Speech and language therapy for ASD

[crazeelaydee]

Hi, I mentioned on another thread that my Ds had been referred through school to the speech and language department (so I can get a full assessment of his strengths and difficulties).

I have just received a phone call from the department telling me that they don't see how a referral to them can benefit my Ds?, that they have no support to offer a Dc with a diagnosis of Asperger's and that all of his communication difficulties will be due to his diagnosis.

Has anyone else had experience of this? or do you have a Dc who has entered speech and language therapy later than most and do have support? Am I making an arse of myself by requesting S&L therapy???

Hi sorry no advice to give but I am interested to see views. My little man is 6 and as part of his statement will get twice a term visits from SALT. I want more and I am thinking about going private. But I really need to understand whether it is worth me spending the money. His speech and communication are gradually improving. At age 6 I am not ready to give up or write my son off.

DS1 (12) is at a specialist school with onsite SALT but had the LA won tribunal he would have had 1 hour per week with a SALT 1:1 plus a small social skills groups set up and reviewed by SALT but run by trained TA.

DS2 (7) is a m/s and on SA+. He gets termly visits by the SALT therapist and the SALT specialist teacher. The class TA has been trained to deliver support.

SALTs can help with all sorts of communication difficulties that may be found in DC with ASD (DS1 has support for high level language skills, DS2 for functional/pragmatic use of language) in additional to support with the social use of language. DC may not have difficulties with speech but may have hidden difficulties with the understanding of language. Nobody knew (because that particular assessment had not been carried out previously) that DS1 had a 5+ year 'delay' in some areas. DS1 was discharged by NHS SALT following limited testing in 2009.

Before the tribunal no SALT assessment had been carried out for SA and we were forced to go private. The LA original final statement had no SALT at all. Prior to tribunal they commissioned a private SALT report as there was not time for an NHS report. Their SALT and ours were in total agreement. We had to go to tribunal to get it in the statement though.

DS2 is in m/s (it is not a new acronym for 'miserable sod')

I think I would be tempted to follow up the phone convo in writing, stating what you wrote above and ask them to confirm in writing that they intend to deny Salt to your DS because he has and Asd dx.

My DS has HFA and gets daily group SALT, though they call it communication therapy. He is additionally seen for 30mins once or twice a week 1:1 with a SALT.

ASD is a developmental disorder, not a developmental halt. Children don't educate themselves and children with social communication difficulties even less so. Who is going to help him improve his social interaction skills, his non-verbal communication, analogies, double-meaning, turn-taking, conversation skills?

Sorry crazyladee, but thus made me laugh, bitterly. I had a very similar experience. Ds has AS and was 8 at the time. I asked for a referral through a CAF. The SLT saw him for 5 mins and said his only issues were due to AS, and signed him off.

My PCT has a therapy care pathway which excludes children with autism , and would not budge even when I got my GP to do another referral, and a mountain of correspondence with the head of department.

So I went private.

Ds has a statement which I'm appealing, and suddenly the SLT service have produced an ASD specialist who would life to assess and offer support.

So you're not making an arse of yourself. Pursue it if you think it will help your ds.

Apologies for typos, I'm blaming the iPad.

What an absolute crock - sorry but it is
My ds has SALT written into his statement is 8yrs and attends ms.
The SALT attends weekly every half term ( the other half term is spent in the infants). School SALT runs group sessions, and when she is not there, there is a TA who has been trained on SALT (not qualified SALT) her activities are set by SALT and she reports back to her.

We also supplement this with a private SALT who attends both school and home. She works 121 with ds and concentrates on ds narrative - working on him expanding his output and inference and uses a very light form of ABA to motivate ds.

If properly targeted and with good practioners I think SALT is hugely important to children on the spectrum. And you are right to want him assessed.

I also think a letter would be prudent asking them to confirm their reasons not to assess. Ask what their protocols are regarding referrals for ASD dc?
Also think about the issues your ds has with communication, so you can be very specific as to why he needs intervention, write it down - so you have something to refer to when arguing commences. Also ask here what SALT approaches could help your ds - there is usually someone who knows something. That way you'll be armed and dangerous when you take them on - they may be qualified SALTS but you are a qualified mum to your ds and you know what he needs.
Good luck

Also on iPhone so sorry for fat curvy finger mistakes

As always, many helpful replies from you lovely ladies .

It didn't make sense when the lady was speaking to me, how can social communication difficulties have nothing to do with S&L . I had been onto the NHS S&L website prior to the referral and it said that the department can help children with varying needs including ASD and they have various specialists trained in these area....

Why is nothing ever bloody straight forward?

Thanks again for the replies.

You are absolutely right - communication difficulties are just that, regardless of what is underlying them, and there is likely to be much help that an experienced therapist would be able to offer. It sounds like they are not experienced and therefore fobbing you off.