It was so emotional collecting them all!! Then I got to share them with Finn and he was so amazed at his own progression. LOVED collaborating with you - thanks for being my huge support xxx
Hearing him talk at the end was so beautiful it made me cry! He sounds like the 6yr old he is! So proud of him & YOU Mama! It doesn’t matter how long the work takes, as long as you do the work & you both did the work! 😭❤️
oh SJ this made me cry! Sweet little Finn is such a warrior, hearing him say he was proud of himself and knowing you were proud of him was just incredible. You are such a fantastic mum ❤️ Keep it up Finn, you’re amazing!
This change is insane. I am crying. You have such a warrier for a son, SJ and this is so amazing. And he has this little underlying Scandi accent and it's gorgeous.
"You can be proud of yourself and you can learn." Cue all the tears. He is just the cutest, sweetest little boy. What an amazing, amazing lesson for him to learn so young, to be so empathetic, positive, and hardworking. I'm just sitting here weeping, wow.
I know - In a way his speech delay will carry him so far in life. He's so empathetic and kind, he sees anyone who is an outsider and goes right to them. I think he'll end up working with children and being such a kind soul xx
OMG, I hope he knows that everyone is so proud of him and that he has done so well. This litteratly brought me to tears , I hope he knows how good he has done and how much he has accomplished. Congratulations, Lots of love, all the way from Australia.
Thanks so much - I read him your message :-) He's very proud of himself and I think he's so confident now as he knows he just needs to sit and learn and he can do anything. xxx
This was amazing, currently sat crying. I have a little boy who’s 21 months who has no words and we have 2 weeks ago been referred by the health visitor to speech therapy but due to covid19 they currently aren’t running hopefully we will get the help we need soon :) Thankyou for making this xxx
This makes me so happy that I made the video; I was so scared to say about his speech as I totally blamed myself but now I know there are other parents going through the same; it’s a huge comfort. I’ve done a video on the tips I leant that’s on my channel. Stay in touch xxxx
My daughter is 30 months and Has only 5 words and yesterday we have been referred to speech therapy but like yourself covid has got in the way, I'm so annoyed we are wasting time waiting to get the help we need
Ellen McGarry sorry only just seen this message! Wow that’s so good that you have been reffered! It’s such a relief isn’t it when it happens,, but yes I know it’s so frustrating isn’t it, we are looking into private too, and will probably go down that route in a few months time if we don’t hear anything... i hope you get the help you guys need too 🤞🏼, it’s nice to know you’re not in the same boat though too xx
This has me in tears. The pregnancy hormones aren’t helping, I’m sure ha! I have a 2 year old (2 on the 28th of December) and we are going through this same process. I beat myself up so much, feeling so guilty for not putting my son in daycare, and now somewhat guilty for being pregnant as silly as that sounds. Having outside sources giving any input (other than his therapist) always gets me down and I just hate it for my son bc I want to protect him at all costs. Covid has made things so much harder. The not being able to see cousins his age and also having to do all the appointments via FaceTime.. a lot of chasing while trying to soak in what someone is telling me to do. Just a lot of thoughts.... but I’m so inspired by this. This gives me so much hope for my little boy, and fills my heart with so much light. Thank you for this honest look into the journey of speech therapy- the struggle for the parents and the child, but also the high notes and accomplishments❤️ So glad I stumbled across your content❤️❤️❤️
I’m literally tearing up . I’m going through this right now with my 4 year old . He is starting head start(pre-K) in a couple weeks and I’m scared to death . This gave me hope . Thanks so much
I started studying Speech and Language Therapy before dropping out in my second year just because the career wasn’t for me but seeing videos like this still makes my heart warm and so proud of my friends that are still training. Speech therapy I believe is so under looked by a lot of people as I don’t think they realise that so many people have speech issues (they even help those with swallowing difficulties). Thanks so much for bringing light to it and helping parents in the same situation. Finn is such a gorgeous boy ❤️
My son is Spech delayed, giving him therapy and can’t wait to hear my son speaking and saying his name and calling me mom.. thank you 🙏🏽 for your video gave me hope one day my son will talk like that. Good bless you and your family.
This made me cry as well. My daughter has the same problem and she turns 4 this year and I’ve also been so hard on myself because we didn’t recognise she had a problem earlier and the issue was stressed by her teacher at school. It’s been really hard realising how far behind her peers she really is and that it’s only me and her dad that understand her. This video really gives me hope for her as will start her on speech therapy very soon. Thank w for sharing 🙏🏽💐
I'm 40seconds in and I'm welling up. It's so clear how much you love your son and your so proud of him. Rightfully so ! Well done Finn. I know this was 2 years ago but it's so lovely to see the progress made. Absolutely wonderful. ☺️
Finn's story is like a mirror to my own son Callum's speech delay. We are currently trying to get him help, but because of the pandemic there are massive waiting lists. It's been hard to get him what he needs, Finn progress gives me hope for my little guy. Thank you for this and Finn is an amazing boy.
I am sitting here in tears. My son had speech delay and he had an operation at 3 years old as he had glue ear. We have had speech therapy and he has come on amazingly. But it has bought it all back at the frustration they have trying to express themselves. The mum guilt for ignoring it and thinking they will “get there”. The thinking he will never speech or say I love you mummy. He’s now 4 and is starting school in September. His speech is now so good although we are still working on some of the pronounciations of some of the letters. Fin is absolutely gorgeous and seems like the sweetest boy. Thanks for sharing and making me realise that we are not on our own. It’s not been easy to get where we are but I am beyond proud of my son and I get daily I love you mummy! Plus he actually is never quiet now 😀 xx
I was so surprised watching it back that I still do that; I've worried night after night and it brought it back having to speak and translate for him. That's so lovely that you did that for your cousin; it would have made a huge difference x
I am a speech-language pathologist (therapist) and this made my heart so happy! So many people think that children just grow out of their speech or language delays/disorders (usually because someone they know says their kid was the same way), but it's not always the case. Some children do grow out of it, but many don't and it's so so important to get them the help they need as soon as possible. Thank you so much for raising awareness, learning, and advocating for your son!
