An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Tonight, DH and I went to my dad's company Mets game. There were 2 of his employees there - both with kids close to Cailen's age - 3 - both receiving speech services.

On the way home, DH asked me my opinion, and I was curious to hear others.....

I'm not talking about kids with developmental issues - like autism - I'm talking with a true speech delay - where they understand what they are being told, but cannot express themselves, articulate well, etc.

Do you think there are really "delays" or are we expecting more from kids these days? I told DH I am sometimes amazed at how many kids get services. I really think there are higher expectations for kids at younger ages.

DH is 46 - he told me when he was growing up there were few kids who attended daycare. Maybe they went to preschool, and kindergarten wasn't mandatory - so technically, a kid could walk through the door in 1st grade with nothing. Now - most kids walk into Kindergarten being able to read, or at least with solid pre-literacy skills.

What do you think?

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

i voted no. not because i think there are more kids that need it than before, but because we know more now and can screen kids for things like this. as you know as a provider, the 25 percentile and up do NOT get services. so, for many kids, it is our lowest performers. and even then, they may only be below the 25% percentile in only SOME areas of the speech domain.

however, i do think there are many parents that really push for services and sometimes i think districts or agencies do provide services for kids that may be on the cusp, but not truly in the deficit area. also, many parents pay out of pocket for services that while kids may benefit, they may not truly need. (i.e. not really delayed, just a nervous parent)

i do think there are many many children with speech delays (not including kids on the spectrum or with other diagnosed issues) and i think what's challenging in early childhood is that it's sometimes hard to tell what is a delay and what is just where they are developmentally. i think agencies and school districts would rather give the EI in case it is a true delay, rather than have to provide more intense services later on to make up the time that might be lost if they don't get anything.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I definitely think times have changed a lot but I think it's our responsibility as parents to keep our kids somewhere close to the same academic level as everyone else. Fine if your kid doesn't go to preschool but I think you have to teach them at home what the other kids are learning so they aren't behind going into Kindergarten.

That said.....I do think parents panic super quickly about speech and other things but the media available to us today compared to when we were kids is just enormous. I mean you can google anything and so start the wheel's of a parent's brain turning. But there are standards for receiving serivces...right? So I assume if the kid is getting services he's not meeting some kind of current standard he's supposed to be meeting? I'm not sure b/c we have gotten Miranda's services privately but I'm sure our insurance wouldn't be paying if she didn't fit the criteria for her diagnosis.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I think that as a population, we're more informed these days, not to mention the services are provided so I honestly have to choose other. I don't think that we expect too much of kids and I don't think there are more kids with speech delays, I think we just know more and know better now. Just like with diagnosing autism. I don't think there are necessarily MORE kids with autism these days, I just think that there is better diagnosis for kids who might have previously been labeled with some other disorder.
I mean, kids have to qualify for services and for as many kids that we know of that have delays and get those services, there are tons of other kids who were evaluated and did not receive services. Does that make sense? I'm tired and sleep deprived so I never know

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

MANY kids of my generation did not go to preschool. Nor were they in day care. However, by the time most of us reached school age, we evened out. There were kids who got speech, but usually for articulation and NOT language delays.

I teach special ed in a day treatment center. SOME but not all of our kids are on the spectrum. 95% or more of our kids get speech services and RARELY is articulation addressed - artic is the LEAST of their speech and language issues. It is usually a delay in expressive or receptive language and social skills that qualifies them.

MOST of these kids did NOT get early intervention for MANY reasons. They WOULD have qualified. Some parents did not advocate for their kids and now that they are school age, their SLPs almost have to work twice as hard.

So I say LET the parents be hyper vigilant about services. WORST case scenario, a child needs speech services. BEST case, they don't. I'd much rather see good advocacy than let a child fall through the cracks. In my experience, so many kids with speech delays often have behavioral issues because they cannot express themselves.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Josh was tested to see if he qualified for speech at 24 mos...we were told he doesn't qualify.

I called them back and begged them to see what can be done, if anything. They worked something out and we got once a week.

My mother started a panic early on with him. She is a nurse, works with other nurses who are grandmothers...i swear they sit around at lunch comparing kids. So much so, that my mother tracked down the speech therapist at the hospital to get a second opinion on josh.

my ped was fine with josh and said he would come around. he only had 7 "everyday" words at 24 mos. No tantrums though, never was frustrated...if I said do you want an apple or a banana to try and get him to say one...he would point. I would say, tell me which one you want...say apple or banana...he would look at me like leave me alone and walk away. he is still to this day very cool and collected. no tantrums.

then one night, dh, josh, and I were driving to the mountains. I never see dh so we were catching up. Josh, felt left out. He must have said the same things for 2 hours straight.
"mom, moon."
yes josh i see the moon.
"mom, truck"
yes i see the truck.
"mom, moon."
repeat 300 times.

that is when i called EI. i felt like he wanted to speak and couldn't. i did not want him to be left out.

