Speech Question - Rock City Falls,NY

I think it is worth the money to get a private evaluation. We were able to do that with my daughter - it didn't mean she started speaking clearly overnight, but it gave us an independent view. Yes, it cost some money - but was worth it. You might ask for it as a bday present from family.

It is very common for kids at that age to add 's' to the end of their words. Just thought you'd like one less thing to worry about. Good luck!

Here is the link to the Speech Association. They have some good solid information. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/ChildSandL.htm

Regarding the teacher telling you it is dyspraxia, unless she is a Speech Pathologist, she is not the professional to diagnosis a Speech issue. I am a teacher of children with autism, but I am not qualified to diagnose a child with autism-- they must see a developmental pediatrician or a psychologist. I may have a good idea of what I am looking at, but I always encourage parents to go to the correct person for a diagnosis. With that said, it is always okay to get a second opinion if you have questions. Maybe a second SLP could help if the information you read on that website does not help.

Hi A.,
I can totally relate to your situation. When my daughter was 26 months old she was diagnosed with autism and a communication disorder. She has received services for two and a half years to address all of her needs, including specialized speech and language therapy. I went through exactly what you are talking about trying to understand what was going on with our daughter. So now we know she doesn't have true autism, but they don't really know what it is. We have had wonderful succes with intervention services with our daughter even though we don't totally know what caused her problems so don't get too worked up if they can't tell you or if her diagnosis changes over time. Your main focus just needs to be on making sure she gets the services she needs. My suggestions to you are 1) Remember that very few people you come across are qualified to make a diagnosis. You need to see a PhD in order to get a good diagnosis who will interview you and do a full workup and evaluation. Once you have that, it will help to guide your choices about what services your child needs and there maybe a parent organization that you can talk to about services. 2) I would not rely exclusively on the services provided by the state or the schools unless you have awesome, cutting edge services available to you. Our best successes have all been through the private pay facilites we have dealt with for our daughter, not to say the DDD services haven't been important, only that I recommend that you also look into other agencies that provide services for speech and language or social development. We found a speech and language developmental preschool that is run by a speech pathologist who works closely with the researchers at ASU. Our insurance pays of portion of the fees. Also, we have been using a program called ABLLS created by Dr. James Partington that identifies the skills your child needs to work on in order to be in a classroom setting and learn. It is an amazing tool to help create and update treatment plans and you can learn to do it yourself and have others use it as well. Yes, we have gone into some debt in order to pay for what she needs but we feel it is well worth it when we see her doing so well and we can know that she will be totally fine at school and in her relationships. Sincere best wishes for you!

Hi A.,
Just to "ditto" what SL said...

Only an SLP, doctor or physician who specialize in speech pathologies is appropriate to diagnose specifically what is going on with your daughter.

Aside from that, just naming a diagnosis does not determine how fast a child will or will not progress. Your sweetie will progress at her own rate, given all the proper interventions and loving work in the home, and you will and should never try to compare her to other children with the same diagnosis.

Good luck, and keep up the good work!
t

Can you get a third opinion? It would be for her best interest really, and if it turns out she doesn't, then no harm done. I know ECI runs out on when the child turns 4, so whatever you can find out now or whatever program you are able to get in will be very helpful.

Does she fit the profile for a child with dyspraxia? Scroll down this link also to see how a child is diagnosed with it as well.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151951.php

Is the speech teacher qualified to make an assessment since dyspraxia is more than just a speech issue? It might be best to put it in the hands of a person who is a professional in this field.

hi~
I work with children with dyspraxia/apraxia. You have some great advice below (Tania, SL, Jennifer D). Only certain people are qualified to diagnose dyspraxia (fyi - also known as apraxia) – and a teacher is not qualified. There are some good website resources below. Another great website is www.apraxia-kids.org

I would recommend looking into an evaluation by a developmental pediatrician. Also if you want to rule out apraxia, there are some children hospital’s that have specialized “apraxia clinics” (e.g. http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/d/disabiliti... - there maybe a clinic at a hospital closer to you).

Many times (not always), children with apraxia have a difference in what he/she understands and what he/she can verbalize (e.g. your child may understand a lot of what you are asking her to do, but she may have a hard time getting the message from her brain to her mouth. Sometimes (again not always) there are behavioral issues due to the frustration of not being able to communicate). Sometimes (not always) you may notice fine motor skill delays or difficulty with motor planning (e.g. when presented with a brand new activity the child may not be able to figure out how to do perform the activity without demonstration or assistance to complete it).

