Speech Therapy - anyone BTDT?

[Guest]

So we've suspected that ds might need some help with his speech and when we went to the doctor last week, he suggested we have his speech evaluated. Here's what we know:

 

 

 

• DS is 4
  
• Our insurance does NOT cover any type of evaluation or therapy
  
• We have no money to pay for this
  
• The school district is requiring he be enrolled in Preschool 4 days a week to take advantage of their therapy
  
• The gal I talked to was not sure if they would make exceptions to school enrollment at the K-8 level.
  

 

I'm the kind of person that is easily steam rolled - I get all quiet when people start telling me "how it is". Everytime I get on the phone, I get transferred to 50 people (okay, maybe 5) and no one seems to "know". Who should I be talking to? What should I be asking? I really didn't want to enroll him in preschool. I thought these services were still available to homeschoolers.

 

His main speech issues are specific phonetic sounds - c (ck), th, d, etc. Also, his grammar at this point is pretty poor, which magnifies the speech issues, I think. Is this something I can just work with him on and he'll grow out of it, or do I really need to pursue this?

 

I'd love some advice from people who have btdt. Give me some ammo so I don't feel so timid when I call the school.

[ChristusG]

I would think that your local public school would take him. Long story short, our DD (who is now 5) was in private speech therapy since about 20 months old, tested out around 3 years old, but then I thought she still needed it when she turned 4 years old. So I contacted a group called Child Find (not sure if that's just a FL thing or not). They gave her an evaluation and contacted the public school system. My daughter took speech therapy last year at the local elementary school for 30 minutes, twice a week. No charge of course. I wonder if your district really requires your child to be enrolled in preschool or if someone told you wrong? My DD did not go to preschool anywhere. And she'll be doing speech again there next year even though I'll be homeschooling her for K.

[newlifemom]

I would look into it a little further. At the preschool level, I am pretty sure they do not have to be enrolled in a specific program. It is possible that for school aged children that might be the case. You should post your question on the special needs forum b/c so many there have been where you are and can help you find resources. It might be that a private consultation and then a quarterly visit from a speech teacher and you doing the actual speech could work. I know some have done that here with success. Even if your child receives speech at a school environment, you the parent really need to follow up at home in order for your child to retain what they are learning. Check it out. Oh and possibly Easter Seals too. Just thinking off the top of my head. HTH.

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Color me embarrassed, I didn't realize there was already another speech therapy thread on this same page. Now off to read that to see if it answers my questions.

[JudoMom]

So we've suspected that ds might need some help with his speech and when we went to the doctor last week, he suggested we have his speech evaluated. Here's what we know:

 

 

 

• DS is 4

• Our insurance does NOT cover any type of evaluation or therapy

• We have no money to pay for this

• The school district is requiring he be enrolled in Preschool 4 days a week to take advantage of their therapy

• The gal I talked to was not sure if they would make exceptions to school enrollment at the K-8 level.

 

I'm the kind of person that is easily steam rolled - I get all quiet when people start telling me "how it is". Everytime I get on the phone, I get transferred to 50 people (okay, maybe 5) and no one seems to "know". Who should I be talking to? What should I be asking? I really didn't want to enroll him in preschool. I thought these services were still available to homeschoolers.

 

His main speech issues are specific phonetic sounds - c (ck), th, d, etc. Also, his grammar at this point is pretty poor, which magnifies the speech issues, I think. Is this something I can just work with him on and he'll grow out of it, or do I really need to pursue this?

 

I'd love some advice from people who have btdt. Give me some ammo so I don't feel so timid when I call the school.

 

I bought and downloaded Super Star Speech from Curr Click. I've been using it with ds5, and it's been helping. He has difficulty with "r", "th", and "l" (add to that he talks fast and loud and a lot and he's very difficult to understand). I'm thrilled with this program. The diagnostic test is easy to administer and the text is written in a clear and straightforward manner.

