My 13 year old is in speech therapy but I have not seen any improvement in a very long time. Do I have to keep him in it? What causes speech impairments?

Have you had a conference with his speech teacher? What about his IEP, is he meeting his goals? I think the teacher would be your first step.

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Hi,

I don't know what method they are using for your DS and why he isn't getting better but trust what your heart tells you. If you think it is not working then go to the ST and ask her what she doing, how long before you should see results and is there something else that may work better?

Example: DS has a year of ST and not a word had come out of his mouth. They told me he would never speak and go learn sign language. I did it. But then I looked into ABA and now we have a completely verbal child. The experts can be wrong at times.

Good luck and let us know what you find out!

I agree, if you don't see a difference, first ask the classroom teacher and the resource teacher about it. Be careful, because there will be the circling of wagons; they will not talk against each other. So ask exactly what areas they have seen improvement. Then talk to the speech therapist. They don't volunteer it, but will talk with you. I email the ST occasionally and ask for progress and what she's been working on, as the folder he brings home doesn't say too much.

They do have to account to the principal, too, so you can also go to him for answers, but I prefer the direct, collaborative approach first.

What causes speech issues? It varies widely. It could be in the muscle tone in the mouth not allowing the child to form words accurately, so therapy is needed, it could be in jaw formation, it could be in the processing of speech. My son gets a little help on the muscle tone side, to form words and slow down his speech, lowering his tone and volume. But his bigger issues are in pragmatics of speech - the processing of what we say. The English language is difficult! Ever read the Amelia Bedelia series? He is being taught to listen to others and how to listen to others. It comes natural to many of us, but not to these kids. Kids with Aspergers, like my kid, kids with anxiety, and others (including my husband) are so focused inside their own heads and what they will say next, that they don't really hear what is being said around them. But definitely ask. Your IEP should have given you some insight, but I've found that if you ask more questions, they are happy to have an involved parent.

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