Expressive Speech Disorder

[Sugarfoot]

Can anyone give me any information on what an expressive speech disorder might look like, and more importantly, what exactly a speech therapist would do during therapy sessions to work with a child who had this?

 

We've been "wait-listed" far too long, and I feel like I may need to move on with our own "at-home" program, if possible!;)

[Tokyomarie]

"Expressive speech disorder" can refer to either difficulty producing the sounds necessary for speech. It can also refer to having the necessary language structures for conversation: vocabulary, sentence structure, and the ability to use them for social interaction.

 

Without knowing some detail about this child's age and his/her specific needs, it would be hard for us to make any specific recommendations. Has your child had a speech/language evaluation and is waiting for a spot to open up in therapy? Or are you still waiting for the evaluation done by a speech/language pathologist (SLP)? Is the spot you are waitlisted for in a public funded program or a private therapy center?

 

If you are waiting on a public-funded spot in a school or early-on therapy program & have not had any evaluation by an SLP, could you consider paying for a private therapist to do an evaluation and give you suggestions on what to do at home while you wait for a spot in the other program?

 

There are two companies that sell materials for speech/language therapy that I have used in the past: Super Duper Inc and Linguisystems. Once you get some better information on what your child's specific needs are, you may find resources from these companies that you can use.

[Sugarfoot]

Hi, Marie,

 

Thanks for your help. It's actually my just-turned-15 ds. He's dyslexic, and when we got that diagnosis, the psychologist mentioned this speech problem to us, but said we might not be able to see it for quite some time because it was so subtle. His testing was done 6 years ago. I think part of it is that, when he was younger, the things he talked about were so concrete, and he has little trouble doing that. Now, his brain and speech are moving to a more abstract way of thinking, and it's really showing us that there may be a problem.

 

Dyslexia has affected everything academically, but his actual speech is fine. He can read and comprehend well. We work extra hard to keep up in math. Spelling is his "final frontier," and we'll keep working. Please understand that when I say all of this, although it may sound like things are "pretty good" now, there are years and years of hard work behind it all.;)

 

Here's an example of what's worrying me:

 

He had to write a short bio for a film contest that he entered. He didn't like the way part of it sounded, and he <could not> explain why. It was so strange. He knew in his head, but could not put it into words. He's always been very shy, and now I'm wondering if it's partly this, too.

 

I filled out a long, involved application for a private evaluation through our local university's speech department describing all of this, and they put him on the wait-list for an evaluation. They told me that if, based on what I said, they didn't see a problem, they would tell me that, but instead, they plan to evaluate. So, they see something in the paperwork. But we've already waited 3 months.

 

TIA!

[Tokyomarie]

Please understand that when I say all of this, although it may sound like things are "pretty good" now, there are years and years of hard work behind it all.;)

Oh, boy do I ever get it.:D After 13+ years of formally working with language-challenged children (2 of my own), I know what you mean. I've raised one into adulthood who is doing very well in college, though there are things I wish I could help her with because I know they are related to her processing challenges. Unfortunately, I no longer have the opportunity to be the kind of infuence she needs to have to help her overcome one last major hurdle in developing certain life skills.

 

Still working with ds; after many years of doing it mostly on my own, we have finally had an evaluation and have hired some pros to help us.

 

He had to write a short bio for a film contest that he entered. He didn't like the way part of it sounded, and he <could not> explain why. It was so strange. He knew in his head, but could not put it into words. He's always been very shy, and now I'm wondering if it's partly this, too.

 

Many dyslexics also have word retrieval challenges as well as difficulty organizing ideas in their mind to explain something, either orally or in writing. This would be entirely consistent with a dyslexic profile. My son has a lot of difficulty answering detailed questions that require him to summarize his thoughts. If *he* initiates the topic he can talk on and on, ad nauseum, but if he has to respond to someone else's prompt, good luck getting anything out of him.

 

 

 

Have you called the speech department to get an estimate of how much longer it will be? Given that your son is 15yo, and his challenges are fairly subtle, you do want to see someone who has plenty of experience with bright adolescents.

[Sugarfoot]

Have you called the speech department to get an estimate of how much longer it will be? Given that your son is 15yo, and his challenges are fairly subtle, you do want to see someone who has plenty of experience with bright adolescents.

 

Thank you!

 

I called them today, actually, but the person who I need to speak to was out and hasn't returned my call.

 

What you said above is exactly why I was willing to wait on the university. We have a couple of other options, but this isn't a typical speech issue.

 

I have considered that dyslexia is the most likely culprit. :glare:

 

Thanks so much for your input!

[gingersmom]

 

I filled out a long, involved application for a private evaluation through our local university's speech department describing all of this, and they put him on the wait-list for an evaluation.

 

TIA!

 

You might want to find out in advance if you are seeing a graduate student or a certified speech/language therapist.

 

I had an awful experience with a graduate student being "supervised" by a speech therapist.