Speech&Language therapy first assessment

tishia05

Hello All
Just wondering if you have any idea how first assessment of speeh and language therapy should look like.
I took my autistic son yesterday, answered all questions first and was brought to the room.
I explained his situation-3 year old, had few words at 12 months, lost them by 18 months and remains non-verbal.
I wasn't really given any information, few thigs to play with him( therapist tried it and he hated it, she was speaking full sentences and he kept having meltdowns)
Have any of you been through this? Were you given any plan? Were you told anything about your child and problems?
I feel I got nothing, maybe it's just me fighting with the world again
I just don't know if I should come back. It's soooo expensive.

Any thoughts please help

CiDeRmAn

I found private therapy for my son a complete waste of money.
Better to go through your GP and find what your entitlements are, your local Citizens Advice should also have some help.
A thing that helped my wife and I was finding a local ASD group, they met in our local community centre and there you are surrounded by other parents who have been through the same thing as you, who know who to talk to, where to ring and who does and doesn't provide value for money should you go private.
The OT's we tried for my son were a massive waste of money, in the end we used our own skills as 25 year veteran Nurses for people with an ID and built programs and training around him with results.
Here's Dochas in your region, Limerick
Link
In north co Dublin we have Snowflakes, and they are great,
link

CiDeRmAn

Sorry, just to say, for balance, that it's hard to imagine that a child on the spectrum is simply going to cope well with the experience and demands of a SaLT session.
Changes in routine can be so difficult as is introducing a new demand or task, couple this with avoidance behaviour and frustration with a task they feel they can't do.
These factors may represent why the initial session went poorly.
Unfortunately, within my nurse career, I have seen people of all ages have difficulties with those early sessions, until a relationship is built up between the therapist and the child/client.
And more unfortunately is the idea that you will still have to pay for these sessions, if you continue to use their services.
Party of being an effective therapist is having techniques to manage those impediments to good productive work.

My wife and I paid for a summer of private OT and, despite an early discussion on the areas we wanted them to focus on, in the end they said he was mostly uncooperative and just wanted to play, so they let him, but that they would be happy to continue to see him, they had nothing to give us after months of effort on our part.

If you continue to go the private route be sure to speak to other parents about their experiences, a satisfied customer is a good pointer to as therapist with the right skills.

tishia05

Thank you very much for that.

I have been working very hard on his social skills and he improved greatly around other people. I couldn't understand why she made him so angry. I haven't seen him that bad in months. His home tutor is quite strict but he likes her and listens. He even closes the door when she comes in so we can't disturb.
I suppose i keep educating myself and keep working !!!
Thanks for info!

CiDeRmAn

Simple things though work a treat too.
We found bringing our son to play centres, with plenty of supervision, at quieter times allowed our son to engage with social situations and learn.
Ok, so learning was slow and there was some tears on occasion when the other kids thought he was "weird" but we were on hand to support and reassure and it's really a form of OT.
Climbing, deep pressure on the joints, lifting his body weight, finding reasons to enjoy the company of other kids, becoming used to the cadence and function of language, so much learning going on in those places.
Particularly good is bringing cousins who are slightly older along and letting them do some gentle supervision out there as well, increasing the bonds there too.

RoonCatherine

Is he on a HSE waiting list? A family Lamh course and more than words Hanen are good starting points. Also PECS may be something that could work and increase his communicative success. I wouldn't judge therapist from first session, it can take a while to build rapport with client. Informal assessment is a great way to gauge where child is at. Hope this helps.