Can you say flag? How about frog?
2006-02-07
10:06 p.m.
I don't think I've ever mentioned it here, but Youngest Son has a little bit of a speech problem. He's always had trouble with "F" and "V" and "ST", and it doesn't appear to be getting better. His day care here has a speech therapist that comes to the day care one day a week, and she gave me a name and number of a speech (therapist? evaluator? I don't really know what her title is, to tell the truth) to call about having him evaluated.
Today I took him in for the evaluation, which was at the local school district office. I was a little surprised that it was at the special education department, but she assured me that speech therapy is a special service that just happens to fall under the special education umbrella in this state.
I had to basically answer a bunch of questions about his health and development and family life. For the first few minutes I got to watch them (there were two ladies working and playing with him) start by showing him pictures of things to get him to say the names, and then I was escorted out of the room to wait.
The evaluator told me it was because sometimes kids will look to their moms for the answers to things, and they want to know what the kids actually know and do. Since I am the same mom who wanted to correct Oldest Son as he read the eye chart for his yearly eye exam, that's probably a good idea. :) Nope, I don't have any issues, huh?
It only took about 15 minutes, and then we were off. Basically we're supposed to get a letter in three weeks or so telling us whether he needs speech therapy, but they both confirmed my suspicions on the "F" and "V", and then told me he has an "R" issue as well. Which I really hadn't noticed until they told me, but now I'm hearing it, too.
After we left there I took him to get a haircut, and then zipped over to McDonald's for lunch. He was having a wonderful time playing with another little boy there, so I sat and talked to the other little boy's mom. She's from New Orleans, and we swapped information on how the city was doing. Their home was Uptown, and she told me they didn't flood but were looted. They have just moved here, too. And they were transferred, not relocated by the storm.
She asked me if I knew any local pediatricians and asked about day care. I shared with her what I already knew, which is there's basically one pediatrician's office and the day cares...well, Youngest Son is happy at his, but we're....not impressed. Four months till summer, and then he'll head off to kindergarten. And we're glad, or we would definitely be searching out another day care. She said all the ones she's checked out in the city are full.
While we sat visiting, who walked into McDonald's but my judge. I told him I couldn't believe anybody without a child ever came to McDonald's willingly. He says he eats lunch there all the time when we're not in session. (WHY????) I told Hubby that tonight, and he shook his head in disbelief, too. My feeling: When my kids are no longer asking to go to McDonald's, I could never ever ever set foot in another one and be perfectly content.
After exchanging names and numbers with the other New Orleans mom, we headed out to buy new shoes before coming home to take a nap.
Tonight I cooked a recipe for pork chops with country gravy, and it was sooo good. I found the recipe in the 2005 Cooking Light cookbook. I added about 1/4 of a finely chopped onion and 1 garlic toe, also finely chopped, which I cooked down before throwing it in the gravy. Very, very tasty. And I have leftovers for lunch, too.
I have a lot of cookbooks, but I usually prefer reading them over actually cooking anything in them. I just love it when it's actually a success and not a pot of goo!
Over and out.
2 comments so far Fi - 2006-02-07 23:55:47
My eldest daughter had a lisp until she was about 9. I was like you and worried about it, had her tested, looked for help. It was our dentist that gave us the best advice. He said not to panic until she had about half of her adult teeth through. The whole shape of her mouth would change and so too would the way she could pronounce letters, particularly the ones where you have to put your tongue against your teeth or the roof of your mouth(like T, S and R) or use your lips (like F). He was right. She had tiny teeth and a fat tongue and just couldn't make the noises until she had a bigger jaw and some tombstone teeth at the front.
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Summer Gale - 2006-02-08 16:33:33
My YD has a problem with S. It made her sound childish when she was younger but now at age 24 after the first day of working together they don't even hear it anymore.
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