So, it started. I learned a lot about him just from the evaluation. Completely outside the box thinker. He was picking up on things I never would have and surprising the evaluators all along. He is very different from me, I needed to be taught how to communicate with him. So, through EI, I learned a different way entirely on how to "play" with josh. we don't just do a puzzle now...the puzzle will take an extra 30 minutes...he wants to be explained to constantly. he wants to see what puzzle pieces look like each other. He wants to put every piece that has the color blue in a pile and then count them to see if the pieces with the color green have the same amount...which color will win.

for this, EI was wonderful for my family.
At the end of the day...the only reason josh graduated was because i video taped him talking. the therapist was floored. she could not believe how much he was holding back.
that's my tale with EI. could we have done without? yes. Was it helpful? yes. Did it help that it was free? definitely.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

My son has a true delay. Compared to other kids he is...was very far behind. Thats all we have to diagnose really, besides expert opinion is comparision.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I voted other.

I believe there are kids with delays that do need the help. But I believe there are some moms that panic if their kid doesn't have 15 words at 18 months or is only speaking 2 word sentences at 2. So they rush to call EI. And while some of those kids do need intervention, I think the rest of them are most likely fine and just a bit behind.

My older DD was born prematurely and I would ask the ped at her visits how her development was. He always told me that she hit her milestones at the appropriate age (corrected age) and that there was nothing to worry about. I trust him and took his word for it.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

IMO, our children will be competing in a global world, where their are others who have been pushed and pressured to do better, faster, younger. Is it right or wrong, maybe, maybe not. But I can understand how others would be preparing their children to compete with these children, when they are adults and choosing careers. They see it as early start means better future. Maybe that's wrong? IDK, but I think I get it.

I also, don't know if I would push my kid into speech therapy at age 3, maybe more like 5, but at the same time I can understand where others are coming from when they do.

"We" expect more from them! Absolutely!

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

We expect more from them - sometimes too much

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I am not really sure. I DO think we expect a lot from them. Sometimes when you see other children so much more advanced, it is hard to remember that every child develops differently and in their own time

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I think that services are more readily available. Awareness is higher and screening is also better. I don't think there is an increase I just think that kids didn't get services as much.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I think Kids who had speech delays a long time ago were just labeled as "dumb." Now we can give them EI services earlier on and catch them up before school begins. I have a lot of students who are top kdis in first grade that received EI for speech and language starting at around 2-3 yrs. I think it makes a huge difference later on.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Great answers everyone! Thanks for sharing!

I'm all for getting a child EI and services for any issue - no harm in that! One of the families I was referring to were paying privately for speech because he didn't qualify - however he was biting and tantrumming out of frustration. The other boy is going to a program and actually seemed to have other delays - he qualified right away....

I think more should be available for all kids.....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

We are just identifying these children better, faster, and earlier...that's pretty much it. I don't think it's because we are demanding so much of children since the bell curve of what is considered "typical development" is pretty decent. The laws have changed over the years. Previously children didn't have the type of services and early testing that they do now. I believe more children attend pre-school now as well. We are more aware and are able to ID these kids early, whereas many a few decades ago got "lost in between the cracks". Also, from my perspective, my field (speech) once upon a time basically saw you only if you had a problem saying a certain sound. The field itself has changed so much.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

I simply think (and most of my colleagues do as well) that the criteria for diagnosis has changed....not the amount of children affected. We are also far better prepared to meet the needs of children with special needs. If you think about it, my profession (Special Ed teacher) is still a relatively new field considering how long we have had formal schools. We are making progress, but we still have a loooooong way to go.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....

My son is 4 and gets speech services. IMO in his case it is very valid. He falls into the category you are speaking of. His receptive language is very high. After a year of speech his expressive is getting better but his articulation is at 2%. I can't even understand him sometimes which speaks volumes (no pun intended) so needless to say he gets frustrated if he gets overtalked or is not understood by other people. It's more than just an academic thing, it's a social issue as well. Other 4 year olds can't and won't take the time to understand him. So it's less about expectations from the outside world but more about him being able to communicate for his own self esteem and feeling of belonging. I am almost crying now thinking of how his preschool teacher said he sometimes plays alone rather than with other kids bc he is frustrated. He's a very social kid so it breaks my heart to see him struggle because HE really wants to be understood.

Re: An opinion question about kids with speech delays....