Therapists-Which were spectacular and why ?

If you feel your dc has had some incredible therapists, what would you say made them "incredible" ? (it could be the little things they did or didn't do)

And if your dc had some not "so great" ones, what made you realize that ?

Thanks

Re: Therapists-Which were spectacular and why ?

AJ has had the same therapists since he was 15 months old.. he is now 4.

one of our team leaders left due to licensing issues, but came back a few months later (we did not replace him) another left to have a baby, but she came back when he transitioned to CPSE, and we never replaced either one of them.

each had their own styles and we love them all...

ABA #1 (Started as special ed therapist at 15 months old - Nov 2008): she was strict but very motherly. she got AJ to eat (HUGE)

Speech: started with AJ at 15 months old - Nov 2008 as well and at 4 she still sees him... i cannot say enough about her, when she leaves (we think they will take away speech in Dec 2012) i will be devastated.

OT: started with AJ at 15 months old as well, wonderful wonderful, got him to do amazing things, he got over a lot of sensory issues he had...

ABA #2: started at 18 months old (feb 2009)... I clashed with him, we used to go head to head, but he knows his stuff and is tougher than nails... he left in October 2009 but remained as the supervisor of the team until he came back to work with AJ Jul 2010. he is still with us as parent trainer & SEIT

ABA #3: she came on board Feb 2009, and became the team leader when ABA #2 left. she then had her baby June 2010, but returned Sept 2010. when she left ABA #1 became team leader. #3 was "newer" to the field then the others but she brought on new ideas that worked and thats what we love about her... she is still with us.

ABA #4: seasoned veteran, she came on board Feb 2008 as well, and remained with us until he went into CPSE... she was the FUN one, she was the one who usually had the "play date" therapies, where she would get all the kids involved with therapies, to help AJ share, take turns, and just be a typical child, i had large play dates too, up to about 6 friends all his age, so it was a challenge, but she loved them all and we all loved her.

PT was only with us for 2 months... she was eh.. she canceled 3 times and only came once a week... but OT made up for her slack in PT.

i cannot say enough about his therapists... we have maintained through CPSE his speech, ABA #2 & ABA #3. ABA #1 will be coming back when #3 has her 2nd child.

hope that made sense...

Re: Therapists-Which were spectacular and why ?

Funny you ask, I think what bothers me is I had such great therapists with both my kids but some of them (who I thought were close to us) I don't know at all anymore. It makes me sad for my kids, they acted like they'd be around and come visit and check on them...never happened.

Re: Therapists-Which were spectacular and why ?

The person needs to be engaging with children, which seems obvious, but not all therapists are--why they choose to work with children, I don't know. That's first and foremost.

But in thinking about the OTs, speech therapists, play therapist, and the SEIT we had previously, I think the big component that makes them great is communication. Does the therapist make time to talk to me and DSs teachers? DSs last SEIT was SUPERB, she really did her best to communicate what she was doing with me, his other therapists, and his teachers, so we were all on the same page. She asked me lots of questions about him, and shared strategies for dealing with difficult situations. When I thanked her for her time, she said she feels parents need to be involved in their children's treatment for success, and when she has parents who want to learn, she is delighted to share what she knows.The speech therapist who worked with him from EI was similar, and often took a few extra minutes to talk about what she was doing with him.

I was not thrilled with his last speech therapist, and when I think about why, it was mainly that she did not talk to me or his other therapists. Little to his teachers too, so I felt like she was not part of his "team". Not sure she really did much with him in terms of therapy either, but we were with her short-term, so I never bothered switching her. His current speech therapist I do like though.

So warm and engaging with children, yes, but I think it's crucial that the therapists explain what they are doing and why, or ask questions if they find behavior baffling. One morning, DSs SEIT called me because he was particularly wild--he had almost no sleep the night before. The next day he was fine. But I loved that she took the time to call and see if anything was going on with him given that his behavior was markedly different.

Re: Therapists-Which were spectacular and why ?

Sometimes, it's just my gut reaction, but there are a few things that stand out to me.

They want to get to know my son. They want to develop a bond with him. My DS is a pleaser, so for his therapy, it helps if he grows to love the therapist, because he does much better with them when he does.

They not only tell me what they are working on in sessions, but give my suggestions on how to carry it over at home. They give me suggestions for activities that will help work on his skills but will also be fun for him. We switched speech therapists after the first 6 months and I always say I learned more from the 2nd therapist in one hour than I did from the first one over the course of 6 months. There are times that I need the support as much as he does and when they take that extra 10-15 minutes to listen to my concerns and offer some suggestions, it makes a big difference.

They express concerns they have about him. I know this is difficult for them, and sometimes hard for me to hear, but if DS's PT didn't speak to me when she did, we would have wasted a lot of time in getting him diagnosed and missed out on critical services.

They push him and are his biggest cheerleaders. They are firm with him, but celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how small.

They ask about what the other therapists are working on and what he is doing in school. They try to get a complete picture of his goals and try to work with the others as a team. I think the best ones have a good background in overall child development and milestones, not just what their particular area is.

Message edited 10/5/2011 12:03:04 PM.

Re: Therapists-Which were spectacular and why ?