The Parent's Guide to Speech and Language Problems

Abstract

The Parent's Guide to Speech and Language Problems by Debbie Feit and Heidi Feldman, MD, PhD. New York, NY, McGraw-Hill, 2007, 276 pp, Softcover, $16.95. The Parent's Guide to Speech and Language Problems provides an excellent manual not only for parents but also for pediatricians and family practitioners. Interestingly, it is coauthored by a parent of 2 children with developmental verbal dyspraxia (DVD), Debbie Feit, and a developmental behavioral pediatrician, Heidi Feldman, MD, PhD. This book takes the reader through the process of referral, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of speech and language problems. This 257-page book is well organized and written in a conversant, engaging tone. It includes a substantial bibliography. Authors include information on identifying children with speech-language delays up to 7 years of age. From a language perspective, the information reads better up to 5 years and best between 2 and 4 years of age. The book charts early linguistic development well and can serve as a quick reference to answer questions and spot difficulty by disorder and topic. Topics are presented in overview, inviting quick reference. Diagnostic information under headings better describes benign or mild to moderate speech and language disorders better than more severe forms. Most chapters deserve specific mention. Delayed speech onset is a presenting symptom well covered in Chapter 2: “WAIT Is A Four-Letter Word.” Discussion includes issues relating to delayed speech and language referrals, including problem of diagnosis (e.g., how to test speech in nontalking toddler), differential diagnoses (e.g., maturational or atypical), concern not to (further) alarm parents, and uncertainty about local resources for families. Chapter 2 also contains a chart of Troubling Speech and Language Development (pp 24–29) that may help clinicians recognize speech and language delays and encourage referrals. On the other hand, toddlers showing delayed speech onset in connection with multifactorial conditions, i.e., autism spectrum disorders and bilingualism, are conditions not sufficiently described, as these issues are too complex to be meaningfully addressed in such a format. In Chapter 4, 9 types of speech and language disorders, followed by a cluster of coexisting conditions, e.g., ADHD, are listed in alphabetic order: “Learning the Lingo.” Chapter 5 summarizes therapeutic interventions by disorder: “How They Do It.” This discussion of interventions may be useful as a rough guide, but in reality, speech and language therapy tends to be less disorder-driven and more targeted to individual needs and characteristics of each child. Author (Ms. Feit) shares her experiences in the search to find a good speech therapist match for Max, her son, in Chapter 6: “Getting the Right Help,” with a commentary that is interesting to read. A chapter on nontraditional therapies follows in Chapter 7: “Eating Fish, Riding Horses, and Other Help …” with a survey of fish oil, hippotherapy, and even the mention of the Tomatis method, an auditory listening therapy. These therapies are presented with historical context and discussion of available scientific evidence. Chapters 8 and 9 cover psychosocial issues, e.g., the impact of raising and rearing a child with limited communication skills on family, marriage, and friends. Two informative chapters cover provision of services, Chapter 9 “School Daze” and Chapter 10 “Are You Covered?” Topics addressed include special education laws, insurance issues, accessing, and advocating for services. These chapters include helpful tips for parents as they navigate these complicated systems. The authors' real-world advice on the practical issues of raising a child with speech and language problems is a good addition to the libraries of parents as well as pediatricians. Kathleen Borgeson, MS, CCC-SLP Catherine Davis, MD Center for Children with Special Needs Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA