The Beginner’s Guide to At-Home Speech Therapy

The Beginner’s Guide to At-Home Speech Therapy

Need a guide to your own home speech therapy? I will guide you as a parent, to be a beginner Speech Therapist for your child at home. There is nothing that I want more in life than to help another person unlock their fullest potential. Progressing from a “so much potential” state to an “achieved success” state is what I have always aimed to unlock as a Speech Therapist.  In my years practicing as a Speech Therapist, I have worked with a variety of patients: in schools, special needs schools, rehabilitation centers and hospital settings. I have a special interest in pediatric Speech Therapy and made this my area of specialty.

I now serve as a Montessori teacher in the USA  and developed a burning desire to serve my community in more ways. “Grow where you are planted.” My roots reach deep into Speech Therapy and I want to share that experience with you. My goal is to equip parents and caregivers with the knowledge, tools and necessary skills. This will empower you to help your child develop appropriately and to help minimize any speech and language delays. How can I help?

What is At-Home Speech Therapy?

• At-home Speech Therapy provides parents and caregivers with the tools, knowledge and equipment necessary to achieve therapeutic success at home. By sharing my knowledge with you, I am equipping you to be the therapist at home in helping your child achieve success!
• At-home Speech Therapy will provide the guidelines and insight to therapy goals set by Speech Pathologists.
• You can do At-home Speech Therapy  in your own home, on your own time.
• At-home Speech Therapy is convenient, easy and cheap.
• It is a supplemental therapy service for your child.
• This Blog certainly does not aim to replace  Speech Therapy services. Instead, I guide you as a trained Speech Therapist (and Teacher!).
• I am experienced in training parents to be their own Speech Therapists at home.  We can do this together!

How to get started with At-Home Speech Therapy?

• • The field of Speech Therapy extends to so many areas, such as speech delays and disorders, e.g. articulation, phonology (i.e. speech sounds in a language) and motor speech disorders (e.g. apraxia of speech). Other areas include language delays and disorders, e.g. expression and comprehension in oral and non-verbal contexts. In addition to these difficulties, Speech Therapists also provide therapy for fluency disorders (stuttering) and feeding/swallowing difficulties.
  • It is so easy to get started! Simply email me your Topic Request, so I am able to assist you and provide you with the information and materials needed.
  • As my blog grows, so will the readily available materials be added. For now, I am best able to assist you when you email me with a given description of the speech- and/or language difficulties you need help with.
  • As you venture on this new journey to be equipped and empowered with Speech Therapy tools, I want to be there to help as much as I can. Help me help you, to help your child.

• Sign up HERE  to get started!

Tips for Success in At-Home Speech Therapy

• Speech Therapy is not a quick fix. It takes time and devotion to make the magic happen!
• A typical therapy session is about 30-45 minutes long. It depends on the child’s developmental level, focus and therapy goals.
• All it takes is at least 2-3 therapy sessions a week for 30 minutes each.
• The more (sessions) you can repeat it in a week, the merrier!
• Follow the hierarchies given in the document to achieve Speech Therapy success at home.
• Do an assessment first and then create therapy goals. In order to provide appropriate therapy goals, I will provide you with a screening tool (assessments are more in-depth, but often require purchased standardized tests) so we can start planning your child’s therapy together.
• It would be most beneficial to have your child professionally assessed by a registered Speech-Language Pathologist, in order to establish a diagnosis. Creating therapy goals is simple after establishing a diagnosis.

Common Questions/FAQ About At-Home Speech Therapy

• Who can give At-Home Speech Therapy?

  • ANYONE! Yes, I will train you informally as an At-Home Speech Therapist to assist your child.
  • Moms, dads, grandparents, babysitters, caregivers- as long as you are able to follow the therapy goals, you can do it!
  • Do I need to be a qualified Speech Therapist to help my child? No. Let me help you to help your child.
  • Speech Therapists adjusts therapy goals. I will help adapt and adjust generic plans for your child’s developmental level.
  • I am here to help you achieve those measurable goals. You can do this!

• How do I start At-Home Speech Therapy?

  • It’s simple. All I need from you is to submit your request for therapy advice. That enables me to compile a specific therapy screening to design a customized therapy plan.
  • You can submit your request for therapy advice or simply request appropriate materials for your child HERE .
  • Starting therapy is simple. Use a screening tool and thereafter we will establish the therapy goals. I will develop the screening tools, summarize the results, thereafter provide you with possible therapy goals and activities.
  • I will provide simple therapy goals and explain jargon, so you can be a successful at-home therapist.

• When do I start At-Home Speech Therapy?

  • Usually, the earlier, the better! Why wait and deprive your child of the opportunity to develop age-appropriately? Why limit your child’s abilities by not using the speech therapy tools provided? If you suspect that there might be a language delay, speech problem, communication difficulty or feeding challenges, request an assessment by a Speech Pathologist. In addition, I am here to give you my professional advice and equip you with the tools needed to provide therapy.
  • Be sure that you are not missing any delays or difficulties from an early age. This will however cause difficulties on a scholastic and communicative level later in your child’s life if left untreated.
  • Prevention is better than cure. For those mommies who want to provide optimal language stimulation to their child to ensure age-appropriate development and an advanced vocabulary, please sign up for appropriate developmental activities and tips.

• For which ages can I give At-Home Speech Therapy?

  • Any age! Speech Therapy services range from therapy provided to infants thru the geriatric population.
  • In addition to submitting a request for therapy advice, please include your child’s age.
  • Typically, my specialized focus would be for children ages 0 – 13, but I am able to help with any age.

• Where do I find appropriate At-Home Speech Therapy resources for my child?

  • This is the most exciting part of my blog! In order for me to provide a customized plan for your child, I am able to make appropriate recommendations, give you examples, provide an activity with the appropriate links and above all, guide you all the way.
  • I am compiling printable documents for parents and caregivers to use. I understand that life is busy. Therefore, I want to provide you with ready-to use electronic materials and appropriate links.

• Will At-Home Speech Therapy help?

  • Yes! By equipping you with my professional knowledge, advice, tips and transfer of experience in therapy outcomes, you can be sure to succeed!
  • Similarly, as an informally trained caregiver in the speech-, language and communication needs of your child, you are making a tremendous difference in your child’s development.
  • If you want to experience a successful therapy outcome, all it takes is a little bit of time and devotion just a few times a week.
  • I personally believe that every child can and will succeed with the necessary and appropriate therapy input.

The Last Thing You Need to Know about At-Home Speech Therapy

• Frustrated by medical insurance that does not cover Speech Therapy services? Then this blog is certainly for you.
• Have you ever felt disheartened or unequipped to help your child with specific speech, language, feeding, voice or communication needs and/or difficulties? Subscribe!
• In conclusion: I want to equip you as your child’s at-home Speech Therapist. All you need is the appropriate materials, learned knowledge and evidence-based therapy activities.
• This does not make you a qualified Speech Pathologist. However, you will know all the tricks of the trade through a trained Speech Therapist’s perspective.
• You must be thinking: “Me? A semi-trained Speech Therapist?”. YES! As a professional Speech Therapist, I want to help train and equip you. Moreover, I trained parents who did not have access to these services, but I was able to help. With my support and provided printable documents, YOU CAN DO THIS!
• Want to know more? I am here to help! Please KEEP IN TOUCH!

For recent blog posts, please visit: https://speechtherapyroots.com/articles/blog-posts/

I hope to hear from you soon!

Natalie

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