By Ascend staff Sarah Mohammed
Why are home programs critical for the generalization of speech and language skills?
We often get asked by parents:
- If my child is receiving weekly or monthly speech therapy program sessions with a clinician, why do they need to practice strategies and similar activities recommended by their therapist?
- How will these activities support the generalization of speech and language skills?
Read our 3 simple tips on what you can do to improve your child’s speech and language skills at home.
1. Practice makes Perfect
Many children will be introduced to strategies and participate in valuable practice of skills during therapy sessions. However, the more the skills are practiced and incorporated into the everyday life of the child, the more progress will be seen towards meeting targeted goals and increased generalization of skills.
Example: Two children are working on the /k/ sound. Child A attends their weekly therapy session and participates well; however, does not practice sounds at home. Child B attends their weekly speech therapy session and participates well, and also practices their /k/ sound at home 3-4 additional times a week for 5-10 minutes. While both children will make progress overall, Child B will make faster progress and demonstrate increased generalization of speech sounds at home as well as in sessions.
2. Consistency is Key
Learning is just like going to the gym. Your brain and your speech articulators (e.g., tongue, lips) are muscles that need to be trained. Consistently practicing language skills and repeating speech sounds will lead to increased progress and consistency with strategies.
3. Incorporate into daily life
Home program carryover does not mean taking more time out of everyday life, and tirelessly practicing with your child speech and language activities. Practice is more effective when incorporated into everyday routines (e.g., dinner time, bath time, while on a walk) and when done as little as 5-10 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week.
Example: If a child is working on labeling action verbs (e.g., jump, drink) instead of staring at pictures while sitting at home, play “I Spy” while at the park or while on a walk (e.g., I spy someone eating, I spy someone drinking).
Take the time to follow up and practice with your child at home. Just a few extra minutes will go a long way in seeing improvement in their speech and language skills.
