Utah State Lidcombe program

Tyler still went to speech therapy once a week during the 2012- 2013 school year.   He really had a lot of fun and it helped both of us with our continued therapy.

Fall semester 2012, he had Jodi.   She was extremely creative and crafty.  He really enjoyed anything that she had planned.  It was always different.   She really understood the Lidcombe program and was confident and really loved him.

Spring semester 2013 he had Andrea.   She was super fun too!   It is amazing how different each clinician is.  It took her a little longer to be confident in the Lidcombe program and to be creative with Tyler.   She was much more laid back and let him call the shots a lot.  She enjoyed cooking, so we did some cooking.  Making waffle cookies, ice cream in a bag, play dough, silly putty.   Another favorite activity was making paper airplanes, and balloon ping pong.   She was in a married student ward in the same building that my Dad is a bishop in.  So that was fun for my Dad to see her and talk to her about Tyler.

This is Anne.   Oh how I love Anne.   She is the stutter professional!   She is the professor that monitors and helps the students.   She helps them/me so much!   She really knows her stuff and is always there for me when I feel hopeless.     She loves Tyler and wants so badly to help him.   I love her and always will for her help and support.

Tyler has been pretty up and down this year.... which is par for stutters.   Sometimes he is great...rated at a 2..which is little stuttering (no stuttering is a 1 and he has never been there yet).   Other times this year he has been up to a 5.   Anne has been a little perplexed by Tyler.   She has never had a student cycle so much.   He changes in severity, and he also cycles in his types of stuttering.  Meaning sometimes he is blocking, other times he is doing a whole/ part word repetition, other times it is more prolongations.    With the Lidcomb program she has always had students respond to it and within a year become stutter free.  There were only 2 students that didn't respond well to this program and she could tell in the first 6 weeks.   Tyler responds to the therapy very well, he is just not becoming stutter free.  At times he does super good and can maintain that for a while.  But still not stutter free.   She has been in contact with the head of the Lidcomb program and they told her some kids stay at a 2 for a long time and then one day it clicks.   Then there are other kids, especially the real severe cases, and it never fully clicks.   I am feeling like this is my Tyler.   But I do know that what we have done and what we continue to do, will and has helped him.   I feel like he would be real severe if we weren't doing things now.  Of course I want him to be stutter free.  I don't want him to have to have to struggle anytime he has something important to say.  So I can't loose hope.  I have to keep trying and keep doing my therapy.   But, I can't beat myself up if it doesn't work as it should.  Because it is working....he is better than he would have been.   As my life gets crazier it is harder to do the therapy.  It only takes a few crazy days and I can really tell a difference in his speech.   Where as when I am home and things are a little slower.  I am able to play games and do lots of therapy with him, he does much better.   Too bad I can't just cancel everything and focus on him...but I can't.  So I do my best....which is really hard when it is not working.

I have been very emotional about it.  Especially when he is not doing so well.   I get so scared and feel so bad and wish I could or would devote more time to him.   I tend to cry pretty easily whenever I talk about it.   It is kind of hard because people tell me....he doesn't sound that bad, or I don't hear him stutter very much.   But really they are not listening, or talk to him very much.   They are not hearing what I am hearing at home. 

Tyler is such sweet heart.   Such a great kid.    I know he will be great in life.   He has such a kind heart and is so easy going.   I worry about him starting Kindergarten, but our school changed to T, W, TH all day kindergarten so he will be home with me on Monday's and Friday's.   Hopefully he will be able to say what he would like and the kids won't tease him too bad.    I worry that he will be teased.   But he does have a VERY protective big sister that will keep him safe.   I have no doubt she will let anyone that teases him have a piece of her mind...