Currently sobbing. My son is almost two and his therapist is starting to suspect he has apraxia of speech. He only had one speech appointment before Covid locked us down and all his subsequent appointments have been over Zoom, which is fine but really hinders any actual progress... I feel like he has all these words in his head but just feels trapped by his mouth and can't get them out. When Finn said "I am Finn" I just burst into tears. To hear Cohen say mama would make the rest of my year. I'm so encouraged by watching your speech videos though. I found you through baby name Mondays but am so glad you've been so open about Finn's speech. It gives me hope. Thank you for being vulnerable. And thank you, Finn , for sharing this with us too.
I had a lot of trouble speaking as well when I was young, I did not say my first words until I was 3! I have struggled with learning disabilities, but I am a college student and I can speak fine today!
Oh gosh hun I’m in tears. Iv put a lot of weight on in lockdown and come across your videos by searching about weight loss. Iv been wanting to watch this video since I found your channel and just plucked up the courage and so glad I did. My second tommy is two and a half and can’t talk. This give me the push I needed. Thank you and a massive well done to you all especially Finn! xx
Yes that’s so true! He’s very mature and sociable; he always asks if I need help and looks out for people. I think he’ll be a teacher or work with young children. He’s grown a massive heart xxxx
What a beautiful little boy. Just darling. His mommy is beautiful and brave as well. Your heart. I can't imagine what the start of the journey was like. He is amazing. I agree, he is a warrior. Hearing his joy and seeing his big smile is like sunshine. He is so kind. You must be very proud.
What an incredible little man. I can't imagine the amount of work you all put in to help him get to where he is today. You can see how proud he is of himself, bless his heart!
Thank you so much for posting this video. I am going through some of the same things with my almost 4 year old. He’s very bright and and knows all his letters and numbers shapes colours etc he puts them together with magnet letters and numbers and shapes and colours he matches through games on his I pad, he’s been doing all this since he was 2. He also spells words, he uses a lot of gestures and non verbal communication but hardly no words. You gave me so much hope😢 watching this. He’s in speech therapy and I have been also trying to work with him while we play. Im going to go back through your videos to see if there are any more tips. I hope and pray everyday to hear him say I love you mommy or his name. God bless Finn he’s an inspiration to all the children who are speech delayed💕. For me I break down and cry daily, as a mommy it’s hard to see your child struggle and wonder if it will all be ok.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. My son is 2.5 with speech delay. He has strong receptive skills but struggling with expressive language skills. He has been doing well with therapy. So encouraged by your story and by Finn and his courage.
I am watching this and crying as I was just told 2 weeks that my son also has severe speech delay, he is 3 and like Finn, amazing boy but won't say the simple action words. COVID delayed to get him help and I'm just kicking myself right now for getting him help so late. Watching this gave me hope... thank you.
Hi I am currently going through this journey with our 3 year old boy. I personally have been worried but it has given me some relief watching this video. Finn should be very proud!
I had tears in my eyes at the end watching Finn talk. Seeing the pride on his face and the love and pride and yours is wonderful. You can tell it has been such a journey for you all but so worthwhile. He is a very lucky boy to have such a loving support network around him. Well done on all your hard work, Finn! You're a superstar! 🌟
THanks so much Sophie, play was so vital for him and I'd love to train as a play therapist but it's a huge time commitment isn't it. I definitely mind shifted into being his biggest and loudest cheerleader vs his teacher and think that helped us both a lot. He hated me correcting him, I needed to be his safe place xx
Finn is an absolute BOSS! What a little inspiration, the fact that he understands so much about it at such a tiny age still. Hewill help so many people, throughout his life while he remembers his own struggle and will be a wonderful young man! X
I’ve been researching and I relate to you guys 100%. My Sage is just like your Finn was and to hear him speak broke me down in tears. I began to lose hope but I can’t wait for Sage to speak clear.
Oh my goodness this had me crying.. when Finn started talking about how he felt starting school,that people didn't talk to him because they didn't understand him 😥 all of what he said really about being proud and saying you're so proud! What a little darling he is! I'm so glad he found his words, what a determined little boy he is xx
You are such a brilliant mum. He knows how proud you are of him. Beautiful example of positive parenting paying off. Your children are a credit to you and are lucky to have you.
Well done Finn! I remember watching your speech delay a couple of years ago and look where you are now. You’re such a good mum and I’m so happy for you and for Finn. What a trooper! He’ll go far ❤️❤️❤️
Yes I really genuinely couldn't imagine the day when he'd be understood so well by everyone; it felt like an impossible dream at times. But he's done so well xx
this is the most beautiful video i saw in many years !! and gave me strong hope for my 2 years old niece . i will still continue to help her and talk to her until she reach finn's level
Thanks so much for this video! I'm a speech therapist as wel as a linguist in the Netherlands. I did the speech therapy as well mainly because I didn't know if I could get a job with just the linguistics education. I'm working as a speech therapist for about a year now and, to be honest, sometimes I feel like it gets boring. With my linguistics, I was hoping to develop more things and do more research, and to 'make a difference'. With 'just' working as a speech therapist, I sometimes feel like my job doesn't have as much impact as I'd wish. Lots of parents don't come to the therapy, because they don't see what I can help their child with. They only come because the school says they should. It discourages me sometimes. But then I see your videos about Finn and about how much emotions there are. Your videos help me to see behind the 25 minutes I see a kid each week. They show your emotions, insecurities and questions. These videos help me to become a better speech therapist, who doesn't just look at the sounds, but at the whole situation. Just wanted you to know that your videos about Finn don't only help orther parents of children with a speech delay, they also help speech therapists ;) So thank you!
