Research Reasons to Delay Kindergarten

‘Children have a right to be children’ ~Cambridge University-led review which recommends not starting kindergarten until 6 years old

When Children Aren’t Ready for Kindergarten

John H. Holloway

How can schools promote the achievement of children who are old enough to enroll in kindergarten but who are not developmentally ready to succeed? Two approaches that parents and schools commonly use are delaying the child’s entry into kindergarten and retaining the child in kindergarten for an extra year.

Giving children an extra year, whether through delayed entry or kindergarten retention, makes sense in view of the ample research suggesting that the youngest children tend to lag behind their classmates. West, Denton, and Reaney (2000) found that in the spring of their kindergarten year, younger children had lower reading and mathematics knowledge and skills on average than did their older counterparts. These researchers also found that older kindergartners were more likely to persist at tasks, more eager to learn, and better able to pay attention.

Delayed Entry Versus Kindergarten Retention

To avoid the disadvantage suffered by younger students, some parents choose to delay the entry of their children into kindergarten. Zill, Loomis, and West (1997) found that children whose kindergarten entry was delayed so that they started kindergarten when they were older performed better than their younger classmates in grades 1 and 2. These researchers concluded that the extra year before starting kindergarten does not harm the children who are held out and may help most of them.

In contrast, the researchers discovered that children who repeated kindergarten were doing worse than their younger classmates on most school performance indicators by 1st or 2nd grade. For instance, two-thirds of the retained students had received some negative feedback from teachers compared with less than half of the nonretained students. The retained students were also much more likely to have problems concentrating, to perform below their capabilities, and to act up and disrupt the class. Zill, Loomis, and West concluded that repeating kindergarten had not helped those children and may have actually made matters worse.

Reasons for the Differences

What explains the difference between the school performance of delayed-entry children and those who repeat kindergarten? Both groups of students are older than most of their classmates, so why don’t the beneficial effects of being older apply to both groups? Some possible answers are that

The underlying developmental problems of the two groups may differ.

The two groups may have different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Parents who choose to delay their children’s school entry may have a higher level of awareness and involvement.

The stigmatizing effect of being required to repeat a grade may harm children’s academic progress.

Potential Disadvantages of Delayed Entry

In spite of possible explanations based on group demographic differences, the research does suggest that delayed entry into kindergarten has a better chance than kindergarten retention of helping an at-risk child avoid school failure. As a broad practice, however, holding children out of school for a year can produce unintended harmful consequences.

Zill, Loomis, and West (1997) caution that delayed entry raises equity issues because its effects vary according to the child’s experiences during the extra year. Better-educated and wealthy parents can provide their children with enriched educational environments at home or in high-quality preschool settings designed to improve their skills. But children with fewer advantages who are held out of kindergarten may not have as many opportunities to benefit from effective preschool programs or learning experiences at home.

Diamond, Reagan, and Bandyk (2000) point out another problem caused by delayed entry. When schools emphasize academic skills in readiness decisions and hold younger children out of kindergarten, the average age of each cohort of kindergarten students rises. This situation prompts policymakers to continue increasing the expectations for performance during the kindergarten year for these older children and for their teachers. Parents, in turn, experience increased concern about whether their children are academically ready for school—and the cycle of rising expectations continues.

Other Ways to Promote Success in Kindergarten

The research on delayed entry and kindergarten retention suggests that neither practice offers an ideal way to assist children who are not ready to succeed in kindergarten. Do schools have alternatives to these two approaches?

Coley (2002) asserts that to reduce inequalities in students’ success in kindergarten, society must address the differences that exist among children before they start school. He recommends that policymakers identify children who are at risk for school failure and make quality preschool experiences available to these children to ensure that they have the opportunity to develop readiness skills. But Coley cautions policymakers not to target a group of students on the basis of a single demographic characteristic, such as income. Because of the complex nature of school readiness, decision makers should take into account the interactions among race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and age.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s position statement on school readiness (2002) points to a different approach: Rather than attempting to “fix” children so that they meet specific expectations of a kindergarten program, educators should realize that the nature of children’s development and learning dictates two important school responsibilities. Schools must be able to respond to a diverse range of abilities within any group of children, and the curriculum in the early grades must provide meaningful contexts for children’s learning rather than focusing primarily on isolated skills acquisition.

