Guest guest Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi Everyone, My daughter just turned three and we are transitioning to the early childhood program in our area from early intervention. I am having a hard time with our new SLP. She comes to our house because preschool does not start until september. One thing that I don't like is that she uses the technique of " withholding " to elicit vocalization from our girl. She gets our daughter so excited and anxious that she makes sounds, but she is hardly able to make word approximations or correct signs. I find it insulting, the whole playing dumb thing ( " Oh, you want more? " for the 5th time). Who on earth treats people like that? What do you think about this technique? I also don't like that she seems to know everything and yet has not spent any time getting to know my daughter before telling me what she thinks is going on. I have been honest with her, and we are trying to work through it and find different strategies. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2009 Report Share Posted May 22, 2009 First off, I can tell you that it is very difficult to come into someone's home and immediately impress them with your therapy services. I have experienced this personally as a therapy assistant. It is likely that she feels you may find her time wasteful if she starts sessions by playing and getting to know your daughter rather than jumping right in with quality therapy techniques. Of course she would be mistaken, but maybe someone has made her feel uncomfortable in the past and she just needs you to communicate what you want her to do. Not only is it a transition for your daughter, but you as well. I think it would be good if you suggested a social outing, such as a trip to the park or a hike so she can get to know your family casually first. I always felt like we had to treat teachers and therapists like family because they are so important to us. Because they are working for you, you have the ability to make them a great asset by communicating what you expect and letting them know you appreciate them. The withholding technique is called PRT (pivotal response training) and is a method of teaching them they must communicate in some way in order to get what they want. If she had to ask 5 times, that seems a bit much. You could suggest that first there is just an exchange, such as your daughter gives her a penny and she gives your daughter the item. After awhile of getting things easily, your daughter will warm up to her and probably be ready to do something else to get what she wants. She could do a simple sign for the item, say the first sound of the letter the item starts with, etc. If the item is too hard to say and expectations are too high, it's not going to work (hence, asking 5 times). A REALLY good book for this (I've been ranting and raving about it on here) is The Verbal Behavior Approach by Lynch Barbera. I have some training in ABA and I really like how the book is laid out, it makes it so easy for a parent or therapist to know what to do in order to teach language. Don't worry, transitions are hard for everyone at first. Just go with the flow, tell her what you need her to do, and give it some time. If there is a personality conflict or she just seems totally incompetent, see if you can try someone else. Good luck! > > > Hi Everyone, > > My daughter just turned three and we are transitioning to the early childhood program in our area from early intervention. I am having a hard time with our new SLP. She comes to our house because preschool does not start until september. > > One thing that I don't like is that she uses the technique of " withholding " to elicit vocalization from our girl. She gets our daughter so excited and anxious that she makes sounds, but she is hardly able to make word approximations or correct signs. I find it insulting, the whole playing dumb thing ( " Oh, you want more? " for the 5th time). Who on earth treats people like that? What do you think about this technique? > > I also don't like that she seems to know everything and yet has not spent any time getting to know my daughter before telling me what she thinks is going on. > > I have been honest with her, and we are trying to work through it and find different strategies. > > Any thoughts? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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