Improving My Child's Speech at Home

Your child just started speech therapy once or twice a week in a clinic with a speech-language pathologist (SLP). Your session time is 30-60 minutes a week direct therapy with your SLP and you ask, "What else can I do at home to help?"

Chances are you noticed that your child's speech sounds were not quite progressing as they should and you sought speech therapy to improve speech sounds. Although your child has been attending speech therapy, you want to work at home to supplement your therapy sessions in the clinic.

As SLPs, we know that progress comes from practice and that parents are vital to the team and to their child's success in speech therapy. Here are some tips to help your child's success with improving speech sound production:

  1. Ask your child's SLP for weekly homework
  2. Attend speech therapy sessions with your child so that you can learn techniques, observe the session, and participate in the practice during the session.
  3. Ask questions! Your SLP wants your input and wants you to know the why behind their approach.
  4. Work with your child for 5-10 minutes every day. Follow your child's lead on the time. They may tolerate more or less practice.
  5. Make practice fun! Get an over-the-door basketball goal and make a basket after saying each word; Go outside and make a game while practicing speech; Write target words on post it notes throughout the house and make a game of finding and practicing them; Write target words with a mirror marker on the bathroom mirror to practice before brushing teeth; Ask your SLP for a 50- or 100-trials sheet, which is a color sheet with 50-100 items to color as they say the target word or sound; Model, model, model- take opportunities just to model the sound for your child (example for /s/ sound: We are going to the Store. Put on your Seatbelt. What do we need? How about Soap and a case of water?). Overemphasize the sounds while you are modeling; Practice speech while playing- find a few words you can incorporate with your child's sound and model those while playing.
  6. Ask your SLP for ideas on practice and get creative incorporating your child's interests in practice.
  7. Visit sites like https://www.home-speech-home.com/ for free word lists to practice

You know your child best! Let's work together to improve speech, build confidence, and meet goals!