Why Is There So Little Progress In My Child’s Speech Despite Attending Speech Therapy Classes For A Year?
Often, many parents come to our centre and share that they have engaged the “best” or the most well-known speech therapist for their child. But, after one year of Speech Therapy classes, there’s little progress in his or her speech despite them conscientiously completing their homework.
We understand that it can be extremely frustrating for a parent to invest time, energy and money in therapy, yet not see any significant improvement since the child started therapy. Some parents have even tried enrolling their kids in different Speech Therapy classes but to no avail.
However, if your child has a delay in understanding speech and talking, it doesn’t mean that Speech Therapy is the only option for your child. It is NOT the only way to achieve the concept of speech for your child. Many parents assume that special needs kids and kids with speech impairments such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have a lot of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). As such, most think that sending the child for Speech Therapy is the only logical option. Similarly, when our child has a cold, we assume that taking cough and flu medication will suffice. But, are we actually solving the root of the issue?
Here, we are going to help debunk the myths and find out what your child’s real needs are.
First up, here are two important definitions:
Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
Speaking, listening, communicating and understanding others are part and parcel of life. For some, it may sound like simple tasks, as he or she checks off the milestones while growing up. However, for others, they may struggle to do so and require some assistance in helping them to develop these skills.
The term SLCN is an umbrella term encompassing such difficulties. Not all children who struggle with SLCN comprises all of the above-mentioned issues. Some may have only one issue, for eg. speech impairment, while others may have a combination of issues eg. difficulties in listening and communicating. This means that every child who falls under the SLCN category is unique. As a result, it’s important to note that each child should be treated and handled accordingly to his or her situation.
Special Needs
Special Needs children, in particular, those who suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), have a condition linked to brain development that affects their emotions. This, in turn, affects their communication skills and behaviour. Many times, children who fall within this spectrum have difficulties in socialising and communicating with others. In worse cases, they end up as social outcasts. Children diagnosed with ASD generally have issues with their speech.
So, to answer the most important question of the day, here are a few reasons your child has little or no progress even though they have attended Speech Therapy Classes for a year.
1) Many assume that after they are done with Speech Therapy classes, their child can speak, which also means that the child can understand and communicate. However, speaking and communicating are completely different. Parrots can talk but they can’t communicate - they can only mimic what you say or what you teach them to say. Communication, on the other hand, requires specific skills such as comprehending, thinking, grasping social cues and more. Speech Therapy classes can assist your child to speak, but communication requires cognition and social skills require sensory processing.
2) When special needs kids are put on Speech Therapy, they do not only learn how to speak but will also need to crossover all the skills required to speak. All these ‘skill’ requirements are missed out at the child’s developmental milestones, which can hinder the rate of progress.
But, these skills cannot be acquired by the child unless their milestones are cleared. As such, the child will need to undergo the ‘Speech Readiness Program’, which is designed by our director, to be prepared before commencing Speech Therapy. Without undergoing the Speech Readiness Program, the effectiveness of the Speech Therapy will be affected and the progress will be limited.
You may have also observed some other typical issues in your child despite him/her going for Speech Therapy:
Inability to articulate properly or can’t pronounce properly
Although the child is speaking, he/she struggles to express or communicate the exact meaning
Struggling in his/her academics
Behavioural issues such as emotions instability
Inability to connect in a social setting
At Assumption Learning, a Holistic Treatment Program is designed after assessing which developmental milestones are missed. This is to cater to the specific needs of different children across various learning disabilities.
OUR THREE TARGET AREAS
Speech Readiness
Developmental Milestone - sensory, movement etc
Muscle Development of Face and Mouth - lip, jaw, tongue, roof of the mouth etc
Comprehending Ability - the means to attend, grasp and understand what is told
Receptive Language Skills – listening and processing of sounds
Expressive Emotions – the means to communicate and express thoughts and feelings without hesitation thru body language
Communication
Speech Articulation – substitutions, omissions, distortions, and additions
Expressive Language Skills – the ability to string words into properly structured sentences with expressions and gestures
Readiness for Social-emotional communication
The ability to connect with others in a social setting beyond just communication - Eg. eye contact, facial expression, gesture, proximity and distance.
Our Speech, Language and Communication program is specially designed for children aged 18 months and older who will need support in speech, communication and social skills. Our program’s benefit goes beyond just academics. It’s aimed at building your little one’s fundamental speech and language skills in a lively and child-friendly environment with passionate and bright therapists.
Conclusion
As a parent herself, our centre’s director-cum-consultant understands how important it is for one’s child to pass each milestone without any hiccups. It’s very important for your child to acquire speech and language skills during the developmental stage of their life. We offer a general pre- and post-evaluation assessment where we assess your child’s milestone and analyse the underlying reasons that affect their speech and language development. Click HERE for your free consultation now!