Since Liam is now a year and a half, I've started thinking more and more about where he is at with his speech. At 18 months, Liam has little to no words. According to averages, children should have around 10 words at 18 months. Okay, I know it's just an average and that all kids grow and develop in their own time but something just didn't sit right with me. So at his check up I asked the doctor to investigate more. Our first order of business was to rule out any hearing problems. So we visited the audiologist.
I didn't think anything of his ability to hear. Liam has always responded appropriately to different sounds and follows directions well. But what the audiologist found was fluid in his ears and that he was hearing at about 20 decibels, when he should be hearing at 5 decibels. She figured he had an ear infection and sent me over to our pediatrician. There was no ear infection, so we were then sent to the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist.
The ENT explained to me that Liam has a problem with his eustachian tubes. The tubes are not able to open and close properly therefore fluid is built up in the middle ear, causing him to hear as if he has earplugs in. He said this was fairly common and that Liam would outgrow this, but the million dollar question is, when. So while we wait for his body to grow and become anatomically correct, we have the option of putting tubes in Liam's ears. The doctor did not recommend this just yet though, because Liam isn't experiencing any ear infections. But Kevin and I agree, we probably will not wait much longer so that Liam's speech can properly develop.
We also realized how much this made sense when listening to him attempt to speak. The two words he seems to have, "mama" and "dada," sound different, unarticulated, almost as if a deaf kid were speaking. I'm realizing now, he might have more words than we just can't understand.
I also know he is smart and that I need to provide him with more opportunities to show us this. I've done some self-evaluating and I can see that I need to make adjustments as his mom. I think I've wanted to enjoy him being a baby for as long as possible, that I've neglected to set high expectations for him. So...I am determined NOT to add this to the mommy guilt pile, but rather just think of this as a time of reflection and change. I believe every good mom, teacher, doctor, etc. should go through these periods.
In the interim, I'm seeking speech therapy for Liam and we are actively working to talk more purposeful to him. We look at him when speaking and try to talk a little louder and more articulated. I'm so incredibly grateful that this is not permanent and that we have options. In the last week, I've had acquaintances that have faced the choice of taking their child off of life support and another who gave birth to a still born baby boy. Their unfathomable life circumstances sure have put things into perspective and we continue to count our blessings each and every day.
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