MY THERAPY APPROACH
A number of studies have shown that a child's social and emotional well-being can be significantly affected, when speech and language skills are hampered or underdeveloped.
For young children, the inability to make themselves understood, or process their emotions, may lead to temper tantrums, or other behavioral issues.
In school aged children, language skills form the foundation for academic learning. A language disorder refers to impaired understanding and/or production of spoken or written language, and may involve disorders with the structure of language, the content of language, and/or use of language in social communication in any combination. Difficulties communicating within the classroom may not only result in academic difficulties, but may also affect a child’s self-esteem, confidence, and their ability to develop and maintain social relationships.
My approach to therapy is based on a thorough assessment of the child’s speech and communication needs. Thereafter an intervention program is developed based on these assessment results. I do not follow a “copy and paste” approach to intervention. Each client is unique and as such, intervention is tailored to meet their individual needs. When developing intervention plans, the needs of parents/caregivers are also taken into account.
Having spent 17 years working as a senior speech pathologist in specialised education, I value the role that teachers and other professionals play within the child’s intervention process. I ensure that open channels of communication are maintained and that teachers are provided with feedback and strategies to best support children in childcare, Kindergarten and within the school environment. Prior to commencing therapy, I obtain parental/caregiver consent to contact other health professionals working with the child. This is in order to ensure that intervention goals being addressed are aligned (where possible) and that the child’s needs are being addressed holistically.
I understand that mobile therapy services can be daunting for parents and caregivers, as they may feel disconnected from the therapy process, when intervention takes place in childcare, kindergarten, or school. However, I firmly believe that parents and caregivers are the most integral part of intervention. I email parents and caregivers after every session to ensure that homework activities and strategies being used are relayed effectively. I encourage queries and am available to assist to provide further explanation and guidance. Furthermore, I encourage home visits during the holidays to ensure that therapy programs are being implemented effectively.
My goal when working with children is to develop rapport. I try to include activities that align with their interests. Intervention for the young child, the child with a developmental delay or autism spectrum disorder is play based Therapy. Augmentative communication systems will be introduced as is deemed appropriate for the child, such as Key Word Signing and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). I also work with the Proloquo2go communication system and will refer parents for further training should their child be ready to progress to this High Technology communication system.
Whilst intervention for school aged children may be more formal, sessions are still structured in a motivating and fun way. Sessions often include language games and fun activities, to engage children. Programs designed to teach phonological awareness skills and specific programs such as Sounds Write may be incorporated into therapy programs to assist with literacy difficulties.
