delayed motor skills and language

[tammie]

Anyone knows where my baby can get some government-assisted free physical training classes and speech therapies to help with his delayed motor skills and language help? He is currently 9 months old. Thanks for any advices.

 

[carang]

what kind of problems are you/is he experiencing? it seems a little early to be looking for therapies, each baby has their own schedule.... has a doctor recommended that you seek help?

 

[Valencia]

It is too early to judge your child's language development. My child has her assessment at the mother and baby clinic after 4. For language assessment, you may have one as early as 3 at a govt clinic, though you may make it earlier if they let you. However be expected to wait for one year after you've got the assessment. I've decided not to wait and found a private speech therapist. I've found that 4 yrs old is just the right time for my child to have therapy, though your case may be different. If you suspect anything, don't wait for the govt, go for a private one. For motor skills assessment, you'll have one when your child turns one. Sometimes their assessment can be too difficult for your child, as I've found different govt clinics have different tests and the levels can vary a lot. There are lots of baby health web pages with baby development for your reference. Talk to other moms to see if their children have the same problems.

 

[mulk]

In my opinion (and I'm not trying to discount anyone else's), I would seek help for a child with language delays at age 2 (at the latest). My son has a language disorder (he's currently 2 years, 5 months) and he's been attending private speech therapy for the last 6 months. He's improving a lot although he can still only say about 20 words (which are recognizable to us).

Good luck!

 

[Lylah]

I was told by a speech therapist from the Adventist Hospital that speech therapy for children is only effective at age 3. My child has speech delay and i was just asked to stimulate him by using one language, reading more often, talking while watching his vocabulary building video, and I additionally sent him to kindy school. In 6 months, everyone who sees him can tell of the marked difference. He has words now for all common objects, can recognize (but cannot yet pronounce) a lot more words and has started putting 2 words together like "mama, help"... which is good as he really tries to communicate versus just memorizing words.

 

[loupou]

If you are worried, the Department of Health has a Child Assessment Centre Tel: 2246 6659

http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/main_ser/child.htm

You can also try to make an appointment at a Maternal and Child Health Centre - choose one in your area
http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/telephon/mchc_e.htm

 

[Lylah]

Thought i'd share this update to inspire other worried moms like me...
my son is 2.5 years old now and he has learned to "read" the alphabet... not just memorize but recognizes the letters. I play the flashcards with him which is why i can tell he can read.
he also knows about 40 animals and can even emulate their sound
love and patience is what worked for me and my son
Good luck to everyone else.

 

[mulk]

Lylah,
That's great news! However, time and patience does not work for all kids. My son who is also 2.5 was just diagnosed with severe verbal dyspraxia. We're 8 months into speech therapy...he's making improvements but it's slow going.

 

[Lylah]

keep encouraging and supporting him
this is what he needs the most at this time
there are VCDs which helped us as well... Bumblebee vocabulary building which i remember getting from Dymocks. They were recommended by the speech therapist we consulted in the beginning. It certainly helped a lot. Surround him with picture cards and books as well
when he starts discovering the power of speech.. there's no stopping them...

 

[mulk]

Thanks, Lylah. It's not that my son hasn't discovered the power of speech. The pathway between his brain and mouth isn't properly developed. My son is quite smart and know what he wants to say. His mouth also works properly. He's missing the sequencing of how to move his mouth and tongue to produce speech. Without appropriate therapy, he's not going to suddenly start speaking.

I'll check out those DVD's. Baby Babble is also a really good one.

Can't believe it takes a year to get government speech therapy. That sucks.

Thanks again.
K