Some researchers view full-day kindergarten as one way of providing more support for children who need it. Full-day kindergarten programs provide more time to expose children to academic content and prepare them for 1st grade in an emotionally relaxed atmosphere. According to Railsback and Brewster (2002),

Full-day kindergarten is viewed as a way not only to help level the playing field for children with limited skills but to reduce the chances of their being retained.

A high-quality, developmentally appropriate kindergarten experience may offer the best way to ensure early school success for children who enter school with a wide range of readiness levels (Miller, 2002).

References

• Coley, R. (2002). An uneven start. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
• Diamond, K., Reagan, A., & Bandyk, J. (2000). Parents’ conceptions of kindergarten readiness. The Journal of Educational Research, 94(2), 93–100.
• Miller, A. (2002). Frequently requested information: Full-day kindergarten. Champaign, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. [Online]. Available: [No longer available online.]
• National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2002). NAEYC position statement on school readiness [Online]. Available:
• Railsback, J., & Brewster, C. (2002). Full-day kindergarten. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. [Online].
• West, J., Denton, K., & Reaney, L. (2000). The kindergarten year (NCES 2001-023). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
• Zill, N., Loomis, L., & West, J. (1997). The elementary school performance and adjustment of children who enter kindergarten late or repeat kindergarten: Findings from national surveys (NCES 98-097). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
• John H. Holloway is Project Director, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541; [email protected]. April 2003 | Volume 60 | Number 7 The First Years of School Pages 89-90

Copyright © 2003 by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Educational Leadership, “When Children Aren’t Ready for Kindergarten,” John H. Holloway, Volume 60, Number 7 (April 2003), pp. 89-90

• Enthusiastic and Curious toward learning: Eager to explore and discover, comfortable asking questions, persists even when task is difficult
• Language skills: Communicates needs and expresses feelings appropriately
• Ability to listen. Follows two-step instructions, listens to story without interrupting
• Desire to be independent. Can be separated from parents for the school day, take responsibility for personal belongings, uses bathroom by self
• Ability to interact with children and adults. Able or learning to share, take turns and problem-solve
• Strong fine-motor skills. Able to hold and use a pencil, cut with scissors, learning to print first name
• Basic letter and number awareness. Sings or recites the alphabet, recognizes some letters and numbers, counts to ten Read More

Cambridge University Review

The Importance of Play

Dr David Whitebread
University of Cambridge

A report on the value of children’s play with a series of policy recommendations.  Read more

Cambridge University-led review Start school at six, key schools report recommends

‘Primary schools: ‘Children have a right to be children’

Professor Robin Alexander, head of the Cambridge Review of Primary Education, has published the results of the most comprehensive review of primary schools for 40 years. It calls for a new curriculum, delaying the start of formal learning to the age of six, and an end to league tables. He outlines some of his team’s findings. Read article Link to audio

Delay entry to kindergarten to avoid an ADHD misdiagnosis

Study finds delayed Kindergarten Enrollment Reduces ADHD in children. 1-year delay showed 73% reduction in inattentiveness.  source

Letter That May Help Secure Services For Special Needs From NYSED

A recurring issue is whether children whose parents choose to not enroll in school until they are compulsory age, i.e., 6 yo, are entitled to sped services.  NYSED’s letter of guidance to school districts unequivocally requires CSEs to develop IEPs and provide special education services to this group of children.   Please note:    Parents should not represent that their 5-6-year-old is being “home schooled”, but rather, that the parent is not enrolling.   No reason is required.

Although the usual reason seems to be that the parent believes the child not mature enough or “ready” for kindergarten, which is fine.   Parents have the right to keep their kids home this extra year according to NYSED’s letter of guidance.  Even though this is for New York this letter may be used to advocate regardless of what state you are in.

When Should Kindergarten Start?

“The report’s policy recommendations seem largely informed by the experience of nearby countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Finland, all of which delay formal schooling until 6 or 7, and all of which achieve better educational results than Britain. Finland — which consistently ranks at the top of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for educational attainment — doesn’t even start mandatory education until age 7. (My roommate in graduate school was Finnish and used to read books such as “The Brothers Karamazov” — in English — for fun. Say no more …)” Read article

Finland, A World Leader In Education BBC News

Children in Finland only start main school at age seven. The idea is that before then they learn best when they’re playing and by the time they finally get to school they are keen to start learning.”

Dan Rather Reports – Finland Education

Kindergarten teacher: My job is now about tests and data — not children. I quit.

