encouragement needed for mum with 3 yo dd with verbal dyspraxia

[negligentmummy]

My DD was diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia about a year ago by a private SLT (the NHS were not providing us with any therapy at 2 1/2 despite her having only 1 word).
When she was 3.2 we were finally given NHS treatment and have had 12 sessions now. At last session before Sept I asked whether "in due course_ no pressure on time scales" dd would have full speech- answer came as "possibly"
I had always assumed that practise would make perfect.
She didn't really have eating or drinking issues as a baby but the only consonants she can say are "b, d, f, s, sh, t, p, m" and vowels are even more of a struggle.
That said she has about 15 words confidently, and tries about 70 (they all sound the same- car, thanks, there, all sound like DAR).
please let me know that you've been in a similar place and now are the proud parent of a chatter box...

a combination- I've just been on a makton course and she seems quite receptive to signing but it's quite new to us both and remembering to use it is a challenge. We haven't done anything with symbols yet although i have drawn her a few choice boards for picking what she wants to eat etc.
I'm also trying to get her around other children all the time so that she can try to copy them, but also because i think that they'll be asking the questions that she wants answers to but can't formulate for herself.

DD is def improving- i quit my job 3 months ago to focus more on the exercises and helping with speech sounds etc and I've noticed that she vocalises a lot more than before- it's just unintelligible. She also gets SO cross when she thinks I should get what she's saying and I don't.

Have you had a formal diagnosis (we are still probable- even though she's on quite severe end of the spectrum). We're also trying to get a statement at the moment but not sure how that will change anything? More therapy??

I have ds bit older than yours he's almost 5 and we have dx of severe verbal and oral dyspraxia and by nhs salt and privates admission he is severe he can't do constants just vowels but he does use makton

He will start in speech unit in September no one is promising anything but those sounds he is making is lot more than used to be able to.chances are ds will actually go on to use other forms of communication but remember he is unsural in that aspect and is complicated by fact he has Cp

the best thing is lots of help and pratice now and don't give up on the makton took 18 months for ds to sign back and all suddern he realised could ask for things tell me things he now has over 150 signs and puts 2 or 3 together sometimes even 4

And the fact he can do b ,f and sh is a good sign ds still can't do those

Oh the statement could lead to speech unit when school age

neglientmummy your DD sounds very like mine, and you must have hope. At three she probably had 4-5 words. Yesterday she was 5, and was able to give me a list of names for her party & tell me what food she wanted, and she was able to say hello & thank you to everybody. Yes, her speech is very, very poor for a 5 year old and much can still only be understood by me but the progress she has made in a year is massive for this time last I didn't imagine she would ever be able to say hello

Her diagnosis is verbal & oral dysraxia & phonological disorder ( specifically vowel disortion). She has - I think - most consonants now, though obviously not some of the diffcult ones. Her vowels are hit & miss and dipthongs are still beyond her but I am actually very optimistic that in a few years her speech will be OK.

Two years ago I was definately where you are now & could not see how this child could ever learn to speak. After struggling to get a diagnosis our NHS SLT was also very non committal about dd's prognosis though our private SLT said that she had only once failed to get a dyspraxic child speaking by 7 or 8

DD has been in a Speech Unit since last September and this as made a huge difference. They immediately encouraged Makaton, which I wish I had done sooner as it helped a lot. There is a lot of evidence now that it actually encourages speech in children with S & L difficulties.

The other thing I am always harping on about is the connection between Speech and motor skills. I didn't think DD had any problems other than speech until a private SLT suggested an OT and it turned out she also had fairly serious gross motor skill dfficulties, balance problems etc which are now much improved, but the OT has certainly made a huge difference to her confidence and therefore her speech

Dd still cant say her name ( we were stupid enough to give her a 4 syllable one with too many difficult consonants) but she is now trying, which even 6 months ago I didn't think was possible

Just about

some fun ones are trying to blow a feather or ping pong ball races also bubbles in drinks .Can also try putting something yummy round lips try licking of ,lots of whistles party blowers etc

That's where getting him to lick something he likes from around his mouth , hundreds and thousand , chocolate,jam? Ds makes me laugh as he pushes his Tongue with his fingers as is so determined was told that one best ways to encourage movement in the tounge also dropping something on his tounge and get him move tounge round mouth

re tongue exercises - sometimes looking in the mirror together & getting DC to copy that way can work.

Competitions with other kids - who can touch their nose with their tongue? ( don't worry, noone else can either )

For a long time I automatically gave dds drinks with a straw every time - also helped

Pretend teasing with a spoonful of honey or the like - getting DC to try & lick the spoon as you move near his mouth

Bubbles are also brilliant,I got a kit in Lidl once that had loads of different sizes of wands & straws to blow through. ( smaller the size of hole in the wand the more difficult it is so you may need to start with bigger ones) these have quite a narrow little mouthpiece & need quite a lot of breath to blow but are quite motivational

We have been given a Toby Tongue book by SLT which DD seems to enjoy- that gets the tongue moving (wagging like a dog etc) and the hundreds and thousands are always a hit- she is getting v good and finding the ones on either side of her mouth but up and down are much more difficult...
what's the difference between oral and verbal dyspraxia and how on earth do you get to see an OT- we're on a 2 year waiting list- if it really is that helpful why on earth does it take so long??
Thank you all for your encouragement! am feeling much more positive. this is my first foray into chat on mumsnet- i wonder why it took me so long .
we have a speech unit in a local school, but DD currently at an amazing nursery attached to school which she adores and has lovely friends and at end of road so quite reluctant to move her- guess we'll see how she progresses in the next year...

DD cannot kiss either... but she is v affectionate... insists on liking my face goodnight- yuck!!

Oral is more about how the muscles in the face/mouth tongue work .ds muscles barely move when he is trying to talk .
The verbal I think relates more to the fact tha can't make the paticulary sounds .ds has devlopmental verbal dyspraxia which for him means he might make the sound correct once but then never be able to do it again .But please remember that Riordans problems are unsural and it's encouraging that your ds is starting to blow bubbles and whistes

this is the tongue book
www.specialdirect.com/Product.aspx?cref=TTSPR1103365&rid=351&cid=30
but it is literally about 15 pages and don't think it has any copyright on it... (my slt copied it for me)
would love to keep in touch- i think it can be quite isolating... DD's friends have now started to notice and ask about her lack of words- we're very up front about it with them and always answers their questions honestly-but I'm a bit sad that she's already "different"

Negligentmum - there have been quite a few threads recently about speech units...
Likewise DD was in a fantastic nursery attached to a really good primary school which is 10 minutes walk from home. She did (amazingly) make friends and loved nursery BUT didn't utter a single word for the entire year. And if she had stayed in that school there were no guarantees how much help or SLT she would get. In the SL unit she has therapy 4 days a week, and this is what makes a difference with dyspraxia - regular & intensive therapy

Yep early intervention is the only way.
I was fobbed off for too long with DD1 and in so may places they won't help you until the DC is 3 - so wrong

my nephew was dx with severe verbal dyspraxia at about 4 he's now 15 and his speech is reasonably normal, it's only occasionally that we can't understand him.
He had sessions at a child development centre and attended a school with s&l unit attached which helped a lot.