A need for speech therapy.

[colditz]

ds1 has been assessed by the educational psychologist today. He comments were "he's fine. Very bright. I am not happy that he was discharged from Speech Therapy. He has a need for it."

So, he has been re-referred to SALT, but I am unhappy with the speech therapist and I have n0o chaice but to use her. She hasd little patience and expects ds1, aged 3, to behave as well as the schoolaged children. I spend so long getting his to sit down and "Talk to Teddy" () that we don't fit much into the sessions. She won't put him forward for group therapy.

She might now though, but I feel I have hit a brick wall. I am still the only person who can understand him most of the time, and when the senco at the playschool told me they have stopped correcting his speech I wanted to fucking SCREAM. I told them this time LAST FUCKING YEAR that SALT say correcting his speech is counterproductive, please don't do it.

he is getting more and more frustrated. The games he wants to play with his peers are getting more and more complex and he cannot initiate play because they cannot understand him. And, being 3 and 4 , they often tell him to go away. I cannot stand to see my baby hurt like this. I know he must go, I know it is vital for his social interaction but 4 times out of 5 I want to keep him at home with me.

this has turned into another frustration rant, sorry.

has anyone got any experience of dealing with not-very-good-in-your-opinion specialists? I am sure she is top dolla at speech and language therapy, but maybe not with boisterous little boys. Which I am sure are the ones most presenting for SALT?

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Will try again tomorrow.

I don't think anyone reads Special Needs anymore thoguh

Hi Colditz
A bit worse for waer tonight but I am an salt andno,not all are perfect.
Could oyu ask for a second opinion?
Or..ask her to clarify why she has come to her decision?

Thanks Moondog

Thanks also for making an effort for me when you are feeling 'tired and emotional'

I love me job.
(Seriously)
You need to schedule a good talk with her and get her reasons for doing what she does.
Don't be confrontational.
Listen and digest.
Take a notepad in and make notes.
Always makes people take you much more seriously.

I think I remember the thread about your appointment with the SALT. IIRC she didn't seem to have a clue about young children.

I can't help much with the cr@p SALTs bit as ours was really good, but I didn't want to ignore your post.

Here the SALTs are each given an area of the city to work in and hold their sessions at the health centre in that area. I don't know if theoretically you could ask to see the SALT in a different area, provided of course that you didn't mind travelling to get there?

Ours would assess ds to see where he was up to, start the next area of language if he was ready, and then lend us materials to work on with him. I don't know if you could use the same approach or even let us know which things your ds is working on and then we could suggest the things that we've tried/used?

There's a group who deal with speech and language issues who might also be able to give you advice or help. I think they're called ICan or something similar. I'll have a quick look.

here

WOuld a few sessions of private therapy be an option. I never got anywhere with NHS therapy- partly because locally they do what they can to avoid treating complex difficult to treat conditions. If it can't be fixed in 6 weeks they won't go near it. Ask them what thier policy is locally (oh and our SALT service won an award - rolls on floor laughing)

The way the speech therapist presented it to me was that if his speech problem isn't affecting his academic performance, and it doesn't, nothing will be done.

I'm not worried about what he is learning, he is learning just fine, but he hasn't got any friends and surely that is important too!

I haven't yet gone down the private therapy path, because the NHS one I saw made me feel that there was nothing SALT could do for him any way. But I have Emailed the woman in the link (thank you coppertop) to see if she can give me a hint as to which direction to go in.

Everyone is telling me there is nothing wrong with his speech - but I think so, the playschool think so, and everyone we meet who isn't in the health profession thinks so - and I have spent the past 2 years being told all my screaming instincts are wrong, and having it implied that I am pushy, neurotic and impatient - but now it is being recognised that there is a problem I want to bellow "I told you so, why didn't you listen 2 years ago, he might have been getting on better!!!"

Oh Jimjams.
That is so awful.
I am really disillusioned with a lot of SALT on offer.
It is as much use as a kick in the arse frankly.
I am thankful that I work in a team with a line manager who is deeply committed to tackling the challenging cases.

Colditz,from what you are saying,it sounds like a semantic/pragmatic disorder rather than a speech problem. I just can't understand a salt saying that if not affecting his academic performance,it can't be dealt with. wtf????

ICAN are very good. Have a read and look up Semantic/Pragmatic disorder to see if it rings any bells with you.