Eline, thank you so much for your work. Having a child who can't communicate outside of the home made us totally retreat as a family, we couldn't go back to work comfortably knowing he'd be with people who might not understand his speech, and more importantly for us - know him. As we did. We never had date nights as we couldn't use babysitters because they wouldn't hear what he needed. His peers at playgroup and other places would say to him "I can't play because I don't know what you're saying" and he had to take all that in and just sometimes he would cry at home with me about it. Communication is so vital and I'm trying to think how I can help more families without access to speech therapy to get some. I can imagine like me saying my son has speech delay; people don't really understand the work that goes into speech therapy and maybe they think it's not life saving....but it is. For their future and their parents day to day lives xx
@@SJ_Strum thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, communication is so vital. And it's a circle: when communication doesn't go well, a child can pull back from communication. And because he or she pulls back, there is no practicing and it also makes the childs belief that they can't communicate well even stronger. I'm so happy for Finn that you've broken that circle together!
His speech is so lovely and clear now!! Every video you make about him makes me emotional because I’m just so proud!! What a special little boy who’s so lucky to have parents who are willing to work hard for him to achieve what he’s capable of❤️
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! It gives me so much hope for our two year old who has only a couple words and possible motor planning issues. Finn, you are awesome and blessed to have a committed mommy and support! Way to go, you should be proud!!
This video actually made me so emotional. What a sweet and inspiring boy! It's very obvious that Finn is full of love and kindness that he clearly learned from living in a home environment that cares for and supports him. You should be very proud of your children and of yourself, you're doing a fantastic job x
This is so unbelievably heart-warming. Little Finn should be so proud of himself. I am looking into going into a career in speech and language therapy and seeing how chuffed Finn is and you are with his improvement and how much it has changed your lives is definitely a motivation to work hard! All the best to you all xxx
So proud of Finn!❤️ One of my mother’s friends child was born deaf and had to go through some speech therapy it’s beautiful how children flourish in their different ways! I’m so proud of Finn and our family going through this when times were difficult❤️
My 3 year old little boy has about a 100 word vocabulary with 2-3 word phrases at times, but none of it is perfectly articulated. We have attempted two different speech evaluations, but he was instantly distracted with all the toys the moment he walked in the rooms. He wouldn’t cooperate with the flip charts or flash cards at all. I’ve never been more heart broken. His pediatrician assured us he shows no autistic red flags, only a speech delay. I have started working intensively with him at home, as well as his three older sisters and his daddy. He’s saying new words nearly every day, but again, none perfectly articulated. We’re scheduled for the hearing test next week. After that, I’m willing to try yet another speech therapist, if we can figure out a way for the evaluation to not involve a room full of toys. Your video gives me hope. I’ve felt so defeated and at a loss, as well as the guilt you spoke of.
I can see he's worked so hard! So happy for both of you and the family. I've followed this journey with you both and its made me seriously consider going to study speech therapy myself. Thank you to you both for being so inspiring
Wouldn't it be an amazing profession! It's fascinating too, and to see children blossom and their families get to hear them speak would just be incredible. xxxxx
Wow, what a little super star he is! My little boy is now 3 and 3/4, and his speech is coming on wonderfully. He had a speech delay, which I thought would just get better by itself, they same as you: he was physical rather than vocal etc, but when Daniel was 2, I was watching the video you posted about Finn's speech improving with the private therapist, and it made me realise it was something I shouldn't ignore. His health visitor was useless, but then I saw a different one for my new baby, and she referred us to get his hearing tested, and told me to get nursery to refer him as well, because it would go much quicker ( where I am, speech and language will take a referral from "a childcare setting" but if it's "just a mum" then you have to go through the HV, wait 3 months before you can ask for a referral, then the HV will "assess their speech" then another 3 months, another assessment by a HV, and then finally you get referred to speech and language. Whereas nursery just refer and you go straight away! Made me furious! ) We had a couple of months of weekly sessions, and were given lots of games to do with him, and she saw him and his teachers at nursery. And now Daniel's speech has come on so wonderfully, everyone can understand him, but if it wasn't for your videos about Finn he'd probably still only be using 3 sounds. Thank you! What a lot of waffle, just to say, thank you for taking so openly about this, you've changed my son's life for the better 😍
This!! I'm in school to become a Speech-Language Pathologist and it is stories like these that make me so excited to dive into the work! Hearing Finn say that he is proud of himself was just heart melting! Props to Finn on all his hard work, and you as well! Having a supportive family willing to put in the effort makes a world of difference. Congrats on all of his amazing progress.
Wow!! This is such an inspirational video, I literally had tears in my eyes and when Finn started talking I lost it.... tears of joy was streaming down my face. My 3.5 year old son has speech delay and I document it on my channel. Watching you and Finn has giving me so much hope. Thank you so much for making this video and showing us Finn journey. I’m so proud of Finn!! Well done to you both😘😘
This brought me to tears SJ, Finn is such a star and he's so lucky to have you all supporting him. I honestly can't believe how good his speech is now! I'm coming to terms with the fact that our Tommy may never be able to speak as clearly as Finn because of his hearing but like Finn says, he can be proud of himself!xxx
My son’s speech journey is nearly identical to yours. The parallels are striking, your son has the same pauses and speech sounds as my son. I have never heard another child sound like my child until I watched your video. Thank-you. My son is now in mainstream kindergarten after years of speech therapy. We are so proud of him.
This is wonderful! I work in a preschool and have helped many different children with speech delays and I as a teacher we feel just as proud when they say something for the first time! It's impossible to explain the feeling when you see a child say something for the first time, it's their little faces. Just so magical!
