ITV Program "Lost for Words" on 8 pm. tonight about kids with language problems.

[TotalChaos]

The blurb on the website doesn't look promising....

"Why is it that in some areas of the country over 50 per cent of children arrive at primary school unable to string a sentence together? Angie Mason takes a hard look at how parents? actions are leaving their children lost for words and how lack of early development could affect their entire lives."

Am hoping that the program does something other than blame the parents.

I read a newspaper article like that yesterday - a woman who runs Baby Talk classes who is convinced forward facing buggies and parents who aren't as good as her are breeding a generation of five year olds who 'can't talk'. Might have been Angie. She was seriously claiming that there are NT five year olds who can only say one or two words . She really needs to get out a bit more.

Oh dear, I'll watch it with tissues and tightly pursed lips.

ITV aren't know for sensitive intelligent programming are they? Why won't they stick to the tat they do best.

Oh god I know it will talk about too much tv at 2 years while the mother goes off and practises her violin..

not sure if i should watch this or not, dd2 has no speech, im always looking for reasons why including blaming myself.

Is it still on? DD refusing to sleep but I might put it on... as long as it doesn't make me feel worse than I do about DDs speech...

I am not watching this. I want to keep our tv in one piece.

Oh well my DD should be improving in a week then I'm glad DD prevented me from watching then as I keep feeling guilt ridden that I haven't spoken or played with her enough! Funnily enough she was only awake because she kept yelling something I couldn't understand. I eventually gave in ad got her up to show me what it was she wanted and she pointed at the cupboard where I keep her medical stuff then her cheeks-she wanted cream on her cheeks (excema/psoriasis) poor thing!

Definitely glad I didn't watch it.

I didn't watch it either, I was in tears for other reasons, and so glad.

It pisses me off such irresponsible programming is allowed.

This program with about children with NO special needs. They clearly said so in the beginning. Ofcourse children with speech delays and special needs are a different story.

I thought it was a good program and I was really shocked to see how little the families of the two children in the film interacted with them.

Don't you think it's good for ITV to make a program for parents that don't realise how important it is to talk and play with children for their development? Rather than plunk them infront of the TV.

still not managed to watch this online (aerial is knackered), so can't comment very much - but I do think there is a very fine line indeed between language delay/language disorder and high functioning autism - such that it's wrong for anyone other than an expert paed in autism to state definitively - these kids with very delayed speech don't have special needs but just need a bit of time with their parents.

I did watch it and thought it was pretty good (although I'll be asking for a rear facing wheelchair )
Not sure how they figured the difference between a speech delay due to not enough input and a language disorder myself. But I did note they repeatedly blamed 'both parents working' without asking why nurseries don't talk to kids which I'm sure they must do.

And I did feel a bit miffed and jealus that an NT child with a bit of speech delay got intensive input but dd with no speech got 3 hours of SLT last year.

I watched and am consumed with guilt over DD3 who had speech and language and also some developmental delay. We are getting help, SALT at pre-school and from the hospital, but you can't help but think about things you should have done, seen it coming etc. DH thinks we are not to blame and I am overreacting, thought he is very supportive and a great dad to all 3 girls. I was not too concerned until she turned 2 that she seemed to stay a baby for a bit longer as she is my last one and her 2 sisters loved doing a lot for her, but her speech which had started seemed to fade away, she got really faddy over food, she had been a great eater until then, plus some other issues. I am glad to say she is talking now, more very day though she is still behind, she was 3 last month.
This is the first time I have posted on this forum, though I read the posts with interest all the time, I did not really now what to say, as everyone on here seems to have bigger problems, I hope no-one minds!

Didn't see the program (probably as well - the chip on my shoulder plays up)- but did follow the original 'baby talk' book (at my childs developmental not chronological level), which is very 'follow the childs lead' interaction based. Still use the principals. The book did not blame parents but did suggest that intestive interaction helped remedy the less naturally linquistic.
Yesturday saw a poster at CAMHS advocating early intervention for S&LD. Had to laugh or I could have cried. Ds was 8 before he got a realistic level of salt provided by the system. He is doing well!
Had to laugh. Ds (9) started to sing 'the grand old duke of york. In Sainsburys. It came out as The randi duke of Ork!

hello and welcome 3 girlies! and don't feel that your problems are too small -we all face different issues, and this is a very friendly and supportive board.

magso - Ds finally saw someone from SALT early intervention team at 4.3 years. how I laughed at the use of the words early intervention. it's funny - I didn't find that BabyTalk book all that useful, but literally everyone on MN, from SALTs to very well read posters like jimjams recommend it, so it must just be mea.

I thought this was the flabbiest, worst researched programme I have seen in a long time. Those middle class speech therapists opining about the "working class" mums who are too busy working and (horrors) watching telly, to play tea sets with their kids. The kids they showed clearly had some form of verbal dyspraxia, yet no-one in this country seems to know a darn thing about it, esp. not the speech therapists shown on this program. And hey presto, after a couple of games of "shall mummy pour tea for the teddy bears" little Kyle was enunciating clearly and delivering the Gettysburg address! Just another program to beat up mums who have to work and who "use the TV as a childminder". Bloody sanctimonious, ill-researched nonsense! My childhood was completely dominated by watching TV, and I still managed to get a degree, hold down a job etc etc. And no, I don't think I ever once played tea sets! That Tonight strand is tabloid nonsense masquerading as investigative journalism. IMHO!

When DS2 was first referred to SALT she came round to the house to video him playing and would set me tasks to do with him. She came four weeks running. Great, I thought early intervention and all that! Wrong - not great at all as lack of stimulation was not the problem. I spent this time in virtual knots of guilt that I was the problem despite having a chatterbox of a DS1.

When she finally twigged to this we had no SALT for nearly a year. It's fine to look for the obvious (blame the parents), but IME once the obvious is ruled out the SALT didn't have a clue.

Eventually he was diagnosed with di-georges syndrome, hearing impairement and a type of cleft palate. Thank God for the decent SALT we have now.

I just couldn't watch the program last night and I would love any broadcaster to do a proper investigation into SALT services in this country, with reference to the Bercow report.

3girlies, welcome to the board, everyone is lovely on here.

I looked at it this way, if nowadays NT kids can't speak well either, then my boy hasn't got so much catching up to do

That's what I thought Lingle - DS1 knows loads more than a handful of words and can manage mini sentences sometimes - so mainstream here we come ! (er no)