SALT aged 3.6 - Any advice welcome

[TellusMater]

DD is 3.6. She was late starting to talk (no words at 2, some by 2.6, talking reasonably by 3) but has no problems with understanding that we are aware of. She was referred the SALT and had a first assessment in January (aged 2.11). SALT said receptive language '"within normal range" but some problems with expressive language. As she had made good progress in the previous 6 months, she was put on waiting list rather than do anything straight away. I was told this would be 6-8 months, but I know other people have waited more than a year locally. SALT wasn't sure whether she would actually need anything by the time she was seen again. She didn't get offered any of the input that her peers with language problems got, which at the time I tok as a good sign.

Obviously it is now only 8 months, and I do understand that there is a long waiting list etc., but I am anxious that DD gets some input in time for starting school next year.

Although her speech is much better, there are still a lot of sounds she has trouble with, and she says a lot of her vowels slightly wrong ('slurp' instead of 'slope' for example). She also gets herself tied up in knots when she really wants to say something - she just doesn't seem to be able to get her words out, although most of the time she talks quite fluently (if you ignore the odd sounds .

So.

Should I wait for the SALT?
Or look into private assessments?
Are these big problems, or is she still catching up?
Dunno what to do for the best.

[TellusMater]

I should say, I am anxious that she gets input before she starts school if she needs any - as that is one of the things I don't know!

[Reallytired]

Prehaps you could request a hearing test to rule out things like Glue ear.

The Hanen project do a series books. A good book is "It takes Two to talk", It has suggestions of games for improving speech.

[HonoriaGlossop]

I don't know if this helps, Tellus, but a friend had SALT involvement with her ds, and that only started a couple of months before school. She was told that so many speech issues clear up by five years old, that it often means no treatment is needed in the end.

Her ds had a short course, as I say a couple of months before school started; and he was VERY difficult to understand, even his own mum had difficulties understanding him at times and for friends like me he was pretty unintelligible much of the time

His progress was amazing though. He's been at school one year and i can understand him nearly all the time now.

[TellusMater]

Thanks. She had a hearing test at 18 mo (when I realised she wasn't making any babble even) and is having another on Friday. There doesn't seem to be any problem there.

I shall look for the book, and am relieved to know that these things can resolve.