Speech Disorder?

[miminem]

He is now 3 years old, he goes to pre-kindy.

But he does not talk, just 6 or seven words , he can count up to 5 but even that is not easy to understand .

I would say he was talking better one year ago, he was going to a kid's club three times a week to socialize with other children.

But then the teacher left and was replaced by a useless one.

I hope that things willget better soon, in the pre-kindy.

His sister has no problem with thai or english language.

We are leaving in Korea, my wife is thai.

I would like to know if there is a speech disorder center in Thailand in order to make an assessment.

We usually come for a week or two every three months so we do not have usually much time and I would like to prepare the visit.

If any of you knows how to contact such a speech disorder center, please advise.

Thank you

[H2oDunc]

Hi, the first thing you need to do is get his hearing checked. Lack of hearing is the biggest cause of late speech development. Children learn by listening and repeating. Good luck

[El Taco Loco]

In another forum there was mention of a place where he could be tested. I believe it was www.psiadmin.com .

[miminem]

I contacted them by fax but so far no answer.

I will call them next week .

[miminem]

Hi, the first thing you need to do is get his hearing checked. Lack of hearing is the biggest cause of late speech development. Children learn by listening and repeating. Good luck

We got his hera checked in korea, they said it was fine but we are not so sure they did it well or whether thwey understood what we wanted actually.

I know that he may hear only a few sounds and this has to be checked but I cannot explain this here or at least be understood.

[bina]

hearing checks are not just the regular checks, there are more in depth checks that should be done on a child suspected of language/hearing/learning disabilities: also, get his eyes checked by a pediatric eye doctor. vision problems can also cause a child to not speak (dont know why but that was explained to me by our neuropsychologist)... also physical problems should be checked, including watching how your child chews and swallows, to eliminate facial muscle tone and tongue problems which could also cause nonunderstandable speech. dont wait. we did and wasted valuable time for my son.

also rule out psychological factors (changing kindie teacher; being yelled at often, etc.)

bina

[miminem]

hearing checks are not just the regular checks, there are more in depth checks that should be done on a child suspected of language/hearing/learning disabilities: also, get his eyes checked by a pediatric eye doctor. vision problems can also cause a child to not speak (dont know why but that was explained to me by our neuropsychologist)... also physical problems should be checked, including watching how your child chews and swallows, to eliminate facial muscle tone and tongue problems which could also cause nonunderstandable speech. dont wait. we did and wasted valuable time for my son.

also rule out psychological factors (changing kindie teacher; being yelled at often, etc.)

bina

I plan to go see ATOC earely november and assess the situation with them for any further checks and test .

Is there any facility in Bangkok for complete hear checks ?

[El Taco Loco]

Most major hospitals have them. BNH or Burumgrad (sp) would be my top choices. Others will have more, I am sure.

[leisurely]

You could contact 'The Village' for help. I know the director and he is a mine of information regarding children with special needs (not just 'slow learner and mental handicap). Good luck

[miminem]

You could contact 'The Village' for help. I know the director and he is a mine of information regarding children with special needs (not just 'slow learner and mental handicap). Good luck

How can I contact them? Are they in Bangkok?

[leisurely]

Yes, google 'the village and Bangkok' all the info will come up. Sorry I can't just give you the information, we have left Thailand and our shipping still hasn't arrived!

[sylvafern]

There could be hundreds of reasons why your son isn't speaking and they may not be as simple as a hearing problem or speech problem. At 3 years old he should be speaking way more than that and I don't think anything can be blamed on a past teacher. You need your son to have a though assessment by an educational psychologist who will be able to assess if your son has a learning problem or some sort of disorder. You also need to do as suggested and have him assessed by a doctor, but I would reccomend that you only go somewhere reputable and see a pediatrician (I recommend Dr Suban at Smativej). Be aware that it is very common for doctors in Thailand to mis-diagnose disorders and label a child as having a certain condition and medicate or give an inacurate prognosis without fully investigating the condition. I would tread carefully and make sure you get second opinions if you are unsure, especially if medication is recommended. After seeing a doctor and ruling out hearing problems, I recommend you arrange an appointment with an western Educational Psychologist... assessments are not cheap but they are extremely thorough. Try the Village for a contact, or another SEN center called Ashes to Oaks (I think that's the name) on Sukhumvit 71 - ask for Allison. I could also put you in contact with a British ed Psych who flies to bangkok every few months to do assessments (they are costly but for the sake of your son if may be necessary).

