mps09 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Hi all - I work at a village pre-school and we have a child of (just turned) 3 who has very little speech, no clear words at all but noises and sounds that when in context we like to think are words. :1b She is clearly an intelligent child and can follow instructions (when she chooses to!), and respond to requests such as counting out a given number of items, colours, shapes, etc. Parents have taken her to speech and language therapist who says that there is no reason for speech delay and that she is just 'lazy'. I would really like to know how best to support her, and her family, is developing her further and don't feel that we're getting much support from anyone. Does anyone have any advice sheets to help us? I have 'googled' for articles but they all seem to be advancing on speech sounds, etc. and not actually developing them in the first place! Really hope someone can give some advice! Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hfitz12 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 It really sounds as if this child needs some specialised speech and language therapy as it would seem to me to be more than her being lazy! Developing speech sounds is a very specialised job! My own daughter has a significent speech and language delay as she has downs syndrome. She has a therapy programme that is implemented both in school and with us at home. When she was pre-school age she had a therapist that visited her both in pre-school and at home and we also delivered the programme. The thing that helped my daughter most of all was learning signalong so that we could sign eveerything as well as speaking it. It gave us another form of communication in addition to speech. We also made everything as visual as possible to support communication. If you want to know more please feel free to message me and I will try and help if I can. Good luck and keep pestering speech therapy. I know of all the services my daughter receives SALT has always been the one we have had to push and pester for the most and my daughter is statemented! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlettangel Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) I don't know what to say about someone saying the child was just lazy!! There may be no physical reason for the delay but how an anyone tell from a speech session that its just laziness?! Anyway I don't have any major advice to offer other than to get in touch with SALT yourselves from the nursery and say how it is impacting on her in the sessions. You are (I am sure!) modelling good language all the time and repeating words back to her when you think you know what she is saying. I have one child with no speech just noises and squeaks, two children with very limited speech in nursery at the moment and two with terribly unclear speech. The child with no speech attends child development centre and has global delay. The limited speech child has other problems but no diagnosis about anything yet. He has been referred for SALT by the health visitor but not been seen yet. Because of other children we have had through nursery we do use PECS (picture exchange system) which offers another way of communicating using photographs and offering choices on choice boards. Although some children don't need this it is a way of making them communicate in some way. I hope someone comes along who can help you more. Sorry. Edited September 25, 2012 by Scarlettangel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Hi, i dont know whether this will help at all but we use the Child communication tool, to assess exactly where the child is at in listening and attention, understanding, expressive talking and social communication. on the 2nd pafe it gives advice on what sounds they should be making also. In reguards to supporting her in the setting, we have small group time, where a key worker takes a group of no more than 4 children and do diffent things with them i.e a letters and sounds activity, social communication activity or a listen and learn activity. These can be found on the leicestershire county council website under ECAT (Every Child A Talker) Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 The I can website has some useful resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondie Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 can the speech therapist visit in pre-school to watch the child and listen to your concerns - our speech therapist now visits us to see children she is working with - she watches and talks to them and us and then puts her next steps to us. perhaps use photos to support needs such as drink, food, toilet etc at the moment x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Has she had her hearing checked in the last 6 months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 my thought was hearing check also.. and then do some observations, get written evidence and then I would refer them myself to the speech and Language..in our area preschools can do it directly, but if not go the route needed to refer them back.. you can then ask them for help and support.. I really cannot understand anyone saying it is lazy on the child's part.. but could be the way parent interpreted what they said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts