How to...

Help Your Child Get the Most Out of Speech Therapy      

You have just learned your child is recommended for Speech Therapy. Perhaps you initiated the evaluation because you knew he needed help with his speech. Or perhaps the recommendation came from your child’s teacher and was a complete surprise to you. Or maybe your child was referred for a speech evaluation after a routine screening by the Speech Therapist. You may even think that your child’s lisp or immature “r” sounds cute now. But will it still sound cute when he is a teenager? Whatever your experience, you want the best for your child and you want him to get the most out of his therapy experience.

Parents are an extremely important part of their child’s therapy program. Parents help determine whether their child’s experience in Speech Therapy is a success. I have seen repeatedly during my years as a Speech Therapist, that the children who complete the program most quickly and with the most lasting results are those whose parents have been involved.

One of the most frequent questions parents ask me is “How can I help my child at home?” Since each child’s problem is unique, that answer can be different for each parent. However, some basics apply to all cases.

First, a parent should do is to gain a good understanding of the child’s speech problem. The Speech Therapist will go over the evaluation in detail and should provide a copy of the written evaluation as well. Ask questions if you do not understand something (Speech Pathology has its own set of vocabulary like any other discipline…if you need something explained, ask). You should offer information about your child’s speech at home. The Speech Therapist will also provide you with a list of goals and objectives for therapy. You should participate in this goal-setting process and feel free to share what you would like to see your child accomplish in therapy. Understand the sequence of objectives and how much is expected for each phase of therapy.

Secondly, get all the details of how the therapy is provided: will it be in a group or individually? Will it be in the classroom or in the therapy room? How often will he be going? What are some types of activities the therapist will be doing with the child? If possible, find out when the child is scheduled. Knowing this information will help you to prepare your child at home by telling him where he will be going, how often, and what his class will be doing at that time.

Third, demonstrate a supportive, positive attitude about the therapy to your child. You can reassure your child that many children go to speech class and they will have a good time and learn things that will help them their entire life. Try not to make him feel that he has some terrible problem, but that going to speech class is similar to going to reading class or math class. Help your child understand that this class is just as important as any other class and that you take it seriously too.

Continue to show an interest in your child’s speech program by asking what they did in class. Keep in contact with your child’s therapist through parent conferences, Back-to-School Night, and phone or written communication as needed. Your child’s therapist may provide a practice notebook for home practice. These assignments should be considered just as important as their spelling or math homework. Initialing the assignments once they are completed lets the Speech Therapist know that you have gone over them with your child. Use the speech book to write notes to the therapist or to let her know if any words were particularly difficult.

Finally, integrate speech practice into daily activities as much as possible. Here are some general activities to try. Choose those that fit your child’s age and interest the best.                                          

 Speech Activities

If your child is working on a specific sound help him to become aware of that sound by pointing out things in the environment that contain the sound. You can do this in a number of ways:

Go on a “Sound Walk”. Hunt for things in or outside of the house that have the child’s speech sound.

Go through magazines for pictures or words that have his speech sound.  When driving, look for things with the child’s sound.

Play 20 Questions. Think of a word or object that has the child’s speech sound. Have the child ask questions to figure out what the object is. If that is too difficult, give the child clues and have him guess.

Spelling Search – Have the child search his spelling list for words that have his sound in. Say them aloud.

Silly Sentences – See who can make up the silliest sentence using one of your child’s speech words.

Challenge Sentences – See who can make up the sentence using the most words containing the speech sound.

Tongue Twisters – Do you know a tongue twister that has your child’s speech sound? Can you and your child make some up?

For beginning readers, have him read from his reading book or storybooks he enjoys. Try using poems, the Sunday Funnies, Comic Books, cereal boxes, signs, TV guide, video or board game instructions, anything your child enjoys reading. (This will help improve reading skills too!)

Begin to encourage your child to use the sound correctly for short periods during the day. This is called “carryover”. Can your child carryover good speech every time he says his sister’s name? his pet’s name? his favorite food?

Once your child is able to use good speech for longer periods of time, try these conversational activities.  1. Make a phone call using good speech.  2. Use good speech all during supper.  3. Use good speech in the car on the way to practice, lessons, or school.  4. Use good speech while going over homework.

Do not let speech practice become a source of conflict. Do not pick times when your child is tired or upset to expect good speech. Praise your child as he acquires new speech skills. The keys are to keep speech practice fun and to teach your child that good speech is not just for speech class!

article by Carol Casserly 

source http://www.angelfire.com/nj/speechlanguage/Articles.howtohelp.html

How to...

Encourage the Development of Speech/Language Skills.

•  Talk naturally to your child. Talk about what your child is doing and what your child sees.
• Take time to listen to your child. Respond to what is said so your child knows you have been listening.
• Don't push your child to learn to talk. Accept some speech mistakes as your child develops. Don't ask your child to slow down or repeat.
• Have your child's hearing tested if you find you have to repeat a lot or have to talk loudly to get your child's attention.
• Seek professional help if you are unsure. Never wait to get help for your child if you suspect a problem. You and your family members know more about your child than anyone.
• Early identification and treatment of hearing, speech and language disorders can prevent problems with behavior, learning, reading and social interactions.

Ways to stimulate your child's expressive language:

• Encourage your child to use language to express his feelings and ideas.
• Avoid asking your child questions that require only a yes/no answer.
• Encourage your child to draw pictures and tell you about the picture.
• Help your child memorize songs, nursery rhymes or verses.
• READ! Read stories to your child and have the child retell the story to you.
• Talk to your child and really listen when they talk to you.

Ways to help your child speak clearer:

• Be a good speech model for your child. Do not use baby talk.
• Always pronounce words clearly, slowly and correctly for your child to hear and imitate.
• Maintain eye contact with your child when talking to them.
• Allow your child to watch your face, lips and tongue as you form sounds and words and prolong the speech sound your child has difficulty saying. For example, say, "Where is your sssssssssssock?"
• Repeat new words and sounds over and over. Use them often when you talk to your child.
• Praise the child when sounds are made correctly.