speech people

[diggitydot]

Great idea! Our little dude is VERY musical and can carry a tune like nobody's business. He's the only person in the house with naturally great pitch. I think part of it is that he used to mimic for so long that he developed a really great ear for picking up nuances and differentiating between tones.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I can't rave enough about Music Together! We did the fall session, and A tries to mimic certain rhythm patterns and other behaviors we do in class. I can't wait for January when classes start again. I would maybe work with the rhythm patterns from the class CD and go from there. We just finished "Fiddle" - did you want me to send you that CD?

[moonlight]

Sure!!! Thanks!!! Can I ask what kind of teacher do you have? Are all of them so experienced? The husband is also adjunct at the local community college. He invited us to the winter choir concert tonight. After the college students performed the continuing education Steel Pan ensemble performed a couple songs. She loved it! At first she screamed when we walked in because she wanted to run up to the stage and play the piano and steel pans. I talked her down and then she enjoyed the show very much! I feel bad because I'm not that musical. Being around these music teachers a couple times thus far is so refreshing. Its like they 'get' her.

We've been crashing free local Christmas/Winter concerts. haha! If she freaks out, we leave. That only happened once so far. I wish I could afford the music therapy. I can't decide if I want to raise the topic with the school or approach the other parents for a discount group rate.

[moonlight]

For those of you with older kids that have BTDT what is it like to potty train with speech delays? This process doesn't seem text book due to her still limited communication. Several months ago she would potty for us then stopped. Then when she turned 3 last Nov I gave it another try and she flipped the freak out. It was a nightmare and I gave up.

Fast forward three weeks ago she saw a girl at preschool pee and now has done it every day (now several times per day) ever since. The problem is I don't think she has the ability right now to tell me when she needs to go. If I put her on there every hour she goes and can make it almost all day in one pair of panties. Our only hang up is that she will have her BMs in her panties. She's also taking off her diaper in bed at night/nap time and during the day. I think its her way of telling me she doesn't want a diaper but doesn't have the communication skills to say 'no diaper.' Maybe I'm reading too much into it? Is this how they start potty training?

[L.Jane]

For those of you with older kids that have BTDT what is it like to potty train with speech delays? This process doesn't seem text book due to her still limited communication. Several months ago she would potty for us then stopped. Then when she turned 3 last Nov I gave it another try and she flipped the freak out. It was a nightmare and I gave up.

Fast forward three weeks ago she saw a girl at preschool pee and now has done it every day (now several times per day) ever since. The problem is I don't think she has the ability right now to tell me when she needs to go. If I put her on there every hour she goes and can make it almost all day in one pair of panties. Our only hang up is that she will have her BMs in her panties. She's also taking off her diaper in bed at night/nap time and during the day. I think its her way of telling me she doesn't want a diaper but doesn't have the communication skills to say 'no diaper.' Maybe I'm reading too much into it? Is this how they start potty training?

Does she have the ability to understand her body's signs that she needs to go before she has gone? Is it just a verbal issue? I would probably wait to people that have btdt, but what about making signs for her? This way she can tell you with out verbalizing it. Maybe now when you take her to the bathroom, use the sign and then she might start using the sign when she needs to go?

[spotty_dog]

My son started potty training before he was really speaking. (He was a late talker, without real sentences before age 2.5 or so, yet started using the potty by 18 months.) We taught him the signs for "potty" and "poop", which occasionally came in handy, but really the crux of early potty training is *you* recognizing the child's habits and getting them to the receptacle on time.

My DD had a major phase of being anti-diaper when she was maybe 2.5, had been pretty good at potty training for a few months, but started just screaming at me when I'd put diapers on her at nap and bed. She was tired, hence the nap/bedtime, so it wasn't a good time for the left brain to engage with language skills. So if she was able to make the request "no diaper", which I don't remember if she was at that time, it still wasn't really a factor. We just went with it, gave her chances to choose no diaper, if she was wet we'd give it another couple of weeks before permitting another try.

[diggitydot]

DS potty trained late, but once he got the concept, that was all it took. He was trained within a couple days.

