VIDEO: How To Talk To Kids About Speech Therapy
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If we were talking to an adult, we would (hopefully) consider their experiences, their feelings, their concerns... We would consider whether they like surprises, or like to be informed in advance; whether they prefer to skip the details, or prefer to know exactly what to expect.
“We need to think about children as young people.”
Speech therapy is not part of the everyday routine. It's not like the universal daily ritual (wrestle) of brushing teeth.
Let's be honest, speech therapy is unusual. It's different. And it's often unclear what it is, what it looks like and how it works.
So, if you're a parent or a therapist, ask yourself these questions, BEFORE speaking to your child. Of course you might discuss some of these questions WITH your child.
And you might speak with the professional IN ADVANCE of your appointment - so everyone is on-the-same-page.
And this conversation should be ongoing, checking-in during the first meeting and subsequent appointments, to ensure the "young person" is taken into account.
What's going through the child's mind?
The example I think of is something I heard from Dr. Carol Westby, one of giants in in research and clinical speech-language pathology. She contributed loads of research, assessments and more to show us how children learn through play.
Now, for example, if you think about how children learn to swim, children don't learn how to swim when they're terrified of/in the water. They learn how to swim only after they're comfortable to "splish splash" and fool-around in the water.
So, what that means for us is this: children don't learn when they're terrified. None of us do.
We may memorize something out of fear, we may be able to spit it back on a test, but we're not really learning, long-term, deep learning. Long-term, deep, learning happens when you feel safe. Learning and therapy for that matter, happens when you feel interested and curious; when you feel secure; when you feel there's someone on the other side that has something to offer you. When you feel that other person "gets you," responds to you and can enlighten you.
“Children don’t learn when they’re terrified.
None of us do.
Our brains learn best, when they feel safe, even playful.”
WORDS THAT TURN-OFF:
homework
therapy
job
test
WORDS THAT TURN-ON:
project
adventure
fun
These are ways to create a bridge, to create trust, and once you do that, you can have a very productive relationship, and you can really work on very sensitive things.
SUMMARY TIPS:
I think that's the way to set-up "how we talk about therapy." Whether it's a young child, or an older child, or a teen, or an adult, we should make sure to make it relevant; make sure to address points of concern (and even resistance), and make it matter of fact, and description not judgmental.
If we prepare well, then we can engage in therapy with the confidence that we want to have - and assured that our kids will have the confidence they crave. After all, we all deserve to feel safe and secure.
Uri Schneider, Co-Director Schneider Speech