Is my daughters speech going to get better?

Question

I have had my daughter seen by a speech therapist since she was 3 yrs old and her speech is still not understandable.She is 6 yrs old and in the first grade.She does not have many friends because she is unable to interact with them because of her speech.Everything else such as math,spelling,etc etc comes to her very easily so what can be wrong with her thats causing her words not to come out as they should.What is the next move I should take.Keep in mind she is already in special education for speech,OT,and fine motor skills class.I want to help her so bad.I know kids can be so cruel these days and not only that i see how frustrating this is to her.Please what do I do now??

Answer 1

Ask the speech path about dysarthria. My son had this, and speech therapy was useless until they understood that it was not a matter of just repeating what the therapist said, but they had to work intensively on strengthening muscles and making a better connection between the mouth and the brain.

Also, please consider sign language. I know that many parents and educators consider it to be a crutch, but effective communication is the goal at this point, not perfect speech. As your daughter gets older, with more appropriate speech therapy and the incentive through effective communication, her speech should get better, regardless of the diagnosis.

With any speech disorder, if the therapist cannot make progress in a year, it's time to find another speech therapist.

Answer 2

You might want to look into the possibility that your daughter could have a form of Autism.   This means that speech has very little use to her. Depending on how she feels about it at the time.  I watched this young lady on TV that had Autism, she could talk fine, but used her computer as a form of communication.   This might not be the case for your daughter you should look in one area at a time.

Children with Autism can be very intelligent.  They can do the class work just fine, but have trouble communicating.  

I have a niece that never talked very well, after years of speech.  I blame the school system.  

Go to your local  coalition for children with medical handicap and ask them for help.   Explain everything to them and see what they can come up with to help.

Also try the BCMH in your area they can also work wonders.

I hope the best for you and your daughter, I know what it feels like when your child never seems to fit in and gets made fun of.

Answer 3

You need to give her another means of speaking...either augmentative device or sign language. Once she has a voice through other means then her language may develop in time. It is possible that she has speech apraxia and messages from brain are not interpreted into speech correctly. What is her diagnosis? Has she been tested for Rett Syndrome? I would try to get her into a class that helps with apraxia...or try ABA therapy. That has helped my daughter in other ways...her speech though will probably never come.

Answer 4

I would look for a specific medical cause to her delayed speech development and motor skill impairment then reevaluate how appropriate her speech therapy is.

Answer 5

I suggest a new therapist. I would think that after 3 years there would be a noticeable inprovement.

Answer 6

Your doing everything for her now.  The best thing you can do is build up her self esteem..... It's hard to watch others make fun of her. Get her all the help she needs.  Good luck.