[kitty123]

Hello,


I wondered if any of you have experienced this. My Boy/Girl twins are 2 years 3 months. They were 12 weeks prem but were signed off by the peads over 6 months ago. DD has always been ahead with her communications (smiled first, spoke first) but I am starting to worry about my lovely little boys speech. I'm wondering if it's because I'm comparing which I know is unfair.


DD quite often will speak in sentences (usually very bossy ones!) Things like, 'Mummy close the door' and 'He banged his head!' DS tries to say things like 'thank you' but they are so muffled    . Other words are really clear but many aren't. He loves being read to, points out things, has a impressive range of animal noises but he just seems far behind his sister.


He had hearing tests earlier this year that were clear and we saw the Dr today who said his ears looked a bit gluey but nothing significant. I'm going to speak to the HV tomorrow so would be really interested in your experiences, I don't want to push if I'm just overreacting (I've been known to do this as they were both very poorly as little babies) but I also don't want to be fobbed off....


Thanks,
Lisa

 

[Daizymay]

I don't think this is a concern at DS's age, seems like DD is a little ahead of her age group. Keep an eye on the ears - glue ear can affect speech and language development - if a child can't hear others using sounds and words correctly he can't learn them correctly himself. No harm asking your HV to refer you to speech and language therapy - you'll probably have to wait 6mth for an appointment anyway! you can always cancel if you don't need it then.

 

[Guest]

He doesn't need to speak as his sister is doing it all.  This is common with singleton siblings as well as twins.  My brother hardly said a word until I went to school since he didn't need to.  He knew that I understood what he wanted and that I would tell our parents.  DD here spoke earlier than DS but they are now even.

 

[Dee.Dee.32]

My little brother was like glitters - there's 4 yrs between me and him but only 11 months between him and my younger sister - her being the older of two. Anyway he was poor at speach and just mumbled but me and my sister could tell exactly what he was saying and were usually asked by family what he was saying. He eventually had speach therepy and they said there was nothing actually wrong he was just being lazy and could be because we let him! He was sorted in no time as he could always do it ... He just chose not too

 

[sal24601]

cant add much more tha the others, if you're worried, then ask for a referral. I'm the older one and used to speak for my sister (19mo younger)

With my twins, K is by far the clearer and more expressive one, L is quite hard to understand sometimes, but I am not overly worried yet.

What about spending some one on one time with him? I know its hard to do, we manage only about once a week and only since the last couple of months, but it has made a huge difference as L doesn't have to compete for attention and can get out her whole sentance before K talks over her!

Sal

 

[slinkyfish]

Hi
I can understand why your worried. That difficult start can make you worry more. However my advise is to follow your instincts with this one. Sometimes having 2 can make you paranoid as you compare but sometimes it helps to pick up problems too. 

Sam and Jack are 2 1/2 and while Jack is like your daughter, Sam is like your son. Sam's speech is muffled and difficult to understand too and he was diagnosed with glue ear. Apparently if their hearing was poor during their first year they don't pick up certain sound so often speech becomes slow and muffled. Also did he have reflux? This can cause problems too. How long was he ventilated for? Again another thing that can affect hearing. Glue ear can also get better and worse over time. My 2 were monitored by Audiology every 6 months from birth and on some occasions their hearing was good and the glue had lessened and on other occasions it was awful. So a one off Audiology test doesn't always give the full picture of what is and has been going on if you see what I mean.

I expect it is just a boy thing but do ask for an ENT refferal just to rule out any problems or ask for another Audiology test to be done in a few months time. Both mine had grommets fitted, even though Jacks hearing wasn't too bad. Audiology said he probably wouldn't need it treating but the ENT man said to get it sorted as clear hearing makes a big difference to their speech development. When there is glue present in the ear it makes sound very muffled like you have cotton wool in your ears and that has a knock on effect for them learning to talk and picking up certain sounds. Now my 2 have perfect hearing and it has made a huge difference! Sam will still need to see a speech therapist to help him, as his speech is still quite muffled and hard to understand but he's so much better now. We are even getting full sentences out of him and he's becoming quite a chatterbox! xx

 

[kitty123]

Thanks everyone! I saw the Dr on friday but she wasn't a lot of help, she could see that DS has glue ear but said to bring him back agin in 6 weeks. She also said she doesn't see enough children K&L's age to be able to compare so to give the HV a call. HV weren't around so I've got to try again on monday.


DS is definitely trying to say things - I can hear bits of words but they are muffled. Although there is probably something in the fact that DD does all the talking, there is no 'space' for him to talk in! We've begun to give him some time with one of us on his own (which both DD and DS love) so we're going to make that a regular thing.


Slinky - DS had terrible reflux - I didn't know that there can be a link with that and hearing/speech development? He was only ventilated for 36 hours, DD was on for 10 days and has had hearing tests as a result. I think I'll push for another ENT referral. After reading what you've put, I'm wondering if he just hasn't picked up certain sounds because some of his word as crystal clear (such as 'hello!') and some come out completed messed up (for example, Night, night!). Do you know who would do a speech therapy referral?


Thanks again everyone.


Lisa x

 

[Guest]

Kitty - if the doctor saw that he had glue ear, I'm surprised she didn't do a referral immediately to ENT, not bring him back in 6 weeks if he's showing classic signs of muffled speech.  When R had glue ear, after several ear infections, the GP had no problem in writing up a referral to ENT.
Do they go to nursery or a childminder?  If so, perhaps ask them as well?  When I mentioned about R having more hearing tests, nursery were quite surprised as they didn't think anything was wrong with her hearing or speech.  We were pretty confident that her hearing was fine but we obviously went ahead with audiology to make sure.

 

[~ S ~]

Hello

I'm not a twin mum but do have three little ones. I just wanted to try and offer some reassurance in the differences which can occur between siblings. My eldest has had terrible ear & hearing problems but out of my three he was by far the quickest to talk. My youngest has had no glue ear, infections or hearing problems but he was late to talk. When he was a similar age to your DS he only spoke random single words and with bad pronunciation.

He was given a hearing test but only due to DS1's problems. I was reassured that at age 2 it was fine and they would only be concerned with lack of speech at two and a half as just a few months at that age can make huge difference and indeed it did  He's 3 next month and now talks in full sentences, OK some of his pronunciation can still be wrong and muffled in places (I do wonder if he's getting a lisp) but honestly, the difference in those six months from two to two and a half was massive!

As for glue ear, at this time of year a large percentage of children have it, especially if they have had colds, coughs & sniffles so please try not to unduly worry about that as this stage. It's different if they are suffering from recurrent infections or suffering major hearing loss. The GP should keep and eye on it to check that it resolves once the warmer weather kicks in. I'd certainly ask the HV to arrange an audiology appointment for you though but if you find they are reluctant just go private if you can, my DS's audiology appts are approx £100

Good luck

S xx

 

[slinkyfish]

Slinky - DS had terrible reflux - I didn't know that there can be a link with that and hearing/speech development? He was only ventilated for 36 hours, DD was on for 10 days and has had hearing tests as a result. I think I'll push for another ENT referral. After reading what you've put, I'm wondering if he just hasn't picked up certain sounds because some of his word as crystal clear (such as 'hello!') and some come out completed messed up (for example, Night, night!). Do you know who would do a speech therapy referral?

Hi

Jack was ventilated for 12 hours and Sam had 3 episodes. One 12 hour stint when he was born, and the 2 lots of 4 days when he was ill. Interestingly Sam and Jack passed their tests in SCBU and Jack passed the next one too, but Sam didn't. Sam has had more consistent problems but Jack's tests varied, sometimes good and sometimes awful.

I think that it's very possible that this is just one of those things that will improve with time. As the other have said a few months can make a big difference. Boys do tend to develop slower than girls and talk later and he's a twin with a chatty sister. Sam had chatty Jack to speak for him which didn't help. Also they are not really 2 years 3 months but only just 2 corrected. I know they don't correct after 1 but I think it takes much longer for them to catch up. However I am all for second opinions, erring on the side of caution and putting my mind at rest, especially as pre term babies with reflux are very prone to this kind of problem. Plus the fact that if it is glue ear it can so easily be treated and can make a huge and immediate difference. Once Sam's grommets were in he would jump at every noise and came out of his anaesthetic with his hands over his ears as everything was so noisy!
Spending time one to one really helps and is a great idea and also repeating words back to him, not correcting him though just saying them back and getting him to look at your face when you say it. We have our first speech therapy appointment the week after next so will let you know any other tips they give us

Out of interest who did the hearing test? Was it the HV? If it was then ask to have the test done with the Audiologists at the hospital who have far more experience and do this day in day out. They also have a little machine that can see if it is glue ear and how bad it is. It's just a probe put in the ear like a thermometer and doesn't hurt. The boys love going there as they get to play with the lady and every time they hear a noise get to wave at the fluffy rabbit and dog in the box! As I said before and as S says they need to test them over a period of time as glue ear can come and go.

The reflux link seemed to be of interest to them as both boys always had inflammation of their ear drum when they examined them. It was never infected nor did they need antibiotics, but as soon as I said they both had severe reflux they said that was probably why there was inflammation there. There was no long term damage issues with this though as they never had chronic ear infections or perforated ear drums. The link with hearing loss and mechanical ventilation seems to be a problem for those babies that were on long term ventilation, so like your 2 mine were OK from that point of view thank goodness

As for speech therapy it would depend on if they think it would help. If they do find a problem your HV can refer as can the Audiologist and ENT Consultant. If they don't find an issue and he just needs more time then they probably will leave him and see how he goes. It's worth getting him on the list as there is usually a long wait. Then in the mean time if he starts to talk more and clearer you can cancel the appointment (this is what they told me to do) Here they don't work one on one with the children until they turn 3 as by then they can see the extent of the problem. As others have said, at 2 they can still just be late developers. However they give you tips to help them and keep an eye on them for you

Our appointment is on 17th. If I forget to get back to you PM me xx

 

[Dee.Dee.32]

My HV asked if I had any concerns re hearing etc at 12month develope check. I mentioned that sometimes ds ignores us when we call him and she referred him straight away to audiology at childrens hospital.  He failed to co-operate fully on first appointment so had to go again when couple of months older but then passed with flying colours.  If doc won't refer I'd definitely flag with HV who should be able to help.

 

[HJG]

My girls were very different A was talking in basic sentences before she was 2, E only really became clear and started using more advanced words like because, actually, very, maybe, probably etc when she had been in nursery about 6 months ie about 3 1/2.  She still mumbles when she is tired and struggles with some words when saying them for the first time but she has been assessed at nursery and they found no need for intervention.

Regards

HJG

 

[crazy]

At 2 yrs my twin boy was very advanced and i was worried about his sister.

They told me not to worry but i demanded a hearing test and speech therapy appointment, they said by time it comes through you will find she has probably caught up I said well thats fine but i want for own piece of mind dont want her getting to 4 then realising she cant hear or something.  Got hearing and was fine and attended speech therapist and got invited to wkly sessions but just went the one week as realised her speech was fine. she never really spoke many words but in last 2 mths really notice a difference, everyday she just rattling off big long sentances.  Once I knew they were happier with her then I knew she would be fine but thought just want to rule things out.

I would demand tests while your waiting as I find it does put your mind at rest if they say everything is ok. Think her problem is she doesnt get a chance to talk as he doing all the talking for her so now i need to direct questions at her rather than both of them.  Twittering budgies now lol

 

[wishing4miracle]

Well our boys are nearly 28 months and are not speakin sentances yet and they are booked in for speech therepy.i was told that they shoudl speak 50clear words each and theyre no way near that yet.they dont say many clear words. The prob is i think that they say things their own way that me and dh know but outsiders dont.i think also they dont pick things up outside of our home as i dont go to groups and they dont do nursery.im startin gettin some help in this area with a comunity help nurse as i find it hard goin out with the boys on my own and find it hard being around people i dont know.what should we expect with the speech therepy?

 

[slinkyfish]

Wishing -    We have our first speech therapy session on Monday so will let you know what happens xx

 

[Kabby]

My 2 girls had very different speech development, I found once they were at nursery it seemed to even out and it did happen quite fast - literally going from one words to sentences in a few weeks -  although one is still far more 'talkative' than the other.  I have to say I tear my hair out at the literally non-stop talking from 7am to 7pm - I    for a minutes peace now and again 

 

[wishing4miracle]

well we were ment to have our first appointments yesturday but when we got there after over half an hr walkin we were told that the woman wasent goin to be in.i was so anoyed.now got to wait for more appointments to come through post

 

[kitty123]

Wishing4miracle,


Oh no! How awful! Did they say how long you might need to wait for another appointment?


Kitty

 

[slinkyfish]

well we were ment to have our first appointments yesturday but when we got there after over half an hr walkin we were told that the woman wasent goin to be in.i was so anoyed.now got to wait for more appointments to come through post

 

[NorthernFox]

Hello

My twins (boy/girl) just turned two on Boxing Day and have developed their speech at very different rates.

Oddly (or so I'm often told) but my DS is far more advanced than my DD. He has been talking for a good 5-6 months and his speech is clear, he regularly uses words in context that he's only heard once or twice. He puts 4 word sentences together and is a keen conversationalist. My DD on the other hand has only recently started to talk and her announciation is sometimes poor.

I do wonder if the use of a dummy has anything to do with it as DD has one and DS does not. She is only allowed it at nap times/bed time or if poorly etc but I have heard this can be a contributing factor. I hope to wean her off it over the next 6 months.

Has anyone else found this to be the case?

NFx