Tongue Thrust and speech therapy questions

[Dory]

Does anyone have any experience with a child (or yourself even) doing speech therapy? How long did your child go? How often? What kind of progress did you see?

My son (4 on Saturday) started going in October. The progress has been slow coming. Our insurance pays $0, while we pay $65/visit, 3 visits a week. He's got obvious tongue thrust. Almost every consonant is mispronounced, and clusters are so far off in the future. In six months, they've worked on the K sound (he normally pronounces them T) and G (usually replaces with a D sound) and are just beginning to work on S. I'm sure K and G came first because they were the worst and effected his understandability the worst.

So, if anyone has BTDT, any experience or knowledge you can share would be appreciated. Any tricks, tips, iPad apps, anything to help out. He really wants to start pre-k this fall, and it would break my heart for none of the kids to understand him, pick on him, etc. I also wonder if his speech will effect the baby's as he learns to talk by listening to his big brother.

TIA!

[Connor]

Hi Mama. I hope I'm not stepping on any toes but has your son been examined for tongue tie by an expert that specializes in tongue/lip ties? If not I would want to rule that out.

[Dory]

When I brought up his speech to the pediatrician, nothing ever came up about one. During his speech eval the SLP never mentioned either. Once it was explained to me it's an obvious tongue thrust. Most of his words are said with his tongue in his teeth. He nursed until 25 months with no issues, so I never thought it could be a problem, you know? I guess in the morning I could look closely and Google.

When the SLP described tongue thrust, she said he passed a swallow test fine. It isn't something that effects eating, just speaking.

I will take a look and compare in the morning, though.

[Leanbh]

I have two boys in speech therapy.

DS2 is 7 and 1st grade, now only does 30 mins a week in school. This year working on his R. Last year was th(like north, south). He started at about 3.5. Phonological speech issues/disorder are hard as they speack a ton, it's just not clear. He did preschool speech program through the school distrist twice a week(2.5 hours tue/thur). He immediately became clear on his T's. The K, G, S and S blends were later. F was hard for him but mastered before kindergarten.


DS3 started at EI at 27 months, same pattern I figured out earlier this time. He is now 3.5, almost 4 actually. Goes to school district preschool also. We just moved state last week so had his IEP transfer meeting Tuesday and he even started school/speech that afternoon. He has also mastered T's, P's, B's pretty early. Currently working on K's, G's, S's and we have added F to his IEP as it's not there at all. He is doing well with the final sounds K and G, beginning S with cues.



So.....in far as progress, for my DS2 I saw some progress very quickly, others took time. By kindergarten I'd say he was a TON more understandable, as in most people on the street understand no problem. Only DH and I would notice his few letters to work on, esp the R. Speech therapist at school did tell me( I asked how he speaks now in comparison to his peers) that he does have a more juvenile voice/speech than some of them. I'm 100% sure that by end of 2nd/3rd grade he will be done as he's almost there. The school also doesn't want to just drop the kids when there are almost there, be a shame if they still have to master a sound etc.


Just got this sheet from my meeting Tuesday which I've seen before, but great reminder not to have too high/unrealistic expectations. It's the "guide to speech development" by age/grade:

3.0 m, h, w, p, b
3.5 n, t, d, k
4.0 g
5.0 y
5.5 v, f
7.0 th(this), sh, ch, j, l
8.0 th(thumb)
9.0 ng, s, z, r



So don't expect a 3 year old to say his r's correctly, lol. Funny as when you listen to "normally developing" preschoolers they often don't have most of these sounds either at early age. But the other sounds are there so obviously not as severe to require speech. I can't tell you how many kids I would hear at DS2 regular preschool that had many of these sounds missing. You just really pick up on them once you have a speech kid.


Practice at home as much as possible. We have phono words to read out and flash cards, also homework like glueing or coloring and saying the sound. As mentioned I just switched schools/state......I asked will he be given homework.....the speech people all looked at each other and said......we would be more than happy to give you homework if you like.....we used to always give work home but nobody would do it !!! I don't get that at all!!!You are with your kid a gazillion times more than the speech therapist are, if you don't reinforce the work then it will take much much longer IMO.

[Leanbh]

DP...

[pinktoes]

If you go check out ASHA's website they have what's normal developmentally for both sounds and language.
Speech in kids tends to take a long time BUT if you do homework with the kids daily it will make a HUGE difference. Be sure to ask your therapist for homework.
For example, if you know you are working on a k sound, google preschool activities w the letter k. Talk about kites and cats and catch and cap.
There are a TON of ways to help

Check into if your school district will provide services. Many states will provide from 3+
Is there a reason your insurance won't cover it or are you working through your deductible?

[Dory]

Originally Posted by pinktoes If you go check out ASHA's website they have what's normal developmentally for both sounds and language. Speech in kids tends to take a long time BUT if you do homework with the kids daily it will make a HUGE difference. Be sure to ask your therapist for homework. For example, if you know you are working on a k sound, google preschool activities w the letter k. Talk about kites and cats and catch and cap. There are a TON of ways to help Check into if your school district will provide services. Many states will provide from 3+ Is there a reason your insurance won't cover it or are you working through your deductible?

The insurance cut off after 15 visits because, they suck. The school system does have services, but by the time we found out that insurance was no longer covering (and retroactively denying claims they'd previously approved, two months worth), we were too far into this year. The therapist (I assume an SLP) with my daughter's school said that if he gets into pre-K (in TN it's income based and we exceed, but are hoping to get one of the spots not filled by those who do meet), she evaluates soon after school starts. If he meets state requirements, she can help him one day a week. She even sounded like she doesn't like clinical settings as "they'll make any kids with insurance 'have a need' to get therapy for." I didn't realize this was a field with such animosity.

Thank you all for the replies

[Leanbh]

Originally Posted by Dory The insurance cut off after 15 visits because, they suck. The school system does have services, but by the time we found out that insurance was no longer covering (and retroactively denying claims they'd previously approved, two months worth), we were too far into this year. The therapist (I assume an SLP) with my daughter's school said that if he gets into pre-K (in TN it's income based and we exceed, but are hoping to get one of the spots not filled by those who do meet), she evaluates soon after school starts. If he meets state requirements, she can help him one day a week. She even sounded like she doesn't like clinical settings as "they'll make any kids with insurance 'have a need' to get therapy for." I didn't realize this was a field with such animosity. Thank you all for the replies

Hmmmm? I'm not sure they(school district) are allowed to claim "too far into the school year". As mentioned we moved states, my son just started up here again Tuesday. Having said that it's easier to transfer an IEP then evaluate and start up again. BUT, my other DS started his services in January, neighbor was more like April. What time of year did you call? I thought by law they HAVE to evaluate. At least you would be all set up for next year too.

I wish they would standardize services throughout states. I hear some varying times here. And since moving my DS3 services have halved - at least I know what to do to work with him though, and just speaking to DS2 speech therapist at his school today and she is doubling his as she thought he just started last year.....she wasn't going to work on the R's as he might still get it.....but when she found out he has done speech since age 3 she said she will now double, add an extra session. So one has doubled, the other has halved....and I'd say it would be better if the other had doubled



Make sure you keep on the school district OP. Try to see if they will evaluate asap so he is ready to go for the school year. If he is 3 then they should.

[Dory]

She didn't say it, but I understood it as she has a full load already. She's shared between at least two schools. I want to say it was February.

[Connor]

Would yoy be willing to share pics of upper lip and tongue on the fb group, tonnue tie babies support group? There are lots of helpful people there that will give input.