Commonly Asked Questions Part III- Speech vs. Sports?
Welcome back to Part III of this multi-part blog. While my previous post was about speech homework, this one is about prioritizing speech therapy in a crowded schedule. Because that is exactly what speech is (or needs to be).… a priority. The number 1 priority on your child’s schedule.
Sadly, this is not always the case. As we creep up on the spring sport season, the question my therapists and I get all the time is “Do you have another after school time available for speech? Johnny now has soccer practice during speech.” The short answer: No, we don’t. On average, your therapist sees 24 other children each week in addition to your child. This doesn’t leave us much wiggle room for finding another time.
Your child’s speech therapy sessions need to be a priority. Language is what sets us apart from other mammals. We have developed a complex set of sounds and symbols that we combine together to create an infinite number of ways to communicate a multitude of thoughts, ideas, and feelings through either spoken or written language. Language is how we connect with others. We become frustrated when we don’t feel heard or acknowledged, we feel satisfied when we get into a good book, we walk a little taller when a cute stranger smiles at us. All of these examples are not possible without language.
“Language is our ability to express ourselves clearly and concisely, to understand what is being said to us, to be able to read and write not only words that we have seen and heard before but words that we haven’t. ”
It’s the ability to read between the lines, to know when it is best to stop talking, to be able to pick up the unspoken language of eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. Depending on your child’s needs, your speech therapist is addressing these needs during therapy. Articulation skills (how clearly you speak) has nothing to do with intelligence; however, if someone doesn’t speak clearly, they are perceived to be less intelligent. If a child has difficulties reading or writing, the school will be a huge struggle and negative behaviors and thoughts regarding school will ensue (and good luck convincing them that they should go to college). If a child cannot engage with their peers, rates of depression rise. Strong language skills are vital to a healthy, happy child.
About the Author
Janene Besch
Director/Speech-Language Pathologist
Janene Besch, née Martin, holds a Master’s degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. Janene is a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology
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