Does your speech therapist actually seem to do anything?

[pinkcandyfloss]

My son's sees us every 3 months and she's lovely and everything but I don't really think she does anything to aid his speech!
He's 4 and been talking more and more for the last year but nowhere near sentences etc.
She just asks him what things are and sometimes he will say them, but is quite wary of her and doesn't show her the full extent of his speech.
Doesn't leave us with any activities to do or anything.
Is this the norm?

[neverfree]

Yup. dd's SALT finally after 3 years of hassling, brought us some exercises from the US for non-verbal kids with cerebral palsy. Finally. DD breezed through the first 3 - laughing while we hold her chest so she can feel her breathing, closing her mouth when a bubble touched it (she closes on command anyhow) and breathing with a flute thingy in her mouth to make a noise. Maybe next week we'll move on to singing aria's.....
Its not much but I feel like finally she isn't being ignored. She vocalises all the time and has a sound for 'yes'. I think that with help, she may learn to make speech sounds. She tries hard enough.

[moondog]

Oh dear.
I'm a salt and would fell extraordinarily bad if people felt the same about me.
Ask her what she is doing and why.With small children,what looks like messing about and playing is actually a complex assessment and therapeutic process.

Having said that,there are crap salts and good salts. Also, waiting lists are so long that often they don't see peopel often enough. I personally would question the point of seeing a salt every 3 months unless it is for the purpose of review.

Lots of salts feel the same.Too much to do,too many people to see,not enough time.

[anniebear]

when my DD had speech for the first tim, it was in a group and I really to this day dont see the point of it

she was so young and had to sit waiting for her turn of things whilst the barking dog or the car etc was passed around for them all to have a hold of lol

then out came the bubbles, again ......wait your turn. Which you cant do when your 2 years of age and suffered a brain injury

[CaptainUnderpants]

About group SALT - my yongest got more out of group sessions as he felt it was more play and games than actual SALT . We paid privately for that.
Unfortumelt in our area the NHS didn't provide group sessions , only in school holidays !

If I had live 5 miles up the road we would have benn in a differnt trust area and would have got NHS group sessions.

[lourobert]

I have to say I have found my SALT fab. My ds isnt anywhere near talking yet but does make sounds. Our SALT has given us tips and info on feeding which has been useful. He also works with us on choice making and hand function plus lots of other things, whcih Im told all need to be learnt before speech comes along...guess its like setting the foundations?!

He often visits with portage and we see him at least every month.

[TotalChaos]

finally had first NHS SALT appointment last week - she seems reasonably good - not very knowledgable about AAC though - her only comment on DS's communication book "isn't that going to overstimulate him visually with all those pictures?" [hmmm]. She is going to observe him at nursery, is arranging a Hanen Course and a speech group, and sent me away with various handouts of exercises. Once she has seen him at nursery in January we will look at what to do next with him.

[mm22bys]

If your DS is only seeing a SALT every three months, and if she is not leaving activities in the meantime, then I would definitely question the point of it.

DS1 saw a SALT for only a short period of time (less than a month) but he was having 2 or 3 sessions a week, and he came on leaps and bounds - his GM thought maybe he was on the AS, but this SALT really brought him out of his shell.

(This was with a private SALT in Australia BTW, so no under-resourced NHS issues ...)

[pinkcandyfloss]

Thanks all! Yes he had some sessions at home where she didn't seem to do much but observe what he could do really.
His last session was at nursery and I couldn't attend because I can't drive and dp was at work and have yet to receive any feedback whatsoever!
Think I will definitely be in contact with her soon. Although I appreciate she has limited time to see him, I really don't think anything has come from her visits sadly!

[mm22bys]

I really think that these therapists need to learn that even if they can't see our DCs too often, it is actually what we do at home in the meantime that is going to make the difference. Pinkcandyfloss, I think I'd be asking for exercises to do at home! We don't have a def dx for DS2, and are still waiting for the NHS therapies (PT, OT, portage, SALT) to really kick in, but in the meantime we have been going to private physio and to BIBIC, so we have a program to do at home. It is better than doing nothing. You can have the most brilliant therapist, but if she's only going to come every 3 months, it really won't do too much!

[southeastastra]

my son's salt actually gave alot of info to the school so although i didn't really have much to do at home with him, i knew that the school and the therapist were working together and gave my son strategies to help him in class. so far been great

[pinkcandyfloss]

Yes, I agree I will definitely ask for some advice on what I should do at home with him.
I am lucky really that this time a year ago he did not say a word and I thought he would never talk but has really come on in the last year so I guess I am trying ways myself of extending his vocab and sentence structures as mostly he uses labels rather than statements at the moment.
Will have to ask her directly with some support with this!

[pinkcandyfloss]

That's good southeastastra. My ds starts a sn school in April so am hoping that will help him. Am not even sure if he continues seeing the same speech therapist!

[spacegirl]

This is a really good thread thanks. You have got me thinking..... I am going to write to the head of services and complain. I haven't complained about anything before but is it who shouts the loudest? A boy in his nursery has better speech but sees a therapist twice a week. How is he going to improve? I didn't realise that once every three months is crap. I have been a bit disallusioned by the big and small thing we have done the last few times (at least 6 months). Is he too young for other stuff?

My SALT is lovely but doesn't seem that geared up for his sn as we see her in a 1970's community clinic with no facillities. He just spins and jumps off chairs and is not able to concentrate. Don't have any program from her.

His nursery have said he needs urgent help with his speech and social communication and early years sent an outreach worker in from asd school and she is going to have a program for him in school.

[pinkcandyfloss]

I did not realise once every 3 months was crap either! Thought it was normal but did wonder how speech therapists can have any effect seeing children for an hour or less every 3 months!
On the other hand I feel guilty for complaining because some people wait ages for a speech therapist.

