one of those days where

[EyesDoMoreThanSee]

I just want DD to TALK

She suffered severe hypoxia at birth and she has done very well managing to walk and balance. But the gap between her and her peers is staggering in terms of speech. She is 2.1yrs and has just three words and a few signs.

Today listening to my bf's child (born same time) rabbitting on and explaining things to me, taking part in proper conversations and telling me what they did on holiday etc just made me realise how much I want to know my daughter and can't.

Thanks for reading.

Sending big hugs to you :(.

Big hugs Eyes
DS is 14 and I am glad we don't see much of his cousin, who is roughly the same age, for similar reasons

Dd2 has similar history. We were told she was unlikely to talk (or indeed walk) as she had such poor oromotor skills. At 2.1 she had no speech (ok, she made attempts at 'up') and could do a few animal signs to old macdonald - no functional communication.

She's 8 now and I can't shut her up. Speech started to develop at around 3, and although was v slow (she was statemented largely for communication, although she has physical issues too) and dysarthric, she was as stubborn as a mule.

Some clown of a teacher put her in the school choir. I'm all for inclusion, but there is a limit! She is loud (no volume modulation) and monotone.

It's hard, but hang in there. I found new-vis.com v interesting from an oral exercises and ideas pov. We also had slt from birth.

and a [hug]

We found 'OWL' v useful when she was tiny as it allowed us to document and chart the soooooooooo slow progress even through non-verbal communication.

We get no fucking support at all. We are meant to have salt, physio, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy.

In reality the physio saw us in July this year having not been in touch since October last year

The hydro was meant to be for two months, we got two weeks before they pulled it despite DD showing improvement

The OT assessed her last december, we got one fifteen minute session as allocation until December this year

The community salt saw her at 18months and 24 months then referred us to the children's centre salt, another waiting list.

It's not as if she doesn't need the therapy. We paid fir brainwave in march and they agreed her trunk strength was weak and although she has normal tone she does stiffen when distressed or tired.

I will stay hopeful. I have no other choice. Thank you for support (x)

Hi, I can relate, have got very similar ds, however he did start talking recently ( well about 25 words and will be 3 in November but a miracle to us) - so don't give up hope. My best friend happen to have same age girl who could speak in sentences from year and a half, there was time when I just couldn't see them together ( and feeling guilty about it) but it's better now. Did you complain about nhs provision? I did and things moved swiftly afterwards, however the physio is useless anyway, so getting private one again, and also going for Brainwave. It drives me crazy sometimes the poor quality of therapeutic services in UK :(( the only way to do it ( my opinion ) is to combine private and Nhs provision.

Urgh.

We saw the biggest developments between 3 and 4. It was almost as though she had 'woken up', which I know sounds a bit weird.

Time to use your anger to make a few waves. Are you still seeing consultant or have you been fobbed off to comm paed? It's exhausting, but a periodic bout of getting cross and making phone calls reminds them you are still on the planet.

Is she at nursery? It can be useful for peer comparisons and get the LEA on board early - ours paid for 1-1 support through an early years sn pot, so the 1-1 did lots of communication stuff at nursery as well. The nursery worker went on a makaton course and they included signing as part of all of the songs so that dd2 could join in.

You know I'm saying this to get you cross enough to demand parity of treatment, right?

[choc cake]

Dla awarded?

Portage?

Portage did see her between 12-16 months but discharged her after she caught up, she had very significant fine motor delays and comms issues.

We have one more appt next week with her neonatal Paed, the comm Paed is a piece of work and after two sessions I filed a complaint. So after next week we are Paed less.

I have kicked up stinks like none other and fought and yet get met with blank faces and promises that are never met. We have just budgeted for paying for private therapy for the next five years. In fact I might give portage a ring again and see if they will do an assessment. The two year development check our good Paed ordered was not carried out by comm Paed as she didn't feel like it.

Oh and we do have three days at nursery and as of last term 1-2-1 early years provision, we were working on her hemi issues but in fact now targeting speech and communication using sign and flash cards

Oh bless you.

Choc and cheap wine it is, then.

She sounds like she's doing really well, though. Thin consolation and all, but she really does. And nursery sounds sorted. We've had a year or two along the way where I've known nothing much will happen but at just two everything is still so raw.

[manly clap on the back]

By next year you'll be going 'ssssssh! Dd! I'm on the phone!' with the best of them. X

It is very hard.

Ds is 2.2yrs and has no speech, no real babbling, he screeches (a lot) and make an 'uh' sound (not very often). Last week dh said to me, 'Hazey, i have a feeling that ds may never talk' it floored me, partly because dh never says things like this, he is the king of positivity and partly because i realised that when i think of ds, I can't even imagine him talking.

Like you we do a lot of signing and his sn nursery are sending me on a makaton course and have worked out a system picture cards on a board to offer him choices.

It is awful that you don't have more support in place, and you shouldn't have to fight for everything.

Do you have any special needs groups local to you? I have older dcs and so have a lot of friends with nt dcs the same age as ds, I sometimes struggle when i see ds next to them as they are running around and talking. But I have made friends through the sn nursery and on here, and that has helped enormously.

Bloody phone crashed before a long post!

Just to say, my supposedly NT DS1 only had 'uh' for up as a word at 2. By 3 he had maybe 20 words and by 4 was still noticeably behind his peers. He saw SALT for 3 monthly reviews for 18 months or so, really just to give me advice. I used Baby Talk and It Takes Two to Talk. They were both good, but Baby Talk annoyed me as it was very up itself and aimed at NT DC only. The Hanen book was much nicer.

These precocious little 18 month olds and 2 year olds are not average. At 14 my DS1 is geeky but no different, linguistically, to his peers that I can see.

I know it doesn't properly compare because DS1 has no other issues, but 2.1, 2.2 is still very young and with work from you dedicated parents, who knows what they will accomplish.