Hope that helps. Good luck

Adding the plural isn't that big of a deal. I would be concerned that she's still only using 1-2 word sentences. My son had EI and I would ask the Speech Therapist so many questions every time she was there. I think you should do the same. Ask why your daughter is still only using 1-2 words? What else the therapist thinks is wrong? Is there more you as a parent could be doing to help with your daughter's progress? Ask, ask, ask, and if things need clarification ask again. Good luck!!!

Hi A.,
A teacher can't make a diagnosis, you need to see the correct medical provider for that. I think you really should see a Developmental Pediatrician for correct diagnosis so that the teachers can work with her. Also, be sure that she is seeing a speech THERAPIST and not simply a speech teacher or assistant. It's normal for kids to say things like "birdies" but what I will point out is that you said <<We are almost 3 and only have one word sentinces and once in a while 2 words together>> There is no such thing as a one word sentence. Sentences are words strung together. If she is not stringing words together, then she is not speaking in sentences and I would find that alarming at almost 3 (and it's she who is almost 3, not the two of you)
Good luck and really, don't just depend on EI or school district, your doctor works for YOU and his/her diagnoses are what your daughter's program should be based upon. Many children with speech issues at this young age can make huge improvements, so do be optimistic!

A.: Stick with it. I can tell you from experience, when you think something is wrong with your own child there usually is! It took me years to figure out my child was dyslexic and the school fought me the whole way. I knew "something" wasn't right but she stayed up with the class...until 4th grade! Then I figured it out and brought her for testing. I'm not a doctor but it sounds like a auditory problem with your child. Read everything you can and Google symptoms until you find some answers. Stay strong and fight! Good luck.

Every child is different. Some catch on quickly and others don't and some need speech therapy to get going and others don't. My oldest was talking great at 1 year old and went backwards and ended up talking and not understand him and he got speech therapy around 2 1/2 years old until 3 1/2 years old and he's five now and doing great. Every once in a while he'll say that isn't clear and we correct him and imitate us saying the words correctly. Our second son didn't need speech therapy at all. Now our third son needs speech therapy and is receiving it and I am so proud of him making the accomplishments but it's work. Whatever the speech therapist does with him, I reinforce it when she's not here and I tell my husband so he can reinforce it too. We avoid saying birdie or things like that. We say bird, dog, cat, yes to get the "s" in there and have him repeat two or three word sentences after us. Now he has learned from us reinforcing it to say, "I want juice". It used to be "ju" and he'll point. Keep reinforcing what speech therapist says and keep having her repeat after you saying sentences. You are a great mom for even getting speech therapy going for her. If it makes you more at peace to have her tested, go for it. But, I would go with the speech therapist, research what dyspraxia is and so forth. Not all teachers know what they are talking about...again not all speech therapist don't, but I trust them more than teachers anyways. Is your daughter in special education in school or just considered that at home because of her age and/or just one of the free things you get when she gets speech therapy? Just be careful she's not labeled anything and put in special education if she really doesn't need it. I know.....from experience....let us know how it goes and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask me and/or other moms. God bless you and your daughter, A. S!!!

Does she have a billingual caregiver?

Are you bilingual?

If either is true, then 3 years old is the correct age to expect language production.

A 3 year old will likely understand, just may not produce language. (language is acquired in 3 distinct areas of the brain: one understands the spoken word, one understands the written word, and one produces language)

Understanding spoken language begins at birth, or shortly thereafter, depending upon how much talk the child is exposed to, or the subject of.

It is important to go through the whole routine of speaking in complete adult sentences to a child, though you may not feel they undertsnad (based on thier production ability) because this is how they learn to produce. You should assume the child understands, even though you may not get any verbal cues from him that he does.

It takes consistency.

Finally, it doesn't hurt to supplement with cod liver oil. You shold give your child 1/2 tsp. daily.

XO
Linda

www.RivieraPlaySchool.com
Riviera PlaySchool in Redondo Beach, CA
TEACHING FROM BALANCE
A Mindful program for the 'Whole Child,' inspired by the best of Attachment Parenting, Bev Bos, Montessori, Waldorf and Non-Violent Communication.

A.,

Dyspraxia is a problem with sensory/vestibular system. Children with dyspraxia have trouble understanding their body position and the relationship of ones body to the objects around them, and while kids with speech delays might also have this issue, I think what the teacher meant was "apraxia" which is a speech and laguage diagnosis. This misstatement should send you a very, very, strong message here.

