How to choose a speech therapist

If a child has problems that parents can not cope on their own, they resort to the help of specialists. I really want the result of the work of a specialist was. We have seen a lot of experts in our time and even developed a number of criteria by which you can initially determine whether to use his services or not. Share with you.

1. «Diagnostics.» If you bring your child to a speech therapist (speech pathologist, etc.) and say that you need to start the child’s speech and the specialist immediately begins to work on it, this is the first alarming symptom. Parents are always subjective and at the same time they often do not have the knowledge that allows you to correctly assess the problem of the child. This is especially true for those who are at the beginning of the path and just faced with a problem. Any work always begins with a diagnosis, even if it is a statement of the sound “p”, the speech therapist first checks how things are at the moment, will determine the possible causes, will set the tasks on which he will work. For example, a parent brings a child and wants a speech therapist to teach him phrasal speech, while the child does not have a passive vocabulary, and the active one is extremely small and he can understand this, of course, when diagnosing. Here there is another nuance. The discrepancy between the goals of parents and the real possibilities of the child. We go to the next point.
2. “The discrepancy between the goals of the parent and the speech therapist”. If the customer of the service and the supplier represent this service differently, there will certainly be a conflict of interest. If, after diagnosis, a specialist tells you that the problem is somewhat wider than you thought and that before, say, start a speech you need to work on phonetic hearing this is a good reason to listen. Don’t hesitate to ask. A good specialist will always be able to explain why and what to work on in the first place. If in doubt, it is better to consult another specialist. The option when the speech therapist goes on about the parents is not very good, because the child may simply not master the material that he will be given. The result will not be that zero, it can be negative, because the child will not succeed, and this is a constant situation of failure, negativity, pleasant little.
3. «Homework.» If the speech therapist does not give you homework, does not say that you need to repeat at home, how to behave and talk to the child, then in my opinion, it does not work for the result. The effect may be from his work, especially if the problem is not large, but the more serious the problem, the more work is required and the more it is necessary for parents to be included in it. It may even happen that in the classroom the child will speak correctly, behave well, but only in the classroom, the problem will remain at home. If a specialist involves you in solving a problem, it does not mean that he shifts part of his work to you, it means that he is interested in the result, not in the process.
4. «Golden mountain.» I’m always very wary when they promise a stunning result. This, by the way, applies not only to speech therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, but also to various procedures. Empty promises often begin to pour in from the first minute, accompanied by success stories of other children. And if this is not even carried out diagnosis, that is, with your child has not even talked, not checked that he knows and knows how, then you can not trust such a specialist. A competent specialist understands that success can depend on a large number of criteria and builds forecasts only on the basis of work, and very carefully. By the way, empty promises are usually blurred in time, and if success does not come, then the parents themselves can be blamed for this. Stay away from such” experts”. There is no success without difficulty.
   In my opinion, these are the main criteria by which you can choose a speech therapist or other specialist to work with your child. The rest is rather optional.
5. “What is it?” After the lesson, you are briefly told about what you did in the class, what happened and what did not, what you need to work on. For me it is important, because, firstly, it is always nice to listen to what turns out well and to be charged with positive and secondly, I can work at home on what does not work.
6. “Good COP or bad COP.” Each child needs its own approach, someone just need to praise, someone needs rigor, someone can not sit still. Speech therapists, oddly enough, are also people and someone is kind and affectionate, someone is strict, someone speaks loudly, someone is not ready to work with difficult situations. Therefore, it is important to match. It may happen that a wonderful specialist and your wonderful child just do not fit together, it does not mean that one of them is bad, it happens. I, for example, know that a very mild-mannered, calm, even melancholic person with my daughter is unlikely to be able to work, she will sit on his neck. Strict, consistent in their actions, cheerful, active speech therapist – this is our option. Visit one or two classes, see how the child and the specialist interact, and you will understand how well they get along. Incidentally, if specialist flatly against your presence, I would, too, wondered. Because looking at how you behave when a child performs a task or even asking you to perform something together is a great way to understand a lot about a child’s behavior.
7. “You haven’t met a specialist.” Also happens. Here I would refrain from categorical conclusions and if all the previous criteria with a Bang, I would advise you to wait and see the result. If he does not make himself wait, then you can continue classes, in the end, the main thing is that the specialist found a common language with the child and there was a result.
   

Finally, I will say that all these criteria I brought only due to the fact that on our way there were excellent specialists who set a high bar and I am very grateful to them for their work, for our success. There were disappointments, but in most cases we were lucky. And therefore I wish parents to work with real professionals who are rooting for the success of children, and professionals wish adequate parents who are willing to make efforts to achieve the success of their child.