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Questions & Answers - Speech & Language Concerns
My seven year old son has recently started mispronouncing words he
used to pronounce correctly. He is very bright (is being tested for the
gifted program at school) and was a very early reader. Some of the
mispronunciation seems to be related to how he is now "seeing" words he
is reading, but it still seems strange. By way of history, he is a
fraternal twin and was born 5 weeks premature. Although very healthy, he
does show some quirky behaviors like rocking himself to sleep at night
(since he was a baby) and humming to himself at school during quiet and
test times (very recently and not consistently). Is all or any of this
related? Should I be concerned if he is doing well in school
academically and socially?
It is always wise to question any changes in your
child's skills or behaviors. In regard to word
mispronunciation, I would seek consultation and
evaluation from your school reading specialist.
Since your son was an early reader, he may have
begun his reading skills by recognizing site words.
Preschool level books are more concrete and word use
is common. While reading to your son, you may have
pointed to words as you spoke which could have
helped him begin to recognize those words. It maybe
he is seeing a site word within word he is reading
and saying site word instead of actual word. Example
of this would be recognizing "cat" within word
"catch". Seek advise and counsel from your son's
teacher and school reading specialist to determine
if he is reading phonetically. Good foundation of
reading skills are crucial at this time in his
education.
In regard to rocking self to sleep at night and humming during test
taking, these are common behaviors used to self-regulate, calm, and/or
organize. We use self-regulation in order to attend and /or adapt to
demands of our day whether that maybe to find strategies to relax a busy
mind for sleep or to rev up to the challenges of testing. If these
behaviors do not interfere with daily activities, routines, or cause
disruptions in group activities, I would not be concerned. However, if
you feel it is causing disruption speak with an Occupational Therapist.
Pediatric therapy clinics will be a good resource within your community.
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Questions & Answers - Speech & Language Concerns
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