How long?
ToastieSimons
member
Do you give it before deciding your child just doesn't like their therapist?
DS1 had speech, a 15 minute break then PT. I like both therapist however DS1 repeatedly has not liked the SLP.
Today it was very noticeable. He would not look her in the face, he threw himself backwards out of her reach and the he tried to bite her. DS1 is not a biter, this is the first time I've ever seen him respond that way.
After his break he had PT. He had great focus, attended to her when she interacted with him and did what she asked. He did get grouchy when she pushed him, but he responded in his usual manner, lots of whining and some twisting to try to get out of it. He never even made a motion to bite her when she was forcing him to reach or stand.
Is this typical? Do I keep pushing him with the SLP to get used to working with people he may not enjoy. I personally like the SLP. Her son has Down Syndrome and is a bit older so I feel like she's a great fit for him, however, he seems to feel otherwise.
Re: How long?
I was removed. I was in the next room over. I find if I stay he just wants to cling to me. It doesn't seem like he isn't interested, it just seems like he doesn't like her. If he crawls over and pulls a toy out of her bag he will start playing with it, as soon as she comes up to him he turns away from her and crawls over to a different toy.
Where as, with his PT, OT or DI if they come up and play with a toy he is playing with he'll either not notice, or he'll look at them and vocalize or at least show interest in them. With the SLP as soon as she looks at him he starts squirming and trying to get away. He has in been in therapy since 1 month old and I have never seen him try to bite anyone. He's been in a church nursery and other situations where toys are taken away from him etc and he's never bitten.
While she was trying to get him engaged with her he leaned over and went to bite her. The things she does with him don't seem to be things he would be annoyed with. She tries to blow bubbles with him, play with puzzles and tractors and he just seems to be like "get away from me lady". She had her supervisor come to one of the sessions and see if she could form a second opinion so they can formulate the best plan to get him speaking. He was happy to engage her and do what she was asking but as soon as his SLP tried something (even blowing bubbles) he wanted nothing to do with it.
We've been seeing her for about a month, however we had some breaks with illness and a hurricane, so I'm giving it some more time. I know he's not used the amount of therapy he has and the grueling schedule. I'm just wondering how long is long enough to request another therapist.
Wow, that is a hard one. My ds didn't like one of his SLPs when he first started with her - she was much more strict than anyone he had ever worked with, and instead of cuddling and comforting his tears, she would tell him to stop crying and remove him from the 'fun' room until he calmed down. I would be sitting outside the door and she often had to bring him to me to calm down - if I was in the room he wouldn't let go of my neck! I really wanted to switch therapists b/c I thought she was too harsh, but as with a PP, she was the only one available at the time I needed.
That was 2 yrs ago. He still sees her now and runs to give her hugs when we get to the center. Actually he is with her now while I am working, and I am glad I stuck with it.
However he never did anything out of character with her, like biting. If he had done soemthing like that, I might have pushed more to change. So I may not have any good advice, but I know the 'what do I do' feeling you are dealing with.