Daughter with speach problems.?

Question

My 4 yr old step daughter has very bad speach problems. She was abandoned by her mother whaen she was 2, and we fought for custody of her. When we got her, all she could say was "mommy". She's improved greatly, but she still has the inability to make some letter sounds. And her vocabulary has improved, also, but it's still very behind. Her and my 2 1/2 yr old daughter have the same vocabulary, pretty much.I worry about her because she will start school next year and I don't want her to be held back. She can't make "c"sounds, or "g" sounds, or "l" sounds. Cat sounds like "Tat", Gun sounds like "Dun", and Love sounds like "Wuv". How in the world can you "teach someone to make certain "sounds", when you can't really show them how to form your mouth to make these sounds? I don't know how speach therapists do it, and we can't afford one. Any ideas?

Answer 1

If she is in preschool you can ask that she be evaluated for speech problems.If she isn't enrolled yet you can still have her evaluated just make sure the school is in your district.If you get no reply from the school with in 10 days you need to fill out another form.If you don't hear from them again in 10 days then you will need to contact your

state board of education..just don't tell the school let the state take care of it.You are a tax payer....this service is free.The state will make sure your daughter gets the help she needs.Don't take no for as answer there is help available but you need to educate yourself on your rights and the rights of your children.It took me 3 years to get speech therapy for my son.I was told that my son was on a waiting list,he need to be bilingual....all lies. If your school has more the 40% of it's students receiving free lunch you are a NCLB Title 1 school.This means that if they don't help you get the help your child needs then they will need to give back the additional money (title 1 funds)it receives to educate children.If you need more info you can contact the us dept of education.Don't worry about you other daughter she might be mimicking your other daughter because you might give her additional attention when she struggles when she speaks.Good luck

Answer 2

She is still young.  Don't be over critical.  If you can afford it, find a speech therapist.  Otherwise, wait until she attends a public school and they will provide special services at no charge.

Answer 3

Once she starts school, she will be fine.  I know of two kids who were age 5 and 6 who had serious pronunciations with words and they are now both in 1st grade and 2nd grade and not a trace of the previously existing problems. Their vocabulary is smooth. Also, you could suggest to put her in special reading class to improve her language skill.

Answer 4

I would get in touch with the elementary school and get the name of the Speech Therapist. Get her voice mail and e-mail address and send her the above question. Public schools test children for free for learning problems and if your daughter qualifies under Article 7, yes, your step daughter could receive services for free. You will need to fill out a packet of information to get things started. Your step daughter's doctor could assist you if needed in filling out the packet. There are some medicial questions. Did you get a script from the doctor stating that Speech Therapy was needed? Ask the doctor for the script and you keep the original and make a copy for the Speech Therapist.

Ask the school speech therapist if this is offered in the summer at the elementary school. Ask the speech therapist whats available for free for your daughter. Get in touch with Special Services--get the information from your childs elementary school

or call the Administration Building and ask to speak to the Director of Special Services. Start today! Please keep me informed.

Answer 5

There should be an early intervention program through the school district...call the administration office or the school for reference.

Answer 6

Your stepdaughter's problems are consistent with language delay. If her vocabulary is the same as your 2 1/2 year-old's, she is more than one year delayed. Her speech sounds are delayed by only about six months (based on her "language age" of 2 1/2, her speech sound development is basically within normal limits).

Please don't try to correct this on your own; you are a parent, not a speech pathologist.

US public schools are required by federal law (PL 94-142) to provide a "free, appropriate public education", which includes speech therapy. Contact your local school district office and ask for an evaluation ASAP. Once the evaluation is done, she should qualify for Head Start and speech therapy.

Answer 7

You step-daughter needs a speech therapist.  They are trained in how to help people/children with speech problems.  Ask your child's pediatrician on your next visit.  You don't want your step-daughter to be left behind when she comes of school age and as much as you want to help her you may not have all the skills/knowledge available to you that a speech therapist would have.

Answer 8

dont worry because in schools there are speech teachers.they'll probably recommend her going to speech class and  all u have to do is sign this paper and u dont even have to pay. it really works!

Answer 9

My son had speach problems as well. He went to a government funded preschool. Tell the preschool she needs speach therapy. In my state they send out speach therapist to the preschool once a week. When school is started they have speach therapists that come out for numerous children. It is state funded.

Answer 10

I think you need to sit down with her and give her a drill on the words she uses.

Also, instruct her to speak the words slowly. Very slowly. Teach her to pronounce each word correctly. Perhaps the problem she has now is that she is not paying too much attention to the words she uses. That is bad. The first step is to make sure she pronounce the words correctly.

Answer 11

You should check with your state to see if they offer any medical assistance, or if you have it, most insurance plans will cover the cost. If not speech therapy is available through most public schools. My daughter had exactly the same problem and one year of speech therapy, once a week really helped her. Her speech is perfect now.

Good luck!

Answer 12

You should definitely follow other peoples suggestions, as there should be free avenues to follow to get assistance for your step daughther.

In the mean time, there is a sequence you can try to follow at home to help her. Of the 3 sounds you said she could not make properly, you need to pick one only to start with. I would recommend 'c' first ('l' is a sound that children are supposed to be able to say once they are 4, where as 'c' and 'g' are 3 year old sounds.)

The first step is to just get her saying c c c on its own. (Think about where you put your tongue when you make this sound - the middle of the tongue goes to the roof of the mouth, whereas she is placing the tip of her tongue at the roof of her mouth behind her front teeth.)

The next step is to get her to say nonsense words with a 'c' sound: cu ca ce etc... make it fun and simple.

The next step is to get her to say single words that start with 'c'. Make up little games, eg. find pictures in magazines such as cat, cot, key etc. Or make up lotto games with all things starting with 'c' words that will encourage her to say these words, but she is still doing it in a fun way.

The next stage is to then get her to say 2 word sentences. ie cat runs, kangaroo jumps, key turns

You can then start building on longer sentences from there.

It is important that you take it slow, and only move onto the next stage once she has mastered each stage. And more importantly to make it fun, so she does not get stressed out. Set aside, half an hour each day to play these games. Once she has mastered the 'c' sound, then start with the 'g' sound, using the same methods, then the 'l' sound.

One thing you will need is patience, as it takes time, but its very important to only do one letter at a time. Use lots of positive reinforcement!!!

I hope this will help you at home, whilst you are looking into options for free assistance, as she should definitely receive professional speech therapy if at all possible, but you can also help to make a difference. If you would like any further ideas, please feel free to contact me at [e-mail] and I can go into more detail, give more game ideas etc.

Best of luck!

Answer 13

I would take her to her pediatrician to explain her concerns. He can make referrals to a speech language pathologist. If you don't have insurance, or it won't cover it, contact your local school district's special education department. In New York, where I live, we are obligated to provide preschool special education services, which speech therapy would fall under. Explain your concerns and ask for an evaluation. If she is starting kindergarten in the fall, these services will continue while she is in school. Hope this helps!

Answer 14

every  child has the right to be educated, even early on.  you can't send your child to a mainstream school speaking like that.  it would be a shame and would color her existence for the next 12 years.  contact your local schools and have her tested at the early childhood intervention program.  testing and help are free through most school districts.  and, in certain states there is funding available for children to be sent to privately owned schools that deal with speech pathologies.  this child will  be diagnosed with a learning disability and a speech impairment.  get her the help she needs now so she can mainstream into school more easily.  poor little darling.