2 year old questions

[Guest guest]

OK. I should preface this by saying that things are done a bit differently here

in the UK. But for what it's worth, here is our

experience. (Sorry, this has turned out too long, as usual.)

My son (now 3.5) started nursery school when aged 2.5. Between 2.5 and 3 he

was really just playing at school (albeit

constructive, educational play) with one bit of circle time for 20 minutes at

the end of the day. From 3, things have been a

bit more structured, with more work on pre-reading, pre-writing and numeracy

skills as well as play time and craft time. I

don't think he could have focused in the way that Ian is being asked to do. At

2, his limit was more like 45 minutes!

has never been taken out of the class at all. From time to time, teachers

have suggested that they might do this with

him, to give him " quiet " time, but I have always resisted it, as does not

like being singled out in this way. He wants to

stay with the others. He is also not having a problem listening in the class.

Taking him in and out of class would, in my view,

be disruptive to the class and also would make it difficult for to focus as

he wouldn't know whether he was in or out.

We have managed to have him in the class for 5 mornings a week (now also 2

afternoons a week). We also did 1 hour

session every week (then every 2 weeks and now very 3/4 weeks) with a specialist

TOD, in 1 to 1 sessions outside school

time. We have also had his speech monitored every 3 (now every 6) months by a

specialist SLT. We have not had any

separate speech therapist, because in fact his speech was developing naturally,

and the various tests they have done on

him suggest that his pronounciation is age appropriate and his language skills

are 1-2 years ahead ofhis peer group.

Now, I am not a professional, but the following is my experience as a parent of

a little one:-

(1) We were told that the practice these days in the UK is not to do " formal "

speech therapy until at least 2.5, as kids

sometime react very adversely to it. In other words, they don't work too early

on the way the mouth moves/repeating

sounds etc. They like to see whether speech is developing naturally, through

listening, or whether it needs more help. The

way that they always worked on speech with was exactly what you have

described, namely verbal play (dirty shirt,

clean shirt) uses the " Sh " sound in " shirt " (difficult for some deaf kids to

hear), repetition and makes it enough fun for our

kids to co-operate!

(2) However, you can do some more formal work with younger kids. For example,

from the time was diagnosed at 3

months we always used the " modelling " technique (repeating the word or sound

back pronounced correctly). Since

turned 2.5 we have also been slowly moving to a " practising " version. So if he

says, " I went on the wing " , I will sometimes

say " Did you enjoy the SSSwing? " and if he repeats it as " wing " I will say,

" Listen, I say " SSSSSSSSSwing " , and we repeat it

together 2/3 times. If he still doesn't get it, I say " good listening, " and

leave it alone. Now that he is 3.5 I sometime

short circuit the conversation, and say " Swing " starts with the letter " SSS " , or

" Where was that S? " and will usually then

repeat it by including the " S " . (Interstingly, last night, we were doing this

with the word " Whisper " which is a pretty difficult

word for a 3 year old to say, I have discovered!!!)

(3) There are loads of charts you can get on the Internet that show that various

letters and sounds come earlier/later and

that there is a really big " normal " range. For example, my younger (hearing)

son, Ben, has been using the " S " sound for

ages (probably comes from hearing it emphasised all the time) but doesn't yet

use the hard consonants ( " C " / " K " etc).

was using them at the same stage. Of course, I don't worry about Ben as I know

he can hear. It is only natural for us to

worry all the time about mispronouced words, but if you listen to other

(hearing) kids, there is a pretty wide range out

there. For example, my 3 year old (hearing) nephew always used to sound like he

pronounced words so clearly compared to

when they were both 2. Now is clearer than his cousin!

Hope that some of this helps! Of course, as others have said, the Mommy gut

instinct is very strong. If you don't think Ian is

getting much out of it, get them to include him more or wait a few more months

until you try again...

Felicity

Mom to 3.5 (severe/profound SNHL, Phonak Superos), Ben 22 months (hearing)