December 2010 Moms
GrayGhost13
member
Speech Assessment - What to expect? Advice?
GrayGhost13
member
DS has a speech assessment scheduled for Tuesday, and I'm oddly, perhaps embarrassingly, nervous about it. I know it's not me (or my parenting) being tested, but it still feels weird to admit we may need a little help...
I know a few of you have been there...Any advice? What should I expect them to do at the assessment? I have a huge packet of paperwork to fill out but other than that, I'm not sure what to expect.
Hugs, T&P and/or a sharp kick in the pants to stop feeling sorry for myself are all welcomed in this thread. 
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Re: Speech Assessment - What to expect? Advice?
Is it an early intervention assessment?
For ours, it was an EI evaluation, and they basically played with him. They brought a bunch of toys and just kind of looked at what he did with everything and how he reacted.
I can totally relate, because my son did qualify for speech therapy (we just started this week) and it is really upsetting to me because I do feel like I am to blame. I know rationally that is not true, but it's always in the back of my mind. I am constantly thinking, "Did I not talk to him enough?" "Did I not label enough" "Did I not play with him enough"...whatever it was I feel like it wasn't enough. My husband constantly reminds me all I did for our son and that helps, but again it's that question of - was it enough.
I feel better that I am seeking help and trying my best. I still get frustrated because I try to do the things the speech therapist does, but I can't. And I shouldn't probably be able to since she has a masters degree and is a speech pathologist..and I'm not! That's her job! Just like I teach English and that doesn't mean that anyone can sit in my classroom and watch me teach a few times can go off and have their own classroom.
Silly analogy, but all of that has helped me not feel so guilty.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out
Oh, one thing that I have learned already that I was probably doing "wrong" is the way I do communicate with Aiden. I often say things like "oh Aiden that was just SO silly of you!" instead of saying "Aiden, you are putting your shoes on your feet backwards!" Does that make sense?
The assessment is through the local children's hospital. I don't think it is through EI. When I looked up EI for my county, they say it doesn't start 'till 3 yo (which seems crazy late to me, right?). I am guessing it probably works similarly, though.
Thanks for all the feedback! I know it's silly to feel guilty, but I can't help it. Hopefully, we can at least get some feedback that we can use to help him.
Like PP said, they just played with him. Our's was also an EI eval so it was more than speech but they also gave us some things to do to try and increase his speech. He still babbles a ton now but I have a feeling he is on the verge of saying a lot of words soon.
Good Luck!!
Hey, I haven't been around for a while but I was just popping in to say hi & saw the word "speech"--I'm a speech pathologist. Your eval will likely be one therapist who comes in, asks you a bunch of questions about things, and plays with your LO. When I did EI evaluations, I used the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale, which is an assessment that rates expressive and receptive language through direct observation, elicitation (the SLP getting your LO to do something), and through caregiver report. I liked it because I was able to rely not only on LO's performance that day but also on what the parents had to say. There are tons of other assessments but that's a common one you could look up online if you're interested in seeing what it's like. They'll mostly just be playing. I know it's nerve wracking thinking of having your child evaluated, but try to be as relaxed as you can be so the SLP can see how you and LO interact naturally.
Hope you have a good evaluation and get some good info from the SLP!
Thanks, everyone!
@AFanch - I'm glad to hear that the eval might include our reports, as well as observation. DS is sooooo shy, and he generally doesn't talk at all around new people, so I'm afraid it will be hard for the therapist to even judge how he's doing. I am sure that is common, though, so I guess it won't be a big deal.
You might want to ask your pediatrician's office about ECI just in case because it will most likely be waaaay cheaper than going through a children's hospital. That at least was the case for a good friend of mine. She had no friends using ECI at the time and was afraid of getting what she paid for so to speak. ECI *ends* at age 3 here and you then have to go through the school district to receive further help.
Do NOT blame yourself. I have 2 children who I'm pretty sure I've raised fairly similarly and #1 had no problems with speech and #2 is in ECI. I'm almost positive #2 has been talked to even more than my first because she doesn't ever shut up.