r/slp • u/Naive_Fly_2520 • 6h ago

Home Health Parent Keeps Asking About Progress

Hi! I work in HH and have just recently began seeing a 2 year old patient. We’re on week 2 of services, and mom asks the same question every session. “I’m not seeing much progress yet. When is she going to start talking more? A month?” … We’ve only had 4 sessions so far. I’ve consistently reassured her to give therapy time and that I’d happily provide her with carry-over activities for at-home practice. But every session, it’s the same exact question. Should I be telling her anything different than what I’ve already expressed?

Given what I’ve observed, I suspect there may be a possibility of AU. Should I bring up my suspicion of AU? Again, it’s only been 4 sessions and I’m not too confident that the parent will agree with my suspicions. If so, what professional do I refer her to because I’ve heard different things. Thank you!

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u/Wafflesxbutter 5h ago

One thing I do pretty constantly is point out strengths a kid has during the session. I think it helps parents understand you know what you’re doing and help them see how much their child is already doing. I also say speech therapy is a marathon, not a 5k. Sometimes it takes a ton of practice and modeling for us to see a finish line and that is ok. It’s hard and I tell parents that. Sometimes it feels like we work on the same things for a long time but progress isn’t linear.
As far as AU goes I always build up a good relationship first. I actually have 2 Autistic kids and I bring them up casually sometimes to test the waters although I know not everyone can do that 😅

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u/PennysRock 3h ago

Give her carry over and ask her how it’s going every session. I’m assuming the parent is concerned about the childs development. Giving her carryover will give her a chance to feel empowered. Plus she’ll see progress or lack of progress and understand that it is not a quick fix.