Children tend to approach the back-to-school season with a mix of apprehension and excitement. Your kidling might be enthusiastically embracing his brand-new sweaters that allow him to dress up like a pint-sized Jake Gyllenhaal, but at the same time he’s a little nervous about meeting his new teacher and navigating the school hallways. Parental viewpoints are remarkably similar. We might embrace a more structured schedule and we’re eager for them to explore the world around them, but we’re a bit nervous, too. This is especially true if you’re the parent of a child with special needs, like a speech disorder. Children with special needs often have a more difficult time with transition periods. It’s a good idea to chat with your child’s speech therapist about his needs as he enters a new grade. Consider it like a check-up. Use the following questions as a focal point for your conversation with the speech-language pathologist (SLP).
How to Measure Your Child’s Progress
Speech TherapistWhen your child first began speech therapy, you should have received a comprehensive treatment plan from the speech-language pathologist (SLP). You should also periodically receive progress reports, either written or verbal. If the SLP has so far provided you with neither of these, ask for them as soon as possible. The point of speech therapy is to help your child improve his communication skills. The best way to ensure that he is improving is to evaluate whether he has met measurable goals.