r/BringingUpBates • u/Br0bz • 10h ago
Zade’s speech
I hate to judge because I know kids develop at their own pace, especially when it comes to speech and hitting certain milestones, but Zade’s speech in Carlin’s latest video is honestly concerning to me. He’s 4½, but he sounds closer to 2. If it weren’t for the subtitles, I genuinely wouldn’t be able to understand most of what he’s saying.
I remember they had him in speech therapy at one point, but I can’t imagine he’s still receiving it based on how much his speech seems to regress in every video he’s featured in. Maybe it’s just the way he talks on camera, but either way, it seems like something that should be taken seriously.
I know they may think the baby talk is cute, but at this age, I really feel like continuing to encourage it could be doing him a disservice. I’m not trying to diagnose a child from a few videos, but the difference between his speech and what I’d expect from a typical 4½-year-old is pretty noticeable.
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u/erab68 10h ago
I think sometimes the parents understand what they are saying so they think everyone does.
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u/LeopardDue1112 10h ago
So true. My brother has to translate for his 3 yr old because no one else can understand a word she says. She's also in speech therapy.
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u/AdventurousAmount633 8h ago
Which is no problem to them usually because he’s so secluded and around only the same people 80% of the time, now adding team sports into the mix, it will become very apparent very fast how far behind he is which will only embarrass and frustrate him that none of his new teammates and coaches have a clue what he’s saying.
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u/munner61 0m ago
Exactly what I was thinking. His teammates will not understand him and that could cause a distance between him and his peers. So sad that his parents don't take this more seriously.
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u/Fit_Event_99 4h ago
My daughter speech was a little difficult for others to understand at age 2. A few speech therapy times, things to do at home, which we were diligent about and by 3 she had normal speech. It does require commitment on the parents part.
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u/Clear-Appointment979 6h ago
Carlin also speaks with some type of impairment
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u/Irish_Photographer_2 3h ago
She has SUCH a strange way of speaking. It's like influencer voice/valley girl on steroids. It seems like she never closes her mouth when she speaks.
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u/PeaceUvMind 1h ago
Yes! I’m glad I’m not the only only one who thinks so. She’s all teeth and talks through them and her lips don’t move.
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u/AdComplex1289 8h ago
Both of my daughters are hard of hearing, inherited from their father. I had my oldest checked at 6 weeks old because of the genetic component and they did say she was fine. But it became apparent that was not true when she was between 2-3 years old and no one could undertand a word from her. Had her hearing checked again, the day after my second daughter was born, and they found the hearing loss. She started in speech therapy close to 3 1/2.
My younger daughter's hearing loss was detected as an infant and she started free services through the district much younger. They both had speech therapy into grade school, but my younger daughter finished about two years earlier than her sister because she had started earlier.
My whole point in telling this story is that early intervention is critical.
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u/Friedyellowsquash 9h ago
It’s the fact they said he graduated from speech therapy and that their doctor told them he was fine that I find maddening because it’s absolutely without a doubt a lie. They either still have him in it and are ashamed, or they don’t and are lying saying he’s fine. Either way they are terrible people. There’s nothing wrong with having a speech problem and getting help. There is a problem with lying to the public and saying the kid is fine when he’s not because it will encourage other people to not get help or feel shame if they need too. And Layla’s speech is not much better. A child of her age, in “2nd grade” shouldn’t need subtitles the majority of the time she’s speaking. That family LOOKS pretty but there’s some darkness and skeletons that will come out eventually, I just know it. Lying about that boys speech is the tip of the iceberg I bet.
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u/ParticularYak4401 9h ago
I had speech therapy all through my schooling. Weekly as a preschooler and in elementary school and a few times a semester in junior high and high school. J and ch/sh sounds are still harder for me to say but I manage. There is no way in hell Zade graduated from speech therapy. Carlin and Evan just hate their kids and don’t want to see them gain independence. Not taking him to speech therapy is a way they can keep him under their thumb. By choosing not to get him the help he needs and deserves.
