My 6 1/2 yr old daughter has really never talked as clear as other kids her age. She was not bad where people made fun of her. As she got older, it became easier to understand her. Anyways, I had asked her dr about it when she was 5. The dr replied that yes she has problems with certain things, but there is a wide range of what is considered normal for her age. Fine. In Kindergarten she was tested twice(begining of yr and end of yr) with the speech therapist, again I was told it was not bad, some kids outgrow it. So we start 1st grade, I asked her teacher about it. She sent down specific instructions that I wanted my daughter more formally tested, not just the general screening. The speech therapist called me in Sept after the more formal screening and again said it is not that bad, we will test again the spring. I get a call yesterday from the Speech teacher, she tells me that she has tested my daughter again, and although she has improved somewhat, that she is not where she should be. When she starts 2nd grade in Sept, she will be the speech therapy with her. FINALLY!!!!Like I said. It was hard for me to be more assertive as my oldest child never had any speech problems. So I was never quite sure what was considered normal.I really do like her school, so I am glad they are going to work with her. I Was afraid if she didnt get the help now, kids would make fun of her as she got older.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 07:31 am:

That's good news!

By Karen~moderator on Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 07:35 am:

That is great news, Jackie. I had a pretty severe lisp when I was that age, and I had speech therapy for that. I remember being embarrassed at having to have it, but I was more embarrassed over the teasing I took from the way I said *S* words.

By Tink on Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 10:33 am:

I'm really glad to hear that this was implemented. Just as reassurance, many speech issues aren't considered a real problem until after age 6. My ds was given speech therapy from 3-5 and made enough progress to be pulled out of it, even though he still made some obvious mistakes. Now that he's seven, he's eligible for more services again since he's hasn't made the progress that many kids do in this last year.

I think you'll be surprised at how quickly her speech changes. You might want to make a video of her speech now and rewatch it in a few months to see the difference. It's kind of fun to see the progress!

By Jackie on Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 10:49 am:

Cori-thats a great idea. I never thought of it.

She will be 7 years old when she starts her speech therapy in Sept. I am just worried if it is not corrected now, kids will make fun of her. Now though, nobody does, but she is still young.Like I said, her speech is not terrible, you can understand everything she says. It is just that there are a lot of words, she does not say clearly that you would expect from somebody younger. She does not have a lisp though. I guess I will learn more about it soon enough.