Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Another new person :)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 433123" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Tornado hit our entire house. difficult child 3 has (I think) the world's most comprehensive collection of Nerf, as well as every possible ballbearing rollercoaster it is possible to build. In our living room! I would like to reclaim the living room but the bedroom is already overloaded. Every so often I drag out what I can reach and assess it for function before I throw it away.</p><p></p><p>On the subject of language delay and "He's not got that problem any more, his language is now normal," I urge CAUTION TO ALL!!!</p><p>We have gone into this in minute detail with a gem of a speech pathologist (and very good friend of mine) who is I think also a tad obsessive. But she directed that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) of hers onto my son's language capabilities and went further than most speech therapists do. What she found makes sense and would be valid for anybody who ever had language delay - you can never reclaim the time your child lost when non-verbal.</p><p></p><p>When a baby is learning language, the earlier the better because babies as they grow, are losing brain connections fast. We know that learning two languages from birth is the best way to learn a second language. As babies learn, they form A LOT of mental connections between every item in teir brain. The older a person is when they learn something, the fewer mental connections there are. Repetition carves deeper grooves and puts in a few more connections, but nothing can compete with what a baby's brain can do.</p><p></p><p>So if your child was still learning to talk at age 5, while the kid next door was fluent at 18 months, it doesn't matter if they now have the same vocabulary; the kid next door will always be faster to find the right word, will always be faster to make language-based mental connections. There are some things you can do to put a bit more advantage your child's way, but this will be a lifelong frustration for your child to some extent.</p><p></p><p>We were given an exercise for difficult child 3 (he was in Year 5 at the time - 10 years old). I will use "apple" as an example.</p><p>Think of "apple". Now give me ten words that relate to "apple". Talk to me about "apple". We have apple trees, I like apple crumble, baked apple, apple trees are fun to climb, you can have red apples and green apples, apples are sweet, the apple flesh is white... you get the idea. But just doing this exercise is putting in more brain pathways. Repetition helps even more. Now do this exercise over and over, with different words. Make a game of it. We used to 'play' this game while driving from place to place. Expect some resistance, especially form a child with a history of language delay, even it is is resolved now, because their fewer pathways mean this task is more difficult.</p><p></p><p>Then we were on holidays and saw this little hand-held electronic game "20Q". Check out the website. It is not quite the same as this therapy game, but it does the same sort of job because when you think of "apple" (for example) the game asks questions on a little screen. "Is it animal? Vegetable? Mineral?" and later questions could include, "Is it bigger than a loaf of bread?" Apparently senseless, but this little game works on its own pathways and most of the time 'guesses' what you are thinking of. We found it to be engaging for difficult child 3 as well as an easier way for him to administer his own therapy, as an adjunct.</p><p></p><p>When difficult child 3 was assessed for language (we have to have it done to get special provisions for exams in school) our therapist found that his vocabulary is in the superior range, but other aspects of his communication, while within normal range, are towards the bottom end of the range. She said that this is an almost universal finding in any person who had, at some early stage, significant language delay. It is all due to the child being older than most people, when language was being laid down. And as a result, there will always be a huge gulf between what the child could say, and what he does say. It will always take more effort tan for others, to communicate. Which is why, even when they have an amazing vocabulary, they still seem to pick and choose their words EXCEPT when they're talking about their favourite subject. THEN they're off and running (at the mouth!) because they have gone over their favourite subject so much, that those pathways are deeper-grooved and more numerous. They talk non-stop about their favourite topics because they CAN and it is such a joy for them to feel free and to share what they love. Because they are also always a little bit (or more) egocentric, and "What I love, you love too. Or will when I share my passion with you."</p><p></p><p>So this is a message to all of us whose child had, at some time, some level of language delay: NEVER take your child's now superior intelligence and language abilities for granted, because the past is always with the child to some extent, and even decades later, a skilled therapist can find the evidence. Because it is there.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 433123, member: 1991"] Tornado hit our entire house. difficult child 3 has (I think) the world's most comprehensive collection of Nerf, as well as every possible ballbearing rollercoaster it is possible to build. In our living room! I would like to reclaim the living room but the bedroom is already overloaded. Every so often I drag out what I can reach and assess it for function before I throw it away. On the subject of language delay and "He's not got that problem any more, his language is now normal," I urge CAUTION TO ALL!!! We have gone into this in minute detail with a gem of a speech pathologist (and very good friend of mine) who is I think also a tad obsessive. But she directed that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) of hers onto my son's language capabilities and went further than most speech therapists do. What she found makes sense and would be valid for anybody who ever had language delay - you can never reclaim the time your child lost when non-verbal. When a baby is learning language, the earlier the better because babies as they grow, are losing brain connections fast. We know that learning two languages from birth is the best way to learn a second language. As babies learn, they form A LOT of mental connections between every item in teir brain. The older a person is when they learn something, the fewer mental connections there are. Repetition carves deeper grooves and puts in a few more connections, but nothing can compete with what a baby's brain can do. So if your child was still learning to talk at age 5, while the kid next door was fluent at 18 months, it doesn't matter if they now have the same vocabulary; the kid next door will always be faster to find the right word, will always be faster to make language-based mental connections. There are some things you can do to put a bit more advantage your child's way, but this will be a lifelong frustration for your child to some extent. We were given an exercise for difficult child 3 (he was in Year 5 at the time - 10 years old). I will use "apple" as an example. Think of "apple". Now give me ten words that relate to "apple". Talk to me about "apple". We have apple trees, I like apple crumble, baked apple, apple trees are fun to climb, you can have red apples and green apples, apples are sweet, the apple flesh is white... you get the idea. But just doing this exercise is putting in more brain pathways. Repetition helps even more. Now do this exercise over and over, with different words. Make a game of it. We used to 'play' this game while driving from place to place. Expect some resistance, especially form a child with a history of language delay, even it is is resolved now, because their fewer pathways mean this task is more difficult. Then we were on holidays and saw this little hand-held electronic game "20Q". Check out the website. It is not quite the same as this therapy game, but it does the same sort of job because when you think of "apple" (for example) the game asks questions on a little screen. "Is it animal? Vegetable? Mineral?" and later questions could include, "Is it bigger than a loaf of bread?" Apparently senseless, but this little game works on its own pathways and most of the time 'guesses' what you are thinking of. We found it to be engaging for difficult child 3 as well as an easier way for him to administer his own therapy, as an adjunct. When difficult child 3 was assessed for language (we have to have it done to get special provisions for exams in school) our therapist found that his vocabulary is in the superior range, but other aspects of his communication, while within normal range, are towards the bottom end of the range. She said that this is an almost universal finding in any person who had, at some early stage, significant language delay. It is all due to the child being older than most people, when language was being laid down. And as a result, there will always be a huge gulf between what the child could say, and what he does say. It will always take more effort tan for others, to communicate. Which is why, even when they have an amazing vocabulary, they still seem to pick and choose their words EXCEPT when they're talking about their favourite subject. THEN they're off and running (at the mouth!) because they have gone over their favourite subject so much, that those pathways are deeper-grooved and more numerous. They talk non-stop about their favourite topics because they CAN and it is such a joy for them to feel free and to share what they love. Because they are also always a little bit (or more) egocentric, and "What I love, you love too. Or will when I share my passion with you." So this is a message to all of us whose child had, at some time, some level of language delay: NEVER take your child's now superior intelligence and language abilities for granted, because the past is always with the child to some extent, and even decades later, a skilled therapist can find the evidence. Because it is there. Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Another new person :)
Top