Am I wrong to think the experts are wrong ?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, my 5.5 year old daughter has a speech disorder and apparently moderate learning dificulties. She has been acessed by speech therapists, Ed psychs etc and all her tests results are either below average, low or very low. I realise she isn't as intellegent as her class mates, but I wouldn't say she had moderate learning dificulties either. She can memorise songs, act out plays and can write if I spell out the word, or she'll coppy quite well from the board. She knows about 70% of her letter sounds, although she can't pronounce a lot of them.
I just think they are missing something. Her test results are always very spikey, with huge variations for different things. Her social and emotional is apparently advanced for her age.
Every one who knows her says she difinatly hasn't got learning difficulties and that it's just her speech. She comes across as very switched on and chatty. One lady who used to be a head mistress of a primary school said that although she has a speech problem now, she is very bright and will overcome it.
I've wondered wether she might have an auditory processing disorder. I've looked it up and she has every sympton on the list and it does make sence of some of her behaviours too. Apparently they can't test her for this until she's at least 7.
Can anyone recomend any games in improve listening to sounds etc ?
I actually hope that it is this, or something similar so that we can work on correcting or improving the condition.
I don't want it to sound like I don't trust the experts, but I know her better than anyone and I know there's more to it than learning dificulties.
Does anyone have any ideas of games we can play to help her, or ways to go about finding out what her condition is ?

don't trust the 'experts'. Rule number 1. Do not feel that you have to trust them, or defer to them, or that they know more than you do.

If I had a pound for every time the 'experts' had been wrong, then I would be a wealthy woman.

So far, the 'experts' have been wrong about my first birth going to be no problem (I said it felt like he was too big and 'grating' in my pelvis), they can't get stuck, my feet are a size 6 so there will be no problem - my son got stuck and we both nearly died and he was left with erbs palsy.

My eldest would never have any form of independent life ( both my kids have autism) - he's now on his way to mainstream secondary and will likely as an adult have his own flat.

My youngest is 'in proportion' and there's nothing wrong with him - turned out he cannot absorb iron properly and was severely anaemic.

To pick a few at random.

So don't you start thinking that 'experts' deserve some sort of deference, or that their word cannot be challenged or that they cannot be told they are wrong.

You know your child. They read books.

I have a very low opinion of 'experts'. Very low.

If your daughter has a problem with language, then she is going to struggle with tests because of the language! You would think that 'experts' would understand this and take it into account and know how to compensate for it and how to test a child with language problems. In my experience, this is not always the case.

Trust yourself. Keep searching. Keep challenging them.

Thank you! I'll trust my instincts and keep searching for the answer.
My daughters teacher is actually very positive about her and says that the social/emotional is the important one and everything else will follow.
She also said that she's an enthusiastic learner which is half the battle.

It is indeed. It makes a massive difference.

My eldest tries really hard, whereas my youngest doesn't give a shit.

Yes, please do trust your instincts and don't let anyone make you feel that you can't trust yourself.

With some things she dosn't try very hard. I watched her at ballet, and it was awful. I said to her "Do you try hard at ballet?" and she said "no", I said "why not?" and she said "I'm not too keen on it really". I said "but it would make your teacher very happy if you tried your best" and she just said "well, I'm not too keen on her either". Needless to say, she no longer does ballet.

good for her!

Sometimes the term learning difficulties are used to cover a multitude of conditions. Some LA do not allow use teachers to use the term dyslexia with parents for instance. We have to use the term specific learning difficulty.

Oh, I see. That's a bit strange though.

Not really. When you think about it - all learning difficulty means is difficulty learning. It in itself does not indicate any reason for that difficulty. So I suppose you could say that if she has a language problem that is making it harder for her to process information - that is a learning difficulty. It is difficult for her to learn because she finds the language hard. But if you do not believe she has a difficulty learning, then demonstrate that to the 'experts', with lots of examples.

It is separate from learning disability, which is about intelligence.

Oh, I see. I must have been thinking of learning disability.

I thought they were the same.
If this is the case, then I'd agree that she does have moderate learning dificulties.

My son (10) has just in the last year been diagnosed with APD (Auditory Processing Difficulties).

He also has dyslexia and probably dyspraxia. I knew from the age of 2/3 that something "wasn't right" but kept holding the SENCOs back on diagnosing him with ASD as I knew that wasn't it.

APD is quite different to ASD although can present in the same way in young children. For instance, crying when people are singing "Happy Birthday" to them. But still desperate to play and getting it wrong.

I think the term Moderate learning difficulties is usually used to describe general learning difficulties across the board rather than specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, My DT2 was diagnosed with having results in the MLD category a couple of years ago but the EP said that the results could possibly be taken with a pinch of salt as he was so inattentive and fitgety . I have really struggled with the term as when you google MLD it often says that a child should have an IQ of between 50 and 70 which at best would mean that a child should be about 30% behind where he should be.We moved Dt2 to a MLD unit attached to MS and his school results to date (he is now 9 - youngest in year at the end of yr4) are not in that category, In fact I dont think at 5.5 the same age as your DD he was at that level either as he could read and do basic maths. At the time it was deemed that he needed to be in a smaller class to enable him to make progress and I think he has done so. The EP didnt really know at the end of the testing what he had (has attention and motor issues also) but I think she felt he would receive a statement and more help if the report said that the testing put him in that category.
Like your DD my Dt2 has some language processing problems and I think this contributed to the results also. Not much help but I do understand your worries about the terms used