6 year old with developmental delays

Marianne - posted on 05/25/2009

It maybe that the medicine has not reached a theraputic level. You may just have to give it some time to get the full effect. Good luck and best wishes!

Nikki - posted on 05/25/2009

Just a couple of thoughts to add onto everyone elses thoughts here. One suggested planning problems. My eldest has auditory processing problems and motor planning problems. Nothing serious enough to need therapy - everyone I took her too said that, because she was so mild, she'd out grow it (and it seems she has). She struggled a lot harder than most kids through her early years at school but now it seems she's caught up and learnt to live with it. However, because of my middle child who has severe disabilities, I'm familiar with kids who have learning problems. Given what you've said I would certainly look into having him assessed. So many things could be at play from his early issues, to motor planning or auditory processing.

It's worth adding these to your list of things to rule out...or you might find that they are part of the picture.

The meds I don't know about - but it's certainly worth getting him testing and checked for a range of things to see why 2 years of kinder are producing no results.

I get what you say about how it's hard to hear some of the stuff that people tell us about our kids...it's like a kick in the stomach. But you sound like a really positive person and I know you're gonna find the answer to this. Good luck and keep us posted.

Nikki

Martha - posted on 05/24/2009

Hi Again Amy,

Sorry I took so long to anwer your questions. My son has had genetic testing done about 3 times over the past 4-5 years. It always comes back normal, how frustrating! They tell me it is genetic but can't seem to find anything at least among the known genetic conditions. But I suppose it won't change anything anyway.

I am now struggling with the school board in our area to ensure that he receives appropriate support in his classroom for next year. They say they do not have enough money to have a 1-1 Educational Assistant with him full time. He has so many safety issues (choking, wondering away etc.). I am now in the process of going to our provincial government to lobby the Minister of Education for more money.

We just have to do whatever it takes I guess. I would love to keep in contact with you because I know how emotionally draining this is and to have other mom's who understand what we are going through is a great relief.

Let me know how your son is doing.

Karen - posted on 05/24/2009

To echo others on here...sounds like he definitely needs an IEP. I would talk to the Special Education Department head for your school system and tell this person that your son needs more help than he's getting. Has he had a psychological done? My daughter has special needs and has been in SPED since preschool for speech and learning disabilities. One thing I have had to do and will continue to do: stay on top of things and read read read!!! Read everything you can about special education in your state, your rights, your child's rights...anything you can. It sounds like to me that someone has dropped the ball on your son's education if things have not progressed any. It may be that there's an issue not being addressed where his abilities are concerned. The reason I say all this is I've taught in special ed for 11 years and having my own daughter who has special needs has opened my eyes even more. Living with a child with special needs requires a lot of research and reading...staying on top (and sometimes ahead) of the school system. Good luck and let me know if I can do anything. :0)

Alexis - posted on 05/02/2009

Does your child have an IEP? An Individual Education Learning plan. I have a child who is DD and is Apraxic. He has about 4-5 words on any givien day. But, he is in the Special Education Program and will be moving to the first grade. He is receiving Speech, OT and PT in school and out. We get a lot of service through the school based on his IEP. According to the disabilities act, any child that needs services shall get those services at school as long as it pertains to education. Sounds to me like you need to meet with the school or the district and come up with a game plan for him.

Elisabeth - posted on 05/02/2009

He may have a processing problem and need the material given in a different format. Have him evaluated privately, and if he needs ADD meds be patient it may take several to find the right one. We have been through at least 6...and then once we find one he develops a tolerance to it and we have to start over.

Amy - posted on 04/30/2009

Hi Martha

Thank you for the response. It sounds like our kiddos have a lot in common. My son is also very laid back, and probably one of the most loving kids I have ever met. Of course he has his moments with his brother and sister like any other child, but when all said and done he is very sweet. He also is a wiz when it comes to playing on the xbox and on the computer. He also is still wearing pull ups. We are having a real hard time getting him potty trained, he has no problem using the restroom when he needs to pee, but when it comes to stooling, he will not use the potty. I am unsure if it is because he had the Hirschsprungs and had to have the colostmy bag for a while. We are going to his GI Doctor tomorrow for a followup, so hopefully we will get some answers on that issue tomorrow. Are there any special test that your Pediatrician has done on your son to find out why he is behind? It seems like there has got to be something out there to help diagnose this kiddos. Our doctor thought my son was having petite mal seziures, so they did an EEG, and the test came back normal, so they have now put him on ADD meds...which so far does not seem to be working, but it has only been 3 weeks, so I am trying to be patient and give the meds a little more time. Your right, these kids are worth it. All we can do is continue to push them to do their best. Thank You again for your response.

