Photo By: Sylwia Bartyzel via unsplash.com
Think back to (insert number here) years ago when you were a young therapist. Now take it back to your CFY… and then grad school.. and then undergrad… and then back to a day before you knew anything about cueing hierarchies, Brown’s stages, or the alveolar ridge. That is where most of our parents and families are.
Let’s clue them in and teach the parents… not just the kids.
It’s easy to forget just how much we, as speech therapists, actually know. We can get lost in professional jargon and in our own thoughts during therapy. Sure, WE know why you chose that activity and the level at which you’re cueing your kiddo to answer a question…. but our families don’t. If they are present in the session, they will likely miss many of the nuances of your therapy.
There are 3 people who should always know a child’s goals: you, the child, and their caregiver.
When everyone works as a team, knows their job, and knows the goal… we are a cohesive unit. Of course there are exceptions, but this trifecta brain-share is the ideal. This way everyone can see the big picture and home programming is no longer a chore- it has a very specific purpose.
I recently had a chat with a ROCKSTAR parent. She is all on board with treatment and so supportive of both me and her sweet kiddo. I realized one day we had been in our groove for so long that I needed to check in with her and remind her of the big picture. In this case, our little guy is a late talker. We have been working on songs with gestures, vocalizing during play, and adding a few signs to our expressive vocabulary. But I needed to remind mom WHY. WHY we needed to start with gross motor imitation and vocal play. WHY we weren’t hitting it hard and demanding words from him. WHY WHY WHY.
Of course, we can always ask parents if they have any questions…
but you can’t ask questions about things you don’t know exist.
(i.e. cueing hierarchies, Brown’s stages, or the alveolar ridge)
It’s our job to put ourselves in the parent’s shoes (or the child’s, depending on the situation) and anticipate their needs and questions. Some parents may feel like it’s not their place to question our methods… even though maybe they don’t understand why we’re having their child do something that seems counterintuitive to them. Some may just feel so overwhelmed that they don’t know where to start.
We are part therapist, part playmate, and part hand-holder.
It’s easy to forget that we literally have a masters degree in COMMUNICATION disorders. We should be *awesome* at communicating… but we’re also human. I’m sure we could all take a little more time to explain the intricate process of speech, language, and feeding development now and then.
(OH DARN, we have to talk more about the most wonderful field on the planet? )
Yes.
Be sure to come say hi on Instagram sometime! Or, better yet, get access to my freebie library as a VIP!
Happy Speeching,
