Parent Involvement.
Speech & Language at Home: 25 Speech & Language Strategies www.SpeechandLanguageatHome.com
The Hanen Centre: Helping You Help Children Communicate www.hanen.org
Visual Noise research article.
Caregiver Manual
Overview
Caregiver Manual
Foundations
Early Intervention
Early intervention is the educational approach for young children, ages birth to 3 years, who have or who are at risk of developing a disability that may affect their development. Early intervention can occur in a variety of settings, including the home, clinic, private practice, children's hospital, or child care center.
Early intervention may begin at anytime, but it is most beneficial to start as early as possible. Children experience a rapid rate of learning and development in the period between birth and age three. Families can see more improved outcomes the sooner early intervention services are provided.
Family Involvement
The family plays a big role in the progress that the child makes during early intervention. Parents and caregivers can offer information about their child such as their level of functioning, interests, and dislikes. This information is key to developing goals and strategies that can be implemented in the child's daily routines.
Parent/Caregiver Coaching
Through coaching, parents and caregivers can learn specific skills and strategies to use with their child on a daily basis. When these strategies are applied throughout the child's daily routines, the child can benefit from more learning opportunities. The ultimate goal of coaching is to help the parent and caregivers to become independent in implementing the skills and strategies that they have learned.
Session Overview
Session Overview
What a session should entail. Lots of interaction with the child, using objects, words, actions, gestures etc. between the child, and adult. The clinician, should they feel comfortable, can include the parent in this interaction. The clinician may involve the parent to such a degree that the parent feels comfortable practicing or doing these activities at home. The clinician's hope is that if the parents fully participate in the sessions, then there will be more opportunities for the child to develop their skills.
Location
If possible, the sessions should be held in a natural environment. At home during, before or after meals, with their siblings, in the morning, at night, anytime really. The matters most is that the treatment is done in an environment which feels natural for the family. Parent tip: if your child if gets distracted easily by what is nearby, establishing an area to work in with less toys, items, etc. will ensure the child is less distracted, and it is proven that limiting stimuli in the environment is more soothing to children (Fisher et al., 2014).
Time
The session may last only ten minutes, or it may last an hour. It may be once, twice, or three times a week, or more. Regardless of how often, the clinician should be showing up at the agreed time. Before the session, it would be a suitable time to use the bathroom, eat a snack, take a nap, to ensure that your child is at their best and ready to work.
The First Session
If it is the first session, the clinician will hopefully take some time to chat with you about your child, they are testing the waters. They want to see what they can learn about your child that they may not know just by observing or working with him/her. It is a great time to voice concerns or questions and get comfortable with the clinician you are going to be working with in the future.
Regular Sessions
If it is any subsequent session, the clinician will join you and the child and start delivering therapy. It may seem like most of what is going on is play between the clinician and the child. There will be play going on but during this play, the clinician is helping your child to grow and develop those skills that s/he needs to develop. Some clinicians may do more than one activity, but it depends on your child's ability to focus, and the goals that clinician was working toward. Some clinicians can use one activity to target all the goals your child is working on. If, during these sessions you have questions, an activity does not make sense, feel free to ask them! Your goal is to increase your child's abilities, the clinician is there to help, collaboration will only improve this process. The clinician may finish with your child and give you some homework, which will be specific tasks for you to do with your child, doing the homework will accelerate how quickly your child progresses.
Materials
Books, toys, animals, if possible, animals, shapes and numbers of assorted colors. Blocks, anything that is not a screen, yourself, some positive affirmation, a good handful of gasps of adoration, and a smattering of praise.
Final Thoughts
If at all during the session the clinician does an activity or says something that does not coincide with your values, let them know, communication between you and the clinician will help this process go smoothly.
Routines and Activities
Why Routines Are Important
Things done or spoken frequently, in the same way, are considered to be routines. Having predictable routines helps your child to learn language and can make your everyday activities run a little smoother. A routine is important so the child can learn what to expect next, as well as get familiar with the language you use during the routine. If your child has an established routine, they are able to function more independently and with less tantrums. Talking about what you're doing allows your child to connect your words to activities and objects.
Repeated exposure to words is key for children learning to talk. By incorporating language during everyday routines, you are offering this repetition in a natural and useful way. When you pair your words with familiar activities and objects, you are teaching your child what your words mean and that we can use our words to connect with the world and people around us.
How to Use Routines to Encourage Talking
Your child needs to understand words before they start using them themselves. With repeated exposure to key words and their meanings, your child will start to use words to express what they want. New talkers or future talkers can be supported by getting a lot of repetition for pairing words with familiar objects or actions.