Ahhh thank you Sophie; I found the early years setting so daunting with a speech delayed child but reminding myself that people go into that profession because they love seeing children flourish really helped me xx
You can tell how proud Finn is of himself! I'm so happy your family found strategies that helped support his speech and a play based therapist to help scaffold along the way. My son is 5 and apraxic and most other people still have difficulty understanding him, he struggles with a lot of consonant sounds, and used to have so much frustration over communication breakdowns. For us, what helped the most was having a total communication approach to language. We had early intervention speech therapy but truthfully it was not a great experience. The speech therapist was alright but she failed to identify his apraxia at the time (this was diagnosed with a different speech therapist some months later) and she also struggled when a lot of the typical repetitive drilling wasn't proving beneficial for my son and he would become emotionally distressed. At the same time we were seeing an OT through early intervention at the same rehab center and her approaches wound up traumatizing my child to the point that he didn't even want to enter the building for speech therapy, despite it being with a different therapist. Just being in that environment sent him into fight or flight. We had already switched to more gentle parenting approaches prior to this therapy placement, and we decided to take that same gentle approach to therapy and delevopement. We reassessed our expectations. I spent a great deal of time reading from neurodoversity affirming psychologists, and spent more than a year vetting therapists before I found a speech therapist that is truly gentle and child lead, who doesn't rely on behaviorist approaches, who is willing to work in our home where my son feels more comfortable. My son has anxiety and is neurodivergent; pressure and forced repetition make him feel incredible anxiety and shame and ultimately have lead to stalls or regression in his development at times. So instead, we gave him as many alternative language tools as possible. We tried an AAC device and visuals, we worked on sign language and learning his invented gestures. We were open about his difficulty with motor language planning and would interject when people would infantilize him or presume that he didn't understand things. Sometimes we would have conversations that were part words, part signs, part visuals and part invented gestures. But in doing so he felt so much more confidence and was naturally more inclined to try and say words verbally while he signed or gestured. Visuals were huge for us for schedule planning and also helping to clear up miscommunications or to set expectations in a way that didn't trigger his anxiety. We made a point to educate the people in his life on his most common functional phrases, signs/gestures, and visuals to make sure he could get his needs met by carers other than mom and dad. This shift has helped him make so much progress. He has new words and phrases almost every day. He said his name for the first time 6 months ago. And he's always surprising us with his knowledge. It's disheartening how much social shaming there seems to be around delays, and there's still so much abelism in the medical field toward children who don't develop on a linear track. It's a so sad that we're made to worry or feel anxious about our children being different. It's sad we're made to feel neurotypes like autism are something to be worried about. Maybe part of why I struggle with those attitudes so much is my experience as someone from a neurodivergent family (my brother and my partner are autistic, I'm ADHD, both of my siblings were in speech therapy of most of their childhood and adolescence.) This is the norm of my family and I think I often feel judged by the metrics that are set and the value that is placed on those metrics. Sorry, I didn't mean to drag on. I know this is an old video. I usually just watch your baby name content but this video came up in my feed and it's always nice to see the experiences of other families and their speech and communication journeys. Then it just brought up so many feelings from our own journey over the past few years.
First off, Finn is absolutely amazing and such sweet little boy! My little boy is 3 and still not talking properly and we’re just about to start seeing a private speech therapist as his NHS appointment has been cancelled twice. I was concerned about his speech and health visitors just kept writing it off as “he will get there, don’t worry about it”, and it wasn’t until January when we moved and he started a new school that they got the ball rolling and got him referred. I’ve been so worried that it’s going to be too late and that he may never speak properly but your video has given me so much hope. (We also suspect that my son may have autism but we haven’t heard anything about him being seen due to everything going on right now) Thank you for sharing your story ❤️
This is so beautifully done:) you had me crying with all the clips lol Thanks for doing this with me xo 😘
It was so emotional collecting them all!! Then I got to share them with Finn and he was so amazed at his own progression. LOVED collaborating with you - thanks for being my huge support xxx
Hearing him talk at the end was so beautiful it made me cry! He sounds like the 6yr old he is! So proud of him & YOU Mama! It doesn’t matter how long the work takes, as long as you do the work & you both did the work! 😭❤️
Yes he does doesn't he :-) I'm so happy for him xxx
oh SJ this made me cry! Sweet little Finn is such a warrior, hearing him say he was proud of himself and knowing you were proud of him was just incredible. You are such a fantastic mum ❤️ Keep it up Finn, you’re amazing!
Thank you Alessandra, I'm reading him out the comments and he's so excited - he was really excited to put this video up :-) xxx
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
This change is insane. I am crying. You have such a warrier for a son, SJ and this is so amazing.
And he has this little underlying Scandi accent and it's gorgeous.
His speech is so amazing now. The difference is outstanding. Go Finn!
Jess Yeldon thank you so so much Jess x
Oh my gosh, this made me teary when I heard him say “I am Finn”. So special. It is clear how lovely your bond is. Xx
missbekah77 he’s definitely taught me more than I’ve taught him xx
"You can be proud of yourself and you can learn." Cue all the tears. He is just the cutest, sweetest little boy. What an amazing, amazing lesson for him to learn so young, to be so empathetic, positive, and hardworking. I'm just sitting here weeping, wow.
I know - In a way his speech delay will carry him so far in life. He's so empathetic and kind, he sees anyone who is an outsider and goes right to them. I think he'll end up working with children and being such a kind soul xx
OMG, I hope he knows that everyone is so proud of him and that he has done so well. This litteratly brought me to tears , I hope he knows how good he has done and how much he has accomplished. Congratulations, Lots of love, all the way from Australia.
Thanks so much - I read him your message :-) He's very proud of himself and I think he's so confident now as he knows he just needs to sit and learn and he can do anything. xxx
When he said "it's alright.. You can be proud of yourself" omg... My 3 year old has language development issues. This channel is great!
This was amazing, currently sat crying. I have a little boy who’s 21 months who has no words and we have 2 weeks ago been referred by the health visitor to speech therapy but due to covid19 they currently aren’t running hopefully we will get the help we need soon :) Thankyou for making this xxx
This makes me so happy that I made the video; I was so scared to say about his speech as I totally blamed myself but now I know there are other parents going through the same; it’s a huge comfort. I’ve done a video on the tips I leant that’s on my channel. Stay in touch xxxx
My daughter is 30 months and Has only 5 words and yesterday we have been referred to speech therapy but like yourself covid has got in the way, I'm so annoyed we are wasting time waiting to get the help we need
Ellen McGarry sorry only just seen this message! Wow that’s so good that you have been reffered! It’s such a relief isn’t it when it happens,, but yes I know it’s so frustrating isn’t it, we are looking into private too, and will probably go down that route in a few months time if we don’t hear anything... i hope you get the help you guys need too 🤞🏼, it’s nice to know you’re not in the same boat though too xx
@@SJ_Strum did you child started talking?
such a sweet, smart little boy, i don't even have a kid, but here i am, just crying my eyes out...
