Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know [Paperback]

Patricia McAleer Hamaguchi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2001

Does your child have trouble speaking or listening?

This fully revised and updated edition of the essential guide explains what you can do to help

Have you noticed that your child has difficulty getting the right words out, following directions, or being understood? If so, speech-language pathologist Patricia Hamaguchi -who has been helping children overcome problems like these for more than twenty years-has now revised and updated her highly effective guide to help you determine what's best for your child. Find out all you need to know about:
* Autism/PDD, central auditory processing disorders, dyspraxia, bilingual language development, adoption issues, thumb-sucking, and more
* How to recognize the most common speech, language, and listening problems
* When to get help for your child and when to wait
* Where to find the right specialist and what to ask
* How to read and understand the jargon-filled evaluation report
* The very latest changes in philosophy, treatment approach, labeling, laws, programs, and resources
* How the problem may affect your child academically, socially, and at home
* Tips for helping your child at home


"Provides valuable information for parents of children with speech, language, and listening problems."----Sandra C. Holley, Ph.D., Former President, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Designed for parents who suspect their child may have some type of communication problem. Explains what is considered ``normal'' for a child's development then describes symptoms of various common disorders. Demonstrates how to distinguish between a problem that will probably be outgrown, from one that requires outside help. Also explains how to get help, what tests are likely to be done and how to understand the diagnosis. Includes activities parents can do with their children at home to help them progress. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Does your child have trouble speaking or listening?

This fully revised and updated edition of the essential guide explains what you can do to help

Have you noticed that your child has difficulty getting the right words out, following directions, or being understood? If so, speech-language pathologist Patricia Hamaguchi –who has been helping children overcome problems like these for more than twenty years–has now revised and updated her highly effective guide to help you determine what’s best for your child. Find out all you need to know about:

• Autism/PDD, central auditory processing disorders, dyspraxia, bilingual language development, adoption issues, thumb-sucking, and more
• How to recognize the most common speech, language, and listening problems
• When to get help for your child and when to wait
• Where to find the right specialist and what to ask
• How to read and understand the jargon-filled evaluation report
• The very latest changes in philosophy, treatment approach, labeling, laws, programs, and resources
• How the problem may affect your child academically, socially, and at home
• Tips for helping your child at home

"Provides valuable information for parents of children with speech, language, and listening problems."——Sandra C. Holley, Ph.D., Former President, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; Revised, updated 2nd edition (August 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471387533
• ISBN-13: 978-0471387534
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

134 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent presentation of learning disabilities in children, January 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know (Paperback)

What do you do when your child's teacher suggests that your child needs to be evaluated by a Speech Pathologist? Perhaps it doesn't surprise you. After all, you have noticed that Johnny avoids writing assignments, or Suzy just doesn't seem to hear you when give her directions. But - what if you're shocked? I mean really taken aback that this could be your child. The one that is so bright, that talked early and was always such a good communicator. What then?

Well, after spending 3 months struggling with abstract concepts and blaming myself, the schools, the daycare provider and anyone else I could think of, I finally plopped down in a local bookstore and went to work. After pouring over many books for over an hour, I settled on "Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems : What Every Parent Should Know". I spent the next 5 nights staying up past midnight reading the book and comming to terms with my child's disability. Thanks to Ms. Hamaguchi I now have a clear understanding of what my childs needs are, both at home and at school. Ms. Hamaguchi explains, in simple terms, the way we speak and the way we listen. She then discusses what to look for, when to have your child evaluated and who is appropriate to perform the evaluation. Finally, she explains what kinds of testing are done and what the results mean. She clearly defines each type of learning disability and discusses the possible causes and characteristics of children with the problem. She also talks about how the child is affected, the recommended therapy and what parents can do to help. In addition,case studies are included to further illustrate each condition. Upon completion of this book, I had a very clear picture of what was going on and what path I needed to take.

I have presented the book to the teachers, therapists and school administrators. They have found it insightful and very useful. It has helped us start re-structuring my son's learning environment so that he is beginning to perform closer to his true intellectual abilities. It has also made me more effective with the therapy and school work that we do at home each night. Now I feel confident that I can give my son the tools he needs to be all that he can be. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with this abstract world that is so important to the success of their child.

95 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent, Excellent, Helpful Resource, September 14, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know (Paperback)

What a great help this book has been for me, I only wish I had had it sooner. My daughter was evaluated by a Speech and Language pathologist who told me she needed therapy and was a high risk for a learning disability. I got the written evaluation, but had nothing to help me review it critically until I got this book. This book has been a tremendous help in that area. It discusses how an evaluation should proceed and what the test scores really mean. It gives the parent a tremendous amount of very useful information in the speech, language and listening areas. It also gives you benchmarks, by age, of where your child should be in those areas. All this is done briefly, succintly. This book made sense of an area that I found so confusing. The information found in this book will be useful to the parent of any child suspected of having a speech, language or listening delay or disorder. It also helps parents seek assistance in these areas. Each potential problem is discussed individually, as well as different types of treatment for those problems. If you have even the slightest reason to suspect your child has an issue in these areas, or an educator or speech and language pathologist is telling you your child does, you must, must read this book. It will provide you with valuable information and enable you to speak intelligently so that you may better help your child.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars somewhat helpful but more for school-age kids, October 3, 2001

By 

A reader (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know (Paperback)

I think this book would be very helpful to parents of older children who notice a speech impediment or delay. It was less helpful to me, a parent of a preschooler, since my daughter doesn't have much speech to work with and her problems appear to be more fundamental. It's full of information about negotiating with school districts and special education programs, again of more use to parents of older children.