Speech problems in 10yo - where to get help?

[Vicky13]

Hi all

My DD age 10 has always been a bit behind with her speech. No words until over 2 yrs old and no babbling as a baby. As a pre-schooler she gradually started learning a few words, or sounds that i knew meant something, and by the time she started school she was speaking in sentences but only family and friends could really understand her. She's also very shy so rarely spoke to teachers.

She had her hearing tested 3 or 4 times as a toddler, and once when she was in reception at teacher's suggestion, but all came back fine. Academically she is doing very well, she reads loads and is good at maths. Her writing isn't up with the rest of her work but she's still doing above average.

She chats to her friends but her speech is much more like a younger child than her peers. She just can't keep up with them verbally, although like I said she's not struggling academically.

It seems like she takes ages to learn new words, and then has trouble recalling them. She only really learned to talk properly when she learnt to read. Still now if she hears a new word she doesn't know I either write it down or spell it out for her, as she can't seem to take in the sound.

Has anyone else experienced this with their children? Any advice on where to go for help? Not sure whether to try GP or teacher, or try a speech therapist straight away.

Thanks! xx

You['ll need a referral to a speech therapist, ask the school whether it's quicker to do it through them or your GP.

Thanks Tab. I'll ask at school tomorrow.

My son (age 8) is like this too. he's bright too which i think sometimes disguises the problem. Its shows up most in his writing.
I have been thinking about asking his teacher for help/ a referal but I'm in that usual trap of thinking I'll just wait for a few weeks until the teacher has got to know him first...

Have you looked into something called 'developmental verbal dyspraxia', or 'apraxia of speech' - pdf file here, very helpful www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/downloads/Developmental_Verbal_Dyspraxia.pdf

In the US they call this apraxia of speech.

DS is younger but his case is quite severe, and some of the issues you mention are similar to what he is like.

Also how is she physically? Does she have good balance? can she ride a bike? Swim? some children that have dyspraxia can have speech issues.

She could have difficulty speaking - as in with air. I think you can have nodules which make it hard to pronounce. I'd definitely be pushing for referral to an ear nose and throat specialist as well as speech development.

Vicky - what did the school say? Was it difficult to get them to want to help?

Thanks for the advice everyone. Yes I had come across verbal dyspraxia. Not sure if it quite explains what's going on. I'm not sure she has physical problems with speech. It's more like she has problems dragging words out of her brain. Not sure how else to describe it. She knows what the words mean when she hears them and can give a definition, but if you ask her to come up with a word from a definition she can't do it.

Anice - yes it's having a big effect on her writing too. She's also bright and very good at maths, and also I think she's always managed to work round it well at school, but it's starting to have an impact on her socially now. I made an appt with the teacher today and I'm going in on Wednesday to have a private chat with her. Didn't want to talk about it in the playground in front of all the kids. I'll post on Wednesday and let you know what response I get. Good luck x

Thanks, I am going to follow your lead. You are two years in front of me, but otherwise you are describing my DS exactly. Its been worrying me for years.

I thought it was going to be ok when he first went to school because he did well in both reading and maths (and like your DD, he is an excellent mathematician), but now its becoming clear that his writing is weak and its because he has not practiced speaking the way other kids have. So he knows the words, he can even spell them, but he has no practice in formulating sentences in his head and saying them.

Also I am now realising that I have not helped. We (the rest of his family) often finish his sentences for him and I tend to get the gist of what he is trying to say but then I just pretend to listen whilst really I am already thinking of something else. I try to correct this now, but its hard to remember because its a five year habit.

Sometimes DS gets very stressed because no one listens. Is your DD the same?

Wow anice. That could be me talking! I've gradually realised in the last couple of years that I always finish her sentences for her, and even when she was little I always understood her so she didn't really get frustrated by not being able to talk, and she's so shy - particularly when I'm not there - that other people haven't really noticed that her talking isn't so good.

I really wish I'd done something sooner. I've felt deep down that something wasn't quite right ever since she was a baby, but I kept thinking she'd catch up, and also I suppose I thought it wasn't having too much impact, but I feel now like time is running out to sort it, because she'll be at secondary school this time next year, and then there won't be just one teacher who knows her.

Good luck with the teacher. x

An update for Anice.

Had a meeting with the teacher today and she was very good. Seemed to think there probably was a problem, as she hadn't been able to understand why DD couldn't use words that she'd been taught in that lesson in a piece of writing (biology so a new and unfamiliar word). She said she'd have a word with the SEN co-ordinator and maybe see about doing an assessment. We also talked quite a lot about her writing. Teacher's main motivation seemed to be to find a solution so that DD would get a level 5 in her SATs. I kept trying to steer the conversation away from bloody SATs levels, but if that's what makes the teacher deal with it then I suppose I'm happy.

Then, after school, DD told me she'd been taken out by SEN co-ord and given a test where she had four pictures, and she had to point to which of the four the teacher was talking about. Not sure what this is, or what it's for, but seems like a fairly swift reaction.

So they are taking it seriously and doing something. Will hopefully find out more later in the week. Hope you get a similar response.

x

I'm a speech therapist and you are describing word finding difficulties in your DD. You should definitely get a referral to a speech therapist, if you find the number of your local ones (usually based in a health centre ) you may even be able to refer yourself. Don't wait, as there may be waiting lists. A SLT can teach your daughter strategies which will help her to learn words more securely and access them more readily. this will be even more important as she gets older

Thanks Rivercat. I've never heard of that. I do think she needs a referral, and that's interesting that I can do it myself. I'll look into that and let the school know if I do it.

Off to do some googling now!

Vicky - I am glad you got a good response from the school, even though i suspect, that you like me were hoping that the teacher would not think there was any problem at all.

I spoke to DS's year 4 teacher yesterday. She's only had him for two weeks and she doesn't really know him yet especially, as he is so quiet in class.,Fair enough.

When I described the problem that I have noticed, she also spoke of word finding difficulties as a potential diagnosis. She said she'd listen to DS read and try to get him to join in class discussions and then come back to me in a week or so.

However, she warned me that he's not far enough behind (yet) to warrant school intervention or medical assessment. So, all that she will do is give me her opinion on whether there seems to be an issue or not. She was really nice about it though, but it does seem that I'll have to do everything myself.

I'll probably start my own thread up now rather than hijack yours. I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't feel guilty about not doing anything sooner because you probably wouldn't have been able to anyway until the problem became obvious.

Good luck. x

Anice - Sorry you didn't get a better response. I don't think I mentioned further up the thread that my daughter has the same class teacher as last year, just by coincidence, because the school went down from 3 Y5/6 classes to 2, so her and her best friends stayed with the same teacher. This has definitely made things easier, because she already knows her.

I had a call yesterday from the SEN teacher asking me to go in and sign an SLT referral form, which I have done today. Also I was at the GP this morning about something else, and I've made an appt for my daughter so they can have a look at her ears and possibly refer her for a hearing test. I don't think this is an issue, but just wanted to rule it out.

I think you're probably right that they might not have done much in Y4, but now it feels like the clock is ticking because SLT only see them up to age 12 and she's 11 next month. I was told this morning not to expect an appt until December or January.

Good luck x