Oral dyspraxia

[wintersdawn]

Hi my DS is 4 years old and we have been having speech therapy for over a year now both through the NHS and topped up with private sessions when we can afford it.

His speech is improving slowly and he is a very confident child but a total stranger really wouldn't get a lot of what he is trying to say. Although he thrives at pre school and has a great group of friends that he'll be starting school with.

The problem is with school starting soon my DH is convinced that we should try and get him to learn sign language to help him communicate. I have spoken to therapists in the past about this and they have said it will complicate things (plus we would have to learn it as neither of us speak it at the moment). However I can't seem to shake the idea from his mind that this is the way forward.

Has anyone else successfully used sign language alongside speech therapy?

[notgivingin789]

The Nuffield speech centre is NHS, through you need a referral from your GP to be seen by them.

I naively thought that once someone qualifies as a speech therapist, that they most know everything. They don't ! They have... more a less a "basic" (it's not basic at all to know how speech/ language and communication needs develop and strategies to bring upon speech ) understanding of how SLCN develops/ strategies. They will need to go on additional training, go an extra course to learn to use and know Makaton, go on another course ( if they wish) to learn to help people who have social communication difficulties as well as sensory difficulties, learn about and keep up to date about the latest interventions. The list is endless.

[wintersdawn]

Thanks for the reply. In truth I don't have much faith in the NHS therapist, she doesn't ever seem to excite or engage with him. The current private one we are using seems to be doing a lot more with him.

He's been doing exercises to improve his mouth and tongue strength and control which seem to have suddenly leaped. For the first time this week he has suddenly been able to independently move his tongue tip to point upwards when asked and has even started to attempted to lick his top lip.

We haven't been to the Nuffield as we've tried to stay with the NHS to ensure that he gets assessed for help in school. Do you need private health insurance for the Nuffield?

[notgivingin789]

Anything that augments speech (signing, pictures, etc..) will be extremely helpful. I'm actually surprised that your therapists haven't recommend this as signing (Makaton) seems to be the automatic thing a speech therapist would try first.

My DS has verbal and oral dyspraxia, Occupational therapy sessions targeting the oral motor skills have helped my DS tremendously. Has your DS been assessed by the Nuffield ? DS (7) has moved on from signing (uses it occasionally) and currently uses a high tec AAC device.