Language Issues

[bigdogs29906]

Our 7 (almost 8 year old) son has some language issues. He does not have articulation problems but does have word usage/syntax/grammar issues. He mixes up past/present tense (Did you saw that?), he sometimes says "what" instead of "that" (Did you see the ship what I made?), and he has a few more grammar anomalies (that whyS I did it... (and of course I can't think of any more right now!)).

 

He is currently reading about the level of Sonlight 2nd grade readers (Frog and Toad/ Owl at Home etc.).

 

We had him evaluated by a private speech & language therapist. She said he tested super low and she recommended therapy (which we cannot afford). We also had him evaluated by our local school district. They said that they didn't notice anything "off", that he was brilliant, and we shouldn't worry about anything, and they of course won't recommend (or offer) services.

Grrr!!! It is so frustrating having two completely opposite opinions.

 

Can anyone suggest some activites or offer some insight for us to help our son?

[hsmamainva]

Did you take him for the private evaulation first? If you have something in writing from the private evaluation, stating that he needs services, you can take that back to the school board and try to "make them" provide services.

 

The school has to take into consideration private evaluations in making their decisions.

 

My 6yo daughter also has language issues / delays, and she's homeschooled, yet receives speech and occupational therapy twice a week at the local public school free of charge.

 

Hope this helps.

[Laurie4b]

Did the school do a full evaluation or a "screening?" Was the evaluation done by a speech and language pathologist? Did she evaluate articulation or language issues?

[jensway]

I would definitely get back with the school. Call the school where your son would be attending if he went to public school, ask to talk to the head diagnostician. Speak with that person and tell them of the private evaluation you had done and tell them of your concerns and that you would like a full evaluation for speech therapy and occupational therapy to be done.

[Ummto4]

Is he a late talker ?

[Mom0012]

It sounds like your son has very similar language issues to mine. One thing about expressive language issues is that there is no good test for it. My child obviously has issues with language and yet when he is tested, his language scores come out normal at this point.

 

I went to a seminar given by Mel Levine (who wrote A Mind At A Time, which you might like to read) a couple of years ago and he is the one who told me that there is no good test for expressive language. When my son was in speech at the public school, the speech therapist there said the same thing. She was concerned my son would no longer be eligible for services because while he tested out, he obviously still had syntax and pragmatic issues with his language.

 

I have had some luck using software from Linguisystems. For my son, I specifically liked their Spotlight on Vocabulary software. He has a very large vocabulary and tests many years above his age in this area, but his understanding of the words he uses is very shallow. There are very basic words that he doesn't get like the difference between short and narrow and thin. This is another thing I got out of the Levine seminar. It is more important for there to be a deep understanding of the nuances between different words rather than having a large vocabulary.

 

There is also another company called Laureate Learning Systems that has a software program to help with irregular verbs. I haven't bought this yet because it is expensive, but I'm considering it. I have also recently found a private speech therapist who will work with me on a consultation basis. She will see my son once or twice a month and then give me activities to do with him on a daily basis. If you can find someone like this, that would be ideal. You might even ask the person who did the evaluation about this if you think she is good.

 

Is your son having any social issues because of the language problems? This is one of the main effects of this disorder. My son participated in a social skills class a couple of years ago and it made all the difference for him. The speech therapist who will be working with him soon said this was the most important aspect to address because his self esteem would be negatively impacted if he was unable to maintain friendships. My son needed to be specifically taught conversation skills and how to pick up on certain cues from other children. The woman who offered the social skills classes is Cathy Cohen and she wrote a book called Raise Your Child's Social IQ that could be used at home.

 

Another thing that you could do at home is listen to lots and lots of audiobooks. This has helped my son. It hasn't corrected the syntax errors for my son, but it has expanded his understanding and I think this is why he has such a large vocabulary.

 

You might also look into SRA's Language for Thinking or Language for Learning programs. You can find them at http://www.sraonline.com. I am using Language for Writing with my son this year and I really wish I had known about them when he was your son's age. I started my son with Language for Writing at 8 and I really like it, but I wish I had started with Language for Thinking instead. Yes, they are expensive, but when you compare these programs to the price of a speech therapist, they are a great deal. They also has a great resale value on ebay. This is probably the number one thing I would do especially if you are not going to be able to do therapy.