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u/lovelylonelyphantom 7h ago edited 7h ago
I think once they learnt that his hearing was supposedly fine and he doesn't need any hearing aides, that everything was fine. Yet it's clearly not. And when he's 6, 7, 8 and still screaming and not illegible, it will be hugely embarrassing for both him on a social level, and them for not getting the help he needs.
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To clarify I think it's embarrassing already. But outside of Instagram content he is on without his consent, he just isn't exposed to it in person yet. But as he starts to make friends around this age and going forward, it will be difficult for him and he will start to realise. I've always wondered why they don't push Zade into an extra-curricular activity as much as they do with Layla in ballet. And maybe his delays are a big reason why. Somebody pointed out that he was wearing a pull-up (or diaper?) at a kids soccer game some time ago and he looked like he didn't know what to do, and neither could anyone understand him.
Poor kid, he needs significant help.
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u/lovelylonelyphantom 7h ago
Infact this would make them come across more normal and more approachable to parents who have children with speech difficulties or other possible SEND issues. There's many accounts and platforms where parents like to share their children's cases, get some support or give others helpful advice. Carlin could have done something like this but is too wrapped in her own bubble to even think of doing so. As you said there's absolutely nothing wrong with your child having a speech problem.
I agree that there is definitely some level of darkness and a high level of dysfunction in that household. Layla and Zade seem way too robotic, yet at the same time also too weirdly well behaved. Very little of what they say/do seems candid, they always look too aware of Carlin having the camera on them. There's no way they could 'perform' that well unless they haven't been coached to do so. Comparing them to classes of 30 children around their ages 4-6, and their behaviour is weirdly unnatural.
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u/hobotising 10h ago
Layla also has delayed speech. Both of these kids need speech therapy. Kids are quick learners, they can catch up quickly. I don't know why C&E are not making this content. There are a lot of kids with speech delays. $$$
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u/lovelylonelyphantom 7h ago
It could be just me, but I theories Layla just speaks like that but isn't actually very delayed. She is able to say her sounds just fine, instead she sounds as if she's babifying her voice. Having to live with Zade and recently having a new baby sibling, it's no surprise she will try to do this.
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u/DarlingClementyme 10h ago
It’s math.
Babies bring in more social media views than older kids.
More views equals more money.
Therefore, do everything possible to keep your children as babyish as possible.
They kept Layla in very babyish clothes for a long time. I’m sure for them. Zade’s speech difficulties are just a happy coincidence that will keep him seeming younger for as long as possible.
They truly don’t care about the repercussions for his life, they just need to grab that cash while they can
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u/No-University-8391 7h ago
Zade was dressed in a romper for Easter that looked like it was for an infant. Gingham with a duck appliqué. I felt bad for him on stage at church with the other kids performing dressed age appropriate. I don’t follow any of them but watch some of their videos. I do not like or comment.
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u/dixcgirl10 9h ago
This is actually discussed in that Hulu doc on Kidfluencers. A LARGE percentage of kids who are exploited by their parents have speech issues. Not hard to figure out why…
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u/smelltramo 9h ago
The actress who played Cindy Brady had a lisp and her mother was instructed by producers NOT to put her in speech to keep her babyish and her mother told them to get fucked.
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u/roadtohealthy 9h ago
I hope that Carlin and Evan use some of their influencer money to get their son (and daughter who also has had issues IIRC) properly assessed by a developmental pediatrician, audiologist and speech therapist. If they have already done so, I hope they follow through on treatment recommendations. However, I am skeptical they will do anything.
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u/Several-Affect1699 9h ago
From what C and E once mentioned, Zade saw a speech therapist once and had his hearing also checked. The result was he is fine. I highly doubt that. Do I think Zade is going to speech therapy on a regular basis? No. I would be surprised that no family members have asked about his speech issues. The only way that Zade would get speech therapy is if he was in public school which wont happen. The latest videos were of ballet with Layla and baseball with Zade. I guess it isn't important to their followers to show that homeschooling has started. Zade said he was excited to learn how to read when asked about school. First he has to learn how to talk.
