Isaac's speech thearapy

Results of sucking on a dirty thumb
mmmmm......minerals

Isaac is progressing slowly, but surely, in the talking department.  Before his words were only a consonant and vowel combination.  Words like "me", "ma",  "in", and "bye."  However, now he's starting to add another sound to his combinations.  I've heard "peas" (for "please"), "more", "baby", and today I heard "sheep", and "puppy".  Hooray!  He's taking baby steps.

I think one issue he has is a lack of confidence.  If he doesn't think he can make a particular sound he won't even try.  He'll just stand there silent.  Or suck his thumb.

Hopefully early next year he will start going to a preschool language program run by the county.  Due to Isaac's speech delay, he is qualified for this program.  It'll be 2.5 hours, two days a week.  It's run by speech pathologists, and it will more than double the amount of help he will be getting each week.

Okay, now I'm going to rant a little.  I really appreciate the special help I've gotten from the county at no cost.  However, their transition from home-based services to school-based services sure does stink.  It works like this: at around age 3, a parent can choose to continue home services or go to school-based services.  School-based service include one-hour therapy sessions like the ones Isaac has been receiving, but in a school setting (called itinerant services), or the preschool program that I already mentioned.   Once you choose school services you can't go back to home services.  You're stuck.  However, in considering school services they give you exactly zero information about where he might be going and what times are available.  Basically they say, "decide first, then we'll see what is available."  Would it kill them to have that info on what's available first?

 I mean, I can understand kids come in and out of the program, making the available slots come and go.  I could deal with a little, "here are the openings, but they are not guaranteed"-type conversation.  But they didn't even give me that.  I have to take one child to elementary school every day (since no bus service is provided to his spanish-immersion program), and another child to preschool 3 days a week.  Then I have to pick them both up in the afternoon.  What if "what's available" requires me to be in two places at once?  I asked if they could tell me of  possible openings, knowing that nothing is guaranteed.  Isaac's therapist (who is great, by the way) says that first the members of some special education committee have to decide whether Isaac should do the preschool program or the itinerant services.  That has to be decided first, then they look at the openings.  The short answer to my question is, "No."

 If the preschool schedule didn't work for us, Isaac would go with the itinerant services instead, since the schedule there is a little more flexible.  But I think if Isaac's going to have speech therapy that's an hour long (which he has right now), I'd rather it be at my home that schlepping everyone  to a school.  I can't understand why things are done this way other than this is a result of bureaucracy.

Despite the lack of information, we're going to go with the school-based services and hope we can make it work.  Maybe it'll all be fine.............