On the 11th August 2004 it was noted by the health visitor at J's two year check that I was worried about his speech and language and his hearing.
I have just found his book with all his development and charts in and there was her entry asking for a referral to the specialists.
It seems so long ago in one respect and not that long ago in another, if you can understand that?
It makes me sad to think back to those times. Times when we thought it wasn't that serious and that with a little intervention it would all right itself.
I can remember attending our very first speech therapy session.
It took place in a large surgery and I lined up with several other parents outside a room.
Inside the room our children had to sit around an oblong table, on child seats, whilst the adults sat around them.
From the off, J did not want to sit still. He tried to go under the table and disappear.
The therapist went round each child asking them to copy her mouth shape and pronunciation of a word.
This was lost on J.
She asked me to keep him under control so I sat him on my lap.
He could not have cared less about her and her mouth shape. He wasn't looking at her and wanted to escape and hide.
The other children nearly all complied with her request however.
It only now seems a typical trait of autism and learning difficulties that J could not understand her request and was not being naughty in ignoring her, but just couldn't comply as it was beyond his comprehension.
To be honest, I never really thought he would gain much from some woman creating a fish impression with her lips and over pronouncing "baaaaalllllloooooonnn".
His S&L therapy has always been, to this day, very hit and miss. I no longer take a part of it as it occurs during his school day, but even the S&L therapist through his schooling has given up as I found out, by chance, that she had ended dealings with him.
I was not told of this at the time and only found out via someone else who informed me it had ceased a good six months prior!
A little irony, but perhaps the S&L therapist could have communicated this to me directly!