Jennifer - posted on 04/30/2009

Hey Martha I'm in Ontario also. Which part are you from?

Jen

Martha - posted on 04/30/2009

Hi Amy,

I too have a son with develomental delay, with no formal diagnosis as yet. He is 7 years old and luckily for me is a very laid back and happy child. He is presently in grade 1 and I have been discussing with the school if we will have him repeat grade 1. It is a tough decision. He is a very visual learner and so we are trying to gear his programming in that direction. He is a wiz on the computer which totally amazes me because he is also still in diapers and has only in about the past year started to put words together into sentences and basically only 2-3 words at a time. His speech is coming and prior to that we had been using sign language with him. He can recognize his name and a few short words (of, and, at) so he really can't read either.

I have found with my son that we go through stages where he does not seem to be learning anything and we get discouraged. Then all of the sudden he comes out with all sorts of things and seems to be picking up everything he is taught. It seems to go in waves.

My best advice would be to work very closely with the school. Make sure you know what programs they have in place and request reports on these programs, not just the regular report cards or IEP. He will progress but it will be at his own rate. They are the way they are and we should be thankful that God chose us as the guardians of these special children. It won't be easy but they are worth it.

This has become a really long post but I have found it great that there are moms on FB who can understand our struggles.

I would love to talk to you more about this. Please feel free to send me an email. I am in Ontario Canada, where are you located?

Take Care, Martha

Jennifer - posted on 04/30/2009

Hi Amy, my name is Jen. I have a 9 year old daughter with developmental delays plus many other issues. Please don't get frustrated. She can now recite the alphabit and knows numbers to about 50. Most important is to keep positive, he will learn at his own pace and remember they love to learn through play!! Stay stong and just make sure the school is doing things how you want them done, they work for you and your child not the other way around!! Smiles Jen

Amy - posted on 04/30/2009

Hey Ladies...Thank you for your input. It is nice to talk to someone that knows what I'm going thru. I am just kind of at the point where I don't know what else to do. My son has been thru alot since he was born. When he was born, he had ITP and had to be on steroids for 3 months, thankfully that finally went away. When he was 2 he was diagnosed with Hirshsprungs diease and had to have a colostmy for about 6 months and then had the pull thru surgery. I don't know if any of these things have anything to do with why is is so far behind? He did not speak but a couple of words until he was 4 and did not start speaking in sentence until he started his first year of kindergarten. He has been in speech since he was 4 and yes his speech is getting better, but is still hard to understand sometimes. The diagnostician at the school told me a couple of months ago that he test to be a 3-4 year old...which is really hard for a parent to hear. I just really want great things for my son and will continue to work hard to help him reach his goals. Again Thank You for your response.

Judith - posted on 04/30/2009

I have a son who is 10 he has severe Learning Disabilities and he goes to a special needs school. He is globally physically and mentally delayed in development his age is about 4-5 therefore he learns a lot more slowly than others but at the end of the day he does his best, if you are really worried try going to the school and ask if they have any other suggestions that could bring your son along. You could also ask your GP if there are any tests that they could do so you can try to find out what it is that is making him struggle and if you can do something that could help. I don't know if he has speech problems but drinking through straws helps with the muscles around the mouth and this can help pronounce words better but there is no quick fix. Hang on in there and just take each day as it comes. Sorry i couldn't be any better help for you.

Marissa - posted on 04/29/2009

I don't really have any suggestions but I also have a 6 year old son with developmental delays and he is struggling in kindergarten. This is his first year in school, but I don't know that he's going to pass to first grade or not. He is behind all the other children academically and also behavior-wise. He's a lot more "immature" than the other kids but that's because he had a very rough life until we adopted him last year. So that's to be expected. He has an IEP and speech therapy and a special aide that works with him one on one in his classroom everyday. She seems to really be helping him. He needs more time to finish his work and takes longer to learn things, but he's capable. I'm sorry I don't have any advice at this point, I am still learning. I just wanted you to know there's other parents in your situation too. Hang in there :)