AimeeM Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 DS5 finished his dental treatment plan successfully. Part of the treatment plan carried out was placing a fixed partial. He had front teeth, but they had been "fixed" badly a couple years ago, and our new dentist (yes, we had a second opinion - this was the second opinion about this) decided it was best to pull them. They talked us into a fixed (wires are concreted in, attached to his back teeth, so it cannot be taken out until his two adult top teeth start to drop) partial. They said it would help with his speech *insert huge sigh*. His speech was already borderline. This is the little guy with some hefty health issues to begin with... while cognitively ahead of the game, any "physical" milestones were hard wins for him - didn't talk until 3, walk until 2, etc. When I say his speech was borderline I mean that he doesn't qualify for services. He has a very large vocabulary and the sounds he struggled with are considered "pretty normal" at this age - we were to reevaluate in a year or two. We didn't want it to get WORSE, as the dentist said it might, if he was missing front teeth, so we paid a pretty large amount of money for the partial, thinking that it would be beneficial to his speech long-term. The problem? I know he hasn't had the partial long (a bit longer than a week), but his speech is SO MUCH WORSE. His speech is almost unintelligible to everyone but me. Somebody tell me that this will, as the dentist said it would, improve. Tell me this is just part of getting used to the partial. Pretty please :( I'm freaking out. He starts co-op this Friday... and it's a memory work co-op (Classically Catholic Memory). I'll admit that I snicker (in a good natured way!) at the idea of him doing recitation right now, but really, considering he's always been a target with other children his age (his size), the last thing he needs is THIS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 I don't have experience with a smaller child, but I got a huge, fixed orthodontic appliance that covered the whole palate when I was in 8th grade. It took me a while to adapt to speaking with it, but after about a month, I sounded the same as pre-appliance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 I don't have experience with a smaller child, but I got a huge, fixed orthodontic appliance that covered the whole palate when I was in 8th grade. It took me a while to adapt to speaking with it, but after about a month, I sounded the same as pre-appliance. See, I specifically asked him about the plate, and he said there wasn't much of one at all. Your reply certainly makes me feel better! Having been scammed by one pediatric dentist years ago, I'll admit I'm cynical (after the fact, obviously). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 If he's only had it a short while, he's probably trying to sort it out. The SLP wanted ds to have a partial when he knocked out his two front top teeth at 2.5. We ended up, for a variety of reasons, deciding to wait. I put my thumb in for where the teeth should have been to create the stop. My guess is it's just all new to him. Have you thought about getting him a private ST eval? Have they been considering dcd or dyspraxia as an explanation for his symptoms? You might give a PROMPT therapist a buzz and see what they say. But that's just me, the broken record. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 If he's only had it a short while, he's probably trying to sort it out. The SLP wanted ds to have a partial when he knocked out his two front top teeth at 2.5. We ended up, for a variety of reasons, deciding to wait. I put my thumb in for where the teeth should have been to create the stop. My guess is it's just all new to him. Have you thought about getting him a private ST eval? Have they been considering dcd or dyspraxia as an explanation for his symptoms? You might give a PROMPT therapist a buzz and see what they say. But that's just me, the broken record. :) What is a PROMPT therapist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 http://www.promptinstitute.com PROMPT: Speech Production Disorders - YouTube You would look into PROMPT if there's motor planning (praxis) involved. That's why I asked about DCD and dyspraxia. If those are your overall labels, his speech problems could be caused by praxis, in which case PROMPT would be worth looking into. The therapist can help you sort that out. They have a provider locator. My ds does *not* have global delays or DCD/dyspraxia. You can have a variety of labels along with apraxia or none. Those were just the ones that popped into my mind with your list, not knowing your situation and not being a practitioner myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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