Early Intervention Is Coming to Town!

The following is written in a real mom’s own words. This is an outlet for parents who would like to share their stories, in the hope that others will connect and find support. If you have a story you’d like to share, please message us on Facebook or email us at bianca@momof11kids.com.

Early intervention is coming to town!

I have a million reasons to explain why my toddler still isn’t speaking, from the medical (he had a surgery at 16 months that may have something to do with this) to the bilingual home, but the bottom line is that the reasons don’t matter. He still isn’t speaking, so speech therapy it is.

I’m not even worried, per se. I don’t think anything is drastically wrong with him, and I’m pretty confident that he will speak eventually.

On the other hand, as a first time mom, it is pretty stressful when your kid isn’t hitting all of his milestones.

Even as an infant, he was quiet. An observer, we said. He was crawling and standing unsupported by six months, walking at nine months, but still not babbling. Focusing on his motor skills, we said. His manual dexterity is impressive, able to manipulate small objects very precisely (even his pediatrician was impressed! Sorry, FTM pride moment…), and his climbing skills are positively simian. He doesn’t feel the need to talk, he’s a doer, we said. We understand his pointed fingers, his grunts, and his head-shakes as if they were language. Exactly, that’s why he hasn’t learned to talk yet. He knows he can get what he wants anyway, we said.

But at the end of the day, he still isn’t speaking, and he should be. Not even “Mama,” let alone “ball,” “cat,” or “just one more turn on the slide!”

So here we are, adding speech therapy to the list of things that we do each week. I think he will enjoy it; it’s all done through play, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

I know we are lucky—there are far greater problems than delayed speech. But it can still get pretty frustrating when you are dealing with it. And our little man is frustrated too—he has been crankier than usual, and more prone to tantrums. At this point, he is obviously desperate to talk.

Hopefully this new, extra support will make a big difference. I’m looking forward to a happier toddler, who is able to communicate his needs easily. I’m looking forward to finishing with speech therapy, so that I can clear out my schedule a little bit. I’m looking forward to chatting with munchkin, and hearing his little voice more often. But most of all?

I’m looking forward to hearing that first Mama.

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