“When I first began teaching more than 25 years ago, hands-on exploration, investigation, joy and love of learning characterized the early childhood classroom.  I’d describe our current period as a time of testing, data collection, competition, and punishment. One would be hard put these days to find joy present in classrooms…”Read more

Here is the resignation letter she wrote and sent:

February 12, 2014

I am writing today to let you know that I am resigning my position as PreK and Kindergarten teacher in the Cambridge Public Schools.  It is with deep sadness that I have reached this decision, as I have loved my job, my school community, and the families and amazing and dedicated faculty I have been connected with throughout the district for the past eighteen years.  I have always seen myself as a public school teacher and fully intended to work until retirement in the public school system.  Further, I am the product of public schools, and my son attended Cambridge Public Schools from PreK through Grade 12.  I am and always have been a firm believer in quality public education.

In this disturbing era of testing and data collection in the public schools, I have seen my career transformed into a job that no longer fits my understanding of how children learn and what a teacher ought to do in the classroom to build a healthy, safe, developmentally appropriate environment for learning for each of our children.  I have experienced, over the past few years, the same mandates that all teachers in the district have experienced.   I have watched as my job requirements swung away from a focus on the children, their individual learning styles, emotional needs, and their individual families, interests, and strengths to a focus on testing, assessing, and scoring young children, thereby ramping up the academic demands and pressures on them.  Each year, I have been required to spend more time attending classes and workshops to learn about new academic demands that smack of 1^st and 2^nd grade, instead of Kindergarten and PreK.  I have needed to schedule and attend more and more meetings about increasingly extreme behaviors and emotional needs of children in my classroom; I recognize many of these behaviors as children shouting out to the adults in their world, “I can’t do this!  Look at me!  Know me!  Help me!  See me!”  I have changed my practice over the years to allow the necessary time and focus for all the demands coming down from above.  Each year there are more.  Each year I have had less and less time to teach the children I love in the way I know best—and in the way child development experts recommend.  I reached the place last year where I began to feel I was part of a broken system that was causing damage to those very children I was there to serve.

I was trying to survive in a community of colleagues who were struggling to do the same:  to adapt and survive, to continue to hold onto what we could, and to affirm what we believe to be quality teaching for an early childhood classroom.  I began to feel a deep sense of loss of integrity.  I felt my spirit, my passion as a teacher, slip away.  I felt anger rise inside me.  I felt I needed to survive by looking elsewhere and leaving the community I love so dearly.  I did not feel I was leaving my job.  I felt then and feel now that my job left me.

It is with deep love and a broken heart that I write this letter.

Sincerely,

Suzi Sluyter

From Struggles With Apraxia To Honors English

Nutrition Cognition Research Articles

Nutritional Effects on Learning

Reading and Academic Abilities For Those With Special Needs

Speech Therapy Matrix For School Based SLPs

Addressing Apraxia of Speech in the IEP

Dealing with IEPs for a Speech Impaired Child

IEP Goals, Objectives, and Sample Letters to Teachers

The Pediatrician’s Role in Development and Implementation of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)

Information From Our Group To Help Those With Apraxia, Autism, And Other Special Needs

A voice for a teen who grew up with apraxia

Hope in Apraxia, Wyatt’s Journey to Defeat Apraxia of Speech

Road to recovery, Cooper’s Apraxia story

Numerous Children With Autism Respond to Nutritional Strategies

Table 5.1. Compulsory school attendance laws, minimum and maximum age limits for required free education, by state: 2015  Source

The list below comes from a private school as a general ball park.

Requirements to Enter Kindergarten:

Parental Reasons To Delay Kindergarten For Special Needs

Q & A

I plan to delay Kindergarten for my son. He will be enrolled in a small private K this fall and then i will enroll him in public K the following year.

Q: We kept our daughter in her developmental preschool for an extra year. I was concerned that judgments about her intelligence would be made if she couldn’t communicate in the class. She started Kinder at age 6. Even then, we homeschooled her for all of K and half of 1st. She just started in a wonderful Waldorf inspired school. She loves it and I am thrilled to hear her peers have little to no trouble understanding her.

I am thrilled to find this group on FB. 5 years ago when we were undergoing testing and diagnosis I felt so alone. I’m glad to see that parents just beginning this journey have so many great resources.

