98 ford windstar not shifting from 1st gear

I recently obtained a 1998 ford winstar GL with a 3.8 litre V6 AX4S transmission. 119k miles Motor runs great but the Transmission will not shift from 1st gear at all. I even tried to manually shift from 1st instead of Drive and still wont work. I read more into it and some causes are the Transmisson Control Solenoid or Vehicle speed sensor. What are some things to look for before replacing any of these items? like signs of wear? maybe some troubleshooting ideas, if any? If perhaps it could be the V.S.S. wouldnt my speedometer not be working? currently it works.

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

-Josiah D. Gerhardt