Would you delay reception for a child with a non-trivial speech delay?

[PeanutButterCrumpets]

DD will be 4 this month (June) and due to start Reception this September. Her speech is roughly that of a 2 year old. If it helps to know, didn't say a word prior to 3. Her expressive word count now is around 150 - 200 at most and her Receptive understanding can stretch to "can you get mummys keys please", or "leave your hat in the car" for example and she understands straight away. She is stringing mini phrases together (cold outside, big dog, help mummy, daddy working) and we are working on her pronunciation which is quite slurred - its difficult to determine what she is saying most of the time. Apart from her speech we have no suspicions of any other SN's and she is a cluey kid with a great memory and good attention span. FYI I was denied an EHCP assessment (not a compelling enough need they said) and separately DD has a mild high frequency hearing loss and is aided in both ears for this. Our speech therapist who has only so far spoken to me and not worked with DD is virtually ordering me to delay her purely based on her speech delay. It's thrown me right back into doubt as I was all set to send her into Reception this September. Nursery disagree about delaying her but i'm wondering what happens after reception (year 1+) when theres less play and more focus on academics. Maybe she'll have caught up by then... but maybe not. So my question: Did your DC have a speech delay and how did they fare in school? Did you have to hold them back during any years following Reception?

@lorisparkle Absolutely - but my god it's a bloody hard decision to make!

If nursery think she’s ready for school and the only reason you’d be holding her back is speech, I’d go with their opinion over one from someone who’s never worked with your dd.

@cestlavielife At risk of drip feeding here, but as a baby she was diagnosed with a global development delay. She's overcome this and now ticks all the boxes apart from speech. There is a school near by with a speech unit but unfortunately a) it got defunded and b) we'd have needed an EHCP to get in as it was out of catchment for us.

@ClocksGoingBackwards That is exactly what I needed! My husband and I have been absolutely agonising over this because we feel with the right support both in and out of school, she'll be ok. Her nursery key person said to me "Please don't delay her". Her key person has been working with kids for many years; has two relatively fresh out of school kids of her own and has worked with DD for 2 years so theres some weight to her recommendation. Yes the only reason we are considering holding her back is her speech. She is emotionally ready and showing a good maturity academically. Can't thank you enough for your succinct reply. The speech therapist who said to delay only knows DD on paper.

As she is summer born yes I would delay, the extra year of pre-school would give her time to build on growing language skills. My DD's best friend is August born and had speech delay starting school - speech ok now (Y5) but still struggling academically. I really believe the extra year would have made the world of difference.

You should take DD to be thoroughly assessed for hearing loss and other sppech problems.

Do this privately. Lots of ground will be lost while you wait for publicly funded services to kick in. Time is very important here.

DS is July born, global development delay (speech and motor skills) but bright and socially very good. We didn’t delay the start, mainly because we were moving house and couldn’t get him into a decent nursery so felt he’d be better in a good, supportive school than an average nursery.

DS now has a speech sound disorder rather than a delay, but he is doing really well at school and socially fits in.

@grey Loved hearing this, tysm (wow, Augiust baby!). I realise each kid is different and these happy endings may not apply to all but I loved hearing that you forged ahead, because you know your kid based off their rate of prior development. We figure our DD will also need lots of support. Can I ask if you moved schools within those 3 years because the support was not as expected or just bc of general circumstances?

I personally feel nurseries and preschools have very little experience of holding children back so they say send them. There is still so much mis-information on it. People don't realise that children held back will go into start at reception level still.
The school we picked said they would support my Ds with speech and course and la la la and they haven't. It's been hard work with his current teacher ( year one) as when I asked if she felt he had an issue still she said "no." Then once I had him privately assessed she was agreeing with the SLT and saying yes big issues. My DS has actually come on really well, but he has found it exhausting because it's another thing on top of the day to day learning to be trying to catch up on a speech delay.

For my DS his initial delay has developed into issues with speed, problems with certain speech sounds and poor sentence structure. He's really getting there but I wish he was finishing year R now and I'd delayed him.

@mathanxiety DD is under Audiology - hearing loss in both ears and is aided. We've had an assessment from an NHS speech therapist also.

@Twilightstarbright Thats my sentiment really - ie: what better way to prepare them for school than to be in school.

My son has a speech delay, is a June baby and will be starting school this year. He's been in nursery almost a year and the progress he's made since being around peers his own age is incredible. He still is difficult to understand if you don't know him, but instead of giving up he now says "I show you, come ". When I think this time last year he had barely any words.
The speech therapist believes his issue is with fricatives, the longer sounds, and I am working with him on this. I am also an eyfs senco so well aware his speech is still behind, but I feel going to school is the right decision for him and he is excited.
If you choose to defer, do speak with your chosen school about their policy and which year group she would go into, as it is at the heads discretion.

@MissConductUS Thanks so much - I suppose that's my thought process, that as long as we ensure she's got the right classroom support and ongoing speech therapy sessions and keep tutoring her, she'll not be a million miles away come year 1+

Our primary school has two or three children who have delayed their start in each of Y2, Y1 and Reception. (The other local primary to us won't allow it.) DD is one of them, her speech was one of the main reasons. Why make starting school hard work because you cant communicate with your peers when you can wait a year and catch up with them, and enjoy it rather than struggling through? NHS speech therapy provision is appalling so don't bank on that to help your child catch up. My son (spring birthday so couldn't delay) has diagnosed verbal dyspraxia and moderate hearing loss and he's seen an NHS therapist three times in the last three years.

My son had a speech delay. He has come on leaps and bounds in hus Reception year. Still stutters his words, and not the best pronunciation, but he has thrived in Reception. We live in Wales, and the teacher and assistant are lovely and not at all pushy. They teach through play, and it's very relaxed. I would go for it with Reception.

It never occurred to me to have him put back a year. DS is a summer baby.

@SeekingBalance Gosh this sounds just like my DD! That's fantastic your DS will help you figure out what he wants. The other day DD spent a good many minutes trying to explain she wanted her purple t-shirt and finally found a tiny purple flower in a decal on her wall and then gestured clothes on herself. And I went "ooooh!!! you want your purple t-shirt!!" and she said "yeah!!!". it was such a great moment. This level of perseverance alone made me think "yes, she'll be ok".

That's interesting re: fricatives. This is also what DD struggles with although she has a high frequency hearing loss which are these sounds exactly. I never knew she had a problem with her hearing as she always responded to a sound. It took me a year to come to terms with it.

I loved your post - great that your DS is excited. DD is also very excited and can say "school" well, "skooo" :) and is aware generally of what it is. Thank you re: checking with the school on their policies, we will absolutely do this.

@HairyToity Much needed positivity thank you! Not that i'm meaning to pick and choose only the ones I want to hear and I take on board all feedback here.

Can I ask @HairyToity roughly what level of speech your DS had - my DD is at the 2-word-phrase level, only a couple 3 word phrases.

Absolutely fantastic that he's done so well in reception, loved hearing this. I hope DD's teachers are as supportive as your DS's sound - fingers crossed.

Are you thinking of deferring her school entry - as in she will start later on during the school year (Christmas or Easter) or delaying her school entry - as in she will start reception next year?

So I posted really quickly earlier - but my DS had a severe speech, language and social communication delay - he had 1-1 support in nursery (LEA funded as mandated by the NHS paediatrician) we paid for private speech therapy to work with the 1-1. Nursery felt that summer born DS wouldn't cope in reception and we should delay a year, we had school visit the nursery for their opinion and they suggested starting after Christmas, its worked out very well for us.

My DD (4) has an atypical speech sound disorder, meaning her speech was extremely unclear (good improvement with SALT so far) but she has full understanding and a massive vocabulary (at the top of the expected range for her age).

She is under the additional learning needs outreach team and they are hoping to keep her with them for her reception year, so it seems crazy that your DD isn't getting the appropriate support when she is clearly struggling more than my DD.

My DD has been at a school attached playgroup since 2.8 (when it reopened after lockdown) and does 4 days a week (playgroup am/preschool pm) as she kept asking to increase her days.

She loves it at school, however it is a tiny village school (60 pupils) where she plays with older kids, almost as much as her own age group, who are more patient and able to interpret what she is saying. Also her playgroup leader in the morning who is then the TA for the preschoolers in the afternoon has a special interest in SALT (was the person who first highlighted DDs problems and pushed for referrals and support), so DD benefits from a really great set up.

@essexmummy321 That's great the school went to nursery to observe him. So he only needed a 3 month delay?? Can I ask what severe means? ie: he has few words but no phrases?

@Elisheva Yes, deferring the whole first year and starting Sep 2023 instead of 2022. Not sure a few months delay will make a significant enough difference.

This.
Also what @lorisparkle said on the previous page.
She has clearly made excellent progress in the last 12 months, so why would you think that she won't continue to do so.
There will be children with a huge range of abilities, and different strengths and different difficulties in her school year, and the school staff will differentiate accordingly.

@RIPWalter it sounds like your DD is in a wonderfully supportive environment. We tried to get DD into a small village school near us (also 60 pupils) but missed out by 1 place. I haven't heard of the "additional learning needs outreach team" - i'll need to look into this! I feel in some respects my DD has fallen through the net. We only got the NHS block of sessions as I pushed for them.

We didn't delay as I though school might bring him on. And it did! He's excelling in maths and phonics, speech has developed massively.