Anyone a speech and language therapist or have knowledge of the process?

[squarebugs]

Hi there, I am not sure if this is the right section to post in?

My ds started primary one in August. First parent's evening last night and his teacher wants to refer him to SALT because he sometimes seems to have a bit of difficulty following instructions. He will asks them to be repeated or repeat them back to himself. It is not something I have particularly notice at home. He will occasionally say 'pardon' but then I would have thought this is normal conversational interaction. I know I don't always get what people say first time.

As background (and none of this is stealth boasting, just a factual picture of my boy) he is up to speed with his reading and writing. He is socially fine with a wide circle of friends and enjoys school. People often comment on his advanced vocabulary.

He can phonetically sound out new words and recognises all of the phonetic sounds. Numerically he is above average (teachers words). He has good coordination, enjoys sport and as far as I am aware developed normally through his baby and toddler years.

So I am at a complete lost as to what they are getting at? Of course we are happy for the referral and the teacher did say it may be a confidence issue i.e. he wants to get things right or is nervous in a group. My boy is a bit of a perfectionist and very keen (we don't push him, just encourage him to do his best) a personality trait maybe.

I am confused and worried about my boy

I should say that we don't really care if he is top, bottom or middle as long as he is happy and trying his best. I am aware my post sounds a bit boasty. I am proud of his achievements but of course he is not perfect at everything. I suppose I just want some advice as to what they might be thinking?

ave you considered a hearing check first?

Hi lisad thanks for your reply

She did not suggest a hearing check, or that there were any problems with his hearing. He has passed all baby/childhood hearing checks previously. Do you think it should be checked?

Of course I am glad the teacher is taking notice and supporting my ds, as we want to as well. I accepted the referral but came away confused. Maybe I should have asked more questions at the time but I was a little taken aback.

I suppose I thought if his spoken lanaguage is fine, if he can read and write on a par with his age group and as far as I am aware he understands the spoken word okay - what are they thinking?

This is all new to me sorry

Maybe send an email to the teacher or have another chat about what they are hoping the SALT will be able to help with and how. It might be that they are concerned about hearing...

It's probably just process in these situations, try not to be too alarmed.

agree with lisad, get his hearing checked! conditions like glue ear (my DD suffered from it) can affect the hearing without having any other symptoms (such as mid ear infections). just talk to your GP and get him referred to an audiologist.

Thanks for your reply MangoMonster

I do wonder why he needs instructions repeated though? Is this a sign of learning difficulty? I suppose I wonder if that is what they suspect to make a SALT referral so quickly into his first year?

It is alarming in that it is the first time such an issue has ever been raised (and he did playgroup, pre-school etc). However if there is a problem I want it sussed and help provided for my wee boy.

thanks chocjunkie. I am surprised the school haven't suggested that first then?

that's what MN is for (seriously, not sure where we would be with DD without this board...)

I guess not following group instructions can be a symptom of a learning difficulty but not in isolation. Maybe the teachers think the SALT would be better placed to investigate the cause as this is their area not the teachers. It could just be hearing but you know how these things work...the teacher probably wants to hand over the issue to another professional, so the SALT will refer you for hearing check. I think it is probably just procedure and best practice.

squarebugs

There can a wide range of issues which could be suggesting a cautionary referral to a SALT. Some issues as you have mentioned could be related to self confidence, some can related to ongoing cognitive development, and some can relate to an long term information processing deficit.
A good first step, as lisad123 would be to have a hearing test to check for any low level hearing impairment.

There is a lovely wee boy on my street with Aspergers. I chatted to his mum about it because before I knew he would come into my house and play with ds and I found it hard to get him to follow instructions. Now I know and understand better, playtime with my ds flows much better. My ds loves him because he is obsessed with his remote control dragon and my ds is chuffed to find a fellow enthusiast

It struck me about the following instructions. Could this be why my ds has difficulty with that? I am maybe jumping the gun, but the mind races and all that.

I'm sorry I don't know much about AS, others on the board do though.

'I do wonder why he needs instructions repeated though? Is this a sign of learning difficulty?'

Not necessarily. Perhaps they just want to get to the bottom of it and rule out possible causes. It could be hearing/glue ear, or it could be a hearing or processing difficulty that is specific to places with noisy backgrounds etc.

squarebugs

"It struck me about the following instructions."

Following on from StarlightMcKenzie this type of problem can be caused by a listening disability, or not being able to process all that you hear. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) which is one of the multiple cognitive issues which can combine to cause Aspergers and other issues on the ASD.
You might like to have a look at the APDUK What is Auditory Processing Disorder? or here is you have any visual processing issues
Those who have APD have problems processing all that they hear, including with low levels of background noise (pink sound), which includes following conversations, and following multiple verbal instructions.

Thanks everyone you have been most helpful. I have spoken to a family friend with knowledge in this area who assured me the assessment will be a fun process for my ds and very important if he does have any listening disability.

I will be sure to come back to this thread if I need further advice

Squarebugs- interested in whether they got to the bottom of this with your son, as it sounds very similar to what pre-school have concerns about with my son? We're going to ask the GP for a hearing check, but obviously there could be other problems.

Thanks :)