I know this is extremely racist and I am so so sorry, I truly never thought I would be the person writing something like this.
My son has been allocated a speech therapist in the system and she is Indian. She has a very thick accent and even I am struggling to understand her a lot of the time. I don't know how to approach this because my son has absolutely no understanding of what she is saying to him and I feel it isn't beneficial to him at all. When she says a word he just stares blankly and then looks to me which in the past he has tried to attempt copying his other speech therapists who are no longer working there. I have to say pardon a lot too or she has to point to something for me to understand.
What can I do discretely as I really feel horrible approaching this subject.
3 Replies
This isn’t about her being Indian. This is about her ability to articulate English.
I’ve been in this position myself and not only about articulation.
How you handle it will depend on the organisation your son attends for therapy. If you have a contact person (receptionist etc) start there. If it’s a private clinic they can either allocate you a different therapist or you can take your business elsewhere.
I’d start with a phonecall to the receptionist and ask who you talk to about changing therapists with you can be as vague as you like, but it’s ok to be honest and say ‘I’m really embarrassed about this, but I can’t understand what she is saying and neither can my son’.
If it’s the public system you might have more issues because they have long wait lists and limited therapists.
This isnt racist at all!
You have a valid point. How can he learn to pronounce words correctly when her accent makes it hard for her to?
I'd find a different speech therapist.
Find another speech pathologist. You are doing your child more harm than good if you yourself can’t even understand the speech pathologist. It’s not about hurt feelings, it’s about what is best for your child x