Talking

Our little boy still isn’t talking properly. He babbles and says words but not very clearly. Everything else he’s not delayed with but nursery have been on our case for months about his talking wanting us to send him for a hearing test. But he can hear! They are pushing him down the SEN route and I feel like they just want to label him with autism. Health visitor has said not to worry and due our 2 year visit short but torn on weather to just do the hearing test or give him more time

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Hearing loss and autism are two different things. There’s a spectrum of hearing loss as well so it’s possible to hear some things but have a loss. What does your health visitor or GP think? If they’re not worried then might as well wait for the 2 year assessment and take it from there? My little one is a late talker and just starting to say words and put more than one word together. If your little one is babbling and saying some words, it sounds like it’s coming ☺️

Personally I would just get the hearing test done, at least you will then know. No harm in having this done but if hearing is a problem it's best picked up early and if not you can rule it out

Hi there, I’m a children’s speech therapist in the UK. My advice would be to go down the early referral/support routine. It’s always good to get a hearing test done in smaller aged children as their hearing needs can fluctuate loads. A good professional won’t be quick To label your child. As a SALT id want to ensure you’ve had some support first. That said if a child is clearly showing traits of any other neurodevelopmental conditions that could explain their delays I’d be having what convo with you too so you make an informed choice. I personally would advise getting a referral sooner as the waiting lists at the moment are 1-2 years under the NHS in some areas - you can always pull them off if your LO starts showing progress. Hope this helps.

@Anisa thank you for your comment! I’ve spoke with the health visitor and they said they’ll be coming to visit Tommy soon. They will only do a referral under 2.5years if there’s an additional development delay which there doesn’t seem to be. Nursery I believe can refer him so I will go down that route. Is there any benefit paying private for speech therapy?

@Jess I guess the benefit of going private is that you won’t need to wait on the NHS and early identification and support is really beneficial. That’s really frustrating that the HV is making you wait. It’s not really ideal. I’m sorry the process isn’t more easier for you.

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