Speech delay with 22q11, anxiety and the benefits of daycare?
My son is about 28 mths old now. We have started private speech therapy, as the public system was not for him. It was more of a play group than speech therapy. Especially for a child who takes a long time to 'warm up' to new surroundings and environments.
I am happy with my SLP. She is very good and understands all the issues that my son has, his anxiety , his ENT, breathing issues ( subglottic stenosis, laryngeal web ) etc. She is going at his pace and we are still in the assessment phase of things and we can see he will need work on the motor aspect of it .
I feel he wants to communicate more and more everyday. I am hearing different sounds from him that I never did before.
However, my ped had suggested putting him into fulltime daycare to help his speech. I do plan to put him in some part time daycare setting prior to him starting kindergarten more so for the anxiety aspect. He is very attached to me.He depended very much on me before he had his airway reconstruction. I kept him calm so he wouldn't get into respiratory distress.
But to put him in for the purposes of speech esp at this early stageof the process, I wonder about. He doesn't seem to have the tools yet ( ie motor component) anyways, so I don't think putting him in with a bunch of kids will stimulate him to just start talking. Articulation is an issue, not just motivation. I think it may stress him out too much and he is not ready. He is nowhere near having the tools to communicate his wants to strangers. And I would worry about him.
Also, he's not like other kids, he is very cautious. He won't just go into things because he's excited about it . He analyzes and strategizes, he can make the simplest things a 12 step process, having to perfect each minute mini-step in the process! His anxiety and cautiousness also extends to his speech , he's not used to talking or making certain sounds from the year he did not vocalize much because of his breathing issues. To him, it's unchartered waters, and it won't just spill out as other kids who go into daycare. At least I don't think it will.
What do you think? Do you think I am being overly protective? Or do you think daycare would help his speech so much so that it would be worth putting him in a situation that may cause him alot of anxiety right now?
Any experiences? Did just being with other kids help your child's speech? My son has an older brother who he imitates and tries hard to keep up with, but speech is the one thing he will not copy.
Thanks for any input! Much appreciated.
Hi there
First of all your son is adorable! I am going to go out on a limb here and give my opinion as a parent. I have also worked with children and adults who have multiple disabilities for years. My son has autism and learning disabilities and...he had major speech delays. What helped him the most was an intensive home based program.
I say go with your gut. Your son is only two? I am not sure why a recommendation would be made to do full time day care but maybe you can ask the doctor about the logic behind such a suggestion. This is just my opinion but it surely has not been my experience that plunking a kid into daycare ensures that they will magically start talking. They do need opportunities to talk and people to talk with. But the key is balance. I have been involved in many support groups for parents who have special needs children and the thing that is the biggest predictor of progress is parental involvement.
There are so many options of environments where you can work on communication. In a busy daycare setting, they are not so likely to have the time for one on one with your child to promote communication skills.
Are there any early intervention programs in your area? Any preschools which have special education teachers or speech offered as part of the package?
I would investigate all the resources available as there are quite often many services for younger children.
There are many "experts" who will tell you all sorts of things. I hate to say this but this is just the beginning. But remember that this is your child and you are the parent. And as such...you are his best advocate. Listen to your gut about what is right for your child.
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Hello there. I think that there need to be more people like him in the way that he analyzes things first and then he goes, this could become very usefull for him. I also think that what you should do is to get him playing around with anybody who knows him at all, I don't think it just needs to be kids; although that would help a great deal. I hope this helps.
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Hello there. I think that there need to be more people like him in the way that he analyzes things first and then he goes, this could become very usefull for him. I also think that what you should do is to get him playing around with anybody who knows him at all, I don't think it just needs to be kids; although that would help a great deal. I hope this helps.
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Hi my daughter is 2.5 yrs and has been going to daycare part time (8hrs per week) I have found it fantastic for her as she was a very clingy (still is sometimes) child, most likely due to her health issues. It has given her confidence and her speech has improved aswell. I think part time daycare is worth a shot, and if it is working for him, then look at more hours, i wouldn't put him in full time straight away, it may be just a bit too much
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