Referal to SALT - advice needed asap - please

[littlerach]

Dd aged 2.7 has just been referred to a SALT as her speech is unclear and I am often the only one to understand her. I requested that the HV assess her as I was concerned, and she agreed with me. What happens when you are referred, and is there anything that I can do to increase her pronunciation? The HV was very reassuring, and commented on dd's knowledge, eg her colours and numbers etc. If any of you can help, please do!!

what happens when you are refered???..........usually nothing

But seriously if its only her pronunciation I really wouldnt worry too much.

When ds1 first saw the SALT she carried out an assessment to try to see if there was a physical problem. They usually ask if your child eats/chews properly, can they suck/blow with a straw etc. There is also a questionnaire the SALT fills in with you. This covers things like babbling, pointing, and general physical development. She also asks if hearing has been tested. This process lasts for about an hour. This should tell the SALT what the problem is - if there is one. As the others will tell you, the usefulness of the SALT can really vary.

DD can talk, but it's hard to understand her, she chats nonstop!! She has no hearing problems, and has reached every other "milestone" that she should have. Could it be that she is just a little behind?

Very likely. It can be hard when you see other children chattering away but some children really do just take a bit longer. By the time you get to see the SALT your dd may well be talking anyway. Even if not, the SALT may be able to give you some reassurance.

Coppertop, why did you first see a SALT? Has your ds since improved?

My ds1 was referred to SALT just after his 2nd birthday. He didn't speak at all and had even stopped babbling as a baby. Unlike your dd he didn't even try to speak. He finally got his first SALT appointment a month after his 3rd birthday. We were recently told that he has sensory problems. His hearing is so acute that he finds it hard to filter out all the sounds. He is also due to be assessed for autism. He now speaks in short sentences although he sounds like a little dalek, and is an amazing mimic!

littlerach- will write a long reply when I have time- possibly tomorrow now as I have 2 little ones with "proper" flu.

As fio said- what happens- nothing for ages! Hve a search for SALT and you will find loads of previous threads.

As for increasing pronounciation- don't! At least not yet- start by getting her to lick her lips, blow out candles, try and touch her nose with her tongue- swish the tongue from side to side- that sort of thing.

Gotto go baby crying.....will write more

I had an excellent experience with NHS SALT. I did a parental referral for ds because of a slight stammer, as I had read that the sooner they get referred the more effective. We waited about 3 months, had an assessment and lots of advice about exercises to do at home and nursery, and then a 6 mth follow up. He has vastly improved but I was worried about going off the list in case we needed to get back on again. So she said she would keep us on for 6 mth reviews and gave me the option of going to extra parental group work if I liked. With young children with ordinary physical development I think that the parent is the one to do most of the exercises with the child, so you don't necessarily need lots of appointments, once the SALT has shown you what you can do to help. I hope that your dd will have a good experience too. You could ring up and say you are worried about the waiting list and ask her to send you some exercises to be doing at home.

littlerach. Have a listen to your dd. At 2.7 it is still very common for children to be hard to understand. Generally you only need to worry if she changes the way she says things all the time, can;t lick her lips, can repeat sounds in isolation but then can't say them as part of a word, or if she changes words depending on what's following (for example my ds1-4- will call me nanig- mummy, but if he's saying bye bye mummy he says dye dye daddy. Likewise granny is gagee and granny's car is gaggegan, but granny and grandad is aya an an) These are slightly extreme examples but just demonstrate the sorts of things that require a lot of speech therapy. This type of problem is rare though- more commonly a child just has problems or a slight delay in getting to grips with accurately producing speech sounds. These usually sort themselves out but seeing a SALT can be useful for tips. Don't correct her speech though. If she pronounces something incorrectly just say "yes that's right its a ........" and model the correct pronounciation.

If you do think your dd is showing signs of the problem I mentioned earlier then look here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=138&threadid=12448&stamp=031024101056

Thanks v much for your replies. Outofpractice, who would I call to get these exercises? I have been to the GP today to have dd checked for her cough, and enquired about private SALT. They basically said not to bother, as the NHS were better, even though there was a waiting list. Also GP seemed to think that dd was just slow in her speech, as she is fine with all other aspects of development. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Thanks JimJams, her speech has become clearer in the last few months, so hopefully it will continue. She is consistent with the way she pronounces words incorrectly, eg Shannon is always ranon. She seems to have difficulty with consonants eg: H, G, CH and SH to name the most apparent.

littlerach- I've dig out a phonological development chart. According to that sh starts to emerge from 2.6 years onwards, and ch comes later still. H is also down as developing between 2.6 and 3.6 years. Sounds like there's nothing to worry about.

Have to disagree about NHS SALT being better- if you actually need speech therapy regularly then you have to pay for it, but agree in your case where you just want a check up then there isn't much point paying for a private salt (they're not cheap.

For tip sheets ring your local salt service- the child development centre will know where you need to ring if you can't find it.

Another thing that can help is listening games eg sound lotto.

I found out that a parent can refer themself to a speech and language therapist (can never even get an appointment to see a GP where we live let alone a referral!) and so I went to www.stammering.org and found the number of the national NHS stammering centre, rang up and explained my concerns to the friendly receptionist and she put me through to the local NHS SALT. I kept ringing and leaving phone messages and emailing the SALT and when we eventually spoke she told me some exercises by phone to do pending the appointment. I also had a babysitter who was a trainee SALT and sent me a photocopy of the chapter in her textbook about stammering in early years. Jimjams is right that most of these early speech issues resolve themselves, but I have also read that the earlier you try to tackle it, the higher the success rate. I really think catching it early made the trick in ds's case, as he was starting to become shyer and quieter because of his speech, which is not something that you can just tolerate for a few years in a little kid.