 

I tried to get ds evaluated by the school, and they wanted to put him in a full day preschool where he would be evaluated and receive group speech therapy since he wasn't K age. Uh...no. For private speech therapy, we would have a $30 co-pay each time and I would have to drag 5 boys to therapy once a week and still work with him daily at home, so I figured Super Star Speech was worth a shot. We were using it consistently before my in-laws came, and will start back next week.

[creekmom]

Both my sons needed speech. When they were four, the school system "encouraged" that he attend their preschool program, but it was not required. As a taxpayer, you are entitled to speech services from the public school even if you homeschool. My son was in kindergarten last year, and I took him to the public school for speech once a week.

[Avila]

I have just been through all of this with my 7yo DD, and maybe you can benefit from what I figured out.

 

We had her evaluated at age 2 and 4 with our local school district. Each time, they admitted that she was behind, but they told us that she did not qualify for therapy and she would grow out of it. She hasn't. Many local school district speech therapy departments are understaffed, and ours only accepts kids with a full IEP and diagnosis and enrollment in one of their special programs UNLESS you have a private evaluation stating that your child needs the therapy, and then you can force their hand. Even so, we would only have gotten 30 minutes, once a week, and they were still pushing for a full IEP and evaluation for other issues, which I neither asked for nor feel like my DD needs.

 

I really recommend a private evaluation, if there is any way you can get one. My insurance does not cover therapy, but it does cover evaluations if you can get a signed statement from the pediatrician that you need on. I would call again and really press the insurance to make sure that there is no other option for you on that. At your child's age, you also have the option of early intervention programs. I would call local hospitals and ask at your pediatrician's office if there are any of these in your area. Most of them are free or have you pay on a sliding scale at a very low cost. If you have a Shriner's hospital in your area, many of them offer free speech therapy. We go to a local university clinic, where MA candidates administer therapy. The services are pretty inexpensive there. If there is any way to get an evaluation, I really would start there. You can try the NATTHAN speech therapy at home program, the Currclick program, or Speechercise CDs to do the therapy, but it REALLY helps to know what you are dealing with. I would also highly recommend a full audiology evaluation, just to make sure that isn't a problem.

 

The speech therapist is looking for lots of things that we, as parents, generally are not. An independent, private evaluation was invaluable to me in figuring out exactly what we were dealing with and deciding how to proceed. At age 4, speech issues are still fairly normal, and you may not even need the therapy, but if it were me, I would still want the evaluation to know for sure.

 

 

Having said all that, I wish you all the best trying to find your answer!

Edited July 16, 2009 by Asenik

[Sharpie]

My 4ds is currently enrolled in speech therapy through the school. They do not require Preschool attendance. Currently the Speech Therapist comes to our home to work with him. Once he starts homeschool K, I will need to take him to the school for further services if needed. I wonder if it varies from state to state?

[kokotg]

My understanding is that the laws vary by state as to whether public schools are required to provide special ed. services to homeschoolers and private schoolers. In Georgia they are, and my son met with a speech therapist at our local elementary school for a short while after our new insurance company turned us down for private speech (he'd been seeing a private therapist before that). Our experience was mostly positive; we actually had a shorter wait to start seeing a therapist in the public school than we'd had a the other place. They were much quicker to declare him all done with therapy, though, than our private therapist.

[JudoMom]

Both my sons needed speech. When they were four, the school system "encouraged" that he attend their preschool program, but it was not required. As a taxpayer, you are entitled to speech services from the public school even if you homeschool. My son was in kindergarten last year, and I took him to the public school for speech once a week.

 

The laws vary from state to state, though, on what is offered to homeschoolers (from what I understand).

[Kathy in MD]

The states are required by federal law to provide therapy to all preschoolers. State law determines if therapy must be provided to non-public school students. I'm not sure where kidergarteners fall, probably age base.

 

To ensure coverage, you must write requesting a evaluation and/or therapy and the schools have X days to respond.

 

I don't know if the schools may *require* a special program. My ds was in 2 programs. One met 2x's/week for 45 min. The second school offered a morning pre-school program, but thought that his Montessori program was sufficient with supplemental ST.

