Does the nursery think I'm not helping my daughters speech disorder ?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, my 3.5 year old daughter has a speech disorder and although she knows a lot of language and understands most things, her words sound so distorted that unless you spend a lot of time with her you wouldn't know what she was saying.
She is having speech therapy at the moment every week. The nursery are very keen to help her and make ther speech therapy sheets in to games etc. The problem is the nursery have been adding different sounds for Lucy to learn eg, the therapist would teach words ending with P, but the nursery add words ending with S too. The speech therapist said that she wasn't keen on them jumping ahead.
Any way, I recieved a note in Lucys school bag saying "could you please please practice Good Morning with Lucy tonight."
I don't see what the urgency is for her to say that? She does say it all the time but of corse it sounds very distorted. She says "do war wee". I've tried practicing it with her but she says the same every time. She can't even break it down in to bits. It is simply too hard for her to say (properly). I say it too her every day and she knows the words. I just got the feeling from that note that the nursery think I'm not helping her with her speech. If it was as easy as that, she would be talking perfectly. My Husband and I and all our family talk very clearly and we are always talking to Lucy. I just don't know what to make of it.
I have her parents evening tommorrow, do you think I should say somthing? and what should I say?
I'd be really greatful for any advice.

I spent so much time worrying that it was my fault and that I had done something wrong before she went to nursery, and they certainly managed to reinforce that. It's only now (she's 5) that I've started to accept that it is just the way she is and there is nothing more I could have done than. Just trust your instincts, nobody knows her better than you do and any decision you make regarding the nursery will be the right one.

Yes the nursery is ver keen to help her which is fantastic. They have put aside a room for lucy where she and the head of nursery play games which are made especially for Lucy to help her speech.
They are great really. I was just a bit concerned that they thought I could teach her to say "good morning" just like that.

Thanks everyone for your advice. i will get on to the speech therapist and see what she says.

Mummyloveslucy, I'm an slt (now 'retired'!) you (and all the posters) are right to be concernd that the nursery's approach could affect your dd's confidence. Getting her to copy a word will not in the long run help her say a word using the correct sounds next time she says it, not to metion be completely demoralising to her.

It is good that they want to help your dd but they need to be made to understand that there is a reason why her slt is working on the sounds that she has chosen (it's not a random decision) and that it has to be done at your dd's own pace.

If you have the guts to do it yourself, that's great. otherwise, ask the slt to call them, or even visit if she can, to have an stern word!

It sounds as though you are a very sensible mum.

Thank you!
I've been to her parents evening and mentioned that I've tried practicing good morning with her but she says it exactly the same way every time and can't even break it down. I explained that the SALT was working on the sounds Lucy knows to get her to realise words have a beggining, middle and end. This builds her confidence. I said that I thought making her repeat a word over and over (which she knows dosn't sound right} won't do much for her confidence.
I am seing the SALT tommorrow as Lucy is having another assessment. I will ask her to phone the school or wright to them explaining what's happening with Lucy and give them usefull guidence on how to help her. That's what the nursery want too.

I have a lucy who has speech therapy too

I personally would be absolutely LIVID regarding the nursery's approach. I can understand my daughter perfectly well thankyou very much, most others can, if they take the time. I couldnt imagine my lucy doing good morning either. If i got a letter home like you did, i dont think i could contain myself .

The nursery don't understand Makaton? WTF . Makaton is brilliant, it gives so much confidence its untrue, although maybe she has gone past the need for it as she can communicate anyway. The only makaton training i have is Justin from something special, DD and i LOVE him.

I would be very very concerned that the nursery are causing a confidence issue here.

Sorry if this sounds blunt, but i have been in the situation where my little girl has been made to feel shit for not saying thankyou, but ignorant shop assistants.

apparently G and K sounds are one of the last sounds that children learn to make, as they are quite difficult to articulate. It involves getting the back of the tongue to the back of the mouth. Which is why, in our house, a dog is a dod, a cat is a tat, and everything that is gone is don!

but she IS saying Good Morning in a mannerly fashion, it's just not exactly pronounced correctly. if it's just from the manners perspective then the nursery should have the manners to know that she is doing her best and praise her on that basis. this is like asking her to do her times tables before she can count, it's unfair and confidence-wrecking.

perhaps you should practise you saying good morning and her confidently saying doo warwee, iykwim? if they want to have that exchange with her, i can see that point, rather than her hiding or being shy. but clearly there is no excuse for them jumping beyond the SALT's recommendations, that's just crazy and potentially soul-destroying for you and your daughter.

I know, it's awful. My MIL's nexed door neighbour said somthing to my daughter, I think it was just "Hello, how are you?" and Lucy just froze. The neighbour said "What a rude little girl, she should awnswer when spoken too". I was sooooo[adgry] how dare she! Lucy was only 2.5 ffs.

Lucy Ellen's mum your post re the g sound really interesting....even more so for me as my dd is severely speech delayed,but one of the few sounds she can make that is recognisable is "Gah" which encompasses "Door" and "dog" weird,huh!!!

For the OP, haven't read all thread but could you contact your SALT to see if she could talk to the nursery about why she has chosen specific exercises for dd?

Good luck xx

Yes the SALT defnatly needs to have a word with the nursery and let them know what is realistic.
It's awful for me as I've gon from being very pleased with Lucy's progress to feeling like she is sooo behind and will she ever catch up? it has worried me, perhaps unnessiseraly. (Sorry, I know my spelling is terrible before I get any connenys)

That should have been comments. I think I might need glasses!

Muumyloveslucy. Can you / could you pull her out for 6 months or so?

Concentrate on speech and then have her go back? I did this with DS1 who only really began to talk properly (and what you say rings so many bells) just before he turned 4. I pulled him out for a year up to this point.

On a lighter note - he is now 7 and is really into drama. He goes to Stagecoach and acts and sings on stage. Obviously i am a blubbering wreck each time .

Not bad as i remember the christmas, three momnths before he turned 4 him saying 'tractor' at Santa's Grotto and the lady understood him, understood him!!!!! If this rings bells do not worry - She will be fine.

I also think that he had speech difficulties (stammering etc.) due to a very tough birth - he was born blue and took sometime to bring him round. SALT said this probably was the case.