Traditionally, if our child has some speech problems, the usual solution would be to bring them to a speech pathologist and have speech therapy. Although, this has been the well accepted coping mechanism however, the treatment sometimes just ends in the clinic. And because it is not continuous, it would take a longer time before one can finally correct his speaking abilities.
At Optimum Care Home Care Services, we believe that speech therapy does not end in our sessions. We believe that parents and other family members can do their part as well in helping fix the communicative abilities of the child.
Today, there has been a major shift in the parent’s role in speech pathology. Research shows that:
- Children can better improve their speaking skills if they can constantly communicate with people that are important to them like their mother or their parents
- Parents have more opportunity to talk to their children than pathologist and this is a good chance to bond with them
- Parents know their child best so they can assess the right approach to their child to help them improve their speech abilities.
So if you have no scheduled appointments yet with your speech pathologist, here are some ways to maximize your time at home to help correct your child’s speech abilities.
- Parent Intervention
Make it a point that there is at least an hour of two in a day to interact with the child. Always be mindful with your child’s actions and always respond to every attempt of your child to communicate no matter how incoherent it is. Always acknowledge their effort.
- Mind your language
As a parent you have to adopt your language in accord with your child. At some point you are going to learn how to do baby talk or to learn the language of your child. Use child directed speech. Use simple words and a friendly tone and there are even some who use a melodic voice when talking to the child.
- Parents make a difference
A study by Lauren Lowry shows that when parents get actively involved in speech therapy of their child it will really yield positive results. These include:
- Giving a positive effect on the child’s language development
- Children will have a better grasp of the language and grammar when there is a joint effort of the parents and the speech pathologist
Indeed, speech therapy requires the effort of both the parent and the therapist. However, today, it is the involvement of the parent in their child’s therapy that will hasten the child’s learning of the language.
For more information, you can ask our therapist at Optimum Home Care Services, a trusted non-medical home care in Optiz Boulevard. You can check www.optimumcarehomecare.org or you can call us at 703-490-8003.
