The Role of the Parent in Toddler Speech Therapy

Parents are a crucial part of speech and language therapy in toddlers and preschoolers. This is because parents are a child's primary language models. Changing parent modeling can increase what a child takes in (receptive language), which, in time, results in improvements for expressive language (what manifests when a child communicates). Small tweaks in the way a parent plays / interacts can similarly help social / pragmatic language as well.

The best toddler speech therapy, then, involves the parent before, during, and after the session. It's the little things that really add up. For example, here is a simple checklist -

1. How often does a parent repeat utterances?

2. Are the utterances the right length for the child to process, and maybe even repeat back?

3. Does a child get the chance to request, or are needs anticipated?

4. Is diction and tone optimal for a young child to catch on easily?

5. Are choices provided, so a child can point (a crucial pre-requisite for speaking)?

6. Are games with active turn taking regularly practiced at home?

7. Does the parent play at the child's level, so there can be plenty of opportunities for natural or taught eye contact?

8. Are directions modeled and followed through by the parent first?

9. How long is play with each toy? Is the time on each toy enough to build attention?

10. Is there plenty of pretend play, to strengthen language and cognition foundations?

A lot of these questions are answered, and elaborated on, during therapy, with a qualified therapist. Points of strength, as well as areas to improve, are approached methodically, session by session.

So does it help for a parent to sit in on a session? Can toddler speech therapy be conducted as a conference between the therapist and the parent? And are parents supposed to ask all their questions / voice all their concerns?

The answer to all of the above is a resounding yes!

PS - if you want answers to some of the questions above, it is advised to see a speech therapist. In the meantime, though, check out Smarter Speech's "Speech to Teach : Toddler / Early Intervention" Bundle on our TpT store - with 10 parent education tips that can get you started.

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.