How does it feel to be the parent of your child?
When Rey was about 2 years old, he began to talk more frequently. However, my husband and I noticed that he was showing nonfluency in his speech. I assumed it was baby-talk, and that he would grow out of it. When Rey began pre-school as a 4-year-old, he was still showing signs of shuttering. Rey often repeated words and stretched out words. It was difficult to determine if it was a problem or a normal developmental step. After talking to his teacher, getting recommendations from his pediatrician, and doing online research on my own, I learned that it would be best if he received intervention early on. At first, it was difficult to accept that Rey was having speech problems. I was denial and felt he would soon “grow out of it”. After getting opinions and advice from others, I came into terms that Rey had a fluency disorder, stuttering. I started blaming myself. Maybe I was speaking too quickly to him? Or maybe I was modeling improper speech? I realized that I could not focus on what might have caused his fluency disorder. However, what could I do to help him? I want the best for Rey and his future. He receives services at school and from a private practice. As a family, we are all helping Rey fight this. He is improving. He is now 7 years old and is in the second grade. I am very hopeful that he will eventually speak fluently.
How is your child developmentally the same or different from other children at the various ages?
Developmentally, Rey is the same as the other students. However, he struggles with speaking and reading aloud. He has speaking ability but struggles with the skills to produce more fluent speech. His fluency disorder has caused a change in his personality. Rey has anxiety about speaking. He does not like to be called on in class. Rey is afraid his classmates will make fun of him. Mrs. V and I worked together to help Rey feel more comfortable in class. We let him know that he will have to speak in class, but we will let him know ahead of time. He rehearses what he will say prior to speaking in class. I want to help him become more out-going. Rey likes to be alone and does not like to talk to someone he does not feel close to. He keeps to himself and does not express anger well. In academics, Rey is a proficient student. He does not have problems with independent reading or writing.
What professionals/agencies do you deal with? What services are available to you and your child?
When Rey’s fluency disorder was first brought into attention, we had to discuss and evaluate Trey with the school district and evaluators. The school district administers an evaluation to see if Rey’s disorder makes him eligible. The eligibility decision is based on the evaluation results, school district guidelines regarding stuttering, my personal opinion as a parent, the affects of stuttering in school, and the evaluating team decision whether Trey would benefit from therapy. The final decision was that Trey would benefit from speech therapy. He receives 1 hour of services a week. In addition to school services, we wanted addition therapy for him. We work with a speech and language pathologist from a private practice weekly.
How did you find out about the above services?
Although I noticed Rey’s stuttering in preschool, I made the decision to not put him through intervention. When he started Kindergarten, his teacher recommended Rey to be screened and informed us that free services are available. I discussed the problems with Rey’s pediatrician, and he gave me some beginning steps that I should take. He also suggested I talk to Rey’s school to see if I could get free services. If I wanted to seek more therapy, he had a list of highly recommended speech pathologist either through my insurance or from a private practice. I also did research on my own to learn about other children who stutter. I was convinced that Rey needed help.
What financial burden, if any, are you experiencing?
We wanted to seek additional therapy other than the services at Rey’s school. We found a speech pathologist in a private practice. We were set on a recommended speech pathologist in Los Angeles. A thorough evaluation took 3 hours long and it cost $300. The insurance company only agreed to pay for the evaluation. After we received the results, the speech pathologist gave us an estimation of 3 years of therapy, 2 visits a week. The therapist charged an hourly rate of $60. I had to set aside a savings fund to make sure I had enough to pay for Rey’s therapy. We cut down on leisure and entertainment activities to be able to afford for his therapy.
What other information do you want to share?
Rey is smart, caring, out-going and kind kid. He is normal kid that struggles with speech fluency. Rey could get better! We all need to stay hopeful. Trey’s personality is masked by his speech. It is important that anyone who meets or knows an individual that stutters to treat the person with respect and like any other normal person. People who stutter struggle with depression and frustration. Responding to what a stutter says and now how they say it is key. Try not to correct the person’s speech. Also, do not call attention to the stuttering. It is helpful to encourage conversation and to make the stutter feel comfortable with speaking.
GLOGSTER: Fluency Disorder
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