Does Speech Therapy help with slow speech?

[Anonymous]

I have a DD that speaks slowly. The rest of our family speaks quickly, probably too quickly. During conversations she is often cut-off by others speaking or someone will finish her thought. I'm just wondering if anyone has done speech therapy to create a faster speaking pattern. She does not stutter or have any special needs. Her teachers have never mentioned it as a problem. She is getting frustrated when interacting in groups and says no one will let her speak. She has started to say to others that they interrupted her and she would like to finish speaking. DD is in 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

As a parent, stop cutting her off. And, its something her teacher needs to support. She may have processing issues, some SLP's can help some.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I (her parent) don't cut her off. I am noticing when she is in a group, i.e. girl scouts, play date or a birthday party that other children cut her off. She was speaking with a adult neighbor and the neighbor started to finish her sentence. I just want to help her communicate better. It didn't become an issue until now. In preschool and kindergarten it didn't seem as though she spoke slower than any of the other children. But, I feel as though it is noticeable now.

I came to board asking if anyone else had this issue or knew something about it, not for someone to assume that I am the problem. Just trying to help my kid.

[Anonymous]

Can you work with her mom? She does not have an issue - she is just unique - as we all are. Not everyone can be the same nor should we be. This is a great opportunity for your family to slow down a little. Your daughter will find her groove, but creating a situation where you seek to change her because everyone else is unaccommodating is very intolerant and creates an intolerant environment. My son was dyslexic, but that came with some great abilities. I always told him that he had the "gift of dyslexia" and he has realized how unique he is and is capitalizing on those abilities as an adult. Is your daughter a great listener? Is she the kind of person people want to be around because she is calm? What are her strengths? How does her slow to speak issues contribute to those strengths? Do you really want to change her?

[Anonymous]

I would want to know why she speaks so slowly. Is it a processing issue? Attentional? Word recall? Motor planning? Something else? A speech therapist can help with most of those things, but has to know the problem first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I (her parent) don't cut her off. I am noticing when she is in a group, i.e. girl scouts, play date or a birthday party that other children cut her off. She was speaking with a adult neighbor and the neighbor started to finish her sentence. I just want to help her communicate better. It didn't become an issue until now. In preschool and kindergarten it didn't seem as though she spoke slower than any of the other children. But, I feel as though it is noticeable now.

I came to board asking if anyone else had this issue or knew something about it, not for someone to assume that I am the problem. Just trying to help my kid.

I think you're looking at the wrong end of the horse, OP. Her being interrupted by a peer isn't her problem. It's the peer being inconsiderate. You could help her stick up for herself, by saying, "Excuse me, I wasn't finished." Or maybe she doesn't care, which again would make it an issue for you.

If she had processing issues, it would probably show up in more areas than how slowly she speaks. If you want her to be more comfortable with back and forth then try a drama class.

If you suspect learning issues going on, then ask the public school to test her. If she's not having academic problems, it's unlikely they will. You can also shell out $3-4K for a private neuropsychological assessment.