Parent Coaching in Speech Therapy: 3 Everyday Routines That Boost Progress

When it comes to supporting your child in speech therapy, working with your child between sessions is instrumental to maintaining and retaining new skills to build upon in future therapy sessions. Parent coaching skills are especially important for parents of children who are virtual speech therapy clients, so that your child has the opportunity to experience hands-on learning at home each day. Today, we’ll discuss three routine times that speech therapy strategies can be used at home by parents and caregivers of children in speech therapy to facilitate continued success on their child’s speech therapy journey. 

What is Parent Coaching?

Parent coaching helps parents identify natural learning and coaching opportunities in their everyday interactions with their child in speech therapy. Taking advantage of organic opportunities to reinforce new skills or practice old ones helps to make speech therapy sessions more effective, allowing them to build more easily on retained skills. For parents of children in speech therapy at Find My Voice, caregiver education is included in the services you receive. For children who do not require speech therapy but still need some support, parent and caregiver coaching is available at Find My Voice Speech Therapy in St. Pete. 

1.During Mealtime 

Mealtime is an excellent routine where you can practice with your child because it is not only consistent each day, but it happens multiple times a day, giving great opportunities for integrating learning and language reinforcement into your child's natural cycles throughout the day. Ask your speech therapist what words, phrases, or speech patterns are most impactful and work them into your mealtime conversations so your child feels involved. 

2.While Getting Dressed

When it’s time to get dressed, your child has many opportunities to communicate choices and practice sharing their opinion. Whether they’re requesting help, independence, or choosing between two shirts, talk to your speech therapist about the best way to reinforce the specific sounds, words, or speech patterns that your child is working on as they get ready for their day. This can help them feel confident and empowered as they go out into the world each day feeling like they had part in getting prepared for what's ahead. 

3.During Playtime

Learning through play can be particularly impactful for your child as it might feel lower stakes and less stressful while occurring during a time that feels less structured. When your child is relaxed and at ease, you may find that they’re retaining or recalling more skills, and even if not, they’re likely integrating them successfully as you practice their skills in a moment that they can enjoy. 

For more specific coaching and insight that is tailored to your child's personal needs, reach out to our therapist at Find My Voice Speech Therapy to learn more about the parent coaching included in your child’s speech therapy services.