"It Takes Two To Talk" - any experience?

[Thusnelda]

My daughter has had a speech and language assessment in December and has now been invited to "It takes two to talk" in our local Children's Centre (Masbro Road).
She's two and five months and has since December come along way anyway, adding new words daily now and also uttering the odd two word sentence. She's also started occasionally using the German word to me and the English one to Daddy though she mostly uses whichever word she likes best or finds easiest.
Now, this programme seems to involve the parents having a two hour chat session and the children are having "fun activities promoting speech and language development". My daughter hasn't started nursery yet and though she might be absolutely fine with it, I do find the approach of dumping under-threes in a new environment with strangers for two hours and expecting them to improve their language a bit dubious. So is it really only for the parents? Will I spend six sessions learning about switching off the telly, playing and talking with my toddler and reading to her?

I have no idea what the "it takes 2 to talk" programme is or what specific difficulties your daughter has. However, I think you need to look positively upon the help you are being offered. Some children will wait 5+ years just to get beyond a basic assessment, to be offered something at such a young is age rather good isn't it? You also cannot expect someone to come to see your daughter somewhere she is familiar with like home, I think it's reasonable for you to be flexible and go to where the experts are, the environment will only be new the first time you are there surely? Good luck.

A friend attended a similar session with her DS. She is def. not a mum parking the child in front of the telly but singing, reading and doing lots of activities.

She mentioned it was also a lot about learning about the way speech is developing, how to deal with specific problems when certain letters are not pronounced properly and how to make the practice she had to do at home fun.

I would jump to any idea how to help my daughter when she is diagnosed esp. as these sessions are often the first ones where funding is cut.

Yes Thusnelda - the course is primarily for the parents, not the children. As a parent, you're the most important person in your child's life so you are best placed to make the difference here. I'm an SLT and have done the ITTTT training - I think it's an excellent way of working that focuses on helping parents to feel more confident about what they are doing to support their child. The main reason she will be away from you for 2 hours is more to give you and the other parents a chance to listen, learn and ask questions without loads of children running about!

I think you will find it really enjoyable and informative. Take full advantage of it!

Not a bilingual parent, but having done this course for my child, I would grab the opportunity with both hands. The course will also involve 4 home SALT visits, and lots of useful advice for you, and individual SALT input for your child. It's not patronising at all, it helps you bring your child on to the next stage in their communcation and set appropriate goals.

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I didn't mean to sound so negative. Of course it's great that they offer these things and of course it's good to start young.
And it does sound like it's helpful and worthwhile.
It's just that I have a problem with just 'dumping' a toddler into a care situation even if it is only for two hours a week, so I wanted to know more about the programme than what I could glean from the sparse letter I received and the short telephone conversation with the children's centre.

It's not like you are "dumping" her to go to a cocktail bar, it is to access therapy for her and in her interest. But if you really don't want to leave her, then you could ask if they ever run this course in the evenings (might help re:childcare) or explain your DD's recent improvement, and whether they feel her attendance is necessary. I would strongly advise you do attend this though, it is a very good course indeed.

Don't think "dumping" a 2 year old in child care is so bad. All 4 of our children were looked after exclusively by me or dad until they reached the age of 2, we worked our shifts around the children and did this for 11 years. But at the age of 2, they all went 2 times a week to a nursery, I don't see this as cruel or harming the children in any way. I now work in a nursery which starts at age 1 and many of the children are there full time. We cannot be their mummy or daddy, but we have strong relationships with the children, strong relationships is what matters - look at societies where children are brought up with more than mum and dad, where the extended family and neighbours take their turn to watch all the young children, child care is a westernised version (or should be) of the community care provided in more "primitive" societies. Look not at dumping your child into a care situation and look at as a way of forming relationships with people other than her immediate family. Socialising is a good thing, for mums and their toddlers.

I would be very surprised if you as the parent wouldn't be allowed to stay as least for the first time to see how it goes. I would expect from such a program that it will include the parents to enable them to continue the work at home.

My DD went to a nursery at 11 months and it was very good for her. She learned so much, esp. on social skills. I would never call a good care "dumping".

Being a SAHM and the only one responsible is a very modern myth. I remember my mum told me how my older sister and my cousin (born early Sixties) were often looked after by granny and a younger aunt.

But this does sound a bit more like 'dumping' since it is just for 2 hours per week for the duration of the course - there is a reason why nurseries do long settling in periods and why they prefer you to come more frequently than once a week. Also different children react very differently - my son is in childcare 3 days a week but would still scream blue murder if I tried to leave him in a group of complete strangers for 2 hours with no settling in. I could never have done a course like this for this reason, I wouldn't be prepared to put him or me through that. I have no problem leaving him with a carer I trust and he knows though.