Speech Therapist

kris-dan

My son started therapy in the beginning of March...its going ok but haven't seen any much of change.  How long does it take to see a change?  The early invention woman stated that if I don't feel comfortable or don't see improvement to call her and she will set up a new person....opinions please.

lujain

One month is not that long of a time.  If you and your son like your therapist, I would give it at least a few months before thinking about changing therapists.

yale

I think it depends on the kid. I imagine they all respond differently and at their own pace. DS has been seeing a therapist since last July. Progress for us has been very slow - we've gone from about 3 words to only a couple dozen now. I'd give it some more time before making a switch though.

kcisthebombdotcom

It took a good 6 weeks before I saw any change. The first month or so he was not feeling it at all and wasn't that active a participant.

kris-dan

I was just asking b/c the months are going pass fast and he has it til december

Temp23782687501318

If you have a hunch that this isn't the right therapist, don't wait.  Get a new one now.  We had our son with one speech therapist for 6 months with hardly any progression.  We switched and he has completely blossomed.  He responds to this new therapist unbelievably well.  I kick myself for not speaking up earlier.  Go with your gut!!

Shayna0182

I would definitely give it some time.  Ds has been in speech therapy since June of 2011, and the progress has been gradual.  No matter what the therapy is, Speech, OT, PT etc - you're not going to see a change overnight.  Does your therapist give you things to work with him at home?

mojito14

How does your therapist feel about his improvement? How often do they come?

DS2 has been going through speech therapy for a few months now, but they are only coming every two weeks for 45 minutes each time. I have seen vast improvement, but I can't be sure if it's from the therapy, or just that he starting to understand talking better. He has gone from 3-4 words, to just over a dozen.

Good luck!

EastCoastBride

I would definitely give it a little more time. This is all new to him- he may need some adjustment.

But I will say too that if you really get to a point where it's not feeling right, change.  We saw one person for close to 3 months and she was just bad.  She had her set activities and she expected a 2 year old to sit down w/ her for a 1/2 hour and do her activities.  And the activities never changed.

We moved and got a new therapist, and she was just a million times better.  She had activities, but they changed from week to week, and she also would follow DS's lead.  if he'd rather go play w/ a ball, she turned that into an activitiy with him.

We definitely saw improvement once he started seeing her.

AmandaP678

I think like others have said, it does depend on the child too/.. My sons therapist said around 2.5 is when a lot of kids have an explosion of words too. Which is about when Tim really started with a lot of new words

kris-dan

Our present therapist does follow our son around and turns whatever he's doing into a playtime and speech time. 

MammaBear81

MandySB:

If you have a hunch that this isn't the right therapist, don't wait.  Get a new one now.  We had our son with one speech therapist for 6 months with hardly any progression.  We switched and he has completely blossomed.  He responds to this new therapist unbelievably well.  I kick myself for not speaking up earlier.  Go with your gut!!

I agree with this, kind of... Although giving the relationship between your LO and the ST is important sometimes it's just not the right "fit".  If your LO is happy, but you just haven't seen a huge improvement then I'd give it a few more weeks, but if they aren't clicking then I'd request someone new.  My two oldest boys received speech (not at the same time) and I had to ask for a new one for my younger son because they just didn't work well together.

annibes

Ask your therapist for an update using the data collected from sessions. Typically, I write up a note during and after each session so I can check progress and provide it to parents (I'm an early intervention SLP). She should be able to provide examples of progress she has seen. I also had a parent comment today about how going to see grandparents once a month has really helped them gauge their child's progress because while we might not see the progress on the front lines, people a little more removed from the child often see the big picture better. 

All that said, sometimes it just takes time. My own son is language delayed and he has been getting speech from me since he was an infant, lol. He finally is starting to pick up words and follow directions and it has taken a LOT of hard work from him, me, DH, and his early intervention team. Make sure all of the strategies are carried over into all aspects of your child's life- home, therapy sessions, daycare, etc. if the already provided suggestions for implementing strategies at home and school, ask for some. Parents and caregivers are a child's best therapists! 

MaxandRuby

How frequently does your child see the therapist? Once per week, two times per month, once per month, etc.? That in and of itself will be part of what determines how quickly they start improving - also how much you are working with your child between sessions.

DS2 receives the gamut of therapies and has received services since 4mos old (his therapies have been anywhere from once per month to twice per week depending on appt length and state we've been in). Out of ALL of the speech therapists he has had, the one he has now is where he is truly blossoming but it may also be his age and that he has had a couple of word explosions. Even his therapist comments on how quickly he is improving.

Anyway, my suggestion is to wait at least 1 more month to see what kind of improvements there are. THEN (and I would do it now and then next month) ask the therapist how you feel your child is improvings/making progress. Some kids will take them awhile to start showing improvement while other kids won't take as long. Sucks but true. In the end, unless you feel like the therapist is not a good fit I don't think one month (I'm estimating you've had 4 sessions at 1 session per week) is allowing enough time to see improvement.