Help Me Advocate for Speech Therapy for My DD Please!

[ramama]

I am so sorry to bother you mamas with this piddly little problem, compared to some of the stuff you guys are struggling with, but I have no other resources...

My DD is 7 and cannot say r's.  I'm not saying that she hasn't developed the ability yet, I'm saying that she cannot say r's.  We are in a new area, and DD is new to public school.  I spoke to the speech therapist at the school shortly after starting (so I'd say mid-October) and she said that her speech issues are not impacting her academics sufficiently enough (which is a lie) and that she wouldn't qualify for services until she is eight.  She then asked me about my insurance, and told me that she would be moonlighting with a speech therapy practice outside of school soon, and that DD really needs speech therapy, and that DD would really benefit from speech therapy, and that I should think of hiring her privately (she said this several times, over and over, so it is not a case of me misunderstanding her meaning).  She said that DD is really advanced and she needs her speech skills brought up to the same level as her other language skills, etc.  WTF?

So, I talk to the principal of the school (I do not tell her about the speech therapist trying to get private business, I didn't want to rock the boat, being so brand new to the school).  The principal informed me that the speech therapist did not do a formal evaluation, and would I like her to do one?  Yes!  She said that they had quarterly meetings about the kids who need special services, and that the next one is around Thanksgiving.  Great.  Thanksgiving comes and goes and nothing.  I called the principal a couple days ago, and hear that the speech therapist observed Riley in class for a while (so inconspicuously that DD didn't even know she was there) and that she doesn't qualify for services, according to the speech therapist (who I obviously don't trust LOL).  So, where is the formal evaluation?  The principle again asked if I wanted to go ahead with a formal evaluation, and I said yes, and I hear from DD that the speech therapist once again came and sat in the class.  WTF good is that?  That is a formal evaluation?  I am SO at the end of my rope!

FTR, my insurance does not cover speech services, unless the school has deemed that DD needs them and is unable to provide the services.  We cannot afford independent speech therapy out-of-pocket, we just can't.

So, what do I do?  Right now, here is my plan:  I have an appointment for a independent evaluation in mid-April (after paying for it, we likely won't be able to make rent, but whatever).  If they decide that DD needs therapy, I will take the paperwork to the school and demand that they provide the services (and reimburse me for the expense of getting a private evaluation LOL).  If they still refuse, I ask them to write a letter to that effect, and submit it to my insurance company who will, hopefully, cover therapy.  But if they don't, what next?

Thanks for listening to me ramble.  I am just so over all this.  I just can't see how effective oral communication is not something that schools shoot for, regardless of how much it is, or isn't, impacting other academics.  She is rarely understood when speaking!  DH even cannot understand her most of the time!  Ugh.  How is waiting until she is eight going to help?  I think that by eight, it will be too late and she will always have a speech problem.  Help me please!

[RiverTam]

You need to ask for an evaluation in writing. Once the school district has a written request for an evaluation they have 15 days to create an assessment plan. You then have 15 days to consent to the plan or ask for changes. From the time that you consent to the plan, they have 60 days to do the assessment and have an IEP meeting.

If the school assessment says that your child is not eligible for services, but your private assessment says that she needs service, you need to share the private assessment with the school. If they still say "No," you will need to start the appeal process through your school district and find a lawyer.

More here:

http://www.ped-onc.org/cfissues/backtoschool/iep.html

http://www.law.duke.edu/childedlaw/childrenwithdisabilities.html

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

No bother!! Welcome to Special Needs Parenting forum! It's what we're here for!
Everything RiverTam said. Say you want absolutely everything in writing from now on and make sure all your responses are in writing as well. If it's email, print it out and keep it in a file.

What the speech therapist is doing is absolutely wrong and probaby totally against the school policy. At this point, I would let the principal know this. They are taking advantage of you, because you are not aware of the laws surrounding your rights and your child's rights. You may also want to look into getting an advocate so that the school knows you are serious about getting your dd the help she needs. Also, often schools are required to pay for an outside eval if you do not agree with their assessment, or at least part of it depending on your income. I'm sorry you are struggling with this. It enrages me when I see schools denying children the services they are required by law to provide!

[RiverTam]

BTW, you are absolutely correct that an in-class observation is not sufficient to judge speech problems. My son's speech evaluation was 2 hours, done in a private office, and involved a battery of tests, including a hearing assessment.

We  do not receive services from our school district. DS has academic work that is above grade level. He is not eligible for speech services. We went private pay and were pretty happy with it.

If you have a speech-therapy graduate program near-by, you may be able to get low cost or free services from their clinic(s). They often have services available. In my area, both SLU and SIUE run  a clinic for speech.  (SIUE also runs a clinic for ADHD and behavior.)

[Tigerchild]

It may be an age issue.  My sons both have speech issues, but the school district will not do a formal evaluation until they are 8 (unless it was affecting academic performance, which it does not).  Nobody would say that directly until I asked our very honest principal point blank if that was what it was.

[ramama]

Originally Posted by RiverTam 

We  do not receive services from our school district. DS has academic work that is above grade level. He is not eligible for speech services. We went private pay and were pretty happy with it.