So lovely. What a strong and special boy.. love his journey.
Thank you Kate - he's so so lovely. I'm sure all those years having to rely on body language have made him so empathetic xxxx
Cried when Finn came on, he's such a cutie. Was amazing seeing how far he has come!! Definitely something he should be so proud of💖💖
Thank you so much Megan, he helped me put the video together and I'm so happy for him that he's had such a lovely response xxxx
@@SJ_Strum I love that he was a part of it❤️ so inspirational xxx
This has me in tears. The pregnancy hormones aren’t helping, I’m sure ha! I have a 2 year old (2 on the 28th of December) and we are going through this same process. I beat myself up so much, feeling so guilty for not putting my son in daycare, and now somewhat guilty for being pregnant as silly as that sounds. Having outside sources giving any input (other than his therapist) always gets me down and I just hate it for my son bc I want to protect him at all costs. Covid has made things so much harder. The not being able to see cousins his age and also having to do all the appointments via FaceTime.. a lot of chasing while trying to soak in what someone is telling me to do. Just a lot of thoughts.... but I’m so inspired by this. This gives me so much hope for my little boy, and fills my heart with so much light. Thank you for this honest look into the journey of speech therapy- the struggle for the parents and the child, but also the high notes and accomplishments❤️ So glad I stumbled across your content❤️❤️❤️
I’m literally tearing up . I’m going through this right now with my 4 year old . He is starting head start(pre-K) in a couple weeks and I’m scared to death . This gave me hope . Thanks so much
He’ll do great / Finn speaks so well now and is a really popular and outgoing little boy xxxxxxx
@@SJ_Strum Thank You . That Is great , I love to see testimonies 🥰
I started studying Speech and Language Therapy before dropping out in my second year just because the career wasn’t for me but seeing videos like this still makes my heart warm and so proud of my friends that are still training. Speech therapy I believe is so under looked by a lot of people as I don’t think they realise that so many people have speech issues (they even help those with swallowing difficulties). Thanks so much for bringing light to it and helping parents in the same situation. Finn is such a gorgeous boy ❤️
Bless your soul Finn.. I hope my son grow up like you
I am crying 😭 who could possibly press 👎🏼 on this video?!
What a wonderful boy Fin is and well done mommy! ❤️
My son is Spech delayed, giving him therapy and can’t wait to hear my son speaking and saying his name and calling me mom.. thank you 🙏🏽 for your video gave me hope one day my son will talk like that. Good bless you and your family.
Wow way to go Finn!! just about the cutest sweetest little guy I've ever seen.
Thank you Emily! He's such a sweetheart, I think the delay has made him so kind and gentle as he's had to really communicate in other ways xx
This made me cry as well. My daughter has the same problem and she turns 4 this year and I’ve also been so hard on myself because we didn’t recognise she had a problem earlier and the issue was stressed by her teacher at school. It’s been really hard realising how far behind her peers she really is and that it’s only me and her dad that understand her. This video really gives me hope for her as will start her on speech therapy very soon. Thank w for sharing 🙏🏽💐
I'm 40seconds in and I'm welling up. It's so clear how much you love your son and your so proud of him. Rightfully so ! Well done Finn. I know this was 2 years ago but it's so lovely to see the progress made. Absolutely wonderful. ☺️
Finn's story is like a mirror to my own son Callum's speech delay. We are currently trying to get him help, but because of the pandemic there are massive waiting lists. It's been hard to get him what he needs, Finn progress gives me hope for my little guy. Thank you for this and Finn is an amazing boy.
I am sitting here in tears. My son had speech delay and he had an operation at 3 years old as he had glue ear. We have had speech therapy and he has come on amazingly. But it has bought it all back at the frustration they have trying to express themselves. The mum guilt for ignoring it and thinking they will “get there”. The thinking he will never speech or say I love you mummy. He’s now 4 and is starting school in September. His speech is now so good although we are still working on some of the pronounciations of some of the letters. Fin is absolutely gorgeous and seems like the sweetest boy. Thanks for sharing and making me realise that we are not on our own. It’s not been easy to get where we are but I am beyond proud of my son and I get daily I love you mummy! Plus he actually is never quiet now 😀 xx
Finn is so right to be proud of himself. Please thank him for sharing his story!
SJ!! This is so beautiful
I was so surprised watching it back that I still do that; I've worried night after night and it brought it back having to speak and translate for him. That's so lovely that you did that for your cousin; it would have made a huge difference x
I am a speech-language pathologist (therapist) and this made my heart so happy! So many people think that children just grow out of their speech or language delays/disorders (usually because someone they know says their kid was the same way), but it's not always the case. Some children do grow out of it, but many don't and it's so so important to get them the help they need as soon as possible. Thank you so much for raising awareness, learning, and advocating for your son!
What a sweet blessing you have . Finn is wonderful. He looks just like you SJ.
Oh my gosh what a gorgeous special little boy and what a gorgeous special bond you two have xxxxx
Currently sobbing. My son is almost two and his therapist is starting to suspect he has apraxia of speech. He only had one speech appointment before Covid locked us down and all his subsequent appointments have been over Zoom, which is fine but really hinders any actual progress... I feel like he has all these words in his head but just feels trapped by his mouth and can't get them out. When Finn said "I am Finn" I just burst into tears. To hear Cohen say mama would make the rest of my year. I'm so encouraged by watching your speech videos though. I found you through baby name Mondays but am so glad you've been so open about Finn's speech. It gives me hope. Thank you for being vulnerable. And thank you, Finn , for sharing this with us too.
