After Katherine’s teachers suggested some screening of her language skills, we set up an appointment with the program (“Child Finders,” which seems an odd name) in our school district. Yesterday afternoon, she had her appointment.
Beforehand we filled out the forms as to what sorts of problems she’s having and what concerns we havfe. Fact was, we felt slightly guilty checking off the one box about her not speaking clearly, given the litany of behavioral, cognitive, and physiological problem boxes there were to check.
It’s probably my own bias, but she seemed to do brilliantly on all the testing she did — following instructions, physical coordination, vocabulary, grouping and sorting. She employed some clever tricks — she showed she could build a simple bridge out of blocks, and then wanted to build a bigger one; she noticed that the teacher was skipping over one set of pictures in the little testing kit she had, and wanted to do those, too; when she couldn’t remember the name of one letter, she ran through the alphabet song until she found it. The three specialists all noted that (a) she was really very bright, (b) she did a lot better on various tests than her grade level, (c) she was a real charmer, and (d) she had a lot to say.
They also agreed that she could use some more screening on her “artic and disfluency” problems, which is pretty much what we went in there for, so we’ll be going back again next week. Still, all told, it was a very successful visit. And if we can get some work done on her “artic and disfluency” before she gets frustrated, or kids start teasing her about it, it’ll be all good.
My son just turned three and he also has a language delay. Over the past six months, the doctor has been pressuring us to contact a state agency for assistance, but my husband has been extremely reluctant to do so, as if we’re at fault — it’s that guilt thing you mentioned here, and I can relate to that because my son is smart, creative, and happy, even with a delay so I’m trying to hold off until January. Although Nicholas may not speak in complete sentences, his vocabulary has improved considerably over the past few months and he is speaking in two-word combinations. It’s progress we’re pleased with, although the doctor might not agree.
Good luck with your little girl!
Actually, the guilt we feel is drawing on public resources when there are clearly a lot of other needs that kids have. That said, I’m certainly interested in helping her with her problem however I can, and not just trust that it’s something she’ll “grow out of” if we leave it alone. Best of luck with Nichloas.