Speech therapy - first session with new therapist

Wow!  I took Megan to her first session with her new speech therapist this morning.  Will took off work to keep Sam so that I could give my full attention, which was absolutely necessary since I was in the room with them.

Megan's therapist, Jean, is great.  After Megan realized I wasn't leaving her (thinking preschool has its downside) she warmed right up to her and had a great time.  The initial session(s) are used to determine what  toys/tools/activities are the most motivating to Megan so they know what to use to get her to respond the way they want.  Megan loved this music thing that had pictures and lit up and she also LOVED the iPad.

The first step in the process is to get Megan to understand that she has some power/control over things.  That if she does something she will get something.  For example, today when she wanted Jean to turn on the iPad Megan would have to clap her hands, or raise her hand, etc (just an action, no meaning to the action) whatever Jean directed her to do.  There is a process that is used to get her to do it if she doesn't do it spontaneously so that she is always successful.  Anyway once the action is performed Megan gets what she wants - the iPad to be turned on.  Once Megan fully grasps this concept with motions/actions that are easy for her to perform they will switch to sounds; and because she knows that if she does what she is being told to do she will get what she wants she is more likely to make the sound.

By the end of the session Megan was spontaneously clapping for things because that was what she was directed to do most often, and probably because it is something that she is told to do, and does, all the time. When we got home I went to demonstrate the process to Will and she did it spontaneously anytime I used "clap hands" as the directive, so I switched to "raise arm" and after a few times she was doing great with it.

I am so excited about this.  It makes perfect sense and it is doable and Megan is figuring it out quickly.  Jean even said in her session that Megan was going to progress rapidly through this part based on what she observed.  I am hoping that by her next session, in a week, that Megan will be ready to move to the next phase.