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.
Consistent attendance at speech sessions is imperative. In a previous post, I spoke about the importance of speech homework to help with carryover of skills. I emphasized that due to the amount of time we spend with your child (on average 1.2% of their week), we need some help from home in the way of homework. When that lone percentage point is taken away from us in order for a child to attend a sports practice, your child is suffering greatly because of it.
“Language skills are a critical life skill. ”
Whether that language comes in the form of spoken language, written language, augmented language (using a speech-generating device), or sign language, that language is crucial. While missing out on speech services may not seem like a lot…it actually is. The odds of your child being the next Tom Brady, Alex Ovechkin, or Max Scherzer are really low. The odds of your child needing to be able to communicate with others, really high.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for kids playing sports, being involved in scouts, and just playing outside after school. Kids should be kids whether they are “typically developing” or not. On top of that, I utterly hate kids being on technology. However, what I am not for is your child missing out on developing a skill that is needed for the rest of their life when all we are asking for is 1% of the week to make that happen.
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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“Every child is a different kind of flower and all together, make this world a beautiful garden.” -Anonymous