lexi Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I posted the other day about my 2 year old dd's stuttering issues. I took her to the ped today to get a referral for therapy. He thinks her problems are more of a processing issue rather than speech or word formation. He wants her to be evaluated but thought we might need to go somewhere else for further evaluations. Has anyone had experience with this? What is the difference between a stutter and a processing issues? Will a speech pathologist even help? Is there anything I can do to start helping her at home? :confused: Her speech is getting worse by the day and I'm waiting for insurance to approve my case so we can be evaluated. I'm calling the pathologist tomorrow. I'm so heartbroken watching her struggle to speak when two months ago she was talking well. What is happening???? :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Aw, I'm sorry your little one is struggling. :( I live in California, and when my two year old hadn't started speaking yet we went through a state agency that evaluated him for everything that we were concerned about. They did a screening, then he saw a speech therapist for a full assessment. Is your doctor suggesting it's an auditory processing problem? Btw, if you post this on the special needs board, there are lots of mamas with processing disorder experience that can probably help. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The state of TN will pay for some of that stuff up to age 3 I think. You may want to check with social services to find out if your state has similar programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamom Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 My ds11 stuttered on and off for years. It comes and goes with no apparent rhyme or reason (maybe stress). I mean gone for a year at a time. Dh and I are so glad when it totally resolves only to have him start again. Right now just slightly when he is very stressed. I think about 4-6 yrs old were the worst. It was usually just the first word of the sentence. I wouldn't be too stressed about it. The worst thing you can do is to stress them about it. That makes it worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 She will be 3 next week so we can't do any early intervention as she ages out of the program. When I spoke with the state they said they would put her in special ed preschool. :confused: There is NO WAY that will be happening as I homeschool to stay out of school and this is my food allergic child. So, state help isn't an option it doesn't sound like. Our ped didn't seem quite sure of the problem but did mention processing so I don't know if that means auditory processing or not. I'm hoping the pathologist that I call tomorrow can provide direction. I just don't know anything about this and none of our friends have had kids with speech or processing problems so I don't know who to ask. I hope I'm doing the right thing in talking to a speech therapist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 I don't think it's auditory processing disorder. She hears well, follows directions well, and doesn't seem to have any symptoms of that problem. It's like her brain and mouth disconnect when she tries to speak and she can't communicate her thoughts clearly. But I know she hears and understands everything we say. She also has very complex thoughts when she's able to get them out. Our ped says she's developmentally on track and is doing really well-it's just that she stutters and gets stuck when she tries to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 OT for motor issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Have you looked at the information at http://www.stutteringhelp.org/ ? They have lots of good information. My dd is now 5 but has been stuttering since about age 3. It has at times been very, very severe. It will get to a barely noticeable point but then worsen when she is tired, stressed, or going thru a growth period. We do use a private therapist though. We found that not all speech pathologists are familiar with many techniques to help with stuttering and that for only a few stuttering is their specialty. There are specific evals for fluency issues (the other official term for stuttering). The best evals have the SLP actually video taping the child shile engaging in simple discussions. The problem is that most of these evals are not designed for preschool children. When my daughter was evaluated, she was closely watched for any other signs that the stuttering was more than the occassional developmental stuttering. These signs included a type of blinking, unusual body movements when talking, loss of eye contact, unusual sounds, and so on. The therapist scored her eval by watching the video repeatedly and documenting any abnormality she viewed. Our therapist has been amazing and very supportive. Much of her therapy has involved making dd aware of the times when she is stuttering using simple verbal cues we agreed on in the beginning. She then has been working with her to increase control of her words, again with key words like 'slow beginning' or 'turtle talk', and with fun activities like singing children's songs. In fact part of our 'homework' for months was for the 2 of us to spend 3 sessions a day (about 10-15 minutes long), slowing singing songs and doing fingerplays that dd liked. And it IS a processing issue in a very broad and general way. It isn't caused by a physical deformity, or by cognitive delay. There is research indicating children who stutter process speech and language differently than children who do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applesing Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I think that seeing a speech therapist is a very wise idea. My daughter sees a therapist who specializes in stuttering, and he has been a real blessing to her. If you can find someone who specializes, you may want to consider that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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