Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Not Sure School Program Is Enough for Child with Speech Delay | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
I have a three-year-old son who has a speech delay. He is now enrolled in the preschool program for children with disabilities. He goes five days a week for 2½ hours a day. He talks but does not pronounce words right. The class is completely language orientated, but I am worried that he may need one-on-one with a speech therapist, which my township does not offer. What is your opinion? I would really appreciate any advice you can give me on language delays also. Thank You.— Karen in Old Bridge, New Jersey | | | ANSWER |
February 8, 2002 | | | Dear Karen,
We actually have a fair amount of information on our site that can help with these questions. Look in the section on school problems and in particular the articles Getting a Learning Problems Assessment for Your Child and The Individualized Education Plan. A significant speech delay is just the sort of developmental learning problem that the federal special education law has in mind: it is something that will make it difficult or impossible for your child to learn up to his full potential, unless it is dealt with effectively.
Under US law, public schools are required to generate a plan, working together with the parents (you), that's individualized for your child's needs (thus the name, Individual Education Plan, or IEP). The plan has to say how the problem will be dealt with and what specific progress or milestones will be met to show that the plan is working. If those milestones aren't met, then the school needs to modify the plan. If you, as the parent, feel that the plan is not offering enough help to your child, you can request that the school modify the plan until you are satisfied that it will work. You have a lot of power!
In your case, it sounds as though you are not sure whether the special education class your child is in is offering enough support. Two and a half hours a day, five days a week, is a lot compared to what many other schools offer. But that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is whether or not it is working for your son.
Since you are unsure, you might decide to wait and see how your son does. If he makes progress, great! If not, then you have to push harder. The township may claim that they do not offer 1:1 speech therapy, but if that is what your son needs to learn, then the town is required by law to get it for him, if at all possible. Cost cannot be an objection.
For more on delays, see our section on language. For the most part, delays that only involve a child having difficulty with pronunciation are the easiest to correct. (By the way, I assume that your child has normal hearing, but if you don't know for sure, definitely talk with your pediatrician or family doctor about getting a formal hearing evaluation first -- that's terribly important!) Delays that also involve a child's ability to think of the words to say, or to understand speech usually require more therapy over a longer time period. I wish you and your son luck!— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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