 

Your local school may be encouraging the preschool program because it covers the entire range of speech and language problems. ST even 2 x's /week, either doesn't cover the entire range of problems or progress can be very slow. And speech problems encompass far more than diction. First, can the child distinguish between sounds? This is often the true source of pronouciation problems. THen there are expressive and receptive language problems. Auditory memory problems can be helped as well as conversation and voice regulation. It might be worth having a full evaluation through the school and seeing what they recommend.

 

Warning. If the school normally offers a complete language pre-school, the supplemental ST may skip everything except diction.

[LMA]

Contact the children's hospitals that offer speech evaluations. They will have information about the local places that offer therapy and could be affordable out of pocket. Here we have two places at local universities that have affordable fees for speech therapy. They use their students to give the therapy in the clinics and the professors oversee the students. I have heard good results from these programs.

 

Also, there must be institutions that work with children with special needs such as with mild autism, etc. Call these places. Explain that you are looking for a speech therapist that is affordable. These places will have information about local places that could be affordable for speech therapy.

 

Louise

[vkay]

my son was/is able to go to the ps school system for speech therapy. In fact, it's BETTER service because he's homeschooled. He gets 1 hour a week one on one with a therapist. If he was attending the school, they meet once a week in groups of about 4 kids for about 30 min. Why is it better?? The speech therapist said it's something to do with the way the law reads ????????????????? I didn't understand it but I certainly wasn't going to argue it.;)

 

They get your tax money, you've paid for this service.

[Brenda in FL]

I lived in FL when ds was evaluated. I had thought all along that he had to attend the public school as well - but I was misinformed. So - go to the source first - I would think the first step is the evaluation which should be no cost and no obligation to continue once you find out the specific problems.

 

 

In FL they have to have at least 5 sounds they are not pronouncing correctly or at all in order to qualify.

 

My son was in the program while he was age 4, and he did not need the services after that. It was a good experience - I thin he only went once a week for 30 minutes or so. They were a handful of other children at the same time. It was fun for him.

 

My second child had some issues but not enough to warrant speech therapy (she still has trouble with r thoogh). With both these kids, once we started phonics - that seemed to help with them practicing and finally getting the correct sounds.

[gingersmom]

I had my son in the preschool to receive speech therapy when he was 3 and 4. It was fine. I also had him in private speech therapy 2 days a week.

 

A true speech issue is not something that your child is going to outgrow. It's not much fun for a child when they are 5-6 and nobody can understand what they are saying. (My rant is not directed at you at all. This is just a subject that gets me all riled up).

 

I live in New Jersey and I was told by my son's speech therapist that he was entitled to therapy in the public school if I chose to pursue it. The school district would dictate the day/time and I would just show up for the 1/2 hour appointment.

 

You might google your area and see if there are any child advocates in your area. They might be able to answer your qeustions.

 

I was quite shy and timid till it came time to do battle with the school district. I discovered a side of me that I never knew existed. Don't worry about their feelings. You need to fight to get the help your son needs and is entitled to.

[gingersmom]

Contact the children's hospitals that offer speech evaluations. They will have information about the local places that offer therapy and could be affordable out of pocket. Here we have two places at local universities that have affordable fees for speech therapy. They use their students to give the therapy in the clinics and the professors oversee the students. I have heard good results from these programs.

 

Also, there must be institutions that work with children with special needs such as with mild autism, etc. Call these places. Explain that you are looking for a speech therapist that is affordable. These places will have information about local places that could be affordable for speech therapy.

 

Louise

 

I had awful experiences with "student" teachers.

[Quiver0f10]

So we've suspected that ds might need some help with his speech and when we went to the doctor last week, he suggested we have his speech evaluated. Here's what we know:

 

 

 

• DS is 4

• Our insurance does NOT cover any type of evaluation or therapy

• We have no money to pay for this

• The school district is requiring he be enrolled in Preschool 4 days a week to take advantage of their therapy

• The gal I talked to was not sure if they would make exceptions to school enrollment at the K-8 level.

