Welcome to Parent Perspectives, an occasional series. This is an interview series featuring parent perspectives on speech therapy. I asked questions, and parents answered with honesty about their perspectives. My Child’s Experience With Speech Therapy: A Parent Perspective Part 2 is an interview with Jessica, who has a son who was a late talker and started speech therapy when he was two years old.
Some housekeeping: I do not interview my clients for this series. Instead, I find community members who are willing to talk about their experience. I do change the names of children and parents so that both can remain anonymous if they’d like. This interview has been lightly edited for flow and clarity.
My Child’s Experience With Speech Therapy: A Parent Perspective (Jessica, Part 2)
Today’s story is about Jessica and her son Michael. Jessica first had concerns about Michael when he was 18 months old. At that time, her doctor told her to wait and see if his language developed. Six months later, she returned to her doctor’s office to again voice her concerns. At that time, she received a referral for speech therapy.
Michael’s first speech therapy session was an evaluation. After that, the speech language pathologist (SLP) also shared that early intervention is effective and it was good they were catching this at a young age. After the evaluation, Jessica and Michael were ready to start speech therapy. However, they waited (and waited…) on a long waiting list for speech therapy treatment. At that time, Jessica began contacting area early intervention services (through her county). Jessica hoped those services would have a shorter waiting list. For more information on their story, check out Part 1 of this series in the previous post.
Let’s get back to the interview!
Tell me more about Michael. What was he working on in speech therapy? Do you feel like he made progress in that area?
Before speech therapy, Michael wasn’t talking. He would point, whine, or cry to get what he wanted. He was shy and quiet. Many people (friends, relatives) said he was most likely just a shy kid.
I knew better. I kept making noise when I went to the doctor until we got someone to listen. Once we were off the waiting list and got services, my son enjoyed the sessions.
Michael liked playing games with the SLP. Through their play, he learned many new skills. He learned how to understand directions, pronouns, new vocabulary, sequencing, and using complete sentences.
Michael made great progress in speech. When we first went, he was saying only a few words. We saw his vocabulary increase after he started his sessions. He also showed us things at home he had learned in speech therapy. For example, he started to use more complete sentences to ask for things. Also, he sometimes corrected himself when he used the wrong pronoun. I’m very thankful that my child’s experience with speech therapy was such a positive one.
What did a typical speech therapy session look like for Michael?
First, the SLP showed Michael a visual schedule. This showed pictures of what they would do together that day. This helped him a lot! They would go through the list and when he finished an activity, he got to take that picture off the schedule.
Michael played games with the SLP to work on pronouns. They worked on “my turn” and “your turn.” The games also helped with his other speech therapy goals.
Then, they would have some free play time. They would work on imaginary play and using complete sentences and asking for items.
Did the activities change as Michael started talking more?
Yes. As Michael started talking more, they started adding in more advanced activities. Michael would complete sequence and puzzle cards. This would work on pronouns like he/she and also before/after and first/last.
After every session, we would chat with the SLP about how things were going at home. I could bring up any problems we were having at home, and get suggestions. We also got pointers on activities we could do at home to help with Michael’s communication goals. From a parent perspective, speech therapy helped Michael, but it helped me too. I could always ask questions and find out what to do at home to help Michael.
Are you still in speech therapy now? If so, where do you get service? If not, why not?
Yes and no. Now that my son has started kindergarten he sees the SLP at his school every week. We haven’t been going to private sessions anymore, for a long list of reasons. Our private practice SLP left the clinic and the clinic never called us to reschedule. We could have called, but got busy with summer activities. Lots of excuses. We do need to schedule more appointments for him, and will follow up with that this Fall.
What did you like (or not like) about SLPs you’ve worked with? What do you think makes a good SLP?
We loved our first private practice SLP. She got along well with Michael. The SLP was nice and knew how to interact with kids like him. Our SLP also made speech therapy fun by having lots of games and fun playtime worked into the schedule. One thing that was really helpful was giving Michael lots of choices on the activities they did.
She would ask what activities Michael wanted to do and give him a few choices. They played with puzzles, books, play dough, cars, and other games. This helped Michael feel more in control and be happier by the end of the appointment.
When our SLP was on maternity leave, we had a substitute SLP. We didn’t like her at all. She had a list from our SLP about what to do, but she wasn’t as nice and didn’t work as well with my son. She had trouble getting Michael to pay attention. I could tell she was getting frustrated with Michael because of this. Our previous SLP was patient and kind. If Michael’s attention span was short, she would switch to another activity. Also, our regular SLP was encouraging and kept things positive. She was wonderful and I miss her!
What would you tell another parent who was considering speech therapy for their child?
Definitely do it! The earlier you get help the better.
People might tell you stories of kids they know. Kids who went from saying nothing to speaking sentences. People will tell you to be patient. But being in denial doesn’t help. If something magical happens, and your child begins talking overnight, great. But wouldn’t it be better to get help in the meantime?
It may be hard to hear how far behind your child is. But you will be so happy to see them improving before your eyes when an SLP works with them.
Did your feelings about speech therapy change as you started regularly attending sessions with Michael?
At first, I felt scared, worried and stressed about Michael’s communication difficulties. As soon as we began speech therapy, I saw an improvement. I started to feel better and not feel stressed about Michael’s communication. It made a big difference. I recommend seeking help from an SLP if you suspect a delay in your child’s communication. You know your child better than anyone. Do not hesitate to get an appointment if you think your child may need help.
Anything else you’d like to add? What would you say to a parent thinking about making the leap to calling a speech therapy clinic?
At first, I felt embarrassed that Michael had difficulty communicating. I felt like maybe my kid wasn’t “normal” or that I had to hide that there might be something wrong with him. However, I’ve found there are a lot more kids than you think who need speech therapy. It’s quite common! Don’t feel ashamed. Feel empowered because you are getting your child the help they need. It makes a big difference. Don’t hesitate to call an SLP and get help as soon as you notice a problem.
Thank you, Jessica for your interview! I learned so much from your story and your perspectives. Although I’ve read through your interview many times, every time I learn something new. Thank you for the amount of time and thought you put into our interview. All the best for you and Michael as your journey continues.