I just heard her do the opening session at EDHI. Thousands of people heard her explain that parents are important in the therapists planning, because THEY learn differently (and they are the ones deeply involved w/ their child’s daily life and learning)! She talked about different types learning styles, and how they can interact with different therapists’ learning styles. She even played a video of herself which highlighted what NOT to do– she was willing to embarrass herself in showing mistakes she’s made in responding to a parent.

I found that so refreshing, and I hope the therapists were listening. I had some of the most top-notch therapists, but there were things we had to convey regarding our lifestyle and our children in order to get things going smoothly and productively. Fortunately, I had receptive therapists.

One of the things I dealt with was bringing very, very young babies to therapy. Especially with my older implanted child, that was all new to my therapist. Stopping to breastfeed? Giving more frequent breaks and sometimes avoid the high chair for periods of time? Expecting baby behavior? Some sessions were a bust because someone needed a nap! But, somehow, even when Elliot wasn’t learning… I was. And we could use those techniques all week, so it was never a total loss. Then my youngest was a personality which was highly distractable… and impatient. Given his temperament, I requested an empty room, except for the furniture and toys which she had for that day’s therapy– covered up and hidden! Only then could be progress on the lesson at hand. It worked, and we survived his temperamental high-need move-on-to-the-other-toy-that-is-on-the-shelf personality! LOL! He remains a high need kid to this day. But not a week goes by that a stranger doesn’t comment about how much he has to say… and how advanced his language skills are. They usually say this without knowing that he was born deaf!

I have heard of other kids whose therapists were not receptive to making changes for the family needs. They end up being the ones who spread the news that AVT (or some other form of therapy) doesn’t work. And, usually, it’s not the therapy as much as that particular ineffective therapist. Thankfully, we had fabulous therapists. For parents, I recommend shopping around if things don’t seem to be working after a few weeks or serious attempts to mesh ideas and goals. Your child’s life is ticking by, and there’s not reason to lose years of therapy to personality differences. Because many other therapists will have listened to their clients and will know how to take care of new and challenging situations!

So, in conclusion, if you get a chance to hear Teresa speak– do it! She was very pertinent to today’s issues, and a fun speaker to listen to.

Comment by Amy — March 3, 2010 @ 8:52 am