Is this normal for speech therapy?

[lollystix]

So we've had 4 speech therapy sessions and they've been fairly poor in my view. I wanted to know if this set up and format is normal. We started going at 2.4 and ds2 is now 3.2. He can speak ok now - no pronunciation issues - just lack of speech initially.

So last session he refused to speak despite constant chat with me now on a day to day basis. We go into an empty room with chairs round it, no toys. The therapist has not endeared herself to be honest - she's quite severe and is now I feel starting to get annoyed with his refusal to speak. She doesn't engage him though at all and barely looks at him. She just shows his flashcards with situations on and asks formal questions like 'what's the mother doing'.

I called the health visitor today to see if I can get moved. What I'm trying to ascertain is if it's just the particular therapist I have or if this approach is the way it's handled across the board for 3 year olds. It's just not working as he clearly doesn't like her (nor do I) and is just refusing to speak.

Ahh sorry to hear you're having these probs... I think it can make a big diff how your child sees the ST and how fun she makes the sessions etc and tries to engage with your child. I think you've done the right thing in asking to try a new one. Is she asking you how he is at home? If he's making progress at home then that's a real positive. Can't believe she has no toys... Shocking! Good luck

I've given her reports of his speech at home - the full sentences he can now use. She says she'd have to go on that. She did promise him a shot on a train toy last Friday if he spoke but her manner is so severe that I think he's a bit intimidated by here and the sterile situation we face. So he didn't speak and then she sternly gave me a lecture on the fact that she couldn't let him have the train as he hadn't spoke-I found it really patronising. She was also cross with me as I called her the 'talking doctor' and she said that was 'off-putting' and I should refer to her by her name to him. Tbh when she asked how old he was after the second session we had I lost all faith. She just has no rapport whatsoever with him. It's just painful and pointless. Other friends have spoken of their experiences being a room of toys and interactive play from which the therapist endears them-self and then elicits some conversation. I just get her sternly saying things like 'well he's clearly not prepared to talk to me' infront of him - he's not daft. If he understood how to stick his two fingers up, I swear he would!