Hi all, my DD 3.5yr has been diagnosed with speech dyspraxia.
She was referred to speech therapy when she was 18 months, due to covid and then errors with the team, she was assessed in August last year just before she was 3 and was told she had "unintelligible speech" and my heart sank as I thought this was really harshly phrased for a parent report, although probably appropriate terms for another care provider. It has then taken 6 months and further complaints to get her recommended block therapy sessions, as I had declined their option to put her in a special nursery to support her speech, as it was 5 days a week, 3 hours a day and as full time working parents we simply couldn't make that work.
So session 1 of 3 was 2 weeks ago and 30 min, they basically reassessed her and never done anything I would see as supportive in her development and today was session 2, 15 minutes of which my dad was playing with toys whilst the speech therapist explained her findings to me and said she is a high risk patient due to having speech dyspraxia and after her 3rd session will receive no more until she's nearing primary school and will get another 5 sessions, and rhey are recommending a specialist primary school that has on site speech support, again no where near I can commute to causing me more stress about how I will facilitate when the time comes.
I feel so disheartened and upset by this diagnosis, as I feel so strongly that had an intervention happened a year ago, she may have been supported differently. I'm not entirely sure either I fully agree with this diagnosis and am not keen my dd has a label so quickly put on her, as she is excelling in all other milestones, has good fine motor abilities and is generally a bright child who just struggles to get her words out and understood. The nursery she goes to also seem unsure on this diagnosis also.
She has her final session next week and I really don't think this is enough sessions but they said based on her age this is what is offered.
Are there other parents who have had a similar diagnosis with just speech impacted and how has your child's speech developed in time? Is there any top tips you can offer me?