Speech Therapy?

Rink08

DS1 starts speech therapy this week. According to the therpist who evaluated him, he has an advanced vocabulary but he has recently started to stutter when nervous, ( IE. If he says something and you ask him to repeat it (because you can't hear him or something) he will stutter the answer back to you.) angry, or if very excited.

I was wondering if anyone here has had their child in speech therapy for a similar reason. If so, have you seen improvement?

Andrewsgal

He qualified due to a small stutter? I was just told by a friend who is a speech path that stuttering is very very common at this age because their mouth can not keep up to their brain. Does he stutter a lot? All the time? 

CamJack mom

My son does this exactly, and 2 different speech therapists said that speech therapy is not needed. They said he would grow out of it or learn and to encourage him to calm himself before he speaks. How old is you LO? I can't believe they would put him is speech therapy for a small stutter. I teach elementary school and our rule of thumb is any stuttering before 6yo that is not a major impedement in understanding the child should not be put in service.

Rink08

Andrewsgal:

He qualified due to a small stutter? I was just told by a friend who is a speech path that stuttering is very very common at this age because their mouth can not keep up to their brain. Does he stutter a lot? All the time? 

He turned 4 on the day after Christmas. He doesn't stutter all of the time just in the situations that were mentioned (nervous, scared, very excited) He was evaluated last week after his 4 year appointment (ped. had him evaluated by the on staff therapist who also works at the clinic where he will be treated) and they sent a referal and scheduled his first appointment for tomorrow. This was his first time being seen at this practice since we moved here this spring. I'm wondering if they will say that he won't have to continue to go to therapy if they don't normally treat them until try are older or if they will want to continue to see him. I don't want him to have to go if it is something that will naturally correct itself.

howleyshell

Rink08:

(ped. had him evaluated by the on staff therapist who also works at the clinic where he will be treated) and they sent a referal and scheduled his first appointment for tomorrow.

 

Honestly?  It sounds like this is something that a normal pedi wouldn't have referred out for but since they've got a ST on staff he's gonna do it.

I work in the medical industry.   They've got a bottom line to meet just like any other business.  Having s ST on staff at a pedi's office could end up being a conflict of interest.  I'd bet cash that that practice has a much higher percentage of patients "needing" speech assistance than an average practice that refers out for it.

I'd do some quick research online and then ask some very specific questions about how normal it is to treat this particular issue at this particular age.

My 3 yr old has some speech issues (his "th" sounds come out as "V's")

Pedi said we'd reexamine at his 4th appointment but even then probably wouldn't treat until age 5.  He seriously doubts we'll even hear it from him after another year.

 I know it's a different issue but I just wanted you to know that another pedi said that they grow out of many speech issues.   

just13nat

I am an SLP, I've got to agree with the others.  Fluency (stuttering) is not something we typically refer for until after age 5-6.  Errors are common at this age, because kiddos are still learning how to talk and put words together.

Andrewsgal

I would bet one of two things is happening here.

1. It is a money maker-Like PP said i have never heard of a ped having an SLP in their office.

Or

2. There are other red flags the ped sees that he is not telling you about, this is a HUGE issue of mine with peds they hate to be teller of bad news. 

jlw2505

Why did he qualify?  Stuttering at this age is very normal and its normal for it to last for 6 months or so.  My DD has a sever speech delay and is a therapy preschool class for 90 mins 2x a week (3 hours total).  My nephew did have a bad stutter for a long time and after about a year (give or take) of once a week therapy, it is totally gone.

jlw2505

Rink08:

Andrewsgal:

He qualified due to a small stutter? I was just told by a friend who is a speech path that stuttering is very very common at this age because their mouth can not keep up to their brain. Does he stutter a lot? All the time? 

He turned 4 on the day after Christmas. He doesn't stutter all of the time just in the situations that were mentioned (nervous, scared, very excited) He was evaluated last week after his 4 year appointment (ped. had him evaluated by the on staff therapist who also works at the clinic where he will be treated) and they sent a referal and scheduled his first appointment for tomorrow. This was his first time being seen at this practice since we moved here this spring. I'm wondering if they will say that he won't have to continue to go to therapy if they don't normally treat them until try are older or if they will want to continue to see him. I don't want him to have to go if it is something that will naturally correct itself.

Based on this, I would not have him in speech.  Most kids who have speech have a lot worse issues than what you are talking about.  My nephew had a bad stutter, he stuttered all the time, it lasted for over a year before he qualified for therapy and he was in Kindergarten when he was receiving the therapy.

LaurenC804

How old is your son?  I happen to be an SLP.  There is such a thing called preschool stuttering.  They usually grow out of it