So, Josh’s teacher, Mrs. Sussman, called last night to give me a little Josh update. These calls, the ones about Josh, make me so nervous. Last year, his teachers used to call to tell us they didn’t think he liked school. and that he wasn’t really absorbing what they hoped he would. and that he wasn’t always the best listener.
(turns out, he just didn’t deal well with Hebrew immersion. and that his teacher last year was an asshole.)
I was gushing, I swear.
“he’s reading so beautifully, he blows me away. he’s making so many friends; you would never think it’s his first year in the school. he listens so well and always raises his hand to help.”
i. love. her.
and then she started talking about how the school provides speech therapy and she’s going to send some information home for me. I was actually quite pleased with this
(and not because my mother said that he has a speech impediment. he does not. Jaslene has a speech impediment. Ming-Ming has a speech impediment. Josh does not. you hear that, mom!! )
because i have been noticing that now that he’s almost 5, his cute little unidentified accent and melodious way of speaking has gone from being adorable and something fun to imitate to being somewhat of a concern. do i really want him to be 15 and not be able to pronounce his “r”s??
so, i hung up the phone feeling great about this.
until i played the conversation back in my head and realized she was saying “OT” and not speech therapy the entire time. apparently, Josh’s mom has a HEARING impediment.
OT? why would he need an OT?
anyone? handwriting? Fine motor skills? the kid has motor skills like i’ve never seen. hmm? anyone?
on top of my list of things to get today:
because there’s little in life that makes me happier than being able to get my coffee fix in the morning without having to dig around between my car seats in my wallet to find my $1.43. Oh, how i love you Timmy.
so apparently, in my quest to get Rachel Bilson hair
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i’ve pretty much been told i look like everyone else from the OC. i’m not even kidding. on three separate occasions, by three separate people, i was told i looked like:
 
yeah…i kind of wish i was kidding about someone telling me i look like Kirsten Cohen.
OT could be many things. I’m just impressed your school has OT. I want OT for my 5 year old for some of his problems, and they tell me he doesn’t qualify for that service.
At the risk of armchair diagnosing for a moment, I did a little googling and came across this:
http://abctherapeutics.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html
Which, in short, is a (somewhat long winded) diatribe about SI (sensory integration) problems.
When I googled that, I found:
http://www.comeunity.com/disability/sensory_integration/sensoryskills.html
Which lists speech problems as an indicator for SI.
Is it possible that you and the teacher were talking about the same problem (his speech), and you assumed she meant a speech therapist, but given her experience, she felt that his speech would best be serviced by an OT instead of an ST?
Just a theory.
OMG…don’t read into that…its great that Joshie has a teacher who is proactive and attentive enough to recommend speech therapy for him (many many kids go unnoticed). She may have just confused the terms. The /r/ and /s/ sounds are the MOST common sounds that Speech therapists work on in elementary school. So great that he has integrated so well into his new school and that the teacher is noticing all his great skills!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the new hair btw.
I would have a parent teacher conference with the teacher just to talk to her in person to clear up exactly what she thinks he needs OT for. It may be some sensory integration problems. I’m very impressed she would recommend OT. Most schools won’t recommend it unless the child is already in special ed. It’s not a service they usually provide to regular education students. How does his handwriting look?? Does he have good pencil grasp?? Usually at his age pencil grasp really isn’t an issue because they are still learning. Just some thoughts…
oy .. when you see the word ‘therapist’ it can definately make the world spin. But, I think SciFi Dad .. could have a point .. however, having never met Joshie, impossible to say for sure. (actually my friends son, he is 7 now, has SI .. his speech was a little off but he had fine motor skills too, which tells me SI is probably not what Joshie could have..oh well) But .. I totally agree also with the M&Co .. the fact that you are being offered OT is amazing. My friend had to jump through hoops to get OT for her son, who in grade 2 is doing fantastic now, and she has to PAY upward of 4000/month .. no coverage! You have an awesome school!
Go Joshie!! the fact he is reading so well .. spells gifted to me .. but, that is just me! (Isn’t he only in kindergarten?)
Hi Ali,
My speech was so poor between the ages of 4-7, I would literally go to school, pick up my books and head straight to the OT/ST office. I spent 2 hours, every morning for 3 years in that office. The reason for the OT is that often kids with speech therapy can read to themselves like the wind, but as they get older, their brains don’t translate things properly. For example, I would not comprehend character names in stories, if I was not already familiar with that name, but my brain would register the word. As I read to myself, the name (or rather, the letter combination) would make sense, but I could not say the name out loud, as I had no pronunciation for it!
I don’t know if Josh will have a similar issue as his reading horizons expand, but that is one of the common reasons for OT, combined with speech therapy; brain-association.
I hate Ming Ming and her stupid speech impediment.
SERIOUSLY.
LOL! Yeah, having an asshole for a teacher kind of hurts things, doesn’t it? And I think you’re more beautiful than anyone on the OC! 🙂
((((HUGS))))
I’m a speech therapist and listening to Ming Ming is like NAILS on a chalkboard.
As for the OT, others have already said what I was going to…Sensory issues?
I had the same issues with my r’s and different words when I was that age. (my dad actually recorded me and it’s cute … but needed to be corrected). I don’t know whether it was an OT I saw – but it wasn’t a huge deal. We just worked on pronouncing stuff and how I heard it. I remember thinking it was fun.
But, here’s the thing. When I am nervous (and I am working on this still) I will still revert to sounding much younger. Not exactly like Ming Ming, but more like a 10 year old. But, you probably wouldn’t notice it.
I need a haircut BAD. I look AWFUL. Really.
As you know, my older kids have speech impediments and speech therapy is NO big deal. Any diagnostic process is a bit stressful, but my kids really enjoy the therapy and I’ve seen a LOT of results.
Um, the few times I have seen Wunda Pets 😛 I have thought it was adorable, including Ming-Ming. Apparently I am alone.
Oh, and also… Jaslene sounded like she had more wrong with her than a speech impediment. I’m just sayin’…
I can see you looking a little like the first girl….
You KNOW Joshi doesn’t need anything like what OT might suggest. She just said “speech therapy.” Don’t worry!! Either way, he’s doing great and he’s going to get help (I’ll miss those “r”‘s, though!)
At least no one said you looked like Caleb Nichol.
Hey. I think Kirsten Cohen is hot – definitely a compliment. And Jaslene- hello, drag queen much?
No idea on the OT. Buttoning things? A lefty?
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