Speech therapy & pecs - anyone use this?

[Melisande]

Okay everyone - someone smack me the next time I say I've had a good week!!!!

Today, at work I got an e-mail first thing this morning from our speech therapist telling me that Donovan has plateaued and we're not following through, so he was resigning as his therapist!

He recommended a system for communication, the PECS system. Do any of you use this? I can explain, you put a schedule on a board with magnets and you put pictures of activities/toys/snacks on the board and Donovan has to choose one (one is a choice he likes and one is a choice he doesn't). Then if he chooses one he doesn't like, he has to do it for like 3 minutes (with an eggtimer). It stands for Picture Exchange Communication something. Anyway, it took me like a month to get all the stuff together to do it and in the meantime, our therapist quits.

How do you make a 2 year old talk? Donovan knows what the therapist wants him to do and he does just the opposite. He does this too with the nurses and us. Donovan signs and definitely communicates, but he doesn't verbalize. I just cried at work for like an hour feeling like I am the worst parent in the world and that I am so sick of having everyone advise me about how to raise my child, I just can't go on!

I need some real expert advice and support!!

I am sooooo ready to go to Phoenix and see you guys!

[Ann]

Melisande - Your therapist should be shot! Â*How dare someone tell you that you are not "following through". Â*Don't they understand that it's enough if you are still sane and functioning with everything involved in caring for Donovan and working full-time outside the home. Â*I'd say the problem is with your therapist and definitely NOT with you. Sure, there has to be some follow-up, much like you have to follow-up with older kids and their school work. Â*Make sure they do their homework, know how they are doing in school, etc. But, you don't have to do therapy round-the-clock. Â*It's not possible, nor is it fair to Donovan. Â*He wants mommy and daddy time when you are home, not therapy. Â*I too fail on the follow-up with Jack's therapy. Â*But, I have accepted that I CAN'T do it all. Â*When I get home from work, I'd much rather hang out on the couch and just hold Jack's hand and rub his sweet little face instead of getting out the PECS cards and having "class". Â*

As for the PECS - Jack has those and he uses them quite a bit in therapy. Â*He will use them in conjunction with hand switches since he can't actually reach out and touch the picture he wants. Â*Keep in mind that all that matters at this stage of the game is to give Donovan communication - it doesn't matter the mode. Â*Just know that using alternative means of communication will NOT keep him from talking some day. Â*If he has success with the PECS - use them. They are a start.

I hope this helped some. Â*Just know that you are doing all you can on any given day. Â*Some days are better than others, but no matter what, you ALWAYS have Donovan's best interest at heart.

See you SOON!

Ann

[Sara's Mom]

Umm...isn't that his job to help Donovan over the plateau??? Â*What an idiot! Â*Is it private therapy or through Early Intervention? Â*If it's EI, I would definitely complain. Â*We used PECS for a short while with Sara, but she always favored sign. Â*The PECS was much more limiting for Sara. Â*Is Donovan's sign vocabulary growing? Â*
We had one therapist tell us that if Sara really became fluent in sign, she would never have the urge to talk! Â*Then after her surgery, told me she wasn't really trying with her vocal cord exercises, because it was too much work (his nice way of telling me she was lazy.) Â*Turns out her vocal cords were webbed again and there was no way she could physically do it. Â*
Don't get me wrong...I absolutely love Sara's current ST's, but I have to wonder how some professionals can be so arrogant and clueless at the same time! Â*
Good luck!

Erin Â*

[cariaad]

We're using PECS with Alli right now, in conjunction with qworking on speaking. It doesnt have to be all regimental, it can be a more relaxed approach. Our ST supports us in this and works with her 2 x week. When Alli cant get us to understand what she wants sh e will look thru her cards and try to find one that tells us. So its been a real plus for us. But, ALLI was no where near ready at age 2. She really just got started with them this year (age 4). I agree with making a complaint if the therapist is thru erly intervention. Deb

[WeAdoptKids]

We LOVE PECS!!!! You can buy the boardmaker program and then you can make them tol your hearts content. For the life of me, I am not sure what the colors are, but they reccomend that you have a color background to coinside with nouns, verbs, feelings and then a whatever else catagory. Nouns are pink. This helps the to work into sentence structure when they get older and they are already working with the colors so it come much easier.

YOu will be amased at how fast they pic this up also. We have adapted it in so many ways that we have a PEC bpard with us at all times. If you are interested, I can give you a bunch of ideas on how to do that. If you want pictures of what I have, I can send them to you privatly or have someone else help me to post them as I do not know how to do that.

You are on the right track to communication.

Hugs to you,
Roberta

[Jimmysmom]

Jimmy has used the PEC system since he was about a year old. He doesn't have the fine motor control to do many signs. It has helped him out a lot. He now has a Vantage computer that is a touch screen and uses the same pictures as the PEC system. The computer is a lot easier and you can customize it like you need and then change it just as quickly. It can also act as a remote control for the TV, this is Jimmy's favorite part.

Good Luck

Anne

[Jacob's Mom]

WOW, Melisande! Â*I am so sorry that this therapist is such a Â* . Â*It is obvious that you are a wonderful, loving, caring mother who wants nothing more than for Donovan to reach his fullest potential. Â*I can't believe this ST had the nerve to imply otherwise. Â*

I agree with Ann that right now what is important is that Donovan can communicate, regardless of mode. Â*I finally had to give in to the fact that Jacob wasn't ready to talk, and sign language has been a God-send for us. Â*Jacob was getting very frustrated. Â*Now that he has a huge sign vocabulary, he is beginning to talk more. Â*


Amanda

[sandra]

That makes me so mad. Obviously that therapist needs to live im your shoes one day. You definately need to complain if it is ECI. I'm sorry someone said such a horrible thing to you!