AIBU to think it's possible to promote dd2's speech?

[cansu]

Am a bit fed up. DD2 has ASD and verbal dyspraxia. She is quite bright and has learnt some academic skills but is mainly non verbal. She has understanding at two key word level and can say mainly the first sound of a word eg mou for mouse ju for juice etc. It seems to me though that there is an acceptance and resignation amongst some professionals that she won't speak. She is only 5 and I feel like she is being given up on. I really want to focus on her verbal dyspraxia as I think it's the key to unlocking her ability to talk, but some of the professionals seem to over focus on her autism as if the dyspraxia is just a side issue. Am I just being unrealistic? Feel free to be blunt, I think I can take it..

I have this problem too - ds (6) understands quite complex instructions now 2/3 step but like your dd has poor pronuniciaton and can only use single words and a range of 2/3 word phrases. I too feel he has been given up on as he is not seen as advanced enough in verbal language to be worth bothering with. PECS is all that is ever suggested even although he can already request and comment beyond that level. I just feel they have nothing in their 'repertoire' for a 'middle functioning' ASD child. Fed up off all the autism stuff too - I prefer bread and butter stuff like how to shape up propnunication - which is slowly paying off - very slowly !

Thanks willow. Glad it's not just me. I really want to work on the pronunciation and sound making too. We get a bit of this but nowhere near enough. When I mentionned the verbal dyspraxia to the paed she was totally uninterested and started talking about other forms of dyspraxia and gym trails etc. Have an OT assessment soon. Am pretty sure it will be jumping about in gym etc and they will tell me she's fine.

there was something on here recently about verbal dyspraxia and the Nuffield Programme? My DS sounds very similar-start of words etc and we are wondering if its verbal dyspraxia.

That was probably my post - I am trying to get as much infor as possible about best ways to deal with her verbal dyspraxia. It's a bit of an uphill struggle as the professionals really only see the ASD diagnosis. has your ds had any help Waiting?

Have you ever tried the ABA approach 'echoic imitation' to improve pronunication ? The Nuffield system is for NT (ish) children with pronunciation problems (I think though don't really know) so I feel it may be too advanced for ds atm though do hope to get on to it one day.

We did ABA with dd2 for two years. She can repeat single consonants and vowel sounds. It's the sequencing that's the problem. She can say a and can say gain but can't put them together! It's so frustrating!

Hi willow how are you?
I have not read any of the nuffield stuff yet so you prob know more than me!Its on my to do list though!
Cansu-my DS has SALT at nursery but its really with a focus on turn taking, social skills etc. I feel DS has been left to flounder a bit. We have been doing a bit of work with him trying to get him to use 2 word requests.
Whats echoic imitation Willow? Is it just as it sounds?

Echoic imitation is just getting the child to imitate all the sounds needed for speech - starting with the really basic ones then working up to the more blended complex ones. As many asd children struggle with imitation it can be a good way to teach this too. Ds has poor imitation as well as poor pronunication so expectations were guarded when we started echoics but actually it went surprisingly well. Ds could already echo most words and phrases though, never been sure how 'echoing' is distinguished from 'imitation'

thanks for that. Daft question but how do you know which sounds to target?

cansu okay, I'm not even going to pretend I know anything about SLT etc. because it is my biggest area of weakness, but I can tell you of something we tried with ds that has really worked.

He LOVES trains and train tracks, so, we created a big almost circular train-track on an A4 piece of paper (not completely circular for the sake of iterest). Then we would take an easy sound and a hard sound like 'br' and 'a' and write them alternately in between the sleepers.

We then held his finger to the first and prompted him to say it (As he can't read) and then the next and got him to go round the whole track.

Then we told he he had to be a very very fast train, and do it again. Almost any combination can be said to make the sound of a train.

We targetted all of the sounds that he found difficult and his pronunciation went from hardly understandable to better than his peers.

Now I'm not saying this is the way to do things. I have barely any knowledge in this area. But I do know what it is like to be abandoned with nothing to try or any clues so thought this might be something to try!?

so, for again, you can have a, and gain on the track and go round fast.

Possibly, if she understands rhythm you can have 3 'a' 'gain' and a star to symbolise a pause?

sounds fun- will be trying that tomorrow!!

Thanks Star. I will try something on these lines. Might have to get busy with drawing of path in In the Night garden.

The first time you teach it, do it with 2 easy sounds though so that your DD gets the game and the token easily and is motivated to do it again.

Great. I can see I need to go shopping for rewards again!

I am rarely on here but think I am recognising something here....did you not know the 'soundtrack' game is copyright!!!! LOL!

Hi RGO! You caught me!

It's true cansu, we got the idea from RGO.

It's been brilliant though.