It’s simple. You are given speech and language homework from
your hardworking speech-language pathologist…. Or is it?
We all know as researched has stated again and again, that
participation and involvement from parents/caregivers is crucial to your
children’s speech and language development. From an SLP’s point of view, a one-hour
session per week isn’t enough to make an impact on your children’s speech
and/or language development. As Amanda Rhodes Fyfe so eloquently stated, that
means 167 hours per week is spent outside of treatment (wow!).
Many SLPs know that you love and care about your child, and
obviously want the best for them. Yet, what they don’t know, is that you have 3
other children, supper to make, a house to clean, school homework to get
finished. Phew! I’m tired even typing that. Moreover, your kiddo is probably
exhausted too! The last thing they want to work on is their “speech homework”.
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| Image Courtesy of www.stayathomemum.com.au |
This blog post is for you. The busy, hard-working, kiddo loving
self and your jam-packed schedules.
Here are some tips and tricks to help busy parents who
really WANT to help their children succeed, but maybe just CAN’T.
Go to your children’s therapy sessions.
Even if it's just one time per month. Even if they don’t invite you. 🚗Go! Watching first hand how your speech language pathologist works with your child, and what they are working on (you child’s goals) will give you more inspiration and insight into working on your child’s goals at home. ** If the only therapy your child gets is at school, at your next IEP meeting or parent-teacher conferences have your SLP role play with you to show you their strategies. Maybe schedule a time you and your child could come early to school to participate in a therapy session.
Favorites. Go to your children’s therapy sessions.
Even if it's just one time per month. Even if they don’t invite you. 🚗Go! Watching first hand how your speech language pathologist works with your child, and what they are working on (you child’s goals) will give you more inspiration and insight into working on your child’s goals at home. ** If the only therapy your child gets is at school, at your next IEP meeting or parent-teacher conferences have your SLP role play with you to show you their strategies. Maybe schedule a time you and your child could come early to school to participate in a therapy session.
Your child definitely has favorite
toys/books/movies. Bring those into therapy or send them into school. Using
items your child is familiar with already will increase the likelihood that
when they use that in the future, they will remember when they used it in
therapy and the skills they practiced with that.
Use other family members.
👪You might be
busy, however your oldest child could be free as a whistle to spend quality
time, giving language-rich play time to your kiddo in need.
TRICK THEM!
The best part about speech and language homework,
is that it almost doesn’t seem like homework. Throughout our busy days we are
constantly talking with those around us; why not steer conversations towards
your child’s particular goal?!
Homework Binder📒.
Fill
the binder (brilliant idea from ‘Speech Buddies’) with blank pages and let your child record topics that go with his
or her speech or language goal. Become a ‘Speech Detective” and find words
while out and about that have their target sound, or language goal.
What are ways you stay on top of homework during your busy life? Comment with your tips and tricks below 😄
Follow for access to some of my favorite resources!
Resources
Fyfe, Amanda Rhodes. (August 20, 2015). ASHA Blog. http://blog.asha.org/2015/08/20/5-ways-to-involve-parents-more-in-their-kids-treatment/
O., Chris. (September 2, 2013). Speech Buddies. https://www.speechbuddy.com/blog/speech-therapist/keeping-speech-therapy-fun-tips-for-parents/.
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