Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

My daughter is now refusing Speech therapy !!

30 replies

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 09:11

Hi, My 4 year old daughter has been having speech therapy every week for 2 years. She has verbal dyspraxia.
a while ago the SALT decided to poot her in a group of children learning the sound "f".
She's not gererally too keen on other children. She preferes adults, she gets overwhelmed at partys etc and refuses to join in. With adults though, she is very confident and out going. Anyway, the SALT said that she couldn't concentrate or correct herself at all so went back to one to one. Now she's poot her back in to the group, and she's refusing to go into the room with the other children. I stood out side with her trying to get her in, using all sorts of bribery and saying how much fun she'd miss. A nursery nurse also tried to coax her in. She was crying and very stressed, so we had to leave.
She was fine untill she saw the other children. It worries me what she'll be like when she starts primary school too.
What do you think I should do ? She really needs her speech therapy.
Anyway, last week she refused point blank to go to speech therapy. She had

OP posts:

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 09:16

Not quite sure what happened there.
Hopefully you get the point.

I've done a night shift, so I'm going to bed now. I'll have a look later to see if anyone's left me any pearls of wisdome.

OP posts:

anonandlikeit · 29/04/2009 09:32

Poor little thing, from reading your post its not the speech therapy she is refusing BUT the situation that she find overwhelming - sitting in a structured group with other children.
I would guess that even if you get her in the room she is not going to be relaxed enough to get the best out of her sal,t sessions.
Could she go back to one-2-one & maybe you tackle the problem with groups of children as a seperate issue. Does she have OT?
Mt ds2 attended a pre school OT group who worked very much on this problem with him.
Hope you had a good sleep!

TotalChaos · 29/04/2009 11:16

agree with anonandlike it, think you should push for her to have 1-1 again.

tclanger · 29/04/2009 13:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Marne · 29/04/2009 13:39

Hi, dd1 was really shy around children and adults, nursery really helped her, she took 6 months to settle and we had tears, screaming and not wanting to go (from both of us ). After she settled she improved so much, she now has friends at school and is very confident around other children.

Maybe ask the SALT if your dd could be first in the room and then let the others enter 1 at a time so she's not as overwelmed by being pushed into a room full of people?

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 20:43

Thanks everyone, I think one to one was much better for her.
She's been working on the "f" sound for 7 months now. She can do it, but it's not natural for her. She'll usually say "wiss", I say "wiss, or fish?". She'll then say f-iss or f-wiss.
I think it's a long time to be working on just one sound, when she can't do "b" or "d" and so many others.
It sounds a good idea for her to be the first in the group.
She is very aware of her speech problem, and gets upset when she's not understood.
She once said to me "my fwends speek properly".

OP posts:

amber32002 · 29/04/2009 20:47

I guess children's voices are higher pitched and cut across her hearing and thinking in some way. Yup, one to one has to be worth another go.

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 20:49

She goes to nursery, it's a very small class of 10 girls with two teachers. This is what she wants, she has about 3 close friends, who she plays with. When I ask her who her best friends are, she lists off all the teachers.

OP posts:

Dontbringlulu · 29/04/2009 20:52

Hi group therapy is often used for phonology as you can get more from the children than one to one, less pressure for lots of children and everybody in same boat. If that is nt working for her take her out. Better one to one. I would nt worry about primary school totally different experience to a small group working on something she finds hard and is aware of.

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 20:53

Oh, that's a point. She hates loud noises too. She crys when I hoover and is scared of baloons, as one popped next to her once. She has very sensitive hearing, but can't concentrate when there is any background noise.

OP posts:

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 20:55

I have an appointment with a consultant paed soon, so I'll make a list of things to mention.

OP posts:

Dontbringlulu · 29/04/2009 20:58

Hi, i think it sounds like a good idea to list all those concerns. Is her language skills otherwise good? Is it just her sounds?

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 21:07

Yes, she tries to say big words and knows what they mean.
She does miss out words in sentences and is confused about his, her. Brother, sister ect.
Sometimes what she says makes no sence at all. Sometimes I can't make out what she's talking about at all.

OP posts:

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 21:08

My typing/ spelling is terrible tonight. I didn't sleep that well today.

