With the Winter holidays in full swing, your child may be spending more time at home. Cooler winter days spent cosying in are a great opportunity to fit in some at-home speech therapy.

What is Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy isn’t only about speech, it includes various methods of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. This includes speaking, listening, reading, writing, visual cues like images and objects, and more. Speech therapy supports development in the following areas:

• Clearer communication of thoughts, feelings, needs, and wants
• Understanding, comprehension, and listening
• Asking and answering questions
• Following instructions
• Behavioural and emotional regulation
• Socialising, including making new friends and strengthening existing relationships
• Developing muscle strength for better eating, chewing, drinking, and swallowing

Speech Therapy Activities

Activities that you can do with your child at home will help to support their formal speech therapy sessions. Here are just a few:

1. Practice – The most important and effective thing you can do is to regularly practice the techniques your child and Speech Pathologist use during sessions. Repetition is key and will help your child to learn
2. Read aloud together – Reading helps both verbal and non-verbal communication and supports literacy skills. Always read at your child’s pace, and slowly sound out words they struggle with.
3. Music – Music is a fun pattern of sounds and words which makes it easier for children to copy and remember. Singing conversations is fun and your child will love it!
4. Ask questions – Questions give children the most opportunities to practice their communication. The most effective questions are open ended (those which require more than just a simple yes or no answer), or choices between multiple options.
5. Parallel talk – Narrate everything you and your child do. This helps them build stronger associations between sounds, words, and actions.
6. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) – Don’t overlook nonverbal communication techniques. Unassisted activities include practicing facial expressions and body language, simple sign language, or creating your own system of body talk. Assisted techniques include using visual cues like pictures, objects, or word boards to be pointed at, or using speech technologies and apps.

Where to find Xavier

Our Speech Therapy team support children and young people with disability who experience communication and feeding challenges. Our clinics are located in the following suburbs:

• Springfield Lakes
• Scarborough
• Wooloowin
• North Lakes

Our team can also provide therapy at your home or in community setting such as at school.

Find out more

For further info visit our Speech Therapy page or email intake@xavier.org.au