1st Post - Our Son

[stderek]

I have very few people to talk to about this issue, and I'd love to get some feedback.

Our son will be 4 next month. He's always been very healthy, and met every milestone from birth, except for speech. I noticed that he just wasn't saying as many words as he should have been, and he talked noticibly less than other children his age. He was understandable, and would say "kittie" and "daddy" fairly ealry, but didn't say "momma" until he was almost 3. His mother and I didn't notice any other issues.
About a year ago, we told our family doctor about how few words he spoke (we had actually mentioned it earlier, but he seemed to think we were speaking too much for him?), and he suggested we see a speech therapist. We also found out about some free programs through a local school district.
I'm having problems with the diagnosis and other issues they (the free programs through the school district) keep bringing up. Autism has been mentioned, as well as supicions about hearing problems. My wife is a nurse-practioner, and I'm well read enough to know the warning signs of autism. The idea is ridiculous, as is the idea that he may have had hearing problems. He's never even had so much as an ear infection, and we would have noticed some sort of hearing loss. We did have his hearing tested, and he did have some fluid in one ear, but that has cleared up.
Now they're (his speech therapist and the school district) trying to make an issue of his thumb-sucking. I've read up on the issue, and the consensus seems to be that it's of no real consequence until he gets his permanent teeth. He does suck his thumb quite often, and we've never seen it as an issue. I'm a little worried that they will try to force him to stop, and that this will cause problems. It seems a tricky issue to get a 4 year old to stop sucking, if he isn't interested in stopping himself.

[kelz88]

I had a few cousins that sucked their thumbs until their mid teens, nothing was done parent wise to get them to stop so they simply continued until their peers gave them hell for it. I personally would try and get him to stop before the permanent teeth come in (which probably wont be that long anyways) rather then wait for him to stop on his own.

I wouldnt say its the biggest problem in the world, its just not something you would want him to do too long.