Mom Seeking Help on 4 Yr. Olds Speech Issue

Hi C.,
If you're concerned you can go to your local school where the child would attend and have them evaluated. I had the same issue and took my daughter to Easter Seals where she received speech and OT. She was 3 though and at 4 she was done with the program. There are also speech therapy places you can go to. I live in Plainfield and there is one in Shorewood off Rt. 59, just south of Black Rd. I don't know where you live but you could always ask your pediatrician and I'm sure they'd refer you somewhere.

Good luck.

L.

If you are worried, she can get a free evaluation and free services through the school district. Just contact your local elementary school, and they will hook you up with the right people to get an evaluation.

When my son was 3 I had him screened through the school dist. He qualified for speech the following two years, only costing 20 dollars each year. That was when I lived in Kendall. I have moved back to my hometown of Wheaton. Each dist different, but Wheaton was proactive even in the 80s that school systems are just now providing.

My son had speech problems when he was younger. Most people could not understand a word that he said. Our doctor recommeded a place to go for an evaluation and said that some insurances cover it. It is called the Rainbow Center in Aurora. Our insurance did not cover it though. She also recommeded contacting our local school district. They evaluated him and started him in weekly therary sessions. Once they had an opening he was moved to their speech therapy preschool class. He had a severe speech problem and needed the longer sessions. Good luck to you and remember that you aren't alone in this.

C. - she can get a free evaluation and free services through the school district..
If you live in district 204 ,they have very good preschool program too.If she qualifies she will get admission & therapy free of cost..Check their website www.ipsd.org

Call your local school district -- they will assess her. Then rheir obligation is to provide speech therapy from age three to kindegarten; then it will become a regular part of her school week, as needed. This is all free ... Your tax $ at work. :-)

Hi I am a speech-language pathologist. Since your daughter is 4 years-old, you can call the local public school and ask if they offer preschool screenings, evaluations, etc. Once a child is three years-old, they can attend the public school in your area and receive speech therapy if appropriate.

There are some sounds that are devlopmentally appropriate not to have when you are 4 years-old, a few of them are R, L and TH for example. You also have to consider if people understand your child when she is talking. You can ask her preschool teacher too if she has any concerns regarding her ability to be understood by adults and peers.

My school district offers a preschool screening five times per year. You can call your local school district and ask if they have that service just to make sure her speech is developmentally appropriately. If they do not offer a preschool screening, then ask to speak to the speech-path and tell her your concerns. She will be able to tell you the specific protocol to follow in your area. This is a free service.
If you go outside of your school district, it can be very expensive.

Hope this helps

My son just turned 5 last month and still does the same thing. I was worried like you but also like you I keep showing him the correct way to say the words he has problems with. I was considering speech therapy but when I registered him for kindergarten and they conducted his pre-screening they said i was normal and he'll probably grow out of it. If your really worried you can always ask your pediatrician. Good luck!!!