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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Does SALT Really Work?

15 replies

Argent · 01/04/2011 20:28

I have been in SALT sessions for about a year but with only 3 or 4 sessions given and months of gaps in between. My boy is 3.5 and so far most sessions have been groups just playing simple games, a story - stuff we do at home all the time. Recently, I have been given the opportunity of getting private sessions through a kindly relative but after only two sessions am feeling really low. I dont know what I was expecting - Its the same sort of thing but this time with more precise notetaking by the therapist about how he says things but I just wonder whether this SALT lark is all pie in the sky. At home we play child-led games, we sing, we talk together, we model language back to him - if anyone out there has had success with this SALT approach - I am desperate to know as I'm on the verge of giving up but I dont want to fail my son.

OP posts:

MissMontoya · 01/04/2011 20:34

It depends hugely on what your child's needs are. Does he ahve an impairment or a delay or what?

SALT isn't a magic wand, as you have experienced. It needs to happen consistently, over a period of time, and ideally you and/or his teachers should be given simple strategies that can be implemented into your child's daily routines that support the work the SALT is doing. Have you heard of SALT 'waves'? Wave 1 would be impkementing simple SALT strategies into your child's everyday life, Wave 2 would be more intensive regaulr work, maybe at hgome or in small groups at school and Wave 3 would beone-to-one SALT. In my eperience, a combination of these three 'waves' of SALT helps most children enormously over time 9although time is the operative word! My DS is on the autistic spectrum and is starting to really benefit from SALT after 1 year of the above approach.

HTH

MissMontoya · 01/04/2011 20:34

excuse ridiculous typing!

thisisyesterday · 01/04/2011 20:36

no, i don't think it's pie in the sky although as MM says, it may depend hugely on what the specific issue is with your child

i have seen it work wonders with my friends 2 little boys BUT she has to do a LOT with them at home. lots of practising the sounds, with accompanying signs

OmicronPersei8 · 01/04/2011 20:41

We've been using the 'It takes two to talk book' and have taken part in a local SALT programme which runs in a very similar way, it's made a huge impact on both how I see DS and his attitude to talking. He's gone from having learnt 5 new words in 6 months to learning 10 new words in just one month. The emphasis has been largely on what we do at home, the SALT said that it has much more impact than if it's just about 1 session a week. We're asked to do 10-15 minutes of focused play every day. We've only been doing it in a really focused way for 1 month, it has made a noticeable difference already.

Obviously though, I don't know what your son's issues are, they could be very different to DS's. DS has a speech delay (he's 3, with around 40 single words now) as well as other issues, and the Hanen Two to Talk book has been excellent.

Original poster

Argent · 01/04/2011 20:42

Oh Thank you MissMontoya - that is really informative. Havent heard of any waves at all and have begged for work to do at home with no action outcoming. My DS had a speech delay but he speaks non stop now but to anyone who isnt really listening hard - it does sound jumbled. His most recent therapist is saying his vowels are jumbled which affects nearly every word that's before other difficulties with f,v,s,..Do you know what the intensive regular work consists of in Wave 2?

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Original poster

Argent · 01/04/2011 20:46

Wow I'll get the Two to Talk book right away - thanks. I was expecting repetition, exercises, targeted work at home on specific speech difficulties but all I'm getting at the moment is generalised play for 20 mins and then ta-ta till next time or see you in 5 months.

OP posts:

skewiff · 01/04/2011 20:53

Hello Argent,

Your son sounds like he has similar difficulties to mine. DS is 4.

DS speaks non stop and has really good language/vocab etc

But his speech is not clear at all. He cannot say s, f, sh etc at the beginning of sentences and he nearly always sounds jumbled.

We have seen SALT but they never seem at all sure what to do and I don't have a lot of faith in them.

I always get the feeling the really don't know where to start with him and/or they have more important children to deal with.

OmicronPersei8 · 01/04/2011 20:58

Two to talk is about encouraging more talking rather than issues around word order and speech production (as far as I can see), not sure if it's exactly right for you. Here's a taster of it on google books.

twinkytonk · 01/04/2011 21:01

SALT can work brilliantly if the therapist is consistent (along with consistent sessions) and good at her job.

I used to work in a setting that uses SALT and although it can take a long time it does work. It will take time though.

nailak · 01/04/2011 21:05

skewiff my dd4 is exactly the same, they said we had to wait for her bday (last week) b4 could have an assessment..

Original poster

Argent · 01/04/2011 21:19

Skewiff although I'm sorry you are having the same experience as me - it makes me feel like I'm not going mad! My instinct is over time it'll all sort itself out but as early years are so critical - I dont want to miss an essential opportunity. If I only knew what to do - Id tutor him myself.

OP posts:

Original poster

Argent · 01/04/2011 21:27

OmicronPersei8 you confirmed my quick look through Hanen website but thanks as saved me £60 on amazon.

OP posts:

OmicronPersei8 · 01/04/2011 21:55

Speech production issues are the last bit to worry about - especially when they're young. Lots of young children mix up sounds, it's quite common. How good is his understanding? How well can he communicate his needs/thoughts etc? Can he follow an instruction with 3 bits of information (Get mummy's yellow hat)?

Language development, as I understand it, starts with looking and listening skills, then play, then understanding, then talking/expressing yourself and last of all pronouncing correctly. Is he at the talking/expressing stage - does he make sense? It may be that he does then start to pronounce more correctly as time goes on, and with the SALT he is having as an extra boost.

I once taught a boy (he was 6 years old, I was his class teacher) who mixed up sounds - he was using cued articulation to learn to make the correct sound. This is an action that goes with each sound, starting at the lips and moving away from the body. I don't know if it's used for children who are younger.

(If anyone is lurking and is interested in the two to talk book you can get it for £30 from Winslow)

ladyintheradiator · 02/04/2011 09:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

skewiff · 02/04/2011 19:52

Yes - I do hope and feel that it will sort itself out (but then get worried that I'm kidding myself).

SALT have endlessly put us off - I mostly hope that I should trust them, although know they've let other people down at our CDDC.

DS also has mild cerebral palsy - so actually I focus on his physical needs more.

The only interesting thing I have to add is that we DID used to have a SAL therapist at DS's nursery - but she's just been got rid of with all the cuts.

I told her that sometimes DS surprises me and does actually say the letters that he can't say - but only with new words.

She said that once words are learned it is really difficult for children to relearn them with their proper sounds.

DS is using the sound 's' for example with words such at 'story' or 'snake' but not for more simple words such as 'sand' or 'sun'.

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