using music w/tongue tied kids

[Guest guest]

t,

You have a good idea w/the music. I know a friend of mine used it to get

her son to start talking. The example she used was when he was standing at the

top of the stairs w/the gate up. She would sing " London Bridge is falling ... "

& when he said " down " , she reinforced w/ " that's right, you want to go down " . It

turned into spontaneous language after a while.

My son was diagnosed 1 1/2 yrs. ago w/dyspraxia. For a long time he didn't

say much & what he said wasn't clear. Once we received the diagnosis of

dyspraxia, it increased his s/t time greatly. The diagnostician recommended 5

days/wk of 1/2 hr each day & she was specific that he be in a group of no more

than 2 other kids & those kids had to have similar problems. This was important

because as the case load for speech therapists increases, they are pressured by

the " higher ups " to combine children into bigger groups. The diagnostician also

gave the type of therapy to be done. She described both oral motor & pragmatic

goals to be achieved. Without the oral motor, my son will never learn to speak

clearly enough to be understood by a stranger.

The other important element in my son's progress w/speech is having everyone

work together. The therapists are reviewed at least weekly to make sure they

are all consistent in what they are asking my son to do. Then we (including my

husband & I) all hold him responsible for pronouncing words correctly that he is

capable of saying.

Beth