A: There is such a myth for those that don’t know of “he’s so smart I don’t want to hold him back” or “I don’t want him to be bored” but statistically even at our private group over a decade there are just a few rare exceptions that started their child at 5 in kindergarten (even after knowing all the data) who did well. There is no stigma to having a child skip a grade up; however as we know there is one to holding a child back. The goal isn’t just mainstream kindergarten -it’s to have them start in the mainstream and stay and excel there.

As you pointed out Lysa, in the long run, delaying kindergarten ends up to be one of the best things you can do educationally speaking. Far too many speech impaired children are started in kindergarten at 5 years old in a self-contained learning disabled classroom placement. Most parents don’t believe their child should be in this placement but don’t fight it as much as they should. Ask the stats on how many children go from this placement to the mainstream. From what I have seen over the years; first the schools give on on the child, then the parents, then the child gives up on themselves

Just because a child has a communication impairment does not mean they are learning disabled. I’ve noticed in my son and now we know as a group that “late talkers” appear to have phenomenal recall, unlike other preschool children who talk in some cases nonstop. Perhaps because our “late talkers” have to remember what they want to communicate until they can figure out how to get it across in a nonverbal way? If aware of this you can use this to help in early years with math, reading and other facts. For example; memory comes in very handy when “teaching” the differences between their, there, and they’re.

When you start your child at 6 years old in kindergarten as many in our private group do now, you are not withholding education; you are still providing that but while you also provide an extra year of intensive appropriate therapy as well as an extra year of developmental time. In our group, the majority (like the majority) do average to even above average work. If the child has a more severe speech impairment such as apraxia there tends to be a lag in some of the language areas of education …but it’s developmental because when worked on almost all find over a years gain in less than a years time. Outside of that, these children over the school years tend to blend just like any other child in some subjects and excel in others. These children are breaking the myth of the LD communication impaired child -and it is a myth. Not only is this great for these children and their families; but financially speaking think of how much money this is saving the tax payer!

Statistically speaking most children with communication impairments tend to be boys -and for athletic reasons as well, especially with a child that has a motor planning or weakness issue, having that extra year of therapy and developmental time in this aspect is also a plus. From 5 to 6 years old most boys will grow a bit taller and more coordinated. In fact in a town where I used to live in NJ not far from NYC many of the educated parents used to retain their son in preschool until 6 years old just for athletic reasons down the road…and these were boys that were not in any way special needs!

I’m all for special needs multisensory enriched preschool placement with appropriate therapy up till 6 years old..but from 6 years old on I’m also for mainstream K-12. At least as one wise professional told me “give the child the benefit of the doubt. Start in the mainstream and if for whatever reason they can’t make it there then pull them out and place them in a self-contained LD placement”

My son Tanner was pretty typical apraxic http://cherab.org/information/familiesrelate/letter.html The only difference is that my husband and I fought like crazy against stereotypes and inappropriate classification or placement. As I say all the time -learn your child’s rights and advocate for your child too. Because if you don’t chances are nobody else will. Years from now down the road someone is going to right, but if you provide your child with the best chance possible for success you’ll never have to look back to “if only” That to me is getting back to the topic of this thread; Delaying kindergarten until 6 years old for a speech impaired child according to anecdotal evidence and the research study above provides the best chance possible for success. Who cares if a child is 17 or 18 when they graduate HS?! I care more that my children graduate HS with a HSE (high self-esteem).

Remember who is hurt most is hurt most by stereotypes and inappropriate placement and therapies; A child that can’t yet speak up for himself.

So Laura and Lysa -good for both of you and for your precious sons for your wise decision!

Q:  Thank you so much for this post! Our daughter is almost 3 and is non-verbal. I only just found your group a couple of nights ago. Ellie is diagnosed with autism but her greatest hurdle is speech. Many of the other problems have faded over the last 10-12 months while we’ve changed her diet and started oils and enzymes. We have been working with our local AEA who is pushing HARD for PreK in the fall. We are refusing on the grounds that she NEEDS to be at home. (I have a masters in education and feel pretty qualified to work on things from an educational standpoint.) We feel education needs to be APPROPRIATE and that school for a 3 yr old is NOT appropriate. Thanks for giving me some data to back up my gut!

-Angie

A: Lisa Geng

Angie you may want to make sure of your child’s diagnosis as well. I’ve heard from more than one professional who is knowledgeable about both autism as well as apraxia there is around 30 percent of children diagnosed with autism that is not autistic that are apraxic -and I’ve also heard there is an increase of children who have both autism and apraxia. It’s good to know for sure diagnosis because not all autism therapy is appropriate to address motor planning issues.

Your daughter is in great hands with you!

Q: I am so glad to find this thread. I have been going back and forth over this subject. I have a son who will be five in April who has verbal apraxia and I want to keep him back for one more year. He is a very intelligent boy, his language is just so hard to understand. I think if he could get one more year of speech therapy, especially at this age where he is more mature, it will do him a world of good.

I do worry though about social, we don’t know very many people at all who have young children. And the few that we do know, will actually be going to school. I do worry about his size also, he is tall and solid.

We are worried about the school trying to pressure us as well.

I actually feel really good after reading this though. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this and the follow up posts.

Q: I struggled with this decision all last year. Our decision was to place our daughter in 1/2 private kindergarten. She has verbal apraxia but cognitively very quick and ready to learn. Her developmental tests performed by the school (8 months) before kindergarten were 1 year developmentally ahead in most areas and developmentally appropriate in the others. She loves learning and has had a great year. Yes, one day she asked where the “crap box” was and another child said, “oh, she said crap!” The teacher laughed and said, well, it is a scrap box, teachers which I guess is another word for old scrap paper teacher’s on has apraxia…so she knows…) Other than that, no problems and she is one of the younger ones in her class. She is very bright and always has been. I made the right choice so far, but I was a teacher for a long time, and I knew she’d be successful. It is often your gut that tells you what to do. She wakes up singing and ready to go to school She isn’t stressed, not one little bit, and so far no signs of dyslexia or spelling issues that aren’t characteristic of any other child in kindergarten. She is quite proud of herself for blending words and reading phonetic books and quite frankly, I am too! We made the right choice for her. Good luck for all of you.

A:  Lisa Geng

For me the answer to whatever decision made in regards to starting a child in kindergarten isn’t in the first year -isn’t in kindergarten. It’s the goal for the child to stay and thrive and learn in the mainstream. Statistically speaking from our group as well as the research posted -withholding kindergarten until 6 if there is a delay in any area is providing the child with the best possible prognosis for first grade and beyond. Delaying kindergarten for a year provides once again an extra year of developmental time as well as therapy. Besides your child should be in some sort of preschool- preferably an appropriate multisensory enriched preschool. A really good multisensory enriched preschool is not much different than a typical kindergarten class. But if the child needs frequent daily speech and occupational therapy in preschool no worries in taking “school time” away. By the time they go to kindergarten there probably will be a reduction in services and by 1st grade, there could be a reduction again. The rubber hits the road in 1st grade. Brightness isn’t a factor because we are speaking of what is best for the long run. if you start a child at 6 vs. 5 and he or she is too advanced for a grade there is no stigma to have a child skip up..(besides for boys being a year older means they are taller and more coordinated for sports and more mature -not a bad thing anyway) .there for sure on the other hand is a stigma for a child that has to repeat kindergarten or to be removed from the mainstream classes. As far as social…talk to your parents and grandparents -most of them didn’t go to preschool and learn how to “socialize” and shockingly somehow the human race survived! 🙂

(Besides -again your child should still be in an appropriate preschool placement for that one extra year)

Q:  Yes Lisa, our grandparents also didn’t agonize over the decision of kindergarten at age 6 either and most/all have lived a full life….just something to think about too. Also, don’t forget if we’re going to keep out girls an extra year they will be developing an extra year earlier than their classmates….also just a thought for those of us who have girls with apraxia. 🙂

A: It also depends on where you live because parents typically living in more affluent, higher educated neighborhoods delay kindergarten until 6 years old and for their normally developing children entering kindergarten for academic, maturity, coordination and athletic reasons. So yes Michelle based on what you say you also could have a situation with girls that your apraxic daughter started in kindergarten at 5 is schooled with boys (and girls) that are a year or more older than her. This is also something to keep in mind regardless because if your child is in any way impaired in speech and starting kindergarten at 5 while others in your neighborhood are starting “normal” children at 6 for the reasons I state above, you are putting your child under even more pressure -because now the other kids have increased developmental time on their side. Try to find out what the norm is in your neighborhood as well.

