[KarynB]

So once again I turn to my forum family for some help/insight/advice.

My almost 20 month old DS has no words. He babbles and signs, but no words yet. I took him for a screening where it was recommended that he get a formal eval done - no problem except that it may take up to 10 months!!!

During the screening she asked if he he trouble eating - chewing meat, veg, fruit, etc. I said no - but the more I thought about it, I realized he doesn't not eat meat (spits it out) nor will he eat any raw fruit (apple slices, etc) except bananas (mushy) and will not eat veggies unless well-cooked and blended. At 19.5 months we still blend most of his food. Yogurt and applesauce are what he lives on. So this is a bit of an issue.

Does anyone know what the link is between speech delays and food issues - what could the problem be? I am really starting to worry...

Thanks to all of you!

karyn

[angelkisses0102]

In OUR case, yes there is a direct link between DS's oral issues and his severe speech issues. DS has had feeding issues, oral aversions, sensory and speech issues since we adopted him at 8 months old.

My only suggestion is to find a private place to do the evaluations...the county we lived in when we brought DS home was pretty quick...about a two month wait for the full evaluation. But we moved between the eval and starting ST...and then we had to wait 4 months to get him into ST. Once DS was out of ST through EI...it was a nightmare getting him an evaluation from a sensory familiar OT through EI...finally he turned 3 and we went through our GREAT school district. He is now doing great and in just the past 6 weeks his speech has blossomed so much...he started a great SN preschool in September and the improvement is nothing short of a miracle.

To this day we still struggle with him eating and speaking...DS has a very, very limited menu as to what he will eat...he hates meat other than chicken nuggets. He is still on pedisure and was on formula until he was over 2.

Good luck...I would also mention a trip to the ENT...DS had fluid, not infections in his ears and that impacted his speech as well.

[kizibits]

My daughter had a direct connection between eating and speaking, as well. Hers was related to Pierre Robin Sequence and almost went undiagnosed. Her jaw was a little small and recessed, but not so much that most people would notice it. I noticed it, though, and asked my pediatrician for a consult to an ENT specialist who had a great reputation with jaw distractions. My pediatrician predicted that we wouldn't be offered the surgery, and indeed, the ENT initially stated that he didn't think her case was significant enough to warrant it, but then... he did a full exam of her oral and nasal cavities and discovered that she had an undiagnosed sub-mucal cleft palette. Combined with the small jaw that equated to Pierre Robin Sequence. Added to that was the smallness of her throat, the normal size of her tongue, and the high risk she was at for choking and he determined that she actually was a prime candidate for the surgery.

There were three stages to it so far--removal of her tonsils and lower adenoids in one procedure, breaking her jaw and inserting the screws to lengthen it in another procedure, and removal of the hardware in a third procedure. We'll go back in a year or so for the repair of the cleft palette.

Since accomplishing the first three stages we have seen a tremendous improvement in her. She now eats just about anything and has become very verbal. We still can't understand a lot of what she is saying, but that is gradually improving, as well.

My experience with this situation has taught me that if I have any concerns about my daughter's health, that I do not settle for just the first opinion or two that I get. I make sure to get several opinions and to demand thorough investigations of my concerns. It's all too easy for something to be missed just because it's not obvious, so I make sure we check out every detail.

My daughter also has significant SI issues, but none seem to be orally connected. We will be seeing a neurologist in a few weeks to review the findings of her MRI which showed necrotic damage to a section of the parietal lobe which controls sensory processing (a result of several mini-strokes she suffered at delivery) and should have a better understanding of it all then. Again, I had to push for the MRI, though. Don't hesitate to ask for tests you think might help you to figure out what is going on with your little one.

Jeana

[angelkisses0102]

The post above reminded me...DS had HUGE tonsils and even bigger adenoids. He had them both removed at age 30 months. I feel this impacted both the feeding and speech issues as well.