Activity Examples
Routines can occur any time you're with your child and incorporated into any activity! Families may establish routines without even realizing it. Routines may be embedded in songs, games, stories, getting ready, mealtimes, and more. Below are suggestions for incorporating routines into your everyday activities.
Songs: Singing familiar songs like, "Patty-Cake" or "I Love You" helps your child become familiar with language by exposing him to the same words and patterns repeatedly. Singing songs while tickling, dancing, or playing with your child also help strengthen the bond between caregiver and child.
Books: Children love the predictable nature of their favorite stories. Reading the same stories over and over helps your child understand that words have meaning and connect the words you say to the words on the page. After enough retellings, it may be fun for your child to tell their version of the story, or to tell it with you!
Mealtime: Before you eat, you may ask your child to "get the napkins!" or "sit in your chair!" The repetition of these routines helps your child pair the activity or object with the words you say. By repeating the same requests or offering the same items, "do you want peaches?", your child will learn what these words mean and begin to use these new words themselves.
Strategies
Evidence-Based Early Intervention Speech & Language Strategies
- Self Talk: Talk out loud about what you are doing, accompanied by gestrues, actions, and demonstrations. For example, when telling your child it is time to go, you can hold up your keys and point to the door.
- Parallel Talk: Talk out loud about what your child is doing by putting their message into words. Use a short phrase to say what you think the child is trying to tell you. For example, if the child is looking and reaching for their blanket, say "You want your blanket".
- Imitation & Expansion: Copy your child, or teach them to copy, then repeat what they said and add one more word. Even if you are imitating a child's action, it is a great way to get them to notice you and encourage interaction. An example is when your hil bangs on a toy drum, take a turn and bang on the drum too, then wait for his reaction.
- Follow Child's Lead: Choose activities based on your child's interests. Be sure to get down on their level, face to face, so the child can see and hear you better. Then play, letting the child initiate the action.
- Make Comments: Balance questions with statements. Asking too many questions can be difficult for a child who is learning to talk. Rather, give your child knowledge more often than asking him for information. Too many questions can put unecessary pressure on her.
- Wait: Pause and give your child time to respond. Be careful not to overrun them with talking. When your child is interested in something, pause and look, showing interest as well. Rather than talking first, give your child the opportunity to start a conversation by gesturing towards or verbalizing what they are interested in, then make a comment, such as "Yes, the dog is barking".
- Repetition: Repeat your words over and over during the same daily routines. Your child will be exposed to familiar phrases and vocabulary on a daily basis. An example is during bath time, you can talk about waiting for the water to be 'warm", or time to wash with "soap".
- Offer Choices: Offering your child a choice helps him send a specific message about what he is requesting. Your child will feel more confident to communicate, and less overwhelmed, when he can make a speific choice from a visual limited field. For example, hold up a banana and an apple. Point to each fruit as you say its name, asking "Do you want apple or banana?"
- Sabotage: Strategically manipulate settings at home so that your child needs your help. For example, put a favorite toy out of reach on a shelf where it can be seen. Your child will then likely communicate that she wants help getting her toy.
Additional Content
Project ImPACT (Improving Parents As Communication Teachers) has provided the following pyriamid as a guide for intervention techniques
Direct Teaching Techniques
Playful Obstruction -- Balanced Turns -- Communicative Temptations
Follow Your Child's Lead - Imitate Your Child - Animation - Modeling & Expanding Language
References
References
CELLpractices. (2010). Especially for parents of preschoolers! Let’s read together. Center for Early Literacy Learning. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpract_parent/preschool/PG_1_P_LetsRead_WM.pdf
CELLpractices. (2010). Especially for practitioners working with infants! Infant gestures. Center for Early Literacy Learning. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from http://earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpract_pract/infant/PGPrac_I_InfGesture_WM.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, August 9). What is "Early intervention"? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html
Overview of early intervention. Center for Parent Information and Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/ei-overview/
Parent participation in early intervention. Center for Parent Information and Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/parent-participation-ei/
Project ImPACT. 2020. https://www.project-impact.org/
Raaz, C. (2023, January 24). CSD 682 Week 4 Part 2 [PowerPoint slides]. Panopto. https://unco.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=3abb0a57-fb31-416e-ad1b-af9401535f94
Speech & language at home. 2017. www.SpeechandLanguageatHome.com
The Hanen Centre: Helping you help children communicate. (2016). https://www.hanen.org/Home.aspx