A: Yes, we spent some time researching what it the norm in our area, as well as countless hours studying the validity of developmental tests and how they determine kindergarten readiness. We consulted a neurologist, non-verbal tests, etc. and since Caroline’s birthday is in April, she could have gone either way. We visited all TK programs open to children in our area and yes, there are quite a few, as well as all kindergarten options. We examined all developmental tests, her preschool teacher (who was a former kindergarten teacher), her speech teacher (they also consulted with kindergarten teachers), her pediatrician and basically just what I knew in my gut. Trust me, we were very thorough. We do live in an affluent area with many options. As far as people keeping children out until they are 6, well it was a mixed bag…boys mostly, but with summer birthdays. We found a developmentally appropriate 1/2 day kindergarten with a transitional kindergarten also. The school interacted all students for the first 2 months of school and made recommendations for TK or K. Caroline’s recommendation was K. I think what point I want to make for all parents out there is that there was a program to fit the needs of our child, regardless of her age. This was the best fit for him at this time. I know I can home-school Caroline anytime if I need to and would love it. If I could not have found this program, I am not sure what I would have chosen and after teaching public/private school children for 12 years, regardless of their age (and it actually isn’t their age, it’s their developmental readiness…..and some are actually developmentally ready at age 5 despite their disability…..) there are no “normal” children out there and I certainly wouldn’t want parents of apraxic children to always be thinking they were comparing their children to “normal” children. That simply isn’t the case.

A: Lisa Geng

Of course ultimately it’s up to each parent to decide what’s best for their child…and yes, of course, there is no such thing as normal if we use the word to describe people – I meant normal in the sense of average or the norm as the “normal” child entering kindergarten doesn’t need an IEP to decide placement, goals, therapies- when to be pulled from class etc.

If your child is diagnosed with a speech impairment and especially if at 5 years old still needs intensive therapies in speech and occupational therapy then you are providing the best possible prognosis of getting them into and keeping them in the mainstream and thriving by keeping them in a multisensory enriched preschool for that one extra year till 6 YO to provide an extra year of intensive therapy and developmental time based on the ten year history of thousands in our group as well as the research I have above by John H. Holloway…of course there are always exceptions to the norm. I know of one child who started at 5 with an impairment and thrived in the mainstream. I know of many that regretted starting their child at 5…not necessarily during kindergarten but by 1st or 2nd grade- I know of not one parent that complained they wished they started their child at 5 instead of 6….some want to start their child at 5 because they are “bright” and don’t want to “hold them back” but again a really good multisensory enriched preschool isn’t much different than a typical kindergarten and quite frankly if a child is “too advanced” for their grade they can be skipped ahead which doesn’t hold the stigma of being held back or pulled from the mainstream.

Since in the scheme of things as most agree that one year give or take won’t matter -may as well provide what has worked for most which is if there is any delay in any area- including maturity -wait till 6 to have them start kindergarten. My son attended an oral based preschool for the hearing impaired where in that community they appreciate fully the importance of that one extra year so the preschool went up to 6 years old. We need to raise the expectations of children with speech impairments that a verbal disability is not a “learning disability” and just like the hearing impaired population, children with verbal disabilities who are not hearing impaired can also be bright students with a bright future to be whatever they want when they grow up.

I wish the best for whatever decision each of you make.

Q: Hello I need some opinions/advice

My son is four (five in a few weeks). I had my heart all set on NOT putting him in Kindergarten next year. I figured I would put him in preschool and take him to private speech therapy. Give him the extra year.

His speech therapist at EI wants to give him an augmentative communication device, but they won’t give it to him if I don’t put him in public school next year and now I am torn on what to do.

Any opinions on these devices?

I am so lost with all of this.

A: Lisa Geng

They may state that verbally but that doesn’t mean your child wouldn’t get an augmentative device if he is entitled to it and it’s appropriate. Many of the children in our group end up not requiring any augmentative device once school age. For those that do -most today love the proloquo2go 

It’s so much cheaper than traditional devices and way cooler for older kids to have an ipod touch. But that’s again if you need it. Yes we have to look at short term goals (in your case you see that as acquisition of that augmentative device) but please don’t forget the end goal -to have your child verbal and mainstreamed. To me there is no question -you want to provide your child with the best possible prognosis and if you look at statistics and the research I posted that means delaying kindergarten.

The very fact that your child requires an augmentative device for kindergarten shows there is a delay and the research states a delay in any area. In our group, it’s typically not just speech either. I’m sure your child still has some OT goals that need catching up on as well. Please look at all things considered.

