SPEECH THERAPY through the school district... (parent, son, insurance, 5 year old)

[mom2redheads]

My son attends speech therapy through the school district in California, he is in Kindergarten. I am not happy with the speech therapist and I am having big problems with her so I decided to take my concerns to her director and I am getting horrible service... I can not believe it! I am pulling my son out of it ! Does anyone know who I would talk to other than the director to address my problem?

Does anyone have a child in Kindergarten in speech therapy that lives in California? LMK I have some questions

[kwalk65]

I had my 5 year old in speech therapy for about 3 months in Northern California. I was told that the school sytem did offer it but that I would probably find better success/service outside of the school. I believe I did. My insurance covered it and I am glad I went that route.

[StarryEyedSurprise]

Both my husband and younger brother both needed/need speech therapy. My husband insists that going with a private speech therapist (who I would love to recommend, but she is in NY) was what truly helped him become fluent - you would never guess he had a speech impediment. My younger brother is now 16, and his speech has not improved even slightly since his stuttering became apparent in preschool - he has used only school-based therapy, since it became available to him in 1st grade.

So, you can tell what my opinion is.

[BlastfromPast234]

yeah it's true!

Due to the budget crisis and staffing shortage, SLPs have 30+ students beyond their maximum caseload mandated by the state. As a result, the quality of service IS poor. You get what you pay for- There is a reason why government funded programs are not known for their quality.

Bottom line- Don't hate the speech therapist- hate the government!!!

From an SLP who thinks the special education system is messed up beyond ALL redemption

[mom2redheads]

Yes, the speech therapist told me she sees 60 kids..and I was thinking, that doesn't sound like a good thing!

[wyoquilter]

Do you have a Child Development Center or something similar in your area? We have a Child Development Center here and when our 13yo. was in need of speech therapy they were great. We took and had her tested for speech problems at the CDC and not through the school. She only had speech therapy her Kindergarten year and after that she didn't need it anymore. Granted her speech wasn't to terrible, but it was bad enough it required therapy. The therapist came to our daughter's school and worked with her there, she was not the actual school therapist. The therapy was free of charge too, because it was something our daughter needed. The therapist also had us come in numerous times, to go over with us what she was doing with our daughter. She would let us know what my daughter was accomplishing and what areas still needed work. She would give us lists of words and flashcards so that we could work with her at home as well.

I wish that when my oldest was younger that the Child Development Center was in existance. She too was in need of speech therapy, but the school therapist said she didn't need it, and her speech was worse than what our 13yo. was. My oldest can talk well enough, but not as good as she could be if she would have been able to have gotten therapy, but at the time nothing else was available to us other than the school therapist. So we did the best that we could for her ourselves and worked with her on our own.

As far as who you would complain too, that I couldn't answer. Maybe call and talk to the school super intendant.

[mom2redheads]

Thanks...I have a meeting next week...hopefully things will get worked out, if not I will just find another therapist somewhere else

[Pandamonium]

Please come back and tell us how the meeting went.