What Does an Early Childhood Speech Therapist Do?

“So, what do you speech therapists do?”

This is a common question that most speech and language therapists have heard at some point throughout their careers. Speech and language therapists may be known by different names, such as speech teