found lorna whinston and julia gabreil had highest votes n as lorna whinston was nearest i choosed that and my son likes to go there now.the classes r only once a week.
i personally think speech n drama class provide some degree of confidence to them n reduces group fear. but this alone is not sufficient u hav to talk with him on every n any subject continously n encourage him to talk more n more with you.
all the best.

[Monster Mummy]

I think that speech and drama classes did help the child as my gal also do not like to talk much and afraid of crowd. At least, she is dared to open up.


As for my boy, his communicate skill is really not organised but now slightly improvement and becoming more talkative.

I think this is one of the way that did help the child and also assist them to face the crowd since some drama classes got the presentation after every semester or year end presentation.

[kash313]

hi,

i was of same opinion till now but last week my son had term end class presentation and to my utter disappointment during group drama out of 10 children only 2 were good rest were either quiet or busy in there own world like my son was just running around.
during personal presentation too the same 2 kids were audible others including my son was so slow that i couldnt hear a word.
at home he plays drama byself and at that time he is very impressive but in front of crowd he couldnt perform at all although he has been going to Lorna whiston since 6 mths. i would consider 1 more term otherwise will dicontinue the classes if its not effective at all.

[Hellokitty2]

kash313:

hi,

i was of same opinion till now but last week my son had term end class presentation and to my utter disappointment during group drama out of 10 children only 2 were good rest were either quiet or busy in there own world like my son was just running around.
during personal presentation too the same 2 kids were audible others including my son was so slow that i couldnt hear a word.
at home he plays drama byself and at that time he is very impressive but in front of crowd he couldnt perform at all although he has been going to Lorna whiston since 6 mths. i would consider 1 more term otherwise will dicontinue the classes if its not effective at all.

Hi kash313,

I found that Julia Gabriel was effective for my DS, he is the type who talks a lot at home but clams up in front of a crowd but I sent him for a holiday programme at Julia Gabriel followed by 2 terms and I found that there was improvement, at least now he can talk freely, may not be your super confident type but now at least does not blush, will speak up and can give a normal presentation in front of class.

[sleepy]

Mine attending Nafa speech and drama. Some resistance from my girl initially but after a few lessons, she doesn’t mind attending. Parents can sit in during their exam. Yes, they have exam! So parents became audience when kids perform. Noticed some of the kids are really nervous while some are totally at ease. I guess really depends on personality of child, treat speech and drama classes as additional exposure but can’t expect wonder or total transformation

[Monster Mummy]

Hi,


I think there bound to sometime children is not performing to our expectation due to the time factor as well as their mood that I think.

Yet, overall, i still think it will give the children an opportunity to face the crowd.

[ct59526]

Hi,


My girl is currently in K1 and she can interact well with family. She understands us perfectly and have no problems with learning.

However, when we start asking simple explicit questions like \"How's school today?\"; \"What did you have lunch today?\"... Her typical reply is \"I don't know\" or just chooses to keep quiet.

Her pre-school teachers have also given feedback that she is very very quiet and does not express herself when there is a need for her to do so.
E.g. during her \"Show and Tell\" sessions, she either needs to be prompted or \"firmly told\" by her teacher to do her presentation. And although she reluctantly goes up to do her presentation, she speaks so softly that no one can really hear her. It's like she's so shy for her friends to hear what she has to say. However during her play with classmates, she can interact with them very comfortably.

I am thinking of bringing her to see a therapist, but not sure if a speech therapist is the right person to go to since she seems to have more of a communication disorder rather than speech/language disorder. So is there a more suitable therapist that I should bring her to ?

The other possibility is to send her to Speech and Drama classes. However, I'm not sure if this will \"backfire\" as it seems like I'm forcing her to do something that she may not be mentally ready to do so.

Does any Daddy/Mummy out there have any solutions/recommendations on this ?

Thanks,
Babymuji

[cherrygal]

Hi


Did she attend childcare from 18 months or was kept at home with own caregivers till K1? That makes a lot of difference in the kid’s behaviour.

If she only attended school recently, give her some time to get the hang of it. If she has attended school since 18mths and still displays such shyness, then it could be her personality. You just have to be patient with her and slowly encourage her to speak up. We cannot expect every kid to be vocal and confident. Some adults also find it hard to do public speaking. Manage your expectations.

Don’t force her to be who she isn’t as it could backfire as you feared. Let her attend Speech n Drama lessons at the same school she is attending (easier on the pocket and she may find it less intimidating since she sees the same kids everyday). Most childcare centres offer this on top of their curriculum.

If she’s only there for half a day, consider switching her to full-day care as that allows her to interact more with other kids for a longer duration.

[ct59526]

Hi


She's been attending full day childcare since N1 and also the Speech & Drama classes offered at her childcare. So I guess 2 years is a long stretch for her to settle down.

I don't have much problems with her apart from her NOT speaking when there is a need to do so. Expectations wise - I never expect her to be the \"School-Debator\"

So am I getting paranoid for nothing ?
So is the issue more of her shy character rather than a communication disorder?

Thanks
Babymuji

[Chenonceau]

ct59526:

Hi


She's been attending full day childcare since N1 and also the Speech & Drama classes offered at her childcare. So I guess 2 years is a long stretch for her to settle down.

I don't have much problems with her apart from her NOT speaking when there is a need to do so. Expectations wise - I never expect her to be the \"School-Debator\"

So am I getting paranoid for nothing ?
So is the issue more of her shy character rather than a communication disorder?

Thanks
Babymuji

Could be a mixture of personality type AND the natural rebelliousness of the Terrible Twos, Threes, Fours and Fives.... This is the age where they'll try and assert their own free will. The more you press, the more she will dig in and refuse. This is the same age where they think \"I wanna eat what I wanna eat and I ain't gonna eat what YOU say\". So yours is likely to be thinking \"I wanna speak when I wanna speak and I ain't gonna speak when YOU say.\" The introverts are good at passive-resistance. They'll watch you go blue in the face with wide open innocent eyes and they'll be very calm, but they WON'T comply. Meanwhile, you are the only one who looks like a fool. Your DD has somehow realized that this is a point of contention with you, and just for this reason, it'll be important for her to win the round.

Let her win this battle so you can win the war.

Once she is out of this \"contrarian\" age, it'll be easier to develop her public speaking skills. So wait a bit, especially if she has no problems chatting with close family members. She can pronounce well and makes proper eye contact with you and strings sentences and words together properly. Also, try and feel out her interests. The introvert tends to have 1 or 2 deep interests that you can develop to high levels (way beyond her age capability).

There is one girl in my son's class whose (according to my son) voice he has never heard despite being her queue partner for 1 year. But this girl writes like nobody else. Does your girl like to read... draw... music... it is through there where she might find expression and she might even express herself with a genius that will surpass your wildest dreams.

At about age 9 or so, you can start encouraging her towards public speaking. The age is a guide... you gotta feel your child.