According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, “Nearly 1 in 12 (7.7 percent) U.S. children ages 3-17 has had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing in the past 12 months.” For this population, there can be major impacts on speech-language development and their performance at Westfield Public Schools.
That’s where speech therapy comes in. Speech therapy is conducted by licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and can greatly benefit children with voice, speech, language or swallowing disorders. Below we review how to get the most out of your child’s speech therapy.
Attend All Sessions
The best thing you can do is attend all therapy sessions or as many as you can. We understand that sometimes life happens and you’ll have to cancel, but this shouldn’t be a regular occurrence.
Additionally, rather than dropping your child off, you should attend with them and be involved. This way you will see what type of feedback the SLP gives your child and can mirror it at home.
Ask Questions
In addition to sitting in on sessions, you should feel free to ask questions. These can relate to why the SLP is doing certain exercises/what the benefits are, how they can be implemented at home and how you can best help your child when practicing.
Share What You Know
Nobody knows your child better than you. During sessions, be sure to share what’s going on at home, where the child is still struggling and where they’re making strides.
Be Positive
Your child’s attitude toward speech therapy will mirror your own. When attending sessions and practicing at home, be sure to keep interactions positive and fun. Instead of trying to correct all your child’s skills at once, choose a few words or skills to target each week.
Practice
After sessions, your child’s SLP will assign homework. Be sure to practice all the exercises every day so that your child can improve steadily and quickly. Many exercises can be done during daily activities like driving in the car. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Speech & Hearing Associates today.
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