The development of children’s understanding, expression, and ability to interact socially with others is supported by pediatric speech therapy. Playtime, exercises, and activities that can be done at home will all be a part of speech therapy for toddlers. The child’s overall speech and language development will progress more favorably as a result.
What should I anticipate from my child’s first speech therapy?
It’s natural to experience a range of emotions when your young child is about to participate in their first speech therapy session. It’s possible that you’re concerned that your child won’t want to take part, and that if they don’t, it’ll be a waste of time. Or perhaps you are dreading in private what the therapist might have to say about the way you raise your children. You might also be curious about the nature of the meeting itself and what you can expect from it. All of these thoughts are natural and are experienced by many people who provide care.
You will have, thankfully, already overcome a significant number of the obstacles in the administrative process by the time you are ready to schedule your first session of speech therapy treatment.
Speech Therapy for toddlers at home
Speech therapy for children under the age of three may take place either in the child’s home, in a clinic, or in a facility that is funded by the county (sometimes located at a public school site.) The location of speech therapy for toddlers is largely determined by the services that are available in your area and the individuals who are paying for the therapy. You may only be eligible for speech therapy that takes place in a clinic because certain funding sources do not cover the cost of in-home speech therapy. Additionally, a provider at one of these locations may provide you with the option of participating in telehealth speech therapy.
When it comes to my child’s speech therapy, will he or she be seeing a therapist individually or in a group?
Your child has been recommended to participate in either individual speech therapy, group speech therapy, or both by the therapist who conducted the initial evaluation. The requirements of the child and the amenities provided by the facility are the primary factors considered when making a recommendation. A group is obviously not a possibility and has not been recommended if the facility will be providing speech services that are delivered in the patient’s home. There are some insurance providers that will not pay for group speech therapy sessions. In any event, you ought to be informed in advance of the type of session that you can anticipate participating in. Please visit this link for further details regarding speech therapy in groups.
Should I stay in the waiting room and wait or should I accompany my child to their therapy sessions?
The entire family should participate in the speech therapy sessions for toddlers and preschoolers. It is important to think of early intervention speech therapy of a high quality primarily as a training session for the parents.
Due to the fact that you, as the primary caregiver, spend the most time with your child, you are going to have the greatest influence over the course of the week. There is no way that a therapist can take your child to the back room for an hour once a week and teach them to talk through some sort of magical process. You, on the other hand, are going to be given particular tasks to work on throughout the week, and the speech therapy session is going to be the time when the therapist will be able to demonstrate the methods and provide you with some pointers.
The therapist will act as a coach, but YOU will be the one putting in the majority of the effort. Children do not learn how to talk in the therapy room per se; rather, they learn how to talk when they are with you all throughout the week. When it comes to speech therapy delivered via telehealth, the involvement of a caregiver is more crucial than it has ever been.
What kind of activities are included in the speech therapy sessions for toddlers?
The speech therapy session will typically follow the same schedule regardless of the reason why your child is participating in the therapy. This could be because of a speech delay, a language delay, or something else entirely.
After introducing themselves to your loved ones in the waiting area, the therapist will then request that you return to the treatment area. Toys, games, and other engaging activities, such as books, will be stocked in the space designated for therapy by the therapist. In the event that therapy is carried out in your home, you will be the one to invite the therapist in, and they will bring some toys along with them.
It is highly likely that the first session will consist of the therapist and you getting to know one another better. Your child’s therapist will make an effort to put them at ease during the first session, and they probably won’t put too many demands on them. There will most likely be some administrative tasks that need to be taken care of, and the therapist will most likely be observing your child and asking questions to determine the level of advancement that has occurred since the initial assessment. In addition to this, your speech therapist ought to go over the speech therapy goals with you. It is hoped that these were written down during the evaluation; however, it is likely that they will be updated during the initial few therapy sessions as the therapist gains a better understanding of your child.
Your child will feel more at ease as the number of sessions you attend together increases because they will become more familiar with both the therapist and the location of the sessions. During the session, the therapist will experiment with different approaches to assist your child in speaking. When they discover a strategy that is successful, they will likely have you try it out in turns once they tell you about it. After that, they will give you homework that you need to complete and practice during the week.
Therefore, the following components ought to be included in every session:
1) Treatment via modeling or directly
2) instruction and rehearsal
3) homework
All of these components will be present in the sessions that are provided by an experienced early intervention therapist. As the parents gain more experience in putting the strategies into practice themselves, there will be less of a need for coaching.
What should I do about the fact that the speech therapist and my child do not get along very well?
Not all personalities are compatible with one another. Every therapist has their own unique approach, and the ideal situation is when that approach aligns with your own. In a nutshell, you should give it a shot for a minimum of four sessions. Talk to the therapist about your worries and point out what’s not working so they have the opportunity to change their approach and think of something else to try.