See, this kills me.  I think that being able to communicate effectively should be taught in schools and should be a goal in and of itself.  Basically what they are saying is that because DD is reading at a 4th grade level, it's okay for her to grow into adulthood being unable to say r's.  That pisses me off.

Originally Posted by Tigerchild 

It may be an age issue.  My sons both have speech issues, but the school district will not do a formal evaluation until they are 8 (unless it was affecting academic performance, which it does not).  Nobody would say that directly until I asked our very honest principal point blank if that was what it was.

This is what they are arguing and I find it ridiculous.  Who says that eight is the magical number?  Does the law say it's okay to make kids wait until they are eight to have an evaluation?  Is that legal?  They have had my kid for 6 months and I have had her for 7 years, so I know that she cannot say r's.  She's not going to grow out of it.  She was delayed in saying l's too, but I knew she could say them because I could get them out of her, it was just not a habit to say l's properly yet.  I know her problems with r's are different.  I cannot get an r out of her save my life.  No one can.  I know this is different and I feel that no one is giving any credence to my knowledge of her as a parent.

Thanks for the info on my rights.  Gosh, I just didn't know.  I fully intend on writing a letter to the principle outlining what the speech therapist said to me.  However, I already distrust this woman, and I'm sure the shit will hit the fan after I do that.  Can I request that the school system evaluate her using a different speech therapist?  I honestly don't trust this one to be objective.  There are other schools nearby, can I ask to have them evaluate DD?

[Drummer's Wife]

Just wanted to say good luck getting it all figured out.  I have a 6 yr old DS who receives speech therapy from the school, and it was a long drawn-out process from the first evaluation right after he turned 4 until his IEP was in place and he finally started speech.  I think it's good you are advocating for your child, but it may be until she is 8 'till she actually receives any services, at least through the school, even with you pushing for it now.  I agree that an observation isn't enough; a full-blown eval would be best.  What about Child Find?  Do you have that (or similar) in your area?  I've had two of my children tested/evaluated with them, in all areas of development, and if they see a need for services they will help you get them either from school or outside of it.

I do think it's odd that the SLP was offering private therapy, but maybe she truly feels like not saying R's correctly is such a minor thing compared to the children she sees every week (and honestly, she probably has a too high caseload), that she figured if you really were concerned you'd pay out of pocket or get insurance to cover it. 

I think finding a SLP grad program near you is a great idea.  At the very least, the students will probably be able to do a free or low-cost evaluation and possibly even therapy at their clinic.

[beebalmmama]

It does stink when it comes to having to wait until they are "developmentally behind enough" to then get services. Ds has had minimal time with the SLP at his school and I don't think it's been enough, his teacher doesn't think so either. But he's not at the lower end of who needs help and the SLP's are servicing those children first. I realize that the SLP at his school is actually shared between 3-4 schools.....school cuts. It's frustrating because at ds's pt conference his teacher said she still sometimes has a hard time understanding him.  You would think that would be a flag to offer him more services if his teacher can't even understand him!! I'm not sure if we could rock the boat....probably, but dh was hesitant because he works at the school and is not tenured in the district yet.

They did give us info for community resources though. We just finished applying and are receiving help at a local clinic that offers scholarships and sliding fee. We're paying a $30 month deductible for 45 min a week. So far going well. After the first session ds said he wanted to go to speech everyday! We have help with him with the scholarship until he turns 7, after that they do a sliding fee.

I would imagine a different therapist could evaluate her. Although you may have to get your daughter to the therapist if they don't work with her school. I agree with several of the pp's and make the request in writing and have a more detailed discussion with the principal.

[LoriAtYCT]

Hi there.

I'm an SLP. I may be able to help explain a bit at least. :)

This is tough issue. Although school districts are mandated to provide supplemental services to kids with special needs, what those guidelines are set rather strictly. (For instance - in CA where I live, a kidlet in school has to test below the 7th percentile to qualify for language services. The 7th percentile. Holy smokes, do you know how many kids get missed??) 

This means that kids with milder conditions may not qualify, or it may take a long time for their delays to create the necessary academic impact. 

The 'r' issue is this - the upper range for natural acquisition of r is 6-7. This means that "delayed" can be identified later.

Now, an SLP will (should!) tell you that a child should have r emerging by the time they're four or five and that 7 i just too darned late. But the district will look at the best well known charts and there is 'r', way up at 7 or so. 

Hmmph. 

The problem here is that just because there is a problem, the school district is not actually obligated to do something about it. (Frustrating as that is.) Mild problems (like a single articulation problem) or problems just not severe enough to qualify (like below that darned 7th percentile cutoff) won't necessarily qualify. It doesn't mean they're not THERE, they're just not beyond where the school is mandated to help. And even if your daughter has the r problem at 8, but is doing well in school, and observation shows her interacting well and happily, they STILL may not do anything about it.

*sigh*

I don't like that - I know kids who are really frustrated by their speech problems, even when they don't show it. But I'm just trying to explain.

If an evaluation shows that the problem doesn't qualify, an SLP could certainly share with you her private practice details (NOT on school time!) if you wanted to access them. But the formal evaluation should be done FIRST and you should be shown how she does or not does not qualify based on state special education standards.