Also if your public school states they will not provide an augmentative device unless you start him in kindergarten in spite of the research etc, please ask for that in writing with a complete explanation as to why. If they won’t put it in writing then you put it in writing and document the statement with names, dates etc. and send it certified mail return receipt requested. Either way, you can also seek council or at least an advocate.

Hope that helps!

Q:  I have the same concerns with my son. He will be 5 in July and he is supposed to start kinder in August. He has been attending a speech class 4 days a week for 90 mins a day for a few months now, and before that he was in a developmental preschool where he got his speech through his IEP for over a year. My concern is that if we choose to keep him out of kinder for an extra year the school district does not allow him to attend the speech class or a preschool. All the school would do is service his IEP through appointments, and the time would be very limited. We are in Arizona, and I have not been able to find a private school that offers anything for kids with speech disorders. We are having a hard time coming to a decision. Only 30% of his speech is understood, so we are very concerned that if we put him in kinder he may not do well. He is very aware of his speech and wont talk when there are other kids that talk “normal”, but when he’s in his speech class with other kids with speech problems he plays and talks to them. (The best he can) If anyone has any advice that would be great. Thank you.

A: Oh Shelley, it makes me so sad to hear how he feels about his speech when he’s around other kids that talk “normal”. My daughter felt the same way during her 4’s year in preschool. She couldn’t even say her name: Caroline. It was heartbreaking. She will be six in April. Last year somewhere between Jan. and April she hit another developmental plateau and in April she came out of it with more speech sounds. Yes, she could finally say her name. She went through another phase in Dec. and came out with more new words. At the point I decided to put her in kindergarten, last July (at the last minute) she was pretty much 100% intelligible. We’re still working on “th”, “s” at the end of some words, some “s” blends and of course practicing many mono-syllable sounds. She had moved over the hurdle of feeling self-conscious about her speech over the summer. We’re in another developmental phase right now and her speech gets “messy”, but I know sometime in April she’ll come out with a few more sounds. I would say you should go with your heart. I did and Caroline has been happy and is doing well. I haven’t seen any concern in reading or handwriting. She does have a mild case of apraxia, which seems to relate to developmental milestones in speech. I do not think you will be sorry if you delay kindergarten, esp. if he is not sure about his speech. I will say that most of the boys in Caroline’s class with summer birthdays did do TK. As I prepare Caroline for 1st grade next year, I will say the thought of having her another year would have been nice. She only attends 1/2 day for kindergarten, so all day 1st grade will be an adjustment for me. She would stay 24 hours if she could. I do know what you mean about public school speech. I got the brick wall when I called. I got the story of how many kids they have to serve and that she would have to have group therapy and it would be on their schedule and not ours. Needless to say, I just pay for it – we use flexible benefits. She only goes 1x a week for 1 hour. I supplement and work with her at home each day. Perhaps you should seek an advocate and see what you could ascertain as far as his IEP. She doesn’t have an IEP. Good luck!!!!

Q:  Thank you for the information! It’s interesting because when I request private speech in his IEP I’m told the same thing about how there just isn’t enough time in the day for everyone to get individual speech. I don’t believe it, I think its just easier for them. About your idea for an advocate… I am going to go ahead and do that I know of an organization that does offer IEP advocates. My son’s name is Santos, and he goes by Buddy and I know part of the reason he sticks with it is because he can say it a lot better than Santos. That’s one of the hardest parts of a speech problem. Some days just break your heart when they are trying so hard and just not able to get it out. He does go to private speech out side of his IEP that we pay for. I’m hoping we can just figure out the best way to make sure he gets all of the services he needs and should have. Im so happy to hear about the milestones your daughter has met! When I look back on the times we have noticed Santos improving it is following his speech getting messy. Ill keep you posted we will have an IEP meeting with his speech teacher in the next month or so to get her opinion about what should happen. Thanks again!

A: Hi Shelley!

I am an SLP in private practice in Maryland. My company is Help Me Speak, LLC. www.helpmespeak.com

Your son’s school can’t tell you that he can’t get 1:1 speech sessions. It should be about what he NEEDS not what they can do. They way it’s supposed to work is that after the evaluation, his strengths and & needs are compiled, then goals are designed to address his needs, then based on the # & type/severity of his goals & needs, the amount of service in the school is decided. Then, the service delivery model is decided. That is BEST practice. Unfortunately many states and counties do NOT follow BEST practice.

