For many families, it’s been a journey to get to the point where their child is working with a speech therapist. This is a crucial piece of the puzzle for many children with speech delays.
What is it that parents really want speech therapists to know? Let’s find out.
Partnership
First, it’s important for both parents and the speech therapist to be on the same page. According to research, and as experienced therapists will tell you, parent involvement is crucial and increases the child’s success. They want to know what is happening with their child. So partner with parents!
Explain and Educate Us
Parents don’t always understand the diagnosis and treatment plan that has been given to their child. The worst thing is for parents to feel ashamed to ask questions and end up turning to a search engine to understand. Take time to find out their level of understanding by asking questions. Slow down and invest in explaining any terms that might sound medical to the parents. It will go a long way in building trust and keeping communication open. It’s better to lean on the side of caution and not assume they understand or have taken in what they’ve heard from doctors.
Also, include time for parents to ask questions. Parents are going to be your trusted partner and crucial to the child’s success. You want to make sure they are not surprised by anything that is happening in therapy sessions.
Set Expectations at the Beginning
Many parents haven’t worked with a speech therapist before and it can be nerve wracking for the child and family. Parents may be wondering what actually happens during a therapy session. It’s important for parents to understand how the sessions will work. Be thorough in the beginning with what is going to happen and why. Show them an example, talk to them about what to expect. This will ease some of their anxiety and help to connect with you.
In addition, discussing expectations you have for the parents and what their role is will help ease nerves. This will help parents build confidence and reinforce what their child is learning at home. Will the parent be allowed in the session? What will the parent’s role be with any homework? Will they have to learn how to do certain tasks or equipment for communication? If parents understand upfront what you expect their involvement to be, they will feel more comfortable!
Show Empathy
Sometimes the anxiety parents feel might interfere with the process and not be very helpful. It’s common for parents to be afraid for their child’s future. Being patient and listening to their concerns will provide relief and make them feel heard. Try to put yourself in their shoes and feel what the situation might be like for them. This will go a long way in helping the child achieve their goals.
Be Sensitive
There might be outside factors that will inhibit the child to be fully present during their sessions. For example, if the child missed their nap, has been ill, or is just having a bad day, you will want to know. Listen to the parents; they are the experts of their children.
In closing, it’s important to remember parents want their child to be successful and learn new skills. When you approach speech therapy as partners, the child’s ability to succeed will increase. Try to put yourself in the parent’s shoes by showing empathy, educating, communicating and partnering with families to help them become successful in their goals.
About Specialized Assessment & Consulting
Specialized Assessment & Consulting provides special education services, assessment, therapy and related services for schools nationwide. Our team includes school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, diagnosticians, social workers, special education teachers, teletherapists, and more.
Our providers enjoy flexible scheduling, full & part-time placements, PRN options, ongoing mentoring, ongoing support from our leadership team, peer-support, access to test equipment, and more! We are actively run and managed by a team of dedicated special education professionals who are passionate about partnering with our clients to support their staffing needs.
Specialized employs more than 200 team members serving more than 40,000 students in their mission to help every child reach their full potential.
For more information, including services and staff needs, visit www.specializedassessment.com
