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Re-evaluations for Speech

January 26, 2013 by Emilee Evans

Yesterday was the 6 month re-evaluation for the boys’ Speech Therapy. It’s a chance to re-visit their goals, see their progress, and possibly make new goals. Sometimes, though, it can mean ending their services. That isn’t always a good thing, either. So here is what is going on with our boys and their speech.
Little man went first, as usual. It really throws him off his routine if he doesn’t, so it’s just a given now that if it’s a therapy day where they won’t be switching (one day a week one is in OT while the other is in Speech and they switch), Chaz goes first. He was having a good day today, which means he wasn’t being grouchy and disagreeable. Luckily, that continued into the evaluation. They said he did really well and cooperated without any fuss! As far as the testing goes he’s about the same as he has been – no delay in receptive communication but a moderate delay in expressive communication. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t made any progress – he has. He’s made A LOT of progress! He’s actually communicating with words now, which is a big difference! Some of his words are still getting “stuck,” though. What I mean by that is instead of making a clear sound they come out nasally. He has so much going on with the nasal speaking, the choking on drinks, the stopping breathing when he sleeps that we’ve been taking it one step at a time – seeing one specialist at a time. We discussed, though, that instead of doing it that way (which is taking a long time and getting us nowhere), she is going to give us referrals to both ENT and for the swallow study so we can knock them both out. It might be easier to see then as well if they’re related or separate issues – and if both (or neither) could be affecting his speech. So, we are keeping the same goals for Chaz and we’ll just keep going! I am so proud of the progress he’s made, and we’re so blessed he has such an amazing Speech Therapist that works with him on his good AND bad days and truly is concerned for him!
B then had his evaluation. I have to admit I was most nervous about his because he was already “borderline” of not being able to qualify the first time. When the testing came back he did score at age appropriate level for receptive communication and just under age appropriate for expressive. Not enough to qualify him by our insurance’s standards. Overall, though, they’re really cracking down on therapies, but that is a post for another day! Well, then we talked about articulation, which was (and still is) a BIG concern. He tested below his age more significantly for articulation, but it still wouldn’t be enough. The next biggest concern is pragmatic speech. This is a common concern with children on the Autism Spectrum. Pragmatic speech is basically how you communicate socially. Things like having him interact with others on a regular basis seems like the easy answer, but when they’re on the Autism spectrum that is definitely not always the case. Some concerns with Brayden’s pragmatic speech are:

  • Not being able to look in your eyes when communicating.
  • Interrupting.
  • Not being able to stay on topic, changing the subject, etc.

And well, those are just the tip of the ice burg. He really has many of the key issues with pragmatic speech that are listed in this article, but those are the main concerns. Because he has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS (Autism Spectrum) there is still a chance he will get approved to continue speech therapy based on the pragmatic speech concerns. The wonderful team of therapists will be doing all they can to try to keep him in therapy, so now we just have to pray for the best. Don’t take this the wrong way, we are VERY happy he is at age appropriate levels for receptive and expressive communication and getting better with articulation, but a child on the Autism Spectrum needs that extra help particularly with the pragmatic speech. He is also so very close to meeting the goals we had set with his speech! Of course, I’ll always continue to work with him, but I can’t quite describe how it’s not the same. So, we’ll find out in a couple of weeks whether he will be able to stay in speech or not.
As a random closing: I’m really disappointed with the way things that are important in regards to special needs children get disregarded by insurance. They’re also cracking down on all types of therapy. Some are saying once they hit a specified age (I believe it’s around age 7) they will no longer qualify for things like Occupational Therapy because it’s a “chronic illness that can’t improve.” That DISGUSTS me. Yes, Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder don’t just go away, but they CAN and DO improve with help! I think it’s so wrong that they basically just tell you to “live with it” rather than giving each person a chance to be the best they can be. Actually, they don’t even acknowledge Sensory Processing Disorder as a disorder needing therapy if you remember what I wrote about our daughter’s evaluation. Again, there are MAJOR concerns that need to be addressed, but everything is calculated by test scores and other things that don’t reveal the whole picture. I hope we can spread enough awareness that it trickles to those that make these important decisions for insurance coverage! I know I, for one, won’t stop pushing to be an advocate for my children!

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Filed Under: Autism, Parenting Special Needs Children, Sensory Processing Disorder, Special Needs Tagged With: Autism, parenting special needs children, pdd-nos, pragmatic speech, sensory processing disorder, special needs kids, speech delay, speech therapy, therapy

Comments

  1. slehan says

    January 28, 2013 at 1:46 am

    Insurance should be to help people get the care they NEED, not what some pencil pushers deem suitable. AARRGGHH!!

  2. William Saylor says

    January 28, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    My grandson is in speech therp they have had a hard time getting insurance to pay to contue.

  3. Deborah Lott says

    January 31, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    As an speech pathologist, I enjoyed reading about your experiences. Hope you can keep them both in therapy! Happy to be following you from the Crew!

  4. Peggy Greco says

    April 1, 2013 at 11:00 am

    Thanks for sharing with us and God bless you and family.

  5. Sandra Watts says

    March 7, 2015 at 10:40 am

    I don’t know if I mentioned before but my son Dillon, 18 now, is also autistic. He has been in speech for many years and made great progress considering he didn’t talk for the first several years of his life. Now he doesn’t stop, lol. He still has a slight impediment but has truly made great strides.
    Sandra Watts recently posted…GRIT Brinsea GiveawayMy Profile

    • Emilee says

      March 7, 2015 at 7:37 pm

      I think you have mentioned it before. I always love to hear how people on the Autism spectrum have progressed through the years! It’s helpful to know!
      Emilee recently posted…10 Field Trips that Offer a Great Learning ExperienceMy Profile

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