[Prettyboicris]

My wife and I are interested in a 5 year old little boy. In the brief profile we read on him it states that he has difficulty expressing himself due to speech and language delays. My wife and I are willing to learn more about his particular issues but we were just wondering what should be looking out for? What questions we should ask? Are there books or resources online that we can be pointed to for clearer information on language and speech disorders?

[marykath]

We, too, have delt w/ speech delays in our ad. A few things occur to me.
- Expect a lot of anger and fustration, especially if he can't speak well enough to get his needs met. Consider teaching him signs to express things like "I need a drink," "I need to go potty," at least in the beginning. There are baby signs books and Web sites that explain this. Some people believe the signs actually speed language development.
- What was his early environment like? Was he spoken to? Held? Cuddled? Do they believe the delay is environmental (as in, no one talked to him so he never learned how to talk)?
- While you are asking about his early environment, see if anyone believes the delay could be connected to trauma - PTSD.
- What language was spoken in the birth home? Foster home?
- Have they tested his hearing? I was suprised to find no one had done this w/ our daughter.
- Has he been evaluated for processing disorders, both auditory and visual?
- Is the delay in expressive or receptive language or both? In other words, can he understand what you are saying, but not answer back? A clue to this would be if he can follow simple directions.
- What services has he had? Were they from a general early intervention worker, or an actual speech therapist? In an office or at home? Is he now receiving services from a school district? In or out of a classroom?
- Has he had any psychological evaluations or neurological testing? If so, can you read the reports?
- How stable have his attachments been? Attachment challenges are often accompanied w/ delays.
Hope this helps. I would say the biggest thing we learned though this is how many things play into speech.