Question for the late talkers

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I am trying to help out a friend, whose son is a late talker. He does not seem to fit any known condition. He didn't start talking until he was four, and now at six he still has a lot of trouble. He understands perfectly what people are saying to him, and he is very sad that he can't express himself well.

He only started talking at four, and now at six he is still having a lot of trouble, both with forming words and with forming sentences. His mother says the fact that he sometimes mixes up the word order in his sentences may be due to the fact that he was taught sign language, where the most important word appears first. Who knows.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? This kid has been tested for everything under the sun, including autism, and as I've known him since he could walk, I am certain he is as NT as they come.

I thought to ask this question here, as I suspect people here might know more about unusual language delays than the experts.

It could be a lot of things; oral dyspraxia, which is a physical difficulty manipulating the muscles of the tongue, lips and throat. Could be an expressive language delay that can be mitigated with speech therapy, or the most obvious manifestation of a global developmental delay, in which case his whole brain may need time and therapy to catch up. Children who are taught multiple languages at once (e.g English and sign language) are usually slower to develop in either of the languages, because they're learning twice as much at once, but that typically applies to children who are born exposed to two languages, and I'm assuming he wasn't taught sign until it became obvious he wasn't speaking. I'm also assuming he's been tested for hearing problems.

I am not sure what you're asking here. Is there a reason for his language delay? Is there any medical history like any history of hearing loss? Does he show any other differences like any issues or any difficulties than just language?

I have memories of not being able to talk well. I just didn't know a lot of words and my vocabulary wasn't high so I didn't have any words to express myself and I couldn't defend myself against other kids. My language was pretty limited. Because my language was limited, I didn't understand lot of things being said to me. I could hear their words but they didn't make sense. It was also pretty frustrating when I would talk and people couldn't understand me so I would get frustrated. I would say a word but they would hear something else instead because I couldn't even say the word even though in my mind I was saying it but outside of my brain, I was saying it differently. It's no wonder autistic kids get frustrated and have meltdowns or would even get aggressive if they have no words to express themselves. I used to attack my mother as a small child and she figured out I just had hurt feelings so I was giving her my pain because I felt ignored. I couldn't tell her she was ignoring me and it was making me upset. But what any three year old can express themselves that way even with language?

From what it seems like about people on the spectrum who were non verbal, they could still understand everything that is being said like a normal person but they couldn't express their language. For me it was none of that. I had limited understanding. Because of my limited language and understanding, I always scored low on IQ tests putting me in the mildly ret*d range. I didn't even read chapter book either because it was all words and I was very visual so I preferred picture books.

A person might be quite physically coordinated, yet have oral apraxia/dyspraxia.

I sense this might be the case here.

It's quite possible that he might outgrow this, too.

There are three things that made me a late talker and still mostly nonverbal.

- Autism.
- Dyspraxia (apraxia of speech).
- Selective mutism.

That's probably the best approach.

The kid definitely needs somebody who doesn't "know" that he has a disorder. To relate to him as a person. He's probably had enough of people treating him like somebody who is "broken."

I didn't "know" I had one, either, as a kid. I think that was of benefit to me.

I was quite a late talker; didn't speak until age 5.5. I didn't have apraxia, though. By six, I spoke like any six-year-old.

Whilst I am a grown man, this sounds remarkably like me.

I have been diagnosed with autism, but I strongly suspect I have a form of dyspraxia or dyslexia, too.

Do you know if he confuses his relative clauses? Such as "on which" and "at which".

I am always analysing language, but it's very difficult for me to structure sentences in a coherent fahsion - both in writing and verbally.

I feel it's very bad not to treat him like any normal kid. Don't treat like he's two. He's six, and probably not cognitively delayed.

Six-year-olds should know not to just take other kids' toys away from them.

He should get interventions, but he should not have the idea that he's "disabled" emphasized.

He might only have a speech disorder, rather than a language disorder.

I, myself, am somewhat clumsy, but not really dyspraxic as far as my body is concerned. I was a very late talker.

I have slight speech impediments, and I stutter mildly to moderately. I have trouble, especially with sounds which are not part of my language.