Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 25 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by suzukimom.

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July 9, 2011 at 2:44 am
suzukimom
Participant
Can I jump in too?
My son tends to stammer… saying the first word or first few words over and over. It happens more often when he is excited, but really at anytime. It isn’t ALL the time, but is enough…. (btw, he is almost 8)
So, he is likely to say….
Mom, I would like to…. I would like to…. mom, I’d like to…. (at which point I usually say something like “you would like to…?” or “what would you like?” and then he says “Can we go to the park?” or “I would like to go to the park…?”…
I have to admit that at times it gets very hard to be patient while he tries to tell me something….
We had his speech evaluated at age 2.5, and he tested at “low side of normal” – and he was re-evaluated at age 3.5. I arranged another eval just before age 5 (when the schools take over the speach program here)… and he evaluated fine. BUT – they really only evaluated his ability to make all the sounds really.
The problem I had is that it seems (from everything I have been able to find out) that anymore speach evaluations or therapy is done through the schools here… and no one I have talked to knows about doing it with homeschoolers. The only other option is to have the doctor refer him… and then we would be PAYING for it….
I keep going back between feeling like I don’t need to worry about it, to feeling like I really need to worry about it….
July 9, 2011 at 2:49 am
6boys1girl
Participant
As far as a public school speech path: that would depend on your view of the schools (other than not wanting to send your children there for all day school : ) and on your finances.
Most speech paths do truly love kids and there are laws out there that require school districts to serve all children with a need for the services (although they may try to pressure you into services you don’t want). Can you call the neighboring school district and see if they would be willing to do the eval for you? I wouldnt’ be afraid to use a public school speech path just cautious.
You may also want to check your insurance as most cover some speech therapy (depends on what type you have-some give limited visits or you have to get approved for more when the original approved ones run out and there is usually a copay). There are private therapists as well as therapists attached to hospitals/rehab centers.
9 is still pretty young for being aware of the dysfluencies which is good. It is much easier to work with children before they have lots of tension or other behaviors develop. If people are starting to comment, though, I would definitely pursue an eval. You don’t want him to become so self conscious of it that he quits talking or is ashamed!
The speech path should be willing to work with you too-to teach you how to work with your child at home and give you a chance to ask questions and bring up concerns.
-Rebecca
July 9, 2011 at 2:55 am
6boys1girl
Participant
suzukimom, you can always get an eval and then refuse services if you decide to not pursue it further. Just a thought.
The older kids get who have frequent dysfluencies the more likely that it is a true “stutter”. Although 7, 8, 9 is still young. Yet, I once worked with a hard core ‘stutterer” who was only 9-no one even knew he was aware as he was so good at avoidance techniques (switching words around to avoid those that he knew he would stutter-yes, he was VERY smart!).
So I will just say, if in doubt, get the eval. Stuttering is a tricky one and it is one of the speech issues that can continue for a lifetime.
You may want to contact your state homeschool group and see if they can recommend someone. They MAY have someone they can recommend that works with homeschoolers and/or reduces rates for private pay.
-Rebecca
July 9, 2011 at 3:01 am
suzukimom
Participant
Thanks Rebecca,
I’m in Canada…. so I don’t things are totally the same here. A couple of years ago I couldn’t even find out how I could get him evaluated with us homeschooling. I think I even asked the peron we have to send our school reports etc to. (at the time there was only 1 person in the government that oversaw the homeschoolers… now it is 2….) I will have to phone and ask them again. Surely if my kids are allowed to take a class at the school (in our province homeschoolers can take a class in a school with the principal’s permission)…. then surely they can arrange to have his speach evaluated! I don’t even understand why something that I consider more of a medical issue is under the schools….
July 9, 2011 at 1:25 pm
sheraz
Participant
I am not trying to be a wet blanket, but what if you get an eval done at the school and then refuse services? I recently saw an article about a Canadian family who were court-ordered to send their 2&3 yos to “school” for socialization, and they had the same issues with their older 8 & 10 yo kids too. What would the ramifications be for you if you went to the school and then said no? if you can figure out an eval without the pressure of “you must do as I say” from the school, it might be better. And we can start praying that the answer will come soon…
July 9, 2011 at 2:03 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
Thanks, Rebecca! I truly appreciate your advice. I’ve maybe waited too long because I didn’t want him to become self-conscious and cause it to worsen. Will likely check into the schools. Thanks!! Gina
July 9, 2011 at 2:39 pm
6boys1girl
Participant
Gina: There is always something they can do to help with dysfluencies. I would ask the therapist how comfortable they are in working with it and how much experience they have as it is a specialty in itself (although if it isn’t their speciality but they have some experience, they will probably be fine. You just don’t want someone who has no experience with it).
sheraz: I forgot about that case in Canada! It would probably be better to get the eval elsewhere and then decide what to do once you have all the information.
-Rebecca
July 9, 2011 at 2:44 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
Hi Rebecca,
The lady who evaluated him did give me a sheet of tips to try at home. Honestly, I haven’t tried it much. It’s hard to suggest something to him to try, when he says he doesn’t have trouble!! Tried slowing speech for a while, but it’s so easy to forget!!!! Thanks again for all your tips. And to the original poster for bringing this up. Blessings, Gina
July 9, 2011 at 3:10 pm
suzukimom
Participant
Sheraz, you do have a good point there….
but one thing to keep in mind about that case is that it was in Quebec… the most homeschooling unfriendly province in the country (and if I can say so, an odd province to begin with. they have laws that the rest of the country would never get away with…. like signs for stores HAVE to be in French…. the can’t be in English, etc.) We would NEVER live in Quebec in a million years. (and I’d just add that if I was that family that the kids got sent to school, we would have moved immediately, trusting that we would find employment elsewhere. (Seriously, I think I would load a hand-cart if that was our only choice… lol.)
I actually live in one of the easiest provinces to homeschool (submit a notification in September with a plan for the year (which I leave pretty vague… things like LA: Read classical literature and work on cursive”) and then a report in January and in June…. which I also write very little.
So I would hope that there would be no problems if we ended up refusing services…..

July 9, 2011 at 3:30 pm
sheraz
Participant
Whew! I am glad that you aren’t there! I just had a momentary vision of someone in the district pressing charges against you for neglecting or abusing your child’s needs because you chose to do something different than what they decided would be best for him. 😉 I am glad that wouldn’t be the case…
July 9, 2011 at 3:55 pm
suzukimom
Participant
Well, I can’t guarantee it wouldn’t be the case… (you never know…) – but I don’t think it is as likely….
I know of a couple of people that have had their homeschools “investigated” (if someone lodges a written complaint then they will investigate). The one person I know of is 98% sure that a anti-homschooling relative “reported” on them. They found the person doing the investigation kind, and open to their method of homeschooling (unschooling), and the investigator found the family was doing well, the children were happy and obviously learning. (I don’t know if that family had any issues, like an older child not reading or anything like that….)
So…. I would think it would be safe to get an eval and then refuse treatment…. but it IS still something to consider because you never know…..