A little extra help
Griffin started speech therapy yesterday. I am really excited for him. Last spring, the school system here offered free screenings for all pre-school/kindergarten aged kids. Bruce and I had some concerns about Griff's speech which was backed up by some concern by the Moms and that prompted me to take him in. I think I blogged about it then - he scored really high on the behavioral and cognitive tests but there was some concern about his speech. In the end, the speech therapists asked us to work on it over the summer and hopefully he would grow out of it. A few weeks ago, they called back to retest him. Not only had he not gotten better but he has begun a new bad habit - a frontal lisp. After meeting with the school several times, I have secured him twice weekly speech therapy appointments.
Just a month ago when we were hanging out with Bruce's sister Kelly and husband Eric we were talking about this type of thing. Having older children, they gave us some great advice. It was that you HAVE to be your child's advocate. The schools are busy, doctors are busy, it is easier for them to ignore the problem than deal with it head on. As parents, we have to make sure that our children's strengths and weaknesses are getting the attention they deserve. I feel like they are soooo right about this and I am glad I took their advice and followed through. I think I spend too much time worrying about protecting my kids by hiding their weaknesses - somehow feeling like this protects them from the judgement of other people. I realize how silly that sounds, but truly, that is my first instinct. I want to be better than that though. I want to see my kids for who they truly are, love them for all they are and help them be the best they can be. Hopefully, by the time Griffin starts kindergarten he will have worked these glitches out and sound like the smart guy we know he is.
On a side note to all you parents of young children reading. The speech therapist commented how the lisp Griffin has used to be extremely rare but in the last ten years or so they are seeing tons of kids with this problem. I asked her the cause and she said that they haven't been able to prove anything scientifically but she, and other therapists, had a hunch. Recently, sippy cups have come on the market that are completely spill proof. This means that your child really has to suck on them to get the liquid out. This is the same motion (which pulls the tongue out of the mouth) that a bottle and pacifier take. Essentially our children are using "bottles" 2-3 years longer than children born just 10 years ago, causing them to continue sticking the tongue out of their mouth. It is this same motion that causes this particular lisp. She urged me to go home and get rid of all sippy cups, that Griffin should absolutely only be using a real cup. She also advised me that when Lucy starts using cups I should try using the old style that just slows down the spill, instead of the newer styles. Like I said, it is just a hunch, but I thought I would pass it on for what it's worth.
Just a month ago when we were hanging out with Bruce's sister Kelly and husband Eric we were talking about this type of thing. Having older children, they gave us some great advice. It was that you HAVE to be your child's advocate. The schools are busy, doctors are busy, it is easier for them to ignore the problem than deal with it head on. As parents, we have to make sure that our children's strengths and weaknesses are getting the attention they deserve. I feel like they are soooo right about this and I am glad I took their advice and followed through. I think I spend too much time worrying about protecting my kids by hiding their weaknesses - somehow feeling like this protects them from the judgement of other people. I realize how silly that sounds, but truly, that is my first instinct. I want to be better than that though. I want to see my kids for who they truly are, love them for all they are and help them be the best they can be. Hopefully, by the time Griffin starts kindergarten he will have worked these glitches out and sound like the smart guy we know he is.
On a side note to all you parents of young children reading. The speech therapist commented how the lisp Griffin has used to be extremely rare but in the last ten years or so they are seeing tons of kids with this problem. I asked her the cause and she said that they haven't been able to prove anything scientifically but she, and other therapists, had a hunch. Recently, sippy cups have come on the market that are completely spill proof. This means that your child really has to suck on them to get the liquid out. This is the same motion (which pulls the tongue out of the mouth) that a bottle and pacifier take. Essentially our children are using "bottles" 2-3 years longer than children born just 10 years ago, causing them to continue sticking the tongue out of their mouth. It is this same motion that causes this particular lisp. She urged me to go home and get rid of all sippy cups, that Griffin should absolutely only be using a real cup. She also advised me that when Lucy starts using cups I should try using the old style that just slows down the spill, instead of the newer styles. Like I said, it is just a hunch, but I thought I would pass it on for what it's worth.
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