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Answers / Parenting / Kids' Health

Am I looking at this the wrong way? Has this happened to you and what did you do?

Because of an inherited / hereditary dental condition, DD has had crowns put on her back teeth and a spacer on the top. There are times when her speech isn't always understood and we've had to ask her to repeat herself. So right now we're in the process of having her assessed by the school to see if she qualifies for help with speech therapy. They classify this help under special education. Although she above her K level in a couple of subjects and know all of the school work, it's still called special education. I'm okay with her taking the speech therapy if it will help her speak more clearly but DH is totally against it. He doesn't like the idea of her being in special ed. I says it will be a stigma that follows her throughout her school years. So he hopes she fails the assessment test and feels that I should also hope she doesn't do well on the test. What am I missing? If the sessions will help her speech why not let her?

 
Anonymous

Asked by Anonymous at 10:32 AM on Jan. 3, 2013 in Kids' Health

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Answers (9)
  • I'm dealing with similar. Although my son is very smart, socially capable, and his teachers have admitted that he is advanced for preschool age, he is currently being evaluated for possible ADHD and thus is considered "special ed". However, that doesn't mean he (or your daughter) is going to be put in a "special ed" class with all the kids with disorders like severe autism, down syndrome, etc. if that's what you're thinking. As long as she's capable of doing the same work as other kid's her age she'll continue to be put in the same classes, she'll just have speech therapy on the side.
    Anonymous

    Answer by Anonymous at 10:38 AM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • When my son was in kindergarten he was evaluated as were all the kids. He was recommended for speech and my husband felt the same as yours until the speech therapist explained that about 75% of the boys his age are recommended to be in speech therapy. He is in second grade now and will likely not need therapy after this year. He started out twice a week for 30 minutes at a time with one other boy. He is now once a week for 30 minutes with 4 other kids.
    aeneva

    Answer by aeneva at 12:17 PM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • Forgot to mention I did speech therapy when I was in Kindergarten too. I was never classified as being in special education. But it's also my fault because I failed to tell him "details my life to DH before we got together." Really, I didn't mention doing speech, I didn't tell him until a couple years ago that I had eye surgery when I was around that age too. Just like I'm sure he's failed to tell me things about his life that I've heard from his cousin. Really, really dude over speech therapy. It's not like we didn't speak about he talking before school. It's just that now they want to put it under one umbrella - special education, that he has a problem. My thoughts are that if they can help her for free with the school system a couple days a week until she no longer needs it then why not. We can't afford to take her elsewhere and have a therapist outside of the school system.
    Anonymous

    Comment by Anonymous (original poster) at 12:14 PM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • Remember the days when special ed was not very well developed and really only was offered to the kids we called "retards" (people were so mean and ignorant). Back when people didn't understand the various phases of child development very well and the different ways kids of all different intelligence levels can benefit from specialized/individualized teaching? Your husband is still stuck in that mind-set. He's wrong - you're not. Times have changed and education has changed A LOT for the better of all. Your husband needs to get with the times.
    Sebbiemama

    Answer by Sebbiemama at 12:08 PM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • My daughter is also in Kindergarten and on an IEP for speech therapy. She goes to therapy 15 minutes, 4 days a week. There is no stigma. She goes with another little girl in her class and looks forward to going. She comes home every day telling me how much fun speech therapy was that day.

    Tell your husband to pull his head out his ass. If this is what's needed to help your daughter speak, and be understood, he needs to get out of the way.
    Rosehawk

    Answer by Rosehawk at 11:41 AM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • My sister took years of speech classes like that at school. She had a really hard time with 'r' sounds. (Kinda funny listening to her try to say car). It had nothing to do with her mental capabilities, but rather how she formed her words/sounds with her tongue. Despite taking like 4-5 years of those classes, she was valedictorian of her class, has a nursing degree, and now works in a nursery at a hospital. Also, she announciates her words much better than anyone I know. Bottom line is it will more than likely benefit your child.
    mommy_jules

    Answer by mommy_jules at 11:15 AM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • My oldest dd is in GIFTED and TALENTED and did Speech Therapy for 3 straight years... yes she had an IEP and was overseen by the "Special Education Coordinator" but she wasn't in any "special" classes. They just pull them out of class for 30min or so a few times a month. My 2nd dd is now also in Speech Therapy but she will probably test out of it by next year. ST is really a wonderful thing for ANY student that needs it and your husband shouldn't be so pigheaded about an imagined "stigma" on your child...
    DreainCO

    Answer by DreainCO at 11:10 AM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • i say better to get speech therapy now than get teased later on in life - if you get speech therapy now she will not likely have to have it later in life just for a year or 2 now - especially beings its a dental thing she could learn it quickly - GL
    futurebabykar

    Answer by futurebabykar at 10:48 AM on Jan. 3, 2013

  • Your husband is being stupid—really, really stupid, and lacking in forethought. This is a pull-out speech therapy session, that will make her better able to communicate, which will help her do better in general, because people will be able to understand her speech.
    SWasson

    Answer by SWasson at 10:45 AM on Jan. 3, 2013

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