I had a lot of trouble speaking as well when I was young, I did not say my first words until I was 3! I have struggled with learning disabilities, but I am a college student and I can speak fine today!
What an absolute sweetheart. Crying. Good job sweet boy. And good job Momma!
Oh gosh hun I’m in tears. Iv put a lot of weight on in lockdown and come across your videos by searching about weight loss. Iv been wanting to watch this video since I found your channel and just plucked up the courage and so glad I did. My second tommy is two and a half and can’t talk. This give me the push I needed. Thank you and a massive well done to you all especially Finn! xx
I am 24 weeks pregnant and this made me cry like a baby! Well done little man!! Xxx
Im crying God bless him ,❤️❤️❤️😢
What a fantastic mama and little boy ❤
Omg at the end hearing Finn share his thoughts on everything made me cry! He's such an amazing kid and wise beyond his years!!
Yes that’s so true! He’s very mature and sociable; he always asks if I need help and looks out for people. I think he’ll be a teacher or work with young children. He’s grown a massive heart xxxx
What a beautiful little boy. Just darling. His mommy is beautiful and brave as well. Your heart. I can't imagine what the start of the journey was like. He is amazing. I agree, he is a warrior. Hearing his joy and seeing his big smile is like sunshine. He is so kind. You must be very proud.
My heart 💓. Such as beautiful clever little boy. Axxx
What an incredible little man. I can't imagine the amount of work you all put in to help him get to where he is today. You can see how proud he is of himself, bless his heart!
Thank you so much for posting this video. I am going through some of the same things with my almost 4 year old. He’s very bright and and knows all his letters and numbers shapes colours etc he puts them together with magnet letters and numbers and shapes and colours he matches through games on his I pad, he’s been doing all this since he was 2. He also spells words, he uses a lot of gestures and non verbal communication but hardly no words. You gave me so much hope😢 watching this. He’s in speech therapy and I have been also trying to work with him while we play. Im going to go back through your videos to see if there are any more tips. I hope and pray everyday to hear him say I love you mommy or his name. God bless Finn he’s an inspiration to all the children who are speech delayed💕. For me I break down and cry daily, as a mommy it’s hard to see your child struggle and wonder if it will all be ok.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. My son is 2.5 with speech delay. He has strong receptive skills but struggling with expressive language skills. He has been doing well with therapy. So encouraged by your story and by Finn and his courage.
Oh my gosh. I'm crying. What a little sweetheart, well done Finn! Clever boy.
Thank you for my story! Im going through speech development with my 3yr daughter now.this gives me hope
I am watching this and crying as I was just told 2 weeks that my son also has severe speech delay, he is 3 and like Finn, amazing boy but won't say the simple action words. COVID delayed to get him help and I'm just kicking myself right now for getting him help so late. Watching this gave me hope... thank you.
Hi I am currently going through this journey with our 3 year old boy. I personally have been worried but it has given me some relief watching this video. Finn should be very proud!
I had tears in my eyes at the end watching Finn talk. Seeing the pride on his face and the love and pride and yours is wonderful. You can tell it has been such a journey for you all but so worthwhile. He is a very lucky boy to have such a loving support network around him. Well done on all your hard work, Finn! You're a superstar! 🌟
THanks so much Sophie, play was so vital for him and I'd love to train as a play therapist but it's a huge time commitment isn't it. I definitely mind shifted into being his biggest and loudest cheerleader vs his teacher and think that helped us both a lot. He hated me correcting him, I needed to be his safe place xx
What a lovely little boy, you should be proud both you and he have done a marvellous job. Good man Finn you are a hero. ❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Finn is an absolute BOSS! What a little inspiration, the fact that he understands so much about it at such a tiny age still. Hewill help so many people, throughout his life while he remembers his own struggle and will be a wonderful young man! X
When fin was talking , I literally couldn't stop crying 😭 he's so clever
I’ve been researching and I relate to you guys 100%. My Sage is just like your Finn was and to hear him speak broke me down in tears. I began to lose hope but I can’t wait for Sage to speak clear.
aww so sweet boy, I'm crying seeing some clips, its what im going through right now with my boy.
My son is 2 and we just started speech therapy.. Finn's story is so wonderful and hopeful! Congratulations to Finn, you, and your family! xo
I SOBBED at the conversation you guys were having at the end!!
Ah he made me cry so much too, he's just so positive and kind. xxx
SJ Strum he’s so lovely!! You’ve raised him well 🥺
I'm balling my eyes out SJ. I never knew this could be such an issue for children and their families. Thank god for amazing mums and therapists xxx
Oh my goodness this had me crying.. when Finn started talking about how he felt starting school,that people didn't talk to him because they didn't understand him 😥 all of what he said really about being proud and saying you're so proud! What a little darling he is! I'm so glad he found his words, what a determined little boy he is xx
Currently at work sneakily watching this video and holding back joyful tears 🥺
How wonderful. What a determined, strong little boy you have xxxx
He is such a sweet boy! I didn’t expect to cry but here I am sobbing! What a long way he has come! God bless your family ❤️
This has me sobbing - what an amazing little boy and mummy x
Oh my goodness you must be so proud. Well done Finn & well done mummy 💙💙
What a lovely little boy 🥰
You are such a brilliant mum. He knows how proud you are of him. Beautiful example of positive parenting paying off. Your children are a credit to you and are lucky to have you.
Awww congrats you should be proud of your son. I can't wait for my daughter to get there. 🙏
Gosh he is just the sweetest little thing 💖
He is absolutely beautiful. I can’t even explain. You can tell how proud you are mama, congrats!!!!
I'm a speech-language pathologist and this warms my heart!! he sounds wonderful, thank you for sharing!
I teach two kids a third language in their nrw country. And I love how hard they try to express themselves. Children want and need to be heard. 🌻
Well done Finn! I remember watching your speech delay a couple of years ago and look where you are now. You’re such a good mum and I’m so happy for you and for Finn. What a trooper! He’ll go far ❤️❤️❤️
Yes I really genuinely couldn't imagine the day when he'd be understood so well by everyone; it felt like an impossible dream at times. But he's done so well xx
SJ Strum ❤️
He is just gorgeous! What a lovely little boy you have raised.