[moonlight]

Does she have the ability to understand her body's signs that she needs to go before she has gone?

I'm not sure. Most of the time she doesn't ask to go, I'm just taking her in there and she goes. Maybe once every 2 days she'll ask to go potty, and will go in there and get it done. I don't think she understands her body's signs, but I could be wrong due to the language issues.

[/QUOTE]Is it just a verbal issue? I would probably wait to people that have btdt, but what about making signs for her? This way she can tell you with out verbalizing it. Maybe now when you take her to the bathroom, use the sign and then she might start using the sign when she needs to go?[/QUOTE]

I like that idea. Sometimes a visual seems to work better than telling her things over and over. Do I just google potty sign language signs? One other positive thing is that she is going at preschool. Not the school where she saw the little girl go, the other preschool she attends.

All this worry about her potty training and I'm so 'thrilled' she decided this a couple weeks before we are traveling out of town 4 times in March and April.

[spotty_dog]

Potty/toilet: make the 'T' handshape and shake it back and forth. Poop: put one thumb inside the other fist, then pull it out. (See: Meet the Fockers.) My son loved that one!

[moonlight]

I'm in a rural area right now about to move to a small city. The options for preschools are overwhelming in the new city. I can't decide if I should look at developmental preschool programs (where she can get her ST and OT and potentially good quality teachers), public school program (if she even qualifies, she did here in NC), or look for those glossy looking private preschools that promise you the world. I know that all children are different but honestly this is hard. Anyone do the developmental preschool programs and felt like it helped? She only goes two days a week now (half days) and sometimes I don't think I see any difference. The teachers seem to be impressed by her progress since last fall.

[houseelf]

I don't know that anyone on here can really answer this. You might want to get on City Data forums for your new city and ask the same question. Each individual school is so different. I do know that if she qualifies for public services, most private schools can't accomodate this. In many situations, the parents have to transport the child from the private school to the public schools themselves to get the services. On occasion, attendance at a private school might even jeopardize public school services. On the other hand, I have seen private schools make incredible, amazing special accommodations.

[moonlight]

As much as I've wanted to get the puck out of this area, I'm amazed at the level of Free developmental care she gets and none of it is based on income requirements... just her level of need. Right now she gets ST and OT through the public school and she's in the part time preschool program at the public school. The schools here have one location that is the developmental preschool program. If we were staying she would be in the summer program and then go into the full time (5 days a week) 3 yr old preschool class this fall and get all of her OT and ST. For free. Pedi doesn't think she needs any of this except the ST but said to go ahead and do it because it really wouldn't hurt her.

I think I'm in a place where I don't know what she needs. I tend to over analyze everything she does (milestones) and then question myself if that's really a step forward, a "break out" skill (as they call it), or not really anything. On the other hand it's hard to find those really good educators and therapists that I can trust to help her and report back to me on true progress.

Can you tell I'm confused?

I'm also trying to decide if I should get her re evaluated since the school said she was severely delayed and everyone else including two of our pediatricians said they respectfully disagree with how delayed they said she was. Or maybe I shouldn't and just put her in one of these developmental preschools so that she can get her ST and I don't have to drag her all over the city for appointments each week.

L.Jane? Thoughts?

[Phoebe]

We have a similar set-up in our school system. My friend's daughter was evaluated with some special needs at the preschool level. She attended the developmental preschool where she received services tailored to her specific needs. She did very well there and now needs no services in 5th grade, although she has an ADD diagnosis.

Another piece to attending the developmental preschool is that you learn how to interact with children with all kinds of developmental differences. I think all kids could use some experience with this.

[moonlight]

Started calling the three developmental preschools today. Why is NOT having medicaid such a issue for these places? It really stumps them when I say that we have insurance. The director will call me back after they look into it. This is the school affiliated with the hospital DH will be working at. WTH, you don't know how to bill your own insurance?

[diggitydot]

They're familiar with Medicaid and each insurer has different policies/paperwork for covering therapies. And my guess is that they typically only see people on Medicaid.