speech delay in 6 year old

mommyof5 · 01-27-2003, 01:45 PM

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post. I've tried posting in childrens health and parenting issues but didn't get any replies, maybe someone here can help or direct me to the right place to post?

My 6 year old daughter is still speech delayed, she has come a long way over the last 4 years but there are still times where Daddy, Grandma, aunt, siblings, teachers, or sparks (girl guides) leaders have trouble understanding her. Strangers often ask me what she has said. She had speech therapy at the hospital from 3 years old until 5 1/2 years old,but once you enter school the hospital stops and you have to rely on the school. She has been on the priority waiting list since September and still hasn't been assessed by the school speech pathologist! Does anyone else have a child this old with this problem?

mommyof5

Karla · 01-31-2003, 10:49 AM

Hi I have a 17 year old son who has had speach therapy since he was 3 years old. He is a twin. He had problems where he would speak a twin talk language with his twin and his twin had to interpret everything he said. He also had sleep apnea and quit breathing in his sleep alot. This caused the muscles around his mouth to be poor for sucking/chewing when he was little and also for talking and forming words. I think the school has done wonderful things to increase his vocabulary, help him form sounds, and to talk in general. We would have been lost if it were not for the excellent services we have gotten from the school. We never had to wait to get any help either. I am sorry to hear you are going through that.

mommyof5 · 02-03-2003, 10:56 AM

here's a few examples of her words "tat" for "cat". "brama" for Grandma", "tootie" for "cookie", "tatie" for "katie", "prim" for "trim".
that's just a few, the "k" and "g" sounds she has never been able to get out! there are also others "th" but she can do that one if she concentrates really hard. up until a year ago her vocabulary was very limited and she couldn't say words longer than 2 sylables (sp?). She will still use 3-4 word sentences but can carry on a conversation. I end up asking her a lot of questions to try and fill in the blanks and make sense of what she is talking about (I know that other kids won't bother doing that and teachers don't really have the time, they had time at daycare because there were only 8-10 in a group). Her self esteem is low (I'm not surprised)

mommyof5

mommyof5 · 02-09-2003, 02:02 PM

After speaking to the school principal 1 1/2 weeks ago, my daughter comes home Thursday to tell me that she spoke to the "girl" I had been asking her about. I kept asking her if a lady had taken her out of class to talk with her to see how she talks (for about 2 months now). So when she said "girl" I got confused. She kept telling me she couldn't remember her name but it was the "girl" I kept asking about, so I asked her what they talked about, she told they talked about her "K's" and "G's" (but the way my daughter talks she says "T's" and "B's"), and that they played "fish game" and something else. She also said the "girl would be back in 2 weeks". I hope that's a good sign!

That night I wrote a note in her agenda asking the teachers if what my daughter was talking about was her evaluation. The next day the response was "yes" and that I would be getting a letter from the SLP next week.

I'm SOOOO happy that something has finally started, I just hope they will actually provide services for her!!!!!!!!! Our school board seems to have a shortage on every possible Service I need (I have 3 others who require extra help also because they are ADHD). Resources are Very limited!

I will keep you posted about what the letter says when I receive it, but I'm still very nervous I'll get some response like "she'll grow out of it".

The SLP at the hospital had predicted that she wouldn't be at par with her peers come time for kindergarten but that her delay would be so slight that it really wouldn't be noticeable... true!

mommyof5

mommyof5 · 02-15-2003, 10:13 AM

GOOD NEWS! My daughter really was evaluated and will receive speech therapy through the school, unfortunatly it'll only be once every 2 weeks, but something is better than nothing!. The speech therapist will send home some exercises to do at home. She also would like my daughter to see an ENT to check her because she has a hoarse voice (always has) and I've been told before that most likely she has nodules on her voacl cords. She is also going to ask the school permission to allow her to have a water bottle with her at all times so she can drink a bit before speaking to help with the voice problem. I'll keep you updated if there is any more news.

mommyof5