Teachers are not the people who should be diagnosing your child.
What you really need is a full evaluation by a Developmental Pediatrician. This is not your regular pediatrician, this doctor will call in speech, language, hearing, neurology, geneticists, OT, PT, phsychologists, ENTs-What ever she needs to make the full diagnois and give you a treatment plan that you can count on. You will really miss nothing and it will give you peace of mind that you are doing everything you can. Call the nearest Children's hospital and make the appointment. It will take several months before you get in, so if you can possilby afford to do so, get her some private speech therapy in addition to ther EI. Time is the only thing you really have that is free, and the more therapy she gets early, the better the outcome will be.

Teachers mean well, and they may have good hunches, but they are not diagnosticians. EI is great, and I am glad that you are getting it, but that will not be all that she needs to reach her maximum potential, and that is what you want for her. The state is only required to make her functional, and while many individual providers will accomplish more, that is all you have a right to.

The same will be true once she gets to school, and she should qualify for school based services through IDEA at age three. So if she is not yeat scheduled to be evaluated through your local school district, contact them now so that you are ready to go by her third birthday.

In my experience, if you are questioning if your daughter is making adequate progress, then she probably is not. I would ramp up to get her more therapy while you wait to get in with a developmental pediatrican and school district assessment.

M.

My nephew was very similar he is now 19 and is a genius.He had lots of speech. I wouldn't worry.She'll be fine. One thing my brother in law did that mad a huge change was to enroll Adam into a toddlers gymnastics class. he stayed in the class for a few years. The therapist said all the different movement patterns would open up other areas of the brain and really changed his speaking. It really did. Good luck.

Hi A.
You are doing all the right things and she is only 3ish so don't panic yourself. As far as people saying different things that is perfectly normal, because people are telling you from their own experience. You are right you need to ask the professionals at the evaluation so that they can decide what she needs to be evaluated for. Certainly I would mention dyspraxia because it has been mentioned and letting them decide puts it out of your mind one way or the other. 3 is the dividing line for speech so you are really ahead of the game and should be proud of yourself, your MD, and whoever else has encouraged you to seek help. Congrats on your part for speaking up.
God bless you and your search for what is best for your daughter
K.

I say with her being almost 3 relax. my son got his speech up when he got his tubes and it took a while to connect 2 words. certain letters will be a delay for her. my sons was sp like spagetti, n r like throw would come out trow. all of his r's came out like elmer fudd. with the w sound.if she had tubes her ears may still be draining which until the tubes are done doing thier job she will have a speech delay and even after the tubes are done she will have a milder speech delay mine also added s in the middle of some words. he was closer to 4 before he started getting "normal" and was in speech till 5 1/2. give it time is my opinion. but the evaluation will tell you a lot.

You are taking a lot of good steps by getting speech and EI. Now that she is turning 3, they'll have to do more evaluations to get her into CPSE. My twin boys were VERY slow with their speech. Not as much their articulation (although one still is a bit hard to understand), but their language was delayed. They are almost 5 now and one is a little chatterbox. The other, while showing vast improvement, still has some problems with word recall. If you show him a picture of shorts, he'll say "short pants." Also, if you ask him what he did on vacation or the weekend, instead of going through the effort of putting all the words together, he'll just say "I don't know" or "I don't remember." So we work with him to give him cues and let him model after us. But he is truly growing by leaps and bounds and he passed his kindergarten evaluation test w/ flying colors (meaning he can definitely go to kindergarten next year).
I have no idea about apraxia/dyspraxia, but I would definitely tell you to get further evaluations and make sure she continues to get speech. EI and CPSE are wonderful tools to help children. In terms of developmental pediatricians, we took our boys to a doctor at Maria Fareri Children's Hosp. in Valhalla. Of course, I'm blanking on the guy's name. But he was helpful in that he referred us to the EI system (this was back when my twins were 18 months old) and got us to a great physiatrist, Dr. Picci in White Plains. So definitely ask your pediatrician to refer you to a developmental pediatrician.

Good luck. I know it's stressful...

Hello ! There are so many questions that I would like to ask but since this isn't I.M. thats impossible. I am a Speech-Language Pathologst and I have to say that first of all, I am sure that the teacher has good intentions. However, she lacks the masters degree in SLP that entitles her to throw out words such as dyspraxia. (which is the incorrect term) What your child is receiving is really "language" therapy. Do not worry about the child adding 's' to end of words. What is important here is to help the child to increase her vocabulary and increase her MLU ( mean length of utterance). Remember to read every night (point to pictures, name objects and characters and then ask the child to point to them afterwards), talk about what you are doing as you are doing it (i.e. lets put the cup on the table), practice naming objects around the house or while driving down the road ( oh look, mary... there is a dog) . Do all of these things while waiting for the evaluation in July. One thing you will be asked for by the SLP (speech therapist) is what words the child can produce while at home in her natural environment. Make this list and be ready to give it to the therapist. Best Wishes !