I'm hoping for some advice with regard to DS2 who was 5 in May.
He's been seeing a SALT for over 18 months on the NHS and at the advice of the school is getting extra help from a private therapist (I did post about this on the Primary Education board a month or so ago).
The new therapist seems to be working well and we can see some small improvements in his speech, however the initial report is niggling away at me (we are on holiday and I don't have a copy to refer to which may be adding to my general anxiety about him) - much of the report is what we already know - immature speech sounds and grammar and a slightly higher than average vocabulary. What came as a surprise to me was that she says he has a below average comprehension and struggles to follow complex instructions.
DS can be fairly difficult - he can be loving, caring and helpful. He is incredibly strong and seems to be good at sports, but is struggling academically. He is very practical (can tie complex fire brigade knots, good at puzzles and loves helping DH to build and fix things). However he can be very stubborn, awkward and can hold a grudge - we still have toddler type tantrums that can last an hour or more and ruin many family days out.
I suppose to an extent I have always found DS2 hard compared to the others; he was a miserable baby who was attached to me for the first year (he would bawl if I looked like I was going to stand up) and since then I have found his general awkwardness difficult to deal with.
According to his teachers he has lots of friends and is popular and well-behaved in class, but often complains that nobody plays with him - not something I believe as I pick his younger brother early most days and see him racing round the playground with his friends.
So, that is a bit of background - the private SALT has suggested in her report that any instructions are given broken down to one step at time, but has suggested no formal diagnosis (as i think this is outside her area of expertise) - I am unsure what else we should be doing to help him - there is so much that I seem to need to concentrate on
- behind in maths
- behind in reading
- practice speech sounds
- practice grammar (via a variety of games)
And fit this in amongst family life, activities and a full-time job.
I feel throughly overwhelmed and half way through the holidays don't feel we have progressed far.
Any help or suggestions from any of you in a similar situation would be very much appreciated.