Alternative Settings for Early Intervention Speech Sessions
Good Morning Friends!
If you’ve been reading my blog long enough (or following me on Instagram!), you know that Early Intervention is my JAM.
This particular area of our practice is my favorite, and the one I’ve been working in for the majority of my career, which is why I love being able to give out advice/tips/tricks I’ve learned along the way 😊
If you’ve struggled with:
- Children “escaping” to parts of the house to avoid speech therapy sessions or demonstrating other behavior that doesn’t lend itself to successful speech sessions
- Parents having a hard time generalizing strategies and skills to their daily routines or not being active participants in therapy sessions
- Feeling like you’ve “maxed out” on progress in the home
- Even just feeling uncomfortable in a child’s home for a variety of reasons
Then…LEAVE!
Ok, don’t leave and never come back, just leave the home environment 😉
In our state, we can still bill for speech services as long as we conduct them in public areas open to all.
My Favorites?
Grocery Stores
- Ideal for feeding therapy because there's so many ways to talk about the feel, taste, texture, shape, color, etc. of new foods and explore ones to try!
Public Playgrounds
- My FAVORITE for incorporating sensory preferences and movement based therapy tasks. Also, this setting is great for observing how your client interacts with other peers and how they use their language in those situations.
Parks
- These are so fun to do scavenger hunts in and provide ample opportunities for describing and finding objects while getting to enjoy the crisp Fall weather!
Libraries
- Parents saying they have a hard time with bedtime story reading? Head to the library! Show parents what books to choose based off of child interest and age, and how to read those books so the child is engaged and being exposed to language.
These new environments can drastically alter our sessions and help create new experiences for children. Plus, these are all language-rich settings!
Have you ever gone outside the home to do therapy?
Tell me about it in the comments below!
Happy speeching!
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