Verbal dyspraxia: please help

[AdelaofBlois]

DS (3.2) has always been hard to understand, even for us. SaLT has just suggested that he has a speech disorder, symptoms of which are consistent with verbal dyspraxia. Googling madly have found a lot on verbal dyspraxia, but am very aware how lucky we seem to be. We have a communicative (he uses sentences, prepositions, time clauses, pronouns etc.), gentle child, well in control of his body otherwise, great at reading and maths and interested in the world around him. But we're absolutely sure the diagnosis is right, even if we are also a bit worried about his hearing.

Simple plea really, where from here? I feel quite a fraud in many online fora, problems there much more major, but we have pretty major decisions about what help to give him; how to help his younger brother not model his speech; nursery; schooling (he starts in one year, August baby); and in-laws (who, I sense, will believe this is all our fault because nobody else in our family has had anything like that). We feel very alone and confused, and it doesn't really feel like time is on our side for our preferred trial-and-error approach parenting.

Anyone who's been through anything similar have any advice?

adelaofblosis

Salt told me that ds would not get a statement or a place in a speech unit due to his physical diffculties .I ignored applied myself and even contacted the speech units to for vistis and dicussions what they might be able to offer

They was wrong yes bit of fight to get him in as he was out of their comfort zone .

and its ok to be upset i get upset still and im further down the road with it all than most of you on here and have days where intense sadness that something we all take for granted is just not easy for ds.Worry how he will cope with life the fact he has so much to say and so few can understand him#

Hassled- great to hear good news about verbal dyspraxia- it is so slow that sometimes I wonder if we'll ever make any progress.

Roundthebend- also good to hear that the unit you are at is good. Our most local doesn't look that great (head teacher almost embarassed about it being there)- but one about 20 mins away looks really lovely, run by v experienced SALT with a really great team behind her _fingers crossed we get in!
maxy- good luck for monday!

Thank you!

Well we are back from the unit - and guess what, I forgot to ask about the statements what an idiot. Will speak to SALT on wed anyhow.

The unit is really nice, older teacher and really nice SALT and two teachig assistants.

DS didn't want to leave and wouldn't have noticed a jot if I hadn't even stayed - so not bad going for a child who has never been to nursery

The SALT said to me "oh, is your child the one who saw blah blah at the hospital?" yes says I, "Oh yes she said - and DR blah blah thinks he could write a paper on him"! does he??!!

Then she said, he is very high priority, so that's good too. The actual school looked lovely too, and leads me to possibly rethinking his school situation

I loved that I felt like DS belonged there, that you could tell when the children were in a group situation that they were "different" I mean that in a good way btw! Kind of hard to explain, I am probably not doing a very good job, but for once I felt he wasn't being judged or stared at by other children - and then it comes back down to what Adela said in the first instance - I feel guilty for saying that, when he has no other obvious disability - but it has given me a real insight into what parents of disabled children go through everyday of their lives.

But FWIW, even though DS is a pretty picture to look at, we DO get stared at in shops, and we have been known to cause an eery silence when in the PO queue for half an hour, and all everyone can hear is the unrecogbisable tones from DS!

But how nice to have found this section of the site and to finally talk to someone who understands

Maxybrown

Glad you liked the unit .Couple i saw did not feel right but one ds is now at,felt right from when I walked in was very welcoming .

And yes its nice to realise your dc wont stand out there to the other dc in there ds is no differnt

Yes it felt nice. With both DH and I working in schools we can be very judgemental I think, so it nice when you feel relaxed!