Did that help at all?

Let me know if you need more info. :)

[Peony]

Originally Posted by LoriAtYCT 

Hi there.

I'm an SLP. I may be able to help explain a bit at least. :)

This is tough issue. Although school districts are mandated to provide supplemental services to kids with special needs, what those guidelines are set rather strictly. (For instance - in CA where I live, a kidlet in school has to test below the 7th percentile to qualify for language services. The 7th percentile. Holy smokes, do you know how many kids get missed??) 

This means that kids with milder conditions may not qualify, or it may take a long time for their delays to create the necessary academic impact. 

The 'r' issue is this - the upper range for natural acquisition of r is 6-7. This means that "delayed" can be identified later.

Now, an SLP will (should!) tell you that a child should have r emerging by the time they're four or five and that 7 i just too darned late. But the district will look at the best well known charts and there is 'r', way up at 7 or so. 

Hmmph. 

The problem here is that just because there is a problem, the school district is not actually obligated to do something about it. (Frustrating as that is.) Mild problems (like a single articulation problem) or problems just not severe enough to qualify (like below that darned 7th percentile cutoff) won't necessarily qualify. It doesn't mean they're not THERE, they're just not beyond where the school is mandated to help. And even if your daughter has the r problem at 8, but is doing well in school, and observation shows her interacting well and happily, they STILL may not do anything about it.

*sigh*

I don't like that - I know kids who are really frustrated by their speech problems, even when they don't show it. But I'm just trying to explain.

If an evaluation shows that the problem doesn't qualify, an SLP could certainly share with you her private practice details (NOT on school time!) if you wanted to access them. But the formal evaluation should be done FIRST and you should be shown how she does or not does not qualify based on state special education standards.

Did that help at all?

Let me know if you need more info. :)

This is exactly what we've run into previously with my DD1 and speech. She had r and l issues. Mild problems get no services here, it is private or nothing. Jump through all the hoops, request the formal eval, and see what they come back with. We finally actually qualified for DS to get speech therapy, he has severe speech issues, and he barely made the cutoff still. Frustrating as all heck yes, legal though yes, the guidelines and cut offs are often quite strict. 

[RiverTam]

Linguisystems  has some manuals and exercises to work with kids on /r/

http://www.linguisystems.com/itemdetail.php?itemid=10504

http://www.linguisystems.com/itemdetail.php?itemid=10194

http://www.linguisystems.com/itemdetail.php?itemid=10208

http://www.linguisystems.com/itemdetail.php?itemid=10577

It's not the same as having a SLP, but it's better than nothing.

[lindsayinnc]

Another SLP here chiming in...

Unfortunately for you and your daughter it sounds like she would not meet the requirements for speech therapy at school in my experience (NC).  

Many of the developmental charts put the age for developing the /r/ sound at 7, which means not disordered till a year later at 8 years old.  The other issue is that even though /r/ makes many different sounds (/r/, /r/ blends, and all the vocalic /r/ variations) in our state guidelines it is considered 1 sound and a student must have 2 or more articulation errors not expected at their age for it to be an articulation disorder.  There also must be a negative impact on the student's education (here this can be more than just pure academics, such as social or with oral expression in the classroom).

You have every right as a parent to ask for an evaluation in writing.  At my school we would still have to go through the process of attempting to work with the student in the classroom while we were going through with the evaluation.  The speech pathologist at the school your daughter goes to has basically done 2 screenings, observing your daughter's speech.  If I observed a student 2 times I would be able to tell whether they had enough sound errors to make it worth the time/paperwork of a full evaluation.

I would be careful about having an outside evaluation done and expecting the school to pay for it, schools have to use the outside information as a part of their data but are not required to take an outside recommendation.  All decisions are made by the team at school which would include you, the student's teacher, the SLP, and usually the principal or assistant principal.  Typically an outside source is not using school guidelines, for example the University clinic near my school uses medicaid guidelines which are less strict.  I have had instances where a report from the clinic recommends services but the student still did not qualify for school services.  

Having said all that, 

I do not think it was professional or appropriate to try to get you to hire her for services.  It would be appropriate for her to recommend outside services though.  University clinics can be a great option, the one near us has a sliding fee scale which can make it little to nothing for services. I hate these situations at school and hope you guys can work something out.  Best of luck to you and your daughter, I wish all parents were such good advocates for their children!

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I think the main issue is that the OP has asked for an evaluation and has been told her dd doesn't qualify for services, without the evaluation having been done. But it can be difficult to qualify on speech issues alone unless it is really affecting their academic success. I think the worrisome thing in this case it the fact that the school hasn't done the evaluation or apparently advised the OP about how to go about getting that done. At this point, I don't think I could really trust the evaluation process at the school.

[Polliwog]

I agree with the speech therapists who posted above. But, as a teacher and education specialist who has participated in hundreds of IEP meetings, many times their hands are tied. There are legal guidelines and speech is tough. The problem has to significantly hinder the child's academic functioning and can't be within developmental limits. Sometimes it can be frustrating for EVERYONE involved.