[mymatemax]

DS2's SALT started by seeing him every 3 mths, when I questioned her she said he was on the waiting list for therapy all they could manage was to assess him every 3 months just to keep him on the list.
I asked for some exercises to do at home while he was on the waiting list & nursery requested a visit via the early years SENCO, so she went into nursery & set them up with a program & it helped hugely as they did it as a group with some of the others a nursery in familiar surroundings etc.

[Peachy]

DS3 doesn't get much either, he's beena ssessed once, and now being again- they said they'd see him at the CM's next to see how he is there, so we'll see. I do get the impression that theya re doing their best, but the optimal outcome apaprently is a palce for me on an evening course where I learn what therapy to deliver- except Dh works evenings so I may not be able to go (same as happened with the HELP! NAS course), and we have no childcare if its when he's working even if I could get a taxi.

And then I have to find time to deliver the therapy.

BUT that's all ie in the sky atm anyway, as there's a long waiting list for that course.

best outcome imo would be a plce at SALT run school, theey refused it before (LEA panel, not SALTs) but its been raised again. There;'s a deadine imo though as once he's at school in January I dont want him shifted unless needed 9though school refers to palcement atm as a trial anyway), and even then if they decide he's 'too' ASD theyc an't take him, or if he's still not potty trained.

It's not their fault- they ahev guidelines too like anyone else- but there should be a catch all for the kids who don't 'fit'

[moondog]

Interesting and sad points here.

A few things to consider

1.) Not all salts have sufficient understanding or clinical experience in the field of A/AC and /or issues such as ASD. It is a specialist field.

2.) Complain and complain and complain again. All salts worth their salt (boom boom!) know it is not a personal attack. Their aren't enough salts.That is an undisputed fact. There probably wont be more trained unless the public clamours for more.So, don't just moan amongst yourselves.Find out who is the head of the local salt service and write to him/her,copying in the chief Exac. of the Trust. Then we might get somewhere. I provide unhappy parents with all the necessary names, addresses and e mails. [salt]

[2shoes]

well dd new one is quite brilliant. only had her since september and straight away she picked up on the fact that dd's comunication book was crap. now dd has a new one and it is so much better,

[TotalChaos]

pinkcandyfloss - she should at the very least have phoned you to give you feedback after the nursery session.

moondog - even more worrying, this SALT is gatekeeping the joint clinic (paed/ed psych) referral. Imagine how furious I was to hear that after 8 months on the joint clinic waiting list, DS (as well as other kids) have been turfed off it, and SALT will decide if he/they gets to be seen by paed/ed psych . And you are absolutely right about complaining.

[ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands]

No she does fuck all.

Previous ones have done things ranging from slightly-less-than-fuck all to fuck-all.

I might use my degree (one day) to become a SaLT. And get paid a princely sum for doing fuck all.

[Boysandbeaches]

Apart from scare the living daylights out of me ? No.

It is a bit like rubbish BF advice - I get one lot of advice from them, but no exercises. Then, his play-therapist, who is making head-way says something else. School are doing their bit. We are all doing what we think is best, but I am still left with all these awful doubts.

I use Makaton and it is brilliant but totally against what they have told me to do i.e. speak another language.

[eidsvold]

we have a private one who is brilliant - dd1 sees her every fortnight and we get homework in a scrap book that we work on at home. Her speech has come on in leaps and bounds. When we are getting regular frequent therapy - she does really well. Prior to going private it was rather spasmodic with some sessions over a school term or none. I think it depends on the speech therapist. The gov't sponsored one is okay but just starting out so lacking some direction. The private one is brilliant and very organised and directed - in that there is a plan and we build up to different things starting with things as simple as practising sounds.

[moondog]

Boys,how do you mean?
Please elaborate.
Salt has told you to (or not to) speak another language?

[needmorecoffee]

Moondog, being a SALT yourself, how would you apprach speech therapy in a child with severe cerebral palsy? She vocalises, turn takes in conversations and makes a sound for 'yes'. But she can't form words. Her mouth opens wide as can be when she vocalises. If I ask her to close her mouth she will but vocalisation happens after much straining and kicking of legs and arching backwards that her mouth is open wide again.
She wants to speak. I know a fair few poeple with severe CP, Some can speak although with that CP way, others have an interpreter because of how unclear it is. None can remember how they learned to speak!

[silverfrog]

Our SALT does nothing either.

Dd1 (3, has ASD) has been assessed twice in 2 years. That's it. No ongoing therapy, no advice to nursery, no advice to us other than "keep talking to her, lots of singing, reading books" etc - is this not what you do with any child, not just with a child who needs extra help.

as a result, dd can now sing (perfectly) a good 20 or so nursery rhymes, knows whole books off by heart (ranging from Maisy stories to The Gruffalo (and all the others by Julia Donaldson)). She also has a good range of echolalic phrases, and is very good at labelling objects.

as a result of that, our SALT has said that there's not much more she can do until dd is school age, as dd has progressed further than the ASD box that the SALT is trying very hard to cram her into. This is on top of us being told last summer that as dd was 2, our SALT wouldn't see her for ongoing therapy until she was a bit older, but now that she is 3 the SALT won't have her on her casebook as the SALT specialises in younger children (wtf!!)

Moondog - we too were told not to use a second (or third) language with dd. Dh is German, and we were both keen for our children to have at least an introduction to it (a little tricky as dh doesn't see them much in the week due to work, and I don't speak German, but he was reading stories etc in German to dd1 when he was home) and we both speak French so she had exposure to that as well (in a structured way), but we were told to lay off all foreign language as she was clearly srtugglimg with her mother tongue and we were just confusing her even more.