My child talks well, why does he need a speech and language therapist?

(Guest blogpost)

It’s not about the talking, it’s about the social interaction.

My son is 10, he has the vocabulary and speech an adult would be happy with but (and I can hear you waiting for it), but he struggles to communicate.

Hmmmm, that’s almost like a double negative, he can talk but he can’t communicate, what the heck does she mean?

My son struggles with social skills, he can’t tell people how he feels, he misses social cues, he wants to play with other children, but can't find the way in, he can’t communicate.

He wants to join in the games but can’t ask to be let in, so he gets too excited and ruins the game not maliciously but because he struggles to read the group, he can’t interact.

Worse still my strapping 10-year-old is a prime target for bullies. He lacks the social skills to stand up for himself, he has no idea how to be assertive, how to say no, or even how to go to another person and tell them how he feels or that he is hurt or scared.

Despite having a beautiful grasp of the spoken word and sounds totally confident, he has no knowledge of the art of communication.  The subtle nuances of facial expressions and voice inflections.

This is a social world, full of people, of all different kinds, some friendly, some not, and what my son needs to cope, no thrive in this world, is speech therapy, because what my son needs to learn is, ironically enough is small talk….the art of getting on with people.

A K Turner parent  

Team work makes it so much easier...... the A Team!

On Tuesday I went to see a little girl aged 4 years at home, who I'll call 'A'. This time last year, she was at the 'own agenda' stage of development where she didn't really see the point of communication. Her attention span was extremely short and she was more interested in my bangle than me. I couldn't see any verbal understanding. Her only expression was echolalia.

This week, we have a bright, little girl who will be starting school in September: she has a developing attention span, can understand  short instructions, uses language to get what she needs and to express herself. She can even tell you what she doesn't want very vocally! Her social interaction is developing well with children and adults. She now has a diagnosis of ASD. The only thing I'm worried about now is that she will be overlooked as she is so well behaved. 

Is this a miracle? Yes in a way it is, but it's actually the result of fantastic team work. At the centre is a parent who has done absolutely everything suggested, even when that meant making life harder for herself e.g. as part of getting A from 'own-agenda' to the next stage there was no helping herself to chocolate, she had to request a piece at a time, which was in a clear plastic box which she couldn't open on her own. As you can imagine, A wasn't happy!

• The key worker/SENCO who had worked tirelessly to achieve all the targets set, 
• The nursery who allowed it to happen
• The extremely knowledgeable, Early Years Advisor who co-ordinated everyone
• The lovely and very patient, NHS SLT who reviewed, set targets and saw as often as she could
• An excellent paediatrician who recognises ASD in girls
• me: I've worked through individual coaching for More Than Words and then worked on components of language and communication.

We've all worked together for the good of A. Well done to the A team! :-)

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk

0844 704 5888

office@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk

Calling Staffordshire Parents of pre-school children with social communication difficulties!!

We're delighted to be able to run Hanen's More Than Words for parents with pre-children with social communication difficulties, ASD or ASD tendancies? It's  free of charge for parents or professionals from staffordshire http://www.hanen.org/Programs/For-Parents/More-Than-Words.aspx

We really like this course as it empowers parents to use everyday routines, play, toys and songs at home/out and about. Forget the worksheets and flashcards, this shows you how to use real situations to develop real communication. We learn language best in functional situations and if you have trouble generalising, then its got to be in everyday real-life situations.

Thursday 5th November at Uttoxeter Fire Station 7-8.30 pm

Monday January 11th Chase Terrace Fire Station 7-8.30 pm

Landywood Chidren's Centre, Gt Wyrley Wednesday 13th January 6.30-8.00. 

Courses run for 10 weeks. 

Just turn up on the first session or email info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk to book a place. If you need any more information, just let me know.

Children who take your hand and pull you

Last month we talked about children with social interaction difficulties who can be described as having their own agenda. The next group of children are those Hanen describe as 'requesters' We have several children who are at this stage on our caseload.

Toni is a 3-year-old child at the Requester stage, He communicates mainly by pulling or leading others to request things he wants. When he wants to watch the TV, he takes his mum's hand and pulls her towards the TV, when he wants a biscuit he leads his Dad to the kitchen cupboard where the biscuit tin is kept. His attention span is very short and it is difficult to get him to co-operate for very long even on favourite activities. He makes high pitched noises and has some limited 'jargon' but says no words.

Louisa is 2 and a half and loves to watch cartoons, She can echo some of the common repeated phrases but has no functional expressive language. She is a happy child and entertains herself until it's time for her to end an activity or go somewhere as she doesn't understand why she should finish or where she's going. She is responding well to a 'now and next' board and photos/visuals to help her understand.Attention span is improving. She is requesting tickles, food and games. Her nursery uses makaton and she is beginning to pick up signs to use for her requests e.g. biscuit. drink, sweet.

It can be very difficult to work with a child at this level due to their attention span but it is actually a very positive stage because the child at a Requester stage is beginning to realise that they can influence their environment and especially you! By leading you or taking your hand they can get things they want or enjoy. This is extremely significant in the development of communication.

At this stage we encourage games such as Peek-a-boo, round and round the garden, ring a ring a roses etc so they can take an active part in getting you to keep playing. If we pause they can look, move or even jiggle to get you to keep going. Later  we will aim for them to verbalise. We can also use wind up toys, ready-steady-go games or 'row row the boat'.

Children at this level may:

• interact briefly
• use sounds to focus or calm themselves
• echo words or phrases

These are all things we can build upon. Activities can be made to be really fun!

If you have a child at this stage, it's very worthwhile seeing a speech and language therapist to help you.

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk