4 Year Old With Speech Delay

by Charlotte
(Uk)

My 4 year old son was diagnosed with speech delay a year ago.

We were told it was simple delay and that his speech was appropriate but for a younger child. We were told they would not consider therapy until he started school.

He turned 4 in August and has now started school but his teacher is confused by his diagnosis. She says his vocabulary is advanced and he uses sentences etc. as his peers do.

His problem is it is almost impossible to understand the words he is using.

He can say most things not exactly right but you can work the words out if he is asked to say the words in isolation but when he spontaneously speaks in sentences of his own accord even I struggle to understand him.

He has ankyloglossia but we're repeatedly told that this would make no difference despite his grandfather having had an identical problem at the same age that was then fixed by having his tongue cut.

Typical examples of errors in his speech are fronting, gliding and deaffrication (did an online assessment and got told that) but in general speech a lot of his words are totally incomprehensible.

Is this just speech delay that will sort itself out or should I be pushing to get something done?

I feel extremely angry that he has been left until he started school as now he is aware of his problem and being teased by his peers and isolating himself.

Oh his teacher says he is above average intelligence and he can already read if this makes any difference.