Posted: March 20, 2017
At some point your child’s primary physician might suggest speech therapy. Which is nothing to be afraid of because a lot of children with Cerebral Palsy have difficulties when it comes to their speech. The therapy is only to help your child when it comes to living a fulfilling life by being able to effectively communicate with others and gain independence. Without communication, your child will have troubles when it comes to attaining and maintaining friendships. A speech pathologist can help your son or daughter raise their chances for leading a quality life.
Speech therapy is conducted by a speech pathologist in an office or a school setting. They help your child through various exercises to help them with pronunciation, listening, vocabulary development, word comprehension and conversation skills. Speech pathologists also aid in not only speech but also your child’s ability to swallow and breathe. Which often conflicts with properly communicating. Not only that but these difficulties are also a major health risk. If a child is non-verbal, the clinician will assist your child in finding other ways to effectively communicate and express themselves. They can do this by teaching them different gestures, how to use sign language and computer aids.
The speech therapist will usually run a test first to see what your child needs to improve on. After that they will begin aiding your child in what they need help with. A speech therapist will create a fun atmosphere for your child while at the same time helping them learn. Using games, songs and flashcards as normal therapy exercises. A therapist will sometimes encourage parents to be present during the meeting but sometimes not. Yet, a therapist will always give you updates on your child’s progress in their therapy treatment.
Your child’s language development doesn’t have to only happen in the therapist’s office. Often, the therapist your child is seeing will give you assignments to work on with your child at home. However, you can always go above and beyond by helping your child in other ways at home to keep improving their skills. You can do this in numerous ways! Pinterest can offer you a wide assortment of speech therapy worksheets you can do with your child. Reading is another great way to increase their vocabulary and aid in pronunciation. Find a book your child will like with beautiful imagery in which will support in vocabulary building. Repetition books are an excellent choice because they are easier for children to understand. Have your child repeat the lines with you while you go along. Check out this blog post on the Top 10 Repetitive Books for Speech and Language Therapy. Achieve great results in word comprehension by using flashcards at home, buy or make your own! If your child has difficulty in their speech due to their muscles, drinking out of a straw will help strengthen them. At your next meal, plop in a straw for some extra help! These are all easy ways in which you can help your child at home. Do some research online to find what is best for you and your child. Play around a bit to find the perfect match.
Speech therapy is an excellent source of getting your child the help they need. Not only in helping them increase their vocabulary, pronunciation and even strengthening their ability to swallow and breathe. They can also aid your son or daughter in other ways to communicate if they are non-verbal. Thinking about speech therapy for your child or did your doctor suggest it? Read our article to find more on speech therapy here. This blog post is not to be intended as medical advice, always consult with a doctor about finding the best speech therapy option for you.
If your child has been recently diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and you would like more information, contact us today. We offer an extensive collection of resources to help you and your child. Call us today at (800) 692-4453 to speak with a representative.
