Speech Evaluation Update

I took my #4 to get evaluated at the Speech and Hearing Clinic at a local university today. I was so excited to see his teacher and the director of his preschool there. They had some really good input and insight into his progress and things they have observed. I think because of them, he got a very thorough evaluation. You know... I keep saying this, but I feel like I am surrounded by angels. I kind of questioned my timing and worried that perhaps I had waited too long to get him evaluated, but today proved to me that I did the right thing.

The appointment was at 8:30 am and so my morning was pretty hectic trying to get all the kids ready for school and then hurrying to the clinic to make it to my appointment on time. I was told to be there a few minutes early and so that made it even more challenging since my other three kids have to be at school by 8:00 am. I had to time things just right. My sweet husband and I worked together and he took the other three to school while I went to the appointment. I arrived early and was able to relax while we waited for them to call us in. As soon as the teacher and director arrived we were called in for the meeting. The lady in charge remembered me from my previous visits and she was very warm and accommodating. We had a lot of paperwork to sign and a few things to discuss. Afterward, everyone was excused and my #4 and I stayed for the testing. I was so excited to be present for the testing because I wanted to see first-hand how they did it and how my child did.

The testing was very interesting. Since many of you may never get the opportunity, I thought I would give you some of the highlights. She used a box of toys to do some of the testing. For example, she had a teddy bear and she asked my child to feed the bear and handed him a bowl with a spoon. He did very well. She told him that the bear was thirsty and waited. He kind of looked at her and then took the cup and pretended to give the bear some water. That part of the testing was fun for my child. I have to admit that it was fun for me as well to watch him do so well. He sat there and participated like a little man. I was so proud.

The next part of the testing consisted of having to look at pictures and scenes. She had a flip chart-type book with pictures and she asked different questions about the pictures. For example, there was a page with a bunch of teddy bears and she asked him to point to the red bear, the green bear, etc... There was another page where there were pictures of kids doing different things and she asked him to point to the kid who got hurt, for example. He did very well responding to her questions. However, when she asked questions about gender he did not do very well. He also had difficulty going from one task to another without getting distracted. (I thought that was normal for his age, but they seemed to think it wasn't.)

The last part of the testing consisted of auditory questioning. In other words, my child would have to listen to what was said in order to answer the question correctly. He did not do well on this part of the exam. He would only hear the last part of the question or else would repeat what she said. That is when I noticed a bit of deficiency. I was pleased at his articulation. For the most part, he was understood.

The results were mostly positive. The evaluator said that she saw not problems with articulation. She understood him perfectly. However, she did see deficiencies in language and when she totalled the results he got a score of 62 with average being 100. That basically qualified him for services through the Public School system. They will have a lady come once a week to his preschool and work with him for thirty minutes. That is basically what they did with my daughter and it worked for her. I am confident that since he is definitely more advanced than she was that he will do very well. His paperwork will show that he is "Language Delayed" and they will do further testing in about a year just to make sure that his therapy is working.

I know that if I would have done his testing earlier then he would not have qualified because the cut-off for qualifying is about 70 or 72 on the 100 scale and it would have been more difficult for me to get services. It also helped me to have the director and teacher who have known him for years there. They had a lot of input and answered questions that I could not answer. For example, they wanted to know if he could sit and listen during instruction or "circle time" and they were able to explain that he could. That was something I had not been able to observe. One of the questions that was asked was actually one of the more critical ones... the evaluator asked, "What would help YOU the most?" The teacher answered, "If he could answer my questions and let me know what he wants that would be great." That is going to be our ultimate goal.

Speech Therapy services cost a lot of money and many parents cannot afford it. That is why every parent needs to find out what services are available to them through their Public School System or even their state. Every state is different and every school system differs. However, the key is to get your child tested as soon as you see a delay. You don't want to wait until the child begins school. By then it might be too late. Early intervention is key. These people are trained professionals and they can help your child reach his potential. Don't let it be discouraging. Although it's less than ideal to have a child with a language delay, it doesn't mean that he's not smart or that he won't have a wonderful future ahead of him. As a matter of fact, I know that because of the extra help I will be receiving, my child will excel and possibly surpass all of my expectations. What helped me decide to get my child tested was the Milestone Questionnaire that the school offered the parents. It wasn't until his 36 month checklist that I began to see some delays. If you don't have access to that, there are many resources online. Many pediatricians also offer help with that as well. You don't have to do it alone.
*********************************
The only dumb questions are those
not asked.
*********************************