SALT assesment today and i'm a bit scared to be honest.

[lucyellensmum]

Not of the SALT but of the assesment, i often favour the ostritch approach to life. My DD is 20 months and only has a handful of words, five which she uses clearly and regularly. I flagged this up to HV before xmas as she was talking (mamma, dadda, doggie)at 12m and then after a bout of illness and jabs etc lost the words. By the time we visited the pead at 17m she was saying this handful of words and passed all the dexterity tests with flying colours. She relates well and clearly has good receptive language, as she responds to fairly complex instructions etc. So, i think i may hear something i don't want to later today and i'm bracing myself for a dx of dyslexia or dyspraxia (bum shuffler, late walker and not clear if right or left handed yet). I haven't voiced this to DP who thinks i am just being neurotic and she will talk when she is ready. For once, i'd like him to prove me right. He thinks i want a brilliantly clever child (i honestly dont)but i DO want a happy child, thats not too much to ask, is it?

20 months is very young to be worrying so much, I don't really blame you for wanted to just get on with enjoying her for now. I'd be surprised if you got a diagnosis this quickly too, but you might get some help with encouraging her speech and that might not be such a bad thing. Good luck with it.

bump

20 months is v young for SALT they don't usually do anything until they are over 2, I would actually try and get a hearing test done she may have glue ear and therefore finding it difficult to learn/practice new things. Glue ear affects the brain connections from ear to language bit hence why in young children it can cause speech delay.

My dd didn't really say anything until well over 2 she is fine now at nearly 5 - within acceptable range for her age all due to glue ear. Try and stay calm but I do understand how hard that is - many sleepness nights here too!

My DD is twenty months, only about 5 words ( I could have whole conversations with DS1 and DS2 at this age), but I'm not worried.
Wouldn't dream of saying anything to HV.

have had hearing test Car (all ok) and i was as surprised as anyone to get the SALT refferal, original worry was that she was talking then stopped but we saw a peadiatrician who said she was fine, dont worry, received lovely copy of assesment. A week later we were told a SALT refferal had been made. In a way i am glad as if there is a problem then we can get it sorted out sooner rather than later. Would hate to leave it and reaslise that things are not right when she starts school etc when we could have been putting things into practise to over come any difficulties she may or (most likely) may not have. Of course i am aware of a wide range of development etc but she is v advanced in other areas,her cognition is quite astounding at times so im concerned that speach is lagging behind.

Chocolate, maybe you should get together with my DP, he thinks im neurotic too.

I really, really don't think you're neurotic!

Don't really respect opinion of my HV, due to bad experiences in the past.
A friend of mine is a SALT - her DD was 2 in Dec. and doesn't have much more language than my DD.Friend is not atal concerned.
I never have any comunication problems with my DD, she always makes it perfectly clear what she wants, so we don't get frustrated.
A few years ago a little lad I knew didn't say say any thing until he was 2.5, then it all suddenly gushed out.
I think you're right to be concerned if she seemed to stop using words, for obvious reasons.
I think it's a bit early to worry about handedness, dyslexia (we have'nt figured out 3year old yet, and I don't consider myself laid back about these things).
Also, I knew 2 bum shufflers, both walked late (one very) and they're both brilliant 8 yo's now.

how did it go?

How did it go? My daughter (2yr old) is under a SALT. So many people said to me that she will catch up...." I know a kid and he/she didn't talk til they were 5/6/7 etc and now they are head of medicine at oxford....." and the like. People mean well but at the end of the day if you are worried then it is right to get them checked. In our daughters case they agreed she has a problem. She is about a year behind on her language at present but she is still young and I hope that by us going this early in her life she will have every chance of getting this sorted before it impacts too much on her schooling. Don't feel bad about being a concerned mother - that is our job.
Good luck

agree completely beautiful girls. Even down to the medicine anecdotes, which I've had 2 of, lucky me.

Is 5 words at 20 months considered to be lagging behind? I'm worrying now.

Chocolatemit can be normal (am a salt myself with a 2 year old who doesn't say a whole lot.)

how did it go?
my dh was a very late talker. he was almost 4 before anyone could understand him. would definitely have been under a SALT these days! but then his speech really took off and noone could shut him up. same now really

Assesment was good, well apart from the fact that i had to answer the door with a child whose face was covered in snot and red rimmed eyes from grizzling. Poor thing has had a really shitty cold. SALT agreed that she is a little behind with her expressive language and is going to enrol her on a course where she will get ST in a small group. I think this is more to train me in how to help her, with sign language etc and on how to talk to her to encourage the use of words.

I'm sorry to be curt chocolate, that was unkind of me, i didnt take offence at your comment. I have to say my HV has been great but she tends to make me worry even more. Its just that, im sensitive because DH still will not accept that there might be a small problem and as beautiful girls says, so many people have said "oh i knew such and such and he didnt speak unti...... bla bla bla" If i hear it one more time.......yes, its reassuring really it is, but i know there is something not quite right, i dont think its major but it needs attention. Saying that, a very good friend of mine didnt speak until he was four, so he says, and he has just got a phd in genetics. Mind you, he talks dead common he does lol, its not his fault, hes from chatham, no chav jokes please!

Lucyellensmum, no one knows your DD like you. Trust your instincts.

oh dear, i hope no one take offence at my chav reference. (just seen a whole rant about it on another thread and i didnt want to be seen as having the same opinions)A bit thoughtless of me and hope not to offend anyone. Its just that chatham is the birthplace of the chav, apparently, and they are quite proud of their heritage, apparently. I have a couple of cousins from chatham by the way, and they are chavs and proud of it. Just so people dont think im being derrogatory, oh dear, i might stop digging now.

oh i am glad your dd will be starting small group work now.

dd2 is 4 and still sees SALT intensively for a whole week every half term, and has been for over a year now. she is still lagging a lot, but mainly with her sounds. I think she may have bouts of glue ear at times as well which doesnt help, but as soon a si think she has a glue ear, her hearing improves within hours, children eh.

dd3 on the other hand is 26months old and her speech is fantastic. a lot lot clearer than even dd1 was at this age.

Glad you are getting some help there. At least she is "in the system" now and they can keep an eye on things from here with you too.
No offense about chavs from here - I work down in Chatham and they are totally rude about themselves all the time (insert laughing smiley here!)