My heart could burst - what an adventure and what a triumph for this incredible young man ♥️
Oh SJ what a beautiful video! What a little superstar he is xxx
this is the most beautiful video i saw in many years !! and gave me strong hope for my 2 years old niece . i will still continue to help her and talk to her until she reach finn's level
Thanks so much for this video! I'm a speech therapist as wel as a linguist in the Netherlands. I did the speech therapy as well mainly because I didn't know if I could get a job with just the linguistics education. I'm working as a speech therapist for about a year now and, to be honest, sometimes I feel like it gets boring. With my linguistics, I was hoping to develop more things and do more research, and to 'make a difference'. With 'just' working as a speech therapist, I sometimes feel like my job doesn't have as much impact as I'd wish. Lots of parents don't come to the therapy, because they don't see what I can help their child with. They only come because the school says they should. It discourages me sometimes. But then I see your videos about Finn and about how much emotions there are. Your videos help me to see behind the 25 minutes I see a kid each week. They show your emotions, insecurities and questions. These videos help me to become a better speech therapist, who doesn't just look at the sounds, but at the whole situation. Just wanted you to know that your videos about Finn don't only help orther parents of children with a speech delay, they also help speech therapists ;) So thank you!
Eline, thank you so much for your work. Having a child who can't communicate outside of the home made us totally retreat as a family, we couldn't go back to work comfortably knowing he'd be with people who might not understand his speech, and more importantly for us - know him. As we did. We never had date nights as we couldn't use babysitters because they wouldn't hear what he needed. His peers at playgroup and other places would say to him "I can't play because I don't know what you're saying" and he had to take all that in and just sometimes he would cry at home with me about it. Communication is so vital and I'm trying to think how I can help more families without access to speech therapy to get some. I can imagine like me saying my son has speech delay; people don't really understand the work that goes into speech therapy and maybe they think it's not life saving....but it is. For their future and their parents day to day lives xx
@@SJ_Strum thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, communication is so vital. And it's a circle: when communication doesn't go well, a child can pull back from communication. And because he or she pulls back, there is no practicing and it also makes the childs belief that they can't communicate well even stronger. I'm so happy for Finn that you've broken that circle together!
His speech is so lovely and clear now!! Every video you make about him makes me emotional because I’m just so proud!! What a special little boy who’s so lucky to have parents who are willing to work hard for him to achieve what he’s capable of❤️
He melt my heart, so such beautiful inspiration!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! It gives me so much hope for our two year old who has only a couple words and possible motor planning issues. Finn, you are awesome and blessed to have a committed mommy and support! Way to go, you should be proud!!
This gives me so much hope for my son😭 i just have to trust in time and help my son speech will get better
This video actually made me so emotional. What a sweet and inspiring boy! It's very obvious that Finn is full of love and kindness that he clearly learned from living in a home environment that cares for and supports him. You should be very proud of your children and of yourself, you're doing a fantastic job x
This is so unbelievably heart-warming. Little Finn should be so proud of himself. I am looking into going into a career in speech and language therapy and seeing how chuffed Finn is and you are with his improvement and how much it has changed your lives is definitely a motivation to work hard! All the best to you all xxx
God bless him! He is like a cherub, and so articulate, too!!!
No words, just tears. So proud of Finn. He has come so FAR!
Ya you are really proud ! 😢 so encouraging thank you Finn for sharing your story !
So proud of Finn!❤️ One of my mother’s friends child was born deaf and had to go through some speech therapy it’s beautiful how children flourish in their different ways! I’m so proud of Finn and our family going through this when times were difficult❤️
It's incredible what children learn and what families can do as a team :-) xxx
Oh Finn you are such a special boy. SJ, you're such a wonderful mom. Love your family! 🥰
My 3 year old little boy has about a 100 word vocabulary with 2-3 word phrases at times, but none of it is perfectly articulated. We have attempted two different speech evaluations, but he was instantly distracted with all the toys the moment he walked in the rooms. He wouldn’t cooperate with the flip charts or flash cards at all. I’ve never been more heart broken. His pediatrician assured us he shows no autistic red flags, only a speech delay. I have started working intensively with him at home, as well as his three older sisters and his daddy. He’s saying new words nearly every day, but again, none perfectly articulated. We’re scheduled for the hearing test next week. After that, I’m willing to try yet another speech therapist, if we can figure out a way for the evaluation to not involve a room full of toys. Your video gives me hope. I’ve felt so defeated and at a loss, as well as the guilt you spoke of.
Thank you for your comment. How is your boy's speech now?
As a teacher, I'm on the verge of tears. You put this together beautifully and he's so sweet.
I can see he's worked so hard! So happy for both of you and the family. I've followed this journey with you both and its made me seriously consider going to study speech therapy myself. Thank you to you both for being so inspiring
Wouldn't it be an amazing profession! It's fascinating too, and to see children blossom and their families get to hear them speak would just be incredible. xxxxx
Wow, what a little super star he is!
My little boy is now 3 and 3/4, and his speech is coming on wonderfully. He had a speech delay, which I thought would just get better by itself, they same as you: he was physical rather than vocal etc, but when Daniel was 2, I was watching the video you posted about Finn's speech improving with the private therapist, and it made me realise it was something I shouldn't ignore. His health visitor was useless, but then I saw a different one for my new baby, and she referred us to get his hearing tested, and told me to get nursery to refer him as well, because it would go much quicker ( where I am, speech and language will take a referral from "a childcare setting" but if it's "just a mum" then you have to go through the HV, wait 3 months before you can ask for a referral, then the HV will "assess their speech" then another 3 months, another assessment by a HV, and then finally you get referred to speech and language. Whereas nursery just refer and you go straight away! Made me furious! ) We had a couple of months of weekly sessions, and were given lots of games to do with him, and she saw him and his teachers at nursery. And now Daniel's speech has come on so wonderfully, everyone can understand him, but if it wasn't for your videos about Finn he'd probably still only be using 3 sounds. Thank you!