OP posts:

Dontbringlulu · 29/04/2009 21:13

Add those concerns too. Maybe discuss them with her therapist too. Is the sounds the priotity right now. Or is there some other aspect of her language which would help her communication more? Hard to say here but it sounds like the other issues are now the major concern for you? By the way l am a SALT have worked on phonology in the past but not now. The other language issues you mention might be key. I would also try to write down a typical few sentences for your meeting. It is always so hard to explain what you mean or remember isnt it.Good luck

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 21:25

Thanks, I'll do that. She tends to tune out, if there's background noise. The teacher said she's concerned about her hearing, but she did very well at her hearing test. She seems to hear very well, if the room is quiet. I not, she'll say "what did you say?" or try to repeat what I'd said, but get it wrong.
Another example is, when my MIL takes her to church, they shake hands after and say "Peace be with you", my daughter always replies "pleased to meet you too".

OP posts:

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 29/04/2009 21:30

She's an unusuall little girl, some things just don't seem to make sence with her. I really wish I understood her better.
She's still not toilet trained for example, but knows she must do it in the toilet. She's very eager to please, but can't seem to crack it.
In some ways, I think she's very clever then other times, I worry that she's not understanding things properly.

OP posts:

stleger · 29/04/2009 21:44

My dd2 would not have spoken in a group session either. Your dd sounds great when I have read about her.

DesperateHousewifeToo · 29/04/2009 22:19

mummyloveslucy, is your dd very sensitive to other things too- like labels in clothes, food textures, being touched, fabrics?

Just wondering if she has general sensory issues that might benefit from seeing an OT and doing some sensory work.

Probably completely off base, but just a thought.

Going back to the slt issue. Have a chat with your therapist. It might help your dd to overcome this problem of mixing with other children being in a structured setting. I'm sure part of the reason she prefers adult company is that she feels safe with them as they are more likely to understand what she says.

Attending a group could help her to interact more with her peers.

If it really is not working, perhaps the slt could see dd in a pair with another child and then build up to 2 other children, etc.

Being able to interact with her peers is quite an important skill to begin to develop.

amber32002 · 30/04/2009 06:47

Thinking some more, so she prefers to be with adults as friends, gets overwhelmed at parties, has speech problems but has passed the hearing tests, sees adults as her friends rather than children, hates loud noises, can't concentrate when there is any background noise, tries to say big words and knows what they mean, misses out words in sentences and is confused about his, her. Brother, sister etc, and is still not toilet trained?

Yes, I'd say the paediatrician has some thinking to do.

How is she with sudden changes of routine, and making meaningful eye contact with people, can I ask?

bubblagirl · 30/04/2009 06:59

mummyloveslucy i didn't realise your dd couldnt do them sounds either bubblaboy also cant do b,f,s,d words replaces everything with k or g

for the last 6 sessions we've been working on the b sound he cant master f at all just cant get the face shape at all to make it b we are getting a few none for the others at all

again i would express your concerns and get 1-1 for her if not how would she be if you got there first and then the other children come in?

i would also try and see ot and see if you can find help for the sensitivity side of things this is what worries me most about starting school in sept

i would make big list of things and express your concerns to pediatrician poor thing needs alot more help than is getting so you really need to list everything

Tiggiwinkle · 30/04/2009 07:35

I think you perhaps need to be looking at the wider picture your dd is presenting here, rather than just the speech problems. My ds's have Asperger's, and a lot of the things you mention are common in children with AS.

I would ask for a re-assessment by the paediatrician-AS often does not become apparent until your dd's age and often later, so it may have been missed when she was assessed before. (I am assuming she was assessed by a paed to be referred to the SALT?)

DesperateHousewifeToo · 30/04/2009 09:51

I think the suggestion of a Paediatician (re)assessment is a good one.

If I was your dd's slt, I would be requesting this.

Original poster

mummyloveslucy · 30/04/2009 10:09

Hi, she dosn't cope with change well at all. She gets very upset if anything happens that she dosn't expect.
eg- She absoluitly loves her uncle and spends a lot of time playing with him, as he lives at her grandmas house.
One day we arranged for him to pick her up from nursery to give her a nice supprise. She compleatly freaked out though.
She dosn't like uncomfortable clothes eg- jeans, or even trousers unless they are very soft and loose around the waist. This might also be because she is very femmanin and loves dresses.
She hates having her bottom cleaned and hair brushed.
She is good with eye contact and very keen to interact with adults. She sometimes acts as if she's affraid of children she dosn't know.

OP posts:

Tiggiwinkle · 30/04/2009 10:18

The dislike of surprise changes to routine is very typical of AS. Also the problems with clothes-my DS is a nightmare to clothe as there are so many things he will not wear.

I really do urge you to ask for a re-assessment. If she is not currently under a paed, ask your GP for a referral.

Have a read about AS-Tony Attwood's book on the subject is an excellent first stop for parents who have concerns. Girls often present differently to boys by the way-it is thought that many have not been diagnosed in the past because of this.

Flip

1 2