Son with Speech/learning Delay

There are many, many things this could be. Your best plan is to start keeping a journal and become a student of your son. What does he do well? What does he not do well? Times of day? Write down everything and look for patterns. Generally speaking, with the kind of kid you describe, there will be many layers of issues to sift through, including...

sensory and sensory processing
nutrition and allergies
sleep
learning styles/disabilities
environment
other

And remember, all of these interact with each other as well! In each area, watch carefully and see what you observe. Do you think there might be a problem in this area? If so, go get him assessed in that area. If not, move on to the next area. You are actually the best person to identify what is going on with your child, because you spend the most time with him. There is no single professional who can do a comprehensive evaluation of him, though lots who can do a great job within their area of expertise.

I affirm your decision to keep him in preschool another year. If at all possible, you may want to seriously consider homeschooling him after that, at least until you get a clear definition of what's up with him. Schools often do well with kids with a specific diagnosis and identified challenges. They rarely do well with the nebulous, "something's weird but we don't know what" kind of kids.

Good luck.

Do not be worried! Comparing apples to oranges is soo hard not to do, belive me I still do it! Have you spoken with the special education teacher or an Occupational therapist at his school? You can also contact your local office for Developmetal Disabablities (look under American's with disabilities act) and ask them for referrals. I am not sure where you live, but in Denver there are 2 organizations that can do diagnosing (I think),one is Denver Options and the other is Developmental Delay Resource Center (DDRC). -Look up these organizations and see if there are similar places where you live, or call and ask. You can also contact your school district special education department for help. What ever it is, I promise school will (and has to) accomodate him. As the other writer said about senory, and learning styles...begin a journal of behaviors and the weather, what he ate, activities through the day. This will help you and any one else who helps you!
Best wishes,
C.

have you checked his ears kids with ear problems also have cognetive problems.

So... does that mean he will enter Kindergarten at 6 years old?
I'm assuming.

Just as an aside tip: Now, Kindergarten is not mandatory in many States. In some elementary schools, the entry age for Kinder is 5. If a child enters Kindergarten at 6... they sometimes will put the child into 1st grade. (it depends on the school). So... just as a tip: you must check with the elementary school that your son will be attending, and ask them.
But often, per a parent's request, they will put your child in Kindergarten and not 1st grade, if you request that. And after all, there are entry 'testing' for a child entering Kindergarten.
Just as a tip.
I found this out, because I had for a moment, thought of entering my son into Kindergarten at 6 years old. And this is what the school told me.
But my son is in Kindergarten now, and is perfectly fine.

Per the question you have in your post... he would need to get an overall developmental assessment. Not just for speech.
Didn't Early Intervention, tell you anything, beyond his speech delay? And did they not, refer you to anyone?

His learning delay could be many things... It is hard to conclusively say without a formal diagnosis.

.

My son is 10 almost 11 and he does sound like mine. David did 2 day speech therapy preschool age 3 and then 2 yrs of preschool at which he did lots of similar stuff. He was great with other kids but loves sports too much. We started with ADHD medication at age 7 and it has helped alot but we started to see a change in interaction with children around age 7-8 he was slowing down and others were being more empathatic and could really play with others. David just wants his sports. He tries very hard but no interest or fades fast. We had school test him and Children's test him. Dr says Asperger's due to Children's report. School Psychologist says brain injury at birth we have CT scan to prove it.
I guess what I am trying to say is you can still get different diagnoses from specialize everywhere. You need to study yourself and try to piece it together.
I do see Asperger's in my son but it became more obvious as the other children became more mature and he slowed down. He is a great student and does homework, He even loves doing brainquest books on his own. But his social skills are poor. Just keep asking questions. You sound like you are doing all the right things. We have done all the therapies, Speech and Ot and now did Learning RX for 15 weeks hoping to see if that can help the processing speed and memory short and long term. Asperger's and ADHD as well as other Learning problems all run together sometimes and it is best to just keep finding the therapies that do help. I wish you all the best and feel free to message me with any questions. I am on the local Autism Society board and my president is great with info if you want more help there.
You are not alone in all of this!! :)

Your son sounds just like my son. He is 7 years old now. He has a speech and language delay. He was evaluated when he was 2 and 1/2 and then at three years old. He was placed in an autistic preschool for observation due to his symptoms. His obsession was trains and airplanes. All he wanted to do was play with them. He was completely fixated when playing, ritualistic play, minimal eye contact, speech and language delays, and minimal socialization with other children. During the 6 months, he did not fall on the autism spectrum, and was diagnosed with a speech and language delay, as well as having a sensory disorder. He was given a full hearing evaluation, and hears fine. I did not see the need to put him through more testing, as he had made good progress in his preschool class, as well as the insights and recommendations from his IEP team.
He was then put in a preschool with special services. He saw a speech,OT, and special educational therapists a couple times a week. He had an inclusion kindergarden class ,and continued to meet with his therapists. He has had an IEP since he was 4 years old.

I can tell you that he is a very bright, social, and happy child. His sensory issues have minimalized, speech has improved, and language is getting there. He has a hard time with auditory processing/recall, reading comprehension, and is easily distractable. He also requires assistance with physical education, for motor skills. However, he has come a long way.

As far as what I did at home to help him:
Visual aids, cues .
Sequencing an order of how to do things-brush teeth, take a bath, put clothes on,etc.
Cards to help him express what he needs.
A time clock when he plays to show him when his time is up, especially when you have a lot of things to do that day. ( he had a hard time transfering from one thing to another)
Read books daily
Draw/handwrite the alphabet , and have him copy you.
Count outloud, as well as write out numbers 1-10
Use first/then ( first, we are going to the store, then we are going home, or first you will have lunch, then you can play with your toys..etc)
Puzzles
For colors, i used a lot of visual aids, puzzles, and coloring books.
If he likes cars, use cars for counting.
Flashcards for anything
Tossing balls, frisbee, soccer,etc.

These have all helped me, and I would do these daily with him. Whatever his strengths are, use them. My son is a highly visual learner, and so, the visual cues/aids really helped him. He continues to need supports, but every year he is making good progress.