Why it’s so important that caregivers are empowered to be part of speech and language therapy.

1.
They trust you more than anyone.
We’re all more likely to listen to and learn from people we know and trust. Your child is more likely to be vulnerable, open up and try new things with you rather than a visitor.

2.
They’re with you most often.
If you take away naps, your little one is probably awake around 10 hours per day. That’s 70 hours per week that they’re listening to caregivers speak. Seeing a speech therapist for an hour a week, fortnight or less can not have as much impact.

3.
You speak your language
If you’re raising your child to be bilingual, they’re very lucky. The best speech and language therapy strategies work across all languages and a visiting therapist is unlikely to speak your language. If you learn the strategies, you can apply them to any language you speak.

4.
You live in your house.
Children are more likely to learn when they’re in their own, familiar environment and routine. There’s no such thing as toys that teach kids to speak – any toys or resources can be used. The best learning can happen during normal, everyday activities at home.

5.
The sooner parents are involved in interventions, they better the outcomes.
Whether your child needs extra help to learn how to communicate or they’re just starting out – you being involved and empowered to help is the most important thing.

Like Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists are specially trained to evaluate a problem and then give exercises to improve.

When you see a physiotherapist, you always expect to come away with stretches you have to do yourself – it can’t all be fixed in the session. The same applies with Speech Therapy, only our children need another adult to help them to practice and exercise a new skill.

That’s why the best therapists will coach the adults around the child. We want parents to feel empowered and like they know how they can help. It’s why I started this blog.