My identical twins girls are 4 (were 8 weeks early) and have a second assessment with salt tomo, a year after the first. We were poo pooed and told it "would come" the at the first appointment( nursery raised eyebrows at this), fobbed off again when i phoned in june at the end of their first year in nursery, and now have this appointment because i complained ti HV who has put a bomb under them.
They do speak, extensively to each other, but not undersatandably to anyone else when they they do this.
They can talk to us, form sentences etc, chat away really, but much of it is mis pronounced and hard to follow unless you knw them well.
They play normally, very sociable, very quick on the uptake about everything, just very poor language skills and very late in starting. They are improving but at current rate of improvemtn they will not be approaching the level of their peers by a country mile by the time they start school.
The nursery had an educational psychologist observe them, reported normal play etc, just the limited speech. She had attempted this week to pressure the SALT people prior to the this appointment, but they simply dont answer the phone.
Today the nursery gave me their little written assessment to take to the appointment. Its made me a bit sad. It said that the younger children play with them, but that the older ones they started with have moved on, simply becasue they cant speak as well as the others. It just made me sad.
They do seem to speak less at nursery than at home, but the staff have reported improvements this year. I also realise that they are being helpful by being a bit negative on the report in order to pressure SALT to intervene. Its just all a bit sad.
They are so on track with everything else that 4 year olds should be doing and so happy and content. its "just" the speech. As i said they they speak in sentences and everything and have wide vocabulary, and no gap in understanding. But they just cant be understood. How can they ever cope with school?