 

By the way, my son's label is expressive-receptive language disorder, but he really doesn't seem to have problems with the receptive part any more. On a positive note, by googling expressive-receptive language disorder, I have read it is usually outgrown by adulthood. I personally think this will always effect my son to some degree, but I do believe it will get to a point where it will just be a fairly minor problem for him.

 

HTH,

Lisa

Edited October 27, 2008 by LisaTheresa

[dtsmamtj]

Lisa -

 

 

May I ask what products you have tried from Linguisystems? What, if any would you recommend? Thank you.

 

 

T

[Ummto4]

Lisa, thanks for sharing.

 

My son is a late talker and started talking when he was 4. Right now, he's almost seven. He looks normal, but as a mom, I know that he has some language issues. The problem, like Lisa pointed out, is not so obvious and it's mainly comprehensive problem when listening to stories with more complicated/descriptive words and some pragmatic problem when he wants to explain something complicated. He also does not have a natural knack on vocab understanding. Fortunately, he asks me often on the meaning of things.

 

I'm working hard on improving his language issues and educating myself in this language thing. I'm thinking of getting him tested but then what if he needs a therapy ? I heard that language therapy is expensive and from what I read, not all of the expensive therapy recommended is appropriate and can improve the situation. Unless of course, if public school is willing to pitch in. However, I'm also aware that there's a big possibility that my son won't get the service because his problem is 'nothing' compared to other special-needs children.

 

So right now, I'm trying to engage him as much as possible language-wise (i.e. I'm making a conscious decision to always do something to improve his language skill daily). Any suggestion welcomed !!

Edited October 27, 2008 by mom2moon2

[Ummto4]

Lisa,

 

I have some questions:

-Spotlight on vocab -- what level did you buy ? I have an almost seven year old boy and is thinking of getting the level 1 software.

- Language of thinking. Did you buy the whole package ? Or only the teacher guide + student workbook ? I'm a bit confused with the SRA website.

 

Any other resources you can share ?

 

thanks

[Mom0012]

Dian and T-

 

I got level 1 of the Spotlight on Vocabulary for my son. We used it last year when he was 8 and we still use it occasionally to review. I had him continuously go through each level until he mastered it. He has also used No-Glamour Grammar Interactive Software and the No-Glamour Language & Reasoning Interactive Software. Really, you should order a catalog from Linguisystems and see which products seem to fit your child's needs because there is a lot out there to pick from.

 

You will want the complete package if you buy the Language for Thinking. The program is completely scripted and the workbook and teacher guide alone would be worthless. The meat of the program is in the presentation books. You need the teacher materials (3 spiral bound presentation books, teacher guide, answer key, behavioral objectives book, skills folder) and the student materials (student picture book and workbook). If you order a catalog from SRA, it is much easier to see what you need. Remember that if you buy this, you should be able to recoop about 2/3 of your investment if you resell on e-bay.

 

I would definitely consider an evaluation. Perhaps you can get someone to work with you on a consultation basis. Even if you can pay the therapist to give you a specific list of goals for you to work with, then you can try to match up products from the Linguisystems catalog with what your son needs to work on. There is also another catalog out there called Super Duper that carries speech & language products.

 

My son also did a program called Visualizing and Verbalizing by Lindamood Bell http://www.lindamoodbell.com/programs/visualizing-verbalizing.html. This is what really pretty much wiped out his receptive language issues. Again, if you go to one of their centers for the therapy, it is very expensive but you can buy their kit and do it at home. There is another program that is supposed to be very similar to Visualizing and Verbalizing called IdeaChain http://www.understandmore.com/howworks.htm and it looks like it would be much more parent-friendly to use. I believe it is fully scripted unlike V/V.

 

I get overwhelmed at times with my son's language issues and what we need to work on. I find it best to pick one thing he needs help with and just concentrate on that and then move on to the next thing.

 

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

Lisa

[Ummto4]

Lisa, thanks so much for your information.

