XP: Speech eval... What to expect?

nndidiamaka · May 2011

Curly was tongue tied until he was 4 months old. He had it clipped at that point, but I'm not sure it was done well, because he still has issues with sucking from a bottle or sippy, and has trouble with "S" sounds at the beginning of words. It may just be normal toddler stuff, but just to be sure I got a referral and set up a speech eval for a couple weeks from now, and I'm just wondering what to expect? Will I be allowed to sit in on the eval? What kinds of things do they do? How long does it last? What kinds of things should I be prepared to ask, or what info do I need to bring with us?

Thanks!

Shozzies · May 2011

I was able to sit in with the evaluation. They had a little table set up and did a few different things with a doll and some flashcards. They asked a lot of questions about DD's speech and a lot of other non-speech milestones. It was about 30 minutes. DD was pretty cooperative and sat at the table by herself and interacted with the speech therapist. She said not all kids are that cooperative and if she needed to sit on my lap that was fine. She also went over where DD stood developmentally.

nndidiamaka · May 2011

I know I really shouldn't be nervous about it, because I worked in Occupational Therapy for 3 years, and we work hand in hand with Speech Therapists... but now that it's MY kid going in for the eval, I'm soo nervous! I wish it was NOW!

I am so afraid I'm just being the overprotective Mommy and that this is all nothing to worry about. That I'll be wasting my time (and theirs) in there. That's basically what DH thinks already. BUT Curly still has trouble using a sippy and has trouble with those "S" sounds at the beginning of words -- a "school bus" is a "boo bus", and a "spoon" is a "poons". Do you think this is just normal toddler-ese, or am I justified in taking him in?

susanmosley · May 2011

If you have concerns, you are doing the right thing by having him evaluated. Period.

Not using /s/ as you described is completely age appropriate. BUT without seeing your child, I can't tell why he isn't making that sound - could be developmental & will correct itself with age or if could be structural & the sooner you know, the better. That is why it is worthwhile for you to go ahead with the eval.

the SLP is there to answer your questions & if the things you are concerned about are typical, she can teach you why so that you understand & know what is going on w/ your child.

you aren't wasting anyone's time & if you are being too concerned & it is nothing, great.

excuse typos - on phone - can't see what I am typing

hellopoppyseed · May 2011

My toddler is 20 months and he has trouble with Ls Ss Rs and W. I'm pretty sure that is normal. I don't know about trouble with the sippy. But kids have trouble with these certain letters sometimes till age 5 or later. My sister had trouble with those letter till age 5 and did speech therapy and loved it. After less than a year, she had no trouble with any of those letters. I have no professional knowledge at all but based on listening to toddlers talk, trouble with S's is normal. He may have more trouble than usual do to the circumstances. Hopefully you get some useful information.

susanmosley · May 2011

are you going through your state EI/ECI program or to a clinic/hospital? They will play with him, you can likely be there if you want, ask you a million questions - just trying to get all of the puzzle pieces together.

I'm not on my computer so I can't until home tonight, but I will try to remember to post a few links that explain normal speech development that may be helpful for you to see. There are things called phonological processes that are typical in normal development - I.e. Leaving off final sounds in words is called final consonant deletion & common/fine/non issue until 2 1/2ish. There is one called velar fronting where k sounds become t & g becomes d - totally normal, even expected. Assimilation is when a kid usses a already occurring sound to replace a more complex sound - I.e. Boo bus.

don't worry - the eval is not a big deal. But don't cancel it either. Laving

myantonia · May 2011

I can totally relate- My DS was evaluated through Birth to Three a couple months ago... and I'm a former school psychologist. It should have been no big deal for me, since I used to DO these types of evaluations, but it was still nerve wracking. I assure you, it's really not that bad!

Our eval was in home. The SLP brought some toys and also used some of the toys that we have here. We all just sat on the floor with DS (there was a coordinator here too) and played and talked. They asked me interview type questions about his words and his routines. In the meantime, they were taking a running record of DS's words and sounds (he wasn't talking at all yet, so it was pretty easy to do ). They had picture books and animal toys that they tried to get him to say the name of, stuff like that. They had me prompt him a few times for things I knew he could do but he hadn't shown them yet. It all took maybe an hour... They wrote up a report and sent it to me later that week. He didn't end up qualifing and is doing much better now anyway. I'm still glad we did it... even if it was just for piece of mind.

FWIW, my DS is a few months older than yours and can't say the S or J sound yet. From what I know from my working days and from what my SLP friend told me, that's completely developmentally appropriate still.

Good luck!

nndidiamaka · May 2011

Thanks for all the reassurances. It's through a private clinic, because that's what insurance pays for.

I'm hoping it's just normal "toddler-ese", but if it's not, I'd rather take care of it sooner than later. I'm hoping it will be easier the younger he is.

I'll keep you posted! Thanks again!

Want a personalized experience?

XP: Speech eval... What to expect?

Re: XP: Speech eval... What to expect?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards