Mum is the word on Monday
On Monday I will be MIA. I am spending the day with my son. I am really excited to have some quality time with him. Given that he has a little sister, he is always dividing my time.
Unfortunately, it wont really be quality time together. We are off to a speech therapy session (for 4 hours!) at Northwestern University for a stuttering assessment. 4 hours and $400 later, I will know if we really have a problem and how much therapy the future holds. It will be nice to know for sure-- one way or the other. If one more person tells me that he is soooo smart and that his mouth just cant keep up with his brain, I am going to scream! I just cant be one of those parents that is in denial that my child may have a problem.
Here is how I look at it-- if stuttering is the worst of the problems we encounter, I am a pretty lucky mom!
It's funny, but my experience with my sons stuttering, has made me appreciate more than ever the importance and value of a strong recommendation and advice network.
When your child has a medical problem (which is heart breaking anyway!), you are desperate to find the absolute best care you can for them. But, where do you find the best referrals? And, given that we all view medicine and doctors a different way, where do you get a referral from someone like you? The bottom line is -- it's hard. And, time consuming. And, in some cases, next to impossible.
I was lucky enough to have a good friend that is a speech therapist that put me in the right direction. But, what if I didnt know anyone?
That's where Viewpoints comes in. To me, that is the power of such a service. Depending on your life stage or situation, you need recommendations from people like you! A doctor. A wedding planner. A school. The opportunities are endless!
So, I am excited to see all the valuable ways the Viewpoints community can help each other.
And, of course, I am excited to hang out with my son on Monday-- even if it is just for a doctors appointment. I guess I will surprise him and take him to lunch too and even get him some chocolate (which he loves!) and maybe take him to a movie after. I will make his day!
5 comments:
Here is another I am ... I am a stutterer. Although the fact that no one knows this about me until I tell them means the help I received when I was a child was probably pretty good.
My mom was always told not to worry about it, and that it would go away. By the time I was in 4th grade, I could barely get a phrase out without stuttering through it.
Speech classes at school weren't much help, and my mom spent a special weekend with me down in Carbondale. There were a pair of drs. at SIU doing a study on habit control, and writing a book on Habit Control in a day. I was their youngest subject for the book.
After they studied me, they discovered that I didn't breathe right before I would start talking. So they showed me how to breathe properly and not stutter, but it was hard to relearn something like that, and many times I was lazy and didn't do the work.
For the most part it's gone, but there's an occasion when I'm nervous in front of people that I will start it a little bit. My biggest fear is the telephone. I like emails so much better. If you didn't notice during our phone interview Jolie, then I'm doing pretty well!
On the flip side, my daughter had problems early on, and in preschool they told me to have her speech tested. I couldn't get her tested then, and I had to beg and plead in school, and eventually got her in to be tested in Kindegarten. They noticed some problems with her and she started speech, but once she fell 2 grade levels below the others, they wree allowed to do further testing.
By 3rd grade, they determined she had a learning disability. she has a hard time processing ideas in her head. They call it a processing delay. She still has speech every day, and now she has addl. tutors in class that help her with her more troubling subjects like math and reading. She needs to have tests and things read to her, as while she is great at reading the words, she doesn't have good comprehension to know what they mean.
There you have both sides of the coin, as a parent, and as a child.
This is exactly what I love and appreciate about Viewpoints! I have been stressed out about his speech ups and downs and it is really nice to hear someone elses experience that you trust. And, Laura-- I could not tell at all!
Hi Jolie,
First HUGS - to you and to your son.
My oldest stuttered right after the second son came along. He seemed otherwise thrilled about a sibling. But, I'm sure there was some stress there.
I really worried about that. It's hard to watch your kid struggle for words and have them come out stuttery. I took him to his GP. The GP said to give it a little time.
That did work out. That's not always the case, so that's great that you're getting help and that you know someone in the field for support. I'm very thankful that my oldest resolved the issue in some way as he adjusted to a new family member and that it didn't take extra time and money. I just count myself lucky on that.
I've never seen anything written on "situational" stuttering. That's just my word for it. I just know it was an issue for us and for a short time. Perhaps someone else will see this and relax. That did pass. Even after all these years (not a million - but the boys are teens now), I remember how I "felt" for my kid and thought about how hard it would be to have trouble getting words out.
You're right. Stuttering is sure not BAD like your kid has something terminal. If my kids couldn't say anything, that would be fine. Still, my heart would ache. We all want our little ones to have it as easy as possible. I'm glad both my boys have voices. I'm glad my oldest stopped stuttering and just suddenly one day. It seemed like forever at the time. I still can't say how long that lasted. Not long I'm sure.
I'm sure not saying that it always resolves. I read Laura's post. I checked it out when this happened at my home. If it had not been quick (which is why I know it was), I would have followed up too. My youngest has crocked teeth (from me). He has braces. If my oldest had problems with stuttering (that continued), then I'd have followed up too. I wouldn't have cared that he stuttered, but I would have thought that it would be hard in life to deal with that just as in having teeth not straight. Some people (sadly) do judge on things like that.
My little guy who stuttered now speaks very well and though he also had some issues with groups (and shyness), he has spoken in front of his whole school. He threw up in his pancakes the first time he had to speak in front of a group. So, I would just say . . . hang in.
I would also note that one of my best students ever stuttered. I teach public speaking. This fellow had problems getting the words out, but everyone loved him. He had such passion. It really didn't matter if he said some letters more than once. What he said resonated. That was 9 or so years ago, and I still remember as one of the best.
Thank you for sharing your story as well Cyndi. I really appreciate it!!!!
Good luck with your son, Jolie. I just got this via the feed! jo (Saturday 3:13 est)
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