 

MAy I ask you more questions ?

 

Where can I get my son evaluated ? The center which sells V/V does not have an office in Houston.

 

I just want to make sure that I get the right kind of evaluation.

 

I love your suggestion on V/V and MindPrime. I may end up buying MindPrime since it looks like it's designed for parent to use at home. Comprehension is the #1 thing which I'd like to address. Once we finish either program, I may look at other products and get evaluation.

 

By the way, is your son a late talker ?

 

Thanks again

Dian

[bigdogs29906]

Thank you guys so much for all of the suggestions! It really is very helpful to have other people to bounce ideas off of.

 

One of the first things that I did when we first started researching language issues was to get a Linguisystems catalog...oh so tempting, but oh so expensive.

 

The school therapist was actually the most help. While she felt that she couldn't recommend services for my son, she was nice enough to come out to the house to offer some suggestions. Unfortunately, she is not available enough to do this with any regularity.

 

But now, thanks to you guys I have a few more books to put on my reading list and a few other things to check out.

[Mom0012]

Dian -

 

You are welcome! If the language issues are the main thing your child has going on, I would just try to get a recommendation for a speech therapist in your area. Maybe your pediatrician could recommend someone? If you don't have a LMB center near you, I would definitely go with IdeaChain. I have not used it, but it looks like it would be so much easier for a parent to do at home than V/V.

 

I have heard others recommend getting a neuropsych evaluation. It sounds like this type of evaluation would give you more information than the speech eval, but this is not something I have ever done.

 

Good luck!

Lisa

[dtsmamtj]

Lisa or others -

 

Our son has been evaluated but we would like to do more here at home and our speech therapist is agreeable to this. We have been using Earobics from Super Duper and Help 1 & 2 from Linguisystems. He was diagnosed with Central Auditory Processing Disorder and spectrum issues which include language delays, communication issues, social issues, etc. I have ordred a Linguisystems catalog I think already. Any thoughts???

 

 

T

[Mom0012]

T -

 

I think you are on the right track if your speech therapist is willing to give you homework to do. I think it only makes sense that you can make a lot more progress if you are working with your son daily and reinforcing what the therapist is doing with him rather than just having him do a session once a week.

 

If you feel the therapist doesn't give you enough, maybe bring the Linguisystem catalog with you and see if she can recommend some products for you to use.

 

I can't really make any other recommendations other than that I have heard that certain types of CAPD really respond well to a program called Fast Forward. You can do this at home, but I think you need to find a provider who will work with you. There is a yahoo group called Auditory Processing and the moderator of the group is an audiologist who works with people long distance to do this program. I believe her name is Maxine Young.

 

The one other thing that I hesitate to share sometimes because so many people are not open to it is dietary intervention. The single most important thing we ever did for my son was to put him on a gluten free casein free diet. This does not work for everyone, but the difference for my child was night and day.

 

Lisa

[Ummto4]

Lisa, how did you get the SLP to work on consultation basis ?

 

It seems from the websites I've visited on SLP in Houston, that all of them sell services and expect the clients to follow up the evaluation with services/therapy.

 

I personally prefer to have an evaluation and has the SLP to draw up goals and perhaps recommend products for us to use at home. Then may be once a year or so, we can go back for a check up.

 

How do you ask them for consultation instead of service. I imagine it can be awkward at their office if I refuse the service. It's like - why did you choose to evaluate in the first place if you don't want any therapy ?

[Mom0012]

Dian -

 

Aren't they getting paid for the evaluation? If so, I certainly wouldn't be worried about not signing up for their service afterward.

 

The SLP who has agreed to work with my son on a consultation basis does this with a lot of families. I did not know that she did this though and I very nervously asked her about it, expecting her to say no. I do intend to have her work with my son once or twice a month, however.

 

Even so, if you pay someone to do an evaluation, I would bet you could pay them to write up a list of goals for your son based on the evaluation and maybe even recommend resources. These people work for an hourly rate and what you are asking for is not unreasonable. If one person says no, another may say yes.

 

I hope you can find someone who will work with you like this.

 

Lisa