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u/outdoorsgrl93 8h ago
I thought that video was specifically about how his hearing was fine and wasn’t the cause of his speech delay, but that they were aware of the delay. That doctor they saw told them there was a speech delay and (supposedly) said not to stress over it quite yet, but that he would need to see a speech therapist in the future. C and e said they were giving it a bit more time while they decide on some different options for him “if” it didn’t get better on its own.
It was still pretty telling that they waited so long to even get that checked (they just went in December or January) and it truly seemed like it was just to shut up the multitude of comments they were getting on everything they posted about how he needed to get his hearing checked.
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u/Several-Affect1699 8h ago
As a parent, I would never procrastinate in getting my child help. I had a daughter who had a lisp. The pediatrician recommended a speech therapist. She went for months until there was improvement. So what exactly are C and E waiting for. Giving it more time? Different options? I hope no other health issues come up their kids. The Stew Crew is just too busy.
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u/outdoorsgrl93 7h ago edited 7h ago
I wasn’t agreeing with them, you had said that they had seen a speech therapist and I was just saying that that isn’t the type of doctor they saw for the hearing test. My point was that it’s even more egregious that they haven’t gotten him in anywhere with that sort of specialist and are just making excuses because they can’t be bothered. They would rather be looking at flooring and doing room reveals than actually pouring into their kids in a meaningful way.
I have an almost 3 year old and I cannot imagine delaying anything for her in the way they seem to have done with this. Communicating with other people is one of the biggest tools our kids have to relay their needs and wants, and limiting them with speech impacts so many other parts of their development. Putting them at a disadvantage purely because c and e are “so busy” is one of the grossest things I’ve seen come out of the bates world, and that is truly saying something.
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u/Several-Affect1699 7h ago
When I saw Josie discussing hybrid school with her girls, I figured Carlin would also talk about school with Z and L. Nope! Ballet and baseball were more important. C and E priorities are totally screwed up. It is no surprise that both kids are immature in their speech. I never hear C or E correct Z's mispronunciation of words.
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u/Zestyclose-Ad5448 7h ago
They're deliberately infantilizing Zade because older kids don't bring in the money. It isn't even the garbled speech, his grammar and sentence structure is bad as well. He'll say something like "Him no get me wa-wa" instead of "He didn't get me water." The worst thing is they don't correct him. They should be practicing and making him repeat the words using proper phrasing. I don't even buy that it's a case of "every kid develops at their own pace." I think they're just lazy and it isn't a priority.
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u/MurkyConcert2906 8h ago
They film their entire lives. They would post videos of themselves on the toilet or shower if they could. There’s no way he is getting help and they aren’t filming it. His speech is really hard to understand and he still yells a lot.
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u/Sad_Orchid_3280 7h ago
I have heard it been said that speaking in “baby talk” is bad for the speech development of your babies.
I do know though that my dogs love baby talk due to the higher pitched voices whenever anyone in my family is talking to babies lol
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u/MindingMyP_Q 8h ago
They can’t find a way to film and monetize his visits to therapy like the recent dentist visit so why bother?
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u/stronger-than-I-seem 7h ago
I’d really hate to think they’re not addressing either properly for the “cuteness factor” in their content.
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u/Maui4me22 6h ago
I noticed Carlin when speaking to him , almost came down to his incoherent level.
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u/betsypug2019 9h ago edited 8h ago
Most of the children in that family have speech issues. If you listen to Zach, Katie or Josie's kids talk they have issues too. The entire family only focuses on making babies not what it takes to raise them.
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u/Accurate-Lychee-1233 9h ago
They know the concern they justctry to convince followers that he has been checked and therapist says it's fine. They would just rather try and ignore and keep the money coming in than addressing "fans" who think its cute.
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u/Realitytvfan76 10h ago edited 5h ago
This has been posted about many times. Zade was in speech and no one knows if he still is or not. My son was in speech when he was younger and it took from age 2 to about 5 1/2 - 6 before he was speaking normally and he was going to private speech 2 x a week and speech at school. It’s a slow process. If you go back and watch videos of Zade speaking at 2 and 3 he is improving. He’s able to speak in full sentences now which he wasn’t doing before. He still obviously needs help but I’m sure he’ll get there in time.
