Let’s chat about one of the most intimidating topics when it comes to the world of speech therapy for toddlers: communicating with and encouraging parent involvement. For the sake of this series “parent” refers to the primary caretaker of a patient.
Talking to and relating with parents can feel awkward and is something some people try to avoid- [whether you want to admit that aloud or not]. However, by the end of this episode, you will feel much more confident in your ability to converse with and encourage parent involvement in speech therapy for toddlers.
But First: No One is Perfect
I’ll be the first to admit that I have not been the best at communicating with parents. It can be hard, y’all! Especially when you’re in a situation where you don’t see the parent much, such as treating a child at a daycare facility. I always spoke to teachers- but wasn’t as effective at communicating with the child’s parents as I should have been.
Additionally, there’s no such thing as a perfect parent or situation. Sometimes the communication with parents will be far from perfect. Language barriers make communication tricky. Other times you’re going to try and reach parents and they’re just going to ignore you, say they’re going to follow through but don’t, or be in a hard spot of denial [among other things]. Here’s the thing- do your best to encourage and communicate with parents during speech therapy activities.
And don’t worry, we will cover more about those tough-to-reach parents on a later post!
Encouraging Parent Involvement
What is the best way to encourage communication and follow through with parents and caregivers?
We need to REACH them.
Respect them, Encourage them, Ask questions, be Considerate, and be Honest
Check out the podcast episode where I do a deep dive into REACH-ing to encourage parent involvement in speech therapy for toddlers!
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