7 Ways Parents Can Help With Speech Therapy

Information may not be reliable

If you are a parent of a child who has trouble speaking, don't worry! Modern medicine has advanced a lot, and now there are many treatment options that can help your kid in no time. When you have noticed that your child has a language or speech delay, the first thing you would do is to contact a Speech-Language Pathologist. But do you know that even parents can do speech therapy at home?

I would recommend working on your child's language at home for two reasons. The first reason is that children are provided with speech and language therapy services without any cost at public hospitals and other institutions. But the evaluation process is tough and time-consuming. So you have to be patient.

Secondly, even if a child is enrolled with a Speech-Language Pathologist, practice at home can speed-up the results. This is why I suggest that parents take an interest in the speech therapy of a child at home too.

Below I would suggest some of the ways that parents can use to improve the speech or language skills of a child. However, this does not mean that working on communication skills at home should replace the need for seeking a speech therapist.

I have come up with 7 ways to help you out, but you should work on the advice of your Speech-Language Pathologist for better results.

1.     Observe the Therapy Session

This is the most important and initial step in improving the speech and language skills of your child. This would let you know how to do it at home. For this purpose, you should ask the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) to help you.

They can record the session with the child so that you can view it later. Note the important points, e.g., the way the speech therapist is communicating with your child and your child's response. 

Next, you should frequently communicate with the therapist and learn from them. Discuss your concerns for a better outcome. Be open to the suggestions from the SLP that would make your speech therapy process easy for you and your child.

2.     Talk To Your Child

Talking to a child who is not responding to you might sound silly, but this is not the case. Talk to your child as much as you can. Most of the parents think that if their child is not responding to them, it means that he does not understand what they are saying. But this is not true.

A child, even if he cannot communicate properly, understands whatever you are talking to him. Children develop their language skills when they are trying to understand the language. Moreover, children learn by copying, and when they see you talk, it will become easier for them to talk too.

Communication is also important to develop a bond with your child. So when your child starts using his initial yet small words, encourage back and forth conversation with them. For instance, you can ask questions from them or ask them to tell you a story.

3.     Read Books Together

Reading books with your child every day will not only create a strong between you two but also encourage your child to learn new words and sentences. In this regard, select books according to the age of your child that have a lot of pictures or bright drawings too. These kinds of books grab the attention of children.

Do you know that Nursery rhymes are the best speech development tools? So sing along nursery rhymes with your child again and again. Help your child to finish off some of the verses and see them learning. There are plenty of options to choose from: Jack  & Jill, Marry and Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and many others.

4.     Work On their Vocabulary

Working on vocabulary is important if you want your child to speak as soon as possible.  What you can do is label things around you. Wondering why? This is because it would help them learn new words and build their vocabulary.  Do not lose hope if your child does not talk yet, be persistent, and they'll talk one day. 

Also, point out towards object and say it loudly. For instance, if you pick a ball, say "ball."  Once your child learns basic words, add words to the basic things.  You can say, "A big ball." This is how it works.

5.     Play With Your Child

While most of the parents will not consider this point important, but it is. Playing with your child helps him in discovering his abilities and let him be a leader. While playing, ask those simple questions like what are they doing? How would they do it? 

You can also ask them how they want you to participate in the game. The kid, when trying to answer your questions, would feel encouraged to develop communication skills.

6.     Discover Things

Take your child out of the house, to parks, malls, or even field trips are best. This would expose your child to new things and learn. Collect things and loudly say the name to make them learn it. For instance, if you pick grocery items and putting them in the cart, call the name of each item loudly.

In a park or a field trip, you can also play a scavenger hunt game. Start with easy objects, like a flower. In public places, your child will have the opportunity to interact with other kids as well, which will motivate them to speak.

7.     Never Criticize

If you want your child to learn and develop communicational skills, never criticize them for the way they speak or the way they articulate words. If they do not say the right word, instead of correcting him, repeat the sentence with the correct word.  This is how you will correct them without discouragement. It is totally fine if your child is not using the right vocabulary in the beginning as it is the first step towards fluency.

Final Thoughts – Become Involved in Speech Therapy

If your child has not spoken yet and you are worried about it, I recommend you to work on his speech and language development at home too. Speech therapy at home increases the effects of consulting an SLP.

For a parent, it is the toughest job to remain positive while their child is suffering from an impediment. However, instead of despairing, you should focus on finding solutions, such as speech therapy to help your child. 

Some parents find solace in religion and spirituality. Islamic Finder is an amazing app that has duas for every day and every situation. You can recite a dua for speech improvement as well. Similarly, if you practice another faith, you can practice finding solace in your own unique way. 

Most importantly, don't lose hope.