I've recently subscribed to this website and so far I think it's great. But...bear with me, this post will probably be unpopular - I really need to let off some steam about some of the things I've read here!
I'm dismayed to read how often professionals and their opinions are "dissed" on these boards. I have no doubt that some of you might have had negative experiences, I mean, we are only human and we all have bad days, and yes, some professionals are patronising. But the vast majority of us are trying to do a good job with limited resources.
As an SLT I feel that the parents know their child better than I do. The parent's opinion is invaluable to me in my assessment and I am always ready to accept that what a parent is saying is true, even when it might contradict what I have observed myself. In general, I think all my colleagues feel the same way.
But, being an SLT can be very challenging when trying to work with some parents. I find one of my greatest problems is that communication skills are so difficult to explain in a way that makes sense to everyone. People generally think they know about speech and language, but the reality is often much more complicated than they realise (just as a physio's job is more complicated than I realise). It took me four years to train and many more years to gain my experience, and my decisions and opinions are based on that knowledge and experience.
Some parents, consumed with worry and anxiety (understandably) come to professionals with an attitude of "I want you to fix this and I want you to fix it now". I have read many responses to threads on these boards advising other members to demand immediate therapy (usually from the same people who advocate trying to push your child up the waiting list through lying and complaining without thought for the people who have been waiting longer and deserve to be seen first). My knowledge and experience tells me that "immediate therapy" is not usually the answer. Parents usually expect the therapist to work with their child individually, even when this isn't the best way for us to help. Good therapeutic intervention is based on the right sort of help at the right time, and I get very tired of hearing parents demand "immediate individual therapy" when, honestly, they are not qualified to make the decision that this is what their child needs. I cannot understand why parents take their children to see an SLT if they are not prepared to accept the SLT's clinical opinion of what sort of help their child needs. When parents disagree with your diagnosis, they may have reason to do so, but I don't understand how a parent can disagree with the SLT's opinion of the best sort of treatment to offer, particularly when they don't know what the range of treatments are or the rationale behind them might be.
Finally, I hear a lot of complaints about therapists from any profession who leave their post or go on maternity leave. I am about to take six months maternity leave and the trust I work for cannot find a suitably qualified therapist to cover for me. This really isn't my problem, but it does mean that the weeks leading up to the birth of my child will be extra stressful as anxious parents are already expecting me to be working at double capacity to ensure their child gets as much out of me before I go on leave. I feel like a sponge being wrung dry of every drop of energy. Can you believe I received a direct "complaint" from one parent, via her paediatrician, because my going on maternity leave is "inconvenient" for her and "detrimental" to her son's therapy.
I entered this profession because I wanted to help children with special needs. I do this to the best of my ability, lord knows, I don't do it for the pay. Professionals have every right to change jobs (believe it or not I know many professionals who have changed jobs to get away from particular parents who were making their lives hell) and we have every right to take maternity leave, as like the parents we work with, we also want the chance to be parents ourselves.
I would like to think that the people we work with could see us in this light rather than viewing us as individuals placed on this earth with the sole purpose of helping their child, never allowed to change jobs or have our own children. To be honest, these opinions make me wonder why I will be putting my own baby into a day nursery so that I can go and help other people's children come next January. Perhaps I should stay home for good!!
Ok rant over. I feel better now. My honest advice to all those of you working with SLTs or other professionals is that if you are reasonable and nice, you'll get it back in bucketloads. It's not always easy to be reasonable and nice when you feel worried, but please, think for a minute about the people who have been waiting even longer than you and about who that therapist might be when they switch off the lights and go home in the evening. You can foster a much more productive relationship and get the very best care for your child if you are prepared to meet us halfway and with an open mind.