"Listen Play Talk Zoom Session"

I had our first Listen Play Talk Zoom Session after my health visitor made the referral for my nearly 3 year old for speech and language.

The staff member took my Zoom session along with 5-6 other participants and I wanted to give my feedback on the session. The session was 30 minutes long which covered 5 strategies. I felt the strategies were very generic as there were other parents in the session and strategies you could easily research yourself online. We were also told to turn our cameras on which was not outlined in the confirmation email.

After the session the staff member had mentioned they will give us a call after 10 mins to discuss which 2 strategies we were going to implement. I work in a high school and to me this felt like a teaching method you would use on children, not parents. A very much ‘tick box exercise’ to say that the session has been provided, you are going to go away and do this now and your clinic will follow up.

When the staff member rang me they didn’t ask did I have any questions about the session. They just asked what 2 strategies was I going to use. I mentioned adding words and set up the need to talk. I said I will use options to encourage words but they abruptly then said that that they do not encourage words, that’s not what they do etc, even though one of the strategies is called adding words? I said I will encourage words for e.g. show my child a juice or yoghurt so he can tell me which one he would like. I could barely hear what they then said as I was at a toddler group with my son and all I heard was Castlewellan clinic? I said yes and our conversation ended.

I did not find the session useful or certainly the follow up call. All I’m left with is this abrupt impression and disappointment from the service.