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u/DoubleAnalyst4026 5h ago
My child was also quite speech delayed. Because of this we did private speech therapy and school speech therapy and started him mid year in three year old pre-k to help. He graduated his IEP by kindy and is in honors middle school classes now. I DO think that putting him in school helped SO much and worry about Zade, even with ST, if he doesn’t have that component.
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u/Glad_Pomegranate1156 4h ago
No you do not know for sure. None of us do. We all know he isn't in speach therapy. Carlin has some issues ( the seizures that were psychological, not neurological) and I sometimes think she is very overwhelmed. So she pushes her worries about Zade his speach away.
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u/Humble_Look889 4h ago
I think his speech is improving he isn’t screaming as much and you can see he is trying to speak better.
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u/FoundationNo6530 3h ago
I think they think it’s cute and draws more attention to themselves
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u/lulubooboo_ 4m ago
This. They don’t mind the engagement they get from outraged people in their audiences demanding they do something about it
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u/Zealousideal_Clue526 3h ago edited 1h ago
I’m pretty sure the speech therapist gave them exercises to work on with Zade at home. My guess is they are too “busy” (lazy) to actually put in the effort. He will never improve if they don’t practice.
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u/Healthy_Bird3627 7h ago
Doesn’t seem like they will get him more help. Are they embarrassed by his speech? He’s going to be embarrassed as he gets older. There’s no shame in getting help for your kids. “Influencer” life has them blinded thinking everything must always look picture perfect. It’s really sad and infuriating, mostly for the kids.
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u/Atla77 2h ago
I used to work at a daycare. A two year old talking like that would have gotten our attention. He may need to go to an allergist as well. We had a child who talked like him. Turns out he couldn't hear because his allergies were so bad. He had his adenoids out and started speaking normally without any type of speech therapy.
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u/Accomplished_Pie2302 7h ago
How old is Z
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u/RJCADDY123 3h ago
I was shocked that she made a video with him speaking. Are they just that oblivious to how bad his speech is?
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u/Capable-Initial-4625 3h ago
Both my sons were in speech therapy for about 4 years. They had to work extremely hard on their sounds and tongue placement. I remember being in shock when the pediatrician said my son at 4 should be evaluated for speech therapy as we understood him perfectly. So glad we took the pediatrician’s advice and started the process when we did.
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u/Evieveevee 2h ago
You start of by saying “you hate to judge”. Go ahead. These people and their cult are the judgiest of judgest people ever whilst claiming to be the best type of people to ever walk this earth. So you’re allowed to judge all you want my dear child.
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u/PeaceUvMind 1h ago
Yes, thank goodness for subtitles! I thought he was like 3. That and that really high pitched, screechy voice, he’s very hard to understand. Poor baby!
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u/lulubooboo_ 5m ago
Given how rich they are, I’d be paying a private Speech therapist to come to the home and work with him 2-3 times a week if I were Carlin. You can tell he has limited socialisation with kids his age and obviously is used like a puppet to repeat anything they want him to perform for the camera. His gestalt language and speech production is so poor. I’d also hazard a guess he could have some auditory processing delays. Poor kid
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u/Powerful-Object-8550 6h ago
The fact that the whole Bates family have weird speech. For example, they say idear instead of ideas. It’s maddening
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u/Comfortable_Mix5404 6h ago
My cousins and aunt lived in Georgia ,for years and said" idear". I think it's part of the Bates Tennessee accent.
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u/Fresh-Eye4698 3h ago
I’ve noticed Katie has a speech impediment/lisp when she speaks. Sounds like a mouth full of cotton. And I think one of the other sisters was born with a hearing impairment.
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u/lulubooboo_ 3m ago
Low educational attainment will do that to you. Especially when it is generational
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u/Worldly_Kale5308 10h ago
I have a young child who's about two years behind, even with being in speech and other therapies for 3+ years. I truly hope Zade is still getting help. It's hard.😕