When I worked in the local county schools here, I was fortunate that our county (Howard) followed BEST practice & not only the law (which is less strict). In my opinion, there is too much wiggle room between BEST practice and what the state law requires.

That said, even following only state/fed laws, your son should get 1:1 therapy IF that is what he requires to progress. For most kids with apraxia, that IS what they need. Group is fine BUT kids w/apraxia need frequent & consistent intervention—which translates into more opportunities for responses in therapy sessions (which can’t occur enough in grp) = 1:1 therapy & more tx sessions/wk.

So, yes, I would recommend hiring an advocate as well. They can help you to prove your case.

Look at:

• pursuitofresearch.org/2016/05/31/5-ways-to-get-free-or-affordable-speech-therapy/
•  pursuitofresearch.org/2013/03/22/speech-therapy-matrix/
• cherabfoundation.org  pursuitofresearch.org/2012/07/10/insurance-coverage-tips-for-speech-and-other-special-needs-therapies

Lisa has lots of info on reasons for individual therapy (vs. group).

I am happy to help in any way I can. If you need an independent eval, you are welcome to come to my office. Or I can help you find a PROMPT trained, Talk Tools trained SLP in your area.

Barbara A. Taylor, M.S., CCC-SLP Executive Director, Help Me Speak, LLC

More Q & A

Q: Hi Lisa,

I was wondering how did you delay Tanner for going to K when he turned 5?? Do you have to give a Dr. note or some kind of documentation state that your child are not ready to go to school yet? I also wants to delay my child who is 4 now to go to the public K when she turn 5. Just want to know who the process works. Thanks a million!

A: Lisa Geng

Most of the kids in the town we used to live were started in kindergarten at 6 for athletic and academic reasons. It was a fairly affluent town outside of NYC with many parents that had higher educations. I made the mistake with my first son who is a summer baby -gifted, extremely bright (tested by the school at 99th percentile in the 3rd grade) but lacked maturity from his peers -but we had just moved to this town and he had all his friends and we couldn’t hold him back -and he got yelled at all the time because as his kindergarten teacher said to me “all the other students sit nicely on the rug during story time and your son (Dakota) is sprawled out all over the rug” And I’m like “HE’S FIVE! And he just turned five!!! All the other kids are 6 and going on 7!!! If you would have given me a clue to start him at 6 then he would be able to sit nicely on the rug too!!”

So for SURE, I started Tanner at 6. For just preschool, through his IEP he was schooled in”out of district placement” Out of district placement is where you pull the child out of the program to place them in a school (could be private) that has appropriate placement and therapy.  Tanner attended out of district preschool placement at the Summit Speech School which is one of the top oral based schools for the hearing impaired in the US. Tanner isn’t deaf or hearing impaired but they took him and other apraxic children in at that time (heard now they don’t 🙁

Unlike our population, the deaf population has so much advocacy -and it’s pretty typical for the children at the Summit Speech School to stay in that placement until 6 years old where they were then mainstreamed into their regular school systems. More money in the short run -less money in the long run if all the school looks at is money. Of course, it’s not just school its life as once a child falls through the cracks it doesn’t stop with school!

If they say you can’t keep your child in an appropriate preschool placement through the IEP -ask them to put that in writing and explain why. Let them make the first move and telling you why you can’t -because they can’t.

And PS -my son Tanner has been mainstreamed since kindergarten -and is next year going into honors classes in HS -including honors English- so for anyone from my old town from the school there who said he “wouldn’t make it” in a mainstream kindergarten class- retire!!

Other Helpful Links

•  From Struggles With Apraxia To Honors English
• Teaching Tips For A Speech Impaired Child
• Letting Kids Be Kids Is Smart
• Reading And Academic Abilities For Those With Speech Impairments
• Summer IEP Extended School Year
• Curriculum Resources and Multisensory Approaches
• Speech Therapy Matrix For School Based SLPs
• Research Reasons To Delay Kindergarten
• Addressing Apraxia of Speech in the IEP
• Dealing with IEPs for a Speech Impaired Child
• IEP Goals, Objectives, and Sample Letters to Teachers
• The Pediatrician’s Role in Development and Implementation of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
• Wise Words About Stupid Standardized Testing
• Information From Our Group To Help Those With Apraxia, Autism, And Other Special Needs

LISA GENG