speech therapy

[flipflopper]

dd is 11 and in year 7. She is unable to say the k or g sounds and has been working on this for years with no improvement. Her speech therapist has just rung me to say that they wont be seeing her any more unless we contact them if she suddenly starts being able to say them.

I said this was ok, but now I'm thinking, is this right?
I have been quite unimpressed with the support you get from a speech therapist, they just come in to school once a term, assess, and tell you what to do at home.

I am an NHS therapist and the reason this is the service you get is - that is all the NHS will fund. We are trained to work directly with people with all types of communication disorders and find it hugely frustrating to not be able to do that - we are often reduced to giving "advice" - which we know won't be taken on or acted on. The argument is that we will work with the most needy - but who decides this is the problem. Sometimes it's those with statements - but they don't necessarily have the most needs from the SLT point of view. I think that an 11 year old who can not produce a k or g is quite needy and should qualify for direct therapy - but it is highly unlikely that any NHS service would agree!
The only way to change this situation is to make a fuss. Complain to your local NHS Trust, then to your MP. Contact local organisations - AFASIC, ICAN and ask them if they can help you to access some therapy. Good luck.

Have you had her hearing and auditory processing checked recently in case that is a factor? If she can't hear the sounds properly then she has little hope of being able to say them surely?

How frustrating for you both

Are you near a uni that offers a speech therapy course? Maybe contact them to see if they have a student who would like to work with your daughter either paid/volunteer?

We get emails like this all the time (am currently doing a course)

If your lucky you might even fit into one of the lecturers 'areas of interest for research' and be called into one of their clinics