Will FT daycare help with a speech delay?

[Anonymous]

Our DS is 2.5 and has a significant speech delay. His expressive speech is at the 24 month level, but his receptive language is great. We currently work with a private SLP and are in the process of getting evaluated by Child Find. I am a SAHM. DS goes to preschool two days a week, and we go to play groups and play dates. But, he's not getting the peer interaction that he would if he were in daycare full time. Preschool has helped a lot, so I know the "monkey see, monkey do" aspect is beneficial. I'm not opposed to daycare by any means; that's not why he's currently home with me. But, we're wondering if putting him in full-time daycare would help his speech enough to justify the switch. I'm planning to go back to work full time in the not-so-distant future anyway. Is putting him in full-time daycare as soon as possible the best thing to help with his delay? I don't think the speech therapy has helped his speech any. It's beneficial though in the sense that an SLP is monitoring him and he's getting used to the process of therapy. I think therapy will be more beneficial when he's older. Thoughts? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Any socializing your child does and time spent with other kids will be great. Will it be the "best" thing? Very hard to say.

Therapy will not be more beneficial when he's older. Please don't think that way. It will be much, much tougher when he's older. Speech therapy tends to show results only after time and the attitude is almost always "Oh, he would have caught up anyway." There is no such thing as instant results from speech therapy.

[Anonymous]

I would switch him to do Child Find preschool every day. Trust me, in that setting, even 3-4 hours a day makes a huge difference.

I don't know where you are geographically but there's a nice center in Falls Church which has its own SLP and OT specialists. There may be a waiting list. Falls Church-McLean Center. Their SLP used to work at the Dolley Madison Preschool.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the Child Find recommendation but you either need to self-refer or be referred from a preschool / daycare teacher. If I were you, I'd put him in a high quality preschool / daycare with experienced teachers. If there is a problem (which there may or may not be -- 2.5 is still pretty young), the teachers will see it and recommend you to Child Find.

In our experience, our son was able to stay at the preschool / daycare that referred him (which was great for continuity's sake) and was visited by a Child Find specialist 2-3x a week (which was gradually reduced to 1x a week as his speech improved). By the time he got to K, he was at grade level in speech and we avoided having to take his IEP with him to school. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any socializing your child does and time spent with other kids will be great. Will it be the "best" thing? Very hard to say.

Therapy will not be more beneficial when he's older. Please don't think that way. It will be much, much tougher when he's older. Speech therapy tends to show results only after time and the attitude is almost always "Oh, he would have caught up anyway." There is no such thing as instant results from speech therapy.

ditto

[Anonymous]

I think it depends upon the daycare. My youngest has a language/communication disorder and having him at an in-home daycare with an excellent structure/routine/activities was extremely helpful (the owner was a former K teacher) but not just with his speech. It was also very good for his fine motor and organizational challenges. They did SO much more than we were doing at home. Going to a FCPS special ed preschool was also an excellent, excellent thing. He was in the daycare before/after school since DH and I WOH FT. But, it also wasn't enough. He still needed speech therapy which he got privately and at school.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, no. As he gets older it gets clear the differences between the delayed kids and the non-delayed kids. The non-delayed do not understand the delay and they don't socialize. We did a two program and it was a waste (I am SAHM too). Speech therapy and other activities that encourage speech along with a part-time activities. Since you are SAHM, look at U of MD Leap for next year. It is a preschool at the U of MD speech program and it is wonderful. Kids get 3 day a week preschool and each day they get speech therapy included.

[Anonymous]

I would go with a preschool that offers speech therapy at school. DS gets ST twice a week at school and it is making a huge difference. Day cares are businesses and don't really have the staff that is trained to implement the Speech Therapists recommendations the way a preschool would. Where are you located?

[Anonymous]

Also thing about taking a Hanen class or ordering the Hanen "it takes two to talk" book. It was literally almost miraculous with my twins.

I think I hadn't been talking to them enough. My DH and I were both working FT and we had an older child too. I think we were very focused on meeting their needs, but we weren't talking to the twins enough or making them talk to us. They were also in a very nurturing daycare (but not very stimulating). Hanen really, really helped us help them. Just as much as private therapy for a year (probably more).

[Anonymous]

Depending on the delays, a part time eveery day program in a mixed-age classroom would be a good way to go, imho. Mixed age means kids are used to mix up old and new, and there is no universal expectation. There is way more talking involved, because the older children are doing a lot of it. And traditionally, such older kids are encouraged to interact and guide some of the younger ones. They develop some "leadership" skills, litttle ones have someone to help them. Win-win.

But it has to be a speech-rich environment that also allows for a lot of interactive free play. Waldorf or Emilio Reggia jump to mind. We did Montessori, which is great for non-verbal development but was not great for speech.

You have to find the right place -- many early childhood programs are not terribly engaging from a speech and vocabulary development point of view...

Once you have a more detailed evaluation, you can also decide on what therapy is needed. DS with horrible fronting and syllable ellipsis needed just a few months to get going. We continued on until K, but the bulk was done n the first 3 months. But there could be other reasons for the delay, so a good evaluation is important..

[Anonymous]

In my experience, a typical daycare/preschool won't help, but a special needs preschool for kids with language delay with intensive speech therapy incorporated in the program will. My son was initially in a typical preschool and it did not help him at all: teachers kept telling me "he is very quiet" and they did not do anything about it since they had no clue what to do. Then switched him to a preschool for kids with language delay with intensive speech therapy and saw a very big difference.

[Anonymous]

If you can get child find, do child find.
Also, daycare and preschool are different.
I good solid preschool, more than two days a week would make a difference. Focus on small class size. A daycare/preschool with 24 kids and 2 teachers/2 aides will be a huge disservice to your child. Small class size is key.

[Anonymous]

FYI, I'm not sure a a 2.5 year old with 24 month old language skills is considered a "significant speech delay". Check with speech therapist and ask about their concern level before jumping through too many hoops.

[Anonymous]

Agree with pp- doesn't sound like a significant delay. Regardless, frequency and intensity are key here. The setting doesn't matter as much. If you can provide services yourself at home, that would do the trick. Seeing an slp once a week will not result in the change you're looking for. I agree with looking into Hanen. Also, use your slp as a resource. Observe the sessions and reproduce them at home as much as possible. Ask him/her for guidance on activities to do at home. Educate yourself by reading books- the Hanen ones a are a good place to start. They may have them at the library.

[Anonymous]

Full time day care is not a substitute for speech therapy. Check in to a PEP program, Leap at the University of MD, Dolley Madison in VA for preschools. Try speech summer camp. Socializing with other kids is helpful when they have the tools to do it. Please don't abandon speech therapy.