What a lot of waffle, just to say, thank you for taking so openly about this, you've changed my son's life for the better 😍
This!! I'm in school to become a Speech-Language Pathologist and it is stories like these that make me so excited to dive into the work!
Hearing Finn say that he is proud of himself was just heart melting! Props to Finn on all his hard work, and you as well! Having a supportive family willing to put in the effort makes a world of difference. Congrats on all of his amazing progress.
Wow!! This is such an inspirational video, I literally had tears in my eyes and when Finn started talking I lost it.... tears of joy was streaming down my face. My 3.5 year old son has speech delay and I document it on my channel. Watching you and Finn has giving me so much hope. Thank you so much for making this video and showing us Finn journey. I’m so proud of Finn!! Well done to you both😘😘
Taré Bless an I’ll make sure to follow - I hated feeling alone and the more of us who share gives so much support to the little ones xxx
SJ Strum I couldn’t agree more, thank you!xx
This brought me to tears SJ, Finn is such a star and he's so lucky to have you all supporting him. I honestly can't believe how good his speech is now! I'm coming to terms with the fact that our Tommy may never be able to speak as clearly as Finn because of his hearing but like Finn says, he can be proud of himself!xxx
What a sweet boy! Such a moving story. Amazing to see how great his speech is now.
My son’s speech journey is nearly identical to yours. The parallels are striking, your son has the same pauses and speech sounds as my son. I have never heard another child sound like my child until I watched your video. Thank-you. My son is now in mainstream kindergarten after years of speech therapy. We are so proud of him.
This is wonderful! I work in a preschool and have helped many different children with speech delays and I as a teacher we feel just as proud when they say something for the first time! It's impossible to explain the feeling when you see a child say something for the first time, it's their little faces. Just so magical!
Ahhh thank you Sophie; I found the early years setting so daunting with a speech delayed child but reminding myself that people go into that profession because they love seeing children flourish really helped me xx
You can tell how proud Finn is of himself! I'm so happy your family found strategies that helped support his speech and a play based therapist to help scaffold along the way.
My son is 5 and apraxic and most other people still have difficulty understanding him, he struggles with a lot of consonant sounds, and used to have so much frustration over communication breakdowns. For us, what helped the most was having a total communication approach to language.
We had early intervention speech therapy but truthfully it was not a great experience. The speech therapist was alright but she failed to identify his apraxia at the time (this was diagnosed with a different speech therapist some months later) and she also struggled when a lot of the typical repetitive drilling wasn't proving beneficial for my son and he would become emotionally distressed. At the same time we were seeing an OT through early intervention at the same rehab center and her approaches wound up traumatizing my child to the point that he didn't even want to enter the building for speech therapy, despite it being with a different therapist. Just being in that environment sent him into fight or flight.
We had already switched to more gentle parenting approaches prior to this therapy placement, and we decided to take that same gentle approach to therapy and delevopement. We reassessed our expectations. I spent a great deal of time reading from neurodoversity affirming psychologists, and spent more than a year vetting therapists before I found a speech therapist that is truly gentle and child lead, who doesn't rely on behaviorist approaches, who is willing to work in our home where my son feels more comfortable.
My son has anxiety and is neurodivergent; pressure and forced repetition make him feel incredible anxiety and shame and ultimately have lead to stalls or regression in his development at times. So instead, we gave him as many alternative language tools as possible. We tried an AAC device and visuals, we worked on sign language and learning his invented gestures. We were open about his difficulty with motor language planning and would interject when people would infantilize him or presume that he didn't understand things. Sometimes we would have conversations that were part words, part signs, part visuals and part invented gestures. But in doing so he felt so much more confidence and was naturally more inclined to try and say words verbally while he signed or gestured. Visuals were huge for us for schedule planning and also helping to clear up miscommunications or to set expectations in a way that didn't trigger his anxiety.
We made a point to educate the people in his life on his most common functional phrases, signs/gestures, and visuals to make sure he could get his needs met by carers other than mom and dad. This shift has helped him make so much progress. He has new words and phrases almost every day. He said his name for the first time 6 months ago. And he's always surprising us with his knowledge.
It's disheartening how much social shaming there seems to be around delays, and there's still so much abelism in the medical field toward children who don't develop on a linear track. It's a so sad that we're made to worry or feel anxious about our children being different. It's sad we're made to feel neurotypes like autism are something to be worried about.
Maybe part of why I struggle with those attitudes so much is my experience as someone from a neurodivergent family (my brother and my partner are autistic, I'm ADHD, both of my siblings were in speech therapy of most of their childhood and adolescence.) This is the norm of my family and I think I often feel judged by the metrics that are set and the value that is placed on those metrics.
Sorry, I didn't mean to drag on. I know this is an old video. I usually just watch your baby name content but this video came up in my feed and it's always nice to see the experiences of other families and their speech and communication journeys. Then it just brought up so many feelings from our own journey over the past few years.
First off, Finn is absolutely amazing and such sweet little boy!
My little boy is 3 and still not talking properly and we’re just about to start seeing a private speech therapist as his NHS appointment has been cancelled twice. I was concerned about his speech and health visitors just kept writing it off as “he will get there, don’t worry about it”, and it wasn’t until January when we moved and he started a new school that they got the ball rolling and got him referred. I’ve been so worried that it’s going to be too late and that he may never speak properly but your video has given me so much hope. (We also suspect that my son may have autism but we haven’t heard anything about him being seen due to everything going on right now)
Thank you for sharing your story ❤️
Aww what a gorgeous wee boy Finn is , he has done so well and worked so hard.... Well done to you too SJ he is an absolute credit to you ❤❤
Thank you so much, I can't believe it looking back how hard he was to understand and all the frustrations :-( He's done amazing xx
This gives me so much hope my 3 year old doesn’t talk and is doing speech therapy now and it can be frustrating for us both this gives me so much hope
He's so precious!!🥰