Expressive Language Disorder

My daughter, now 9, has been through the whole gammit of people trying to diagnose her. We have been told that she's having seizures, that she has add and needs medication, that she is just severely anxious, and needed medicine, and that possibly she was sexually abused (told to me my school pyschologist because they were "clueless about her behavior"). We finally got her into to see a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician who has diagnosed her with a language disorder. I think it is all about finding a great person/Physician to follow up and guide you through it.

My son has expressive / receptive lg delay, he is going to be 9. We knew about the exp. from early on, but did not figure out the rec. until he was in school. He receives speech through the school and also private speech therapy. He is also in LMB this summer. He is not dyslexic, but has great comprehension difficulty. He has made progress, but has a long way to go.
I would highly recommend at your son's still young age fighting for as much SLP services as you can get. He can still really benefit from them. Even a small delay in language can have significant negative impact on social and academic performance. I would anticipate that my son will need these services right through his teen years, in addition to lots of extra work with language at home.
Good luck!

I have 4 boys all have had language delays from minor to severe. My youngest (4 now) at age 3 was diagnosed with "Apraxia" which is a neurological speech delay. We were told it could take years before he could express himself at his chronological age level. When he was tested his receptive language was that of a kindergartener, almost first grader, meaning he understood everything being said basically, but his ability to use vocabulary and express himself was that of a 1 and a half to 2 year old. We sought a private language therapist who specializes in this disorder and also since he is 3, that qualified him for speech therapy with the public school system. Since he is our youngest, we had to set higher expectations for him when it came to asking for things and wanting things. It's hard at first, but I had him repeat. Some children have processing delays which means they know what they want to say, but the words don't come out in the right order. If your child has not been assessed by an outside specialist, that would be my first advice to you. Get a formal assessment done and find out more about your child's abilities and needs. And don't be afraid to seek a second opinion either. You know your child best. I will also add a link to a site that explains a lot about apraxia which might be helpful to you. www.apraxia-kids.org/

I will also add to this reply that I also have a son who is ADHD and was diagnosed with an expressive language delay which only added to his behavior issues. The school kept trying to push us into testing for autism, but as a teacher and dealing with all types of disabilities, I had to stand up for my son and set the record straight that if they did their research they would find that a lot of ADHD symptoms crossover with autistic symptoms. I had to emphasize to them a number of times that his psychiatrist had already ruled out any form of autism or other nuerological problem other than his speech delay and ADHD> When they tested him in kindergarten we learned that his speech delay was probably the biggest issue concerning his behavior. It turned out he has a very high IQ and once he began speech therapy and started on medication for ADHD, he was like a whole new child. I say this to all my parents....you know your child best, listen to your heart, but also listen to what your child's teacher says. Work together. If your son is dyslexic it could be possible it's affecting his expressive speech as well. The only way to find out for sure is ask a professional who deals with language deficits.

Let me give you hope though, after a year in extensive speech therapy 30 minutes three times a week, along with home lessons and other things, my apraxia son is not only starting to talk in complete sentences now, but he's also learning to read which is helping his speech. Even though your son is older, you might try having him read some lower level easy books to help him with developing fluency. This might crossover and also help him in word order and speaking in complete sentences on his own.

I wish you luck as I know how frustrating and heartbreaking it is. But hang in there. I am a firm believer in miracles!