I'm the kind of person that is easily steam rolled - I get all quiet when people start telling me "how it is". Everytime I get on the phone, I get transferred to 50 people (okay, maybe 5) and no one seems to "know". Who should I be talking to? What should I be asking? I really didn't want to enroll him in preschool. I thought these services were still available to homeschoolers.

 

His main speech issues are specific phonetic sounds - c (ck), th, d, etc. Also, his grammar at this point is pretty poor, which magnifies the speech issues, I think. Is this something I can just work with him on and he'll grow out of it, or do I really need to pursue this?

 

I'd love some advice from people who have btdt. Give me some ammo so I don't feel so timid when I call the school.

 

I would call HSLDA and ask them. As far as I know, every state has to offer special needs services to all students regardless if they are homeschooled or not. While he isn't mandatory school age that might be the issue, but once he is K age ( if K is mandatory in your state) I do believe they have to offer it.

[Quiver0f10]

The laws vary from state to state, though, on what is offered to homeschoolers (from what I understand).

 

See I thought this was how is used to be. I know back when we first started HSing in NH they didn't have to offer anything. But I also thought that new laws make it mandatory. Confusing. I would definitely call HSLDA, even if you aren't a member, and ask.

[RedHen6]

I have not read all your replies, so please forgive me if I'm repeating something.

 

My ds (4 next week) also needs speech help, and we have chosen to pursue it through the school district. My POV is that the earlier we can get help, the less help he may need later.

 

He had about 3 months of home speech therapy before he turned 3, then they transition to a preschool program. So last year he attended preschool three days a week, where a speech therapist worked with him once a week. It was free for us because he "qualified" with his speech delay.

 

We will continue to send him to preschool next year. Do I know for sure if the speech therapy is helping him? No. He is making improvements, but it may be part of his normal development. But hey--it's free preschool, and he enjoys it. That's good enough for now.

 

However, I did ask--and it was confirmed--that starting in K, he would have to be enrolled in school to receive speech help. I don't know what we'll do at that point; it will probably depend on the kind of progress he makes over the next year. It may be possible to do some kind of dual-enrollment (home and PS) in order for him to receive speech therapy, but I don't know if I'm up for that. I will burn that bridge when I get there!

[Tree House Academy]

When my ds was 3, he could say ONE word...and it was really just half a word. However, we knew what it meant and he did too, so I call it a word. LOL

 

In the state of TN, services are FREE no matter how much $ you make or what insurance you have. We went through the TN Early Intervention System and they gave my son free speech therapy for a year. Come to find out, there wasn't really anything wrong with him. Now he never shuts up! He just had a delay getting out of the gate, so to speak, and ST was the best thing we could have done for him.

 

He had to be re-evaluated when he turned 4 because TEIS will only give services until the child is 3 (then it moves to the ps system). When we had him evaluated, the evaluator told me that he was no longer elegible...and not only that, unless he was still talking the same way when he was 8...he would not ever be eligible. So ST took him from not speaking more than one word to talking like an 8 year old in one year. :)

[Moni]

It might depend on your state, but the public school, request in writing. Usually their receiving a written document/request starts a clock ticking, legally they have to reply in writing by so many days, something like that.

 

Or you can try the Scottish Rite, if they are in your area

 

:seeya:

[Kathy in MD]

I would call HSLDA and ask them. As far as I know, every state has to offer special needs services to all students regardless if they are homeschooled or not. While he isn't mandatory school age that might be the issue, but once he is K age ( if K is mandatory in your state) I do believe they have to offer it.

 

No, it's just the reverse. It's mandatory (federal law) until they are of school age. The it's up to the state or school district. I can't quote the law, but I'm sure someone o the special needs board can.

[OrganicAnn]

What state are you in? Maybe someone can give you information based on your state.

 

I think most states would at least evaluate pre-schoolers. They might not provide therapy. But with an evaluation you will have a better idea about what you are dealing with and you can decide to go private or look for other solutions.

 

Write a letter requesting an evaluation. I think they have to respond to any written request. Make sure you put your child's age. I wouldn't worry about HS or not, because at that age it doesn't really matter - ie lots of kids are at home at that age.