Edit: Woops, just realised that ATOC you mentioned must be the Ashes to Oaks that I am talking about ... you are definitely doing the right thing by making that a starting point.

Edited October 4, 2007 by sylvafern

[RueFang]

My little brother is 7 and up until 3 months ago his vocabulary was limited mum, da and dink (drink). He had his adenoids and tonsils removed because of continuous throat problems and now he is starting to talk and can pronounce things he never could before. People always claimed it was due to him having down syndrome, which is a contributing factor, but even so 7 is old for not speaking. It seems the surgery has made a huge difference. Good luck in getting some thorough testing done and finding a solution soon.

[MsFigure]

Have you had him checked for "Glue Ear" sometimes called "Grommets". My cousin couldn't understand why her 3 year old's speech wasn't as good as his younger sisters and it was found that he had Glue Ear. He just had surgery to fix this and already his speech and general hearing has dramatically improved.

Hope the attached info and links may be of some help.

Glue ear is a common condition that affects the middle ear of children with the highest incidence occurring in children between three and six years of age. Glue ear (or fluid) is an accumulation of thick, "gluey" fluid in the middle ear (ie behind the eardrum) usually causing earache and partial deafness. Commonly it is the result eustachian tube blockage from an upper respiratory infection, large adenoids, nasal allergy, poor nasal function, cleft palate, an immature eustachian tube and a number of other factors. In the presence of bacteria, this fluid may be come infected leading to an infected or abscessed middle ear. When infection does not develop, the fluid remains until the eustachian tube again begins to function normally, at which time the fluid is absorbed or drains down the eustachian tube into the throat. Most resolve spontaneously over two to three months but the reminder may persist for many months or indefinitely, unless the fluid is cleared and the middle ear artificially ventilated by a small tube. Scientific studies have shown that recurrent middle ear infections in early life (the first year) can predispose children to increased risk of middle ear infections and persistent "glue ear" later on. Further glue ear in the first three years of life may have long-term effects on reading ability, and possibly the ability to hear in background noise which may interfere with schooling. This suggests that, if antibiotics are not adequate, insertion of tubes may be required.

Glue Ear and Grommets

Another article

[miminem]

we got my son checked for hearing and no problem was found.

We did the assessment in Atoc too and we wait the report.It looks like he needs training by a speech terapist, so we will see what we can do in Korea then decide, depending on what we get here.

thanks to all for your advise.

[mauiguy90]

He is now 3 years old, he goes to pre-kindy.

But he does not talk, just 6 or seven words , he can count up to 5 but even that is not easy to understand .

I would say he was talking better one year ago, he was going to a kid's club three times a week to socialize with other children.

But then the teacher left and was replaced by a useless one.

I hope that things willget better soon, in the pre-kindy.

His sister has no problem with thai or english language.

We are leaving in Korea, my wife is thai.

I would like to know if there is a speech disorder center in Thailand in order to make an assessment.

We usually come for a week or two every three months so we do not have usually much time and I would like to prepare the visit.

If any of you knows how to contact such a speech disorder center, please advise.

Thank you

This might not be what you want to hear but if your child has a serious speech/learning disorder, you might consider comparing services that you can get in Asia to what you can get back home. I worked for 17 years in Hawaii having kids tested for such difficulties. I realize that in the U.S.(Hawaii is part of the U.S) and probably most Western countries, free testing and therapy services are mandated by law.

Here in Asia, you are on your own. You may find someone who can diagnose the problem here in Bangkok, but regular followup therapy and other special services will be difficult to obtain and will be on your own dime. In the U.S. and most Western countries, the law requires that the government provide these diagnostic and continuing treatment services. It is required that an educational plan be written up, regularly monitored and progress or lack of it, be documented. Most services that you need will be provided free of charge including possible inclusion into a preschool to assist your child's progress. That will not happen here in Thailand and I doubt that such services, if available in Korea, will be easily available or affordable for your family.

I don't know what your situation is, and I'm not saying you need to move back home, however, if your child's needs are serious, take a look a what services your home country can provide. Appropriate and regular followup services are essential at this age. My apologies in advance if this post is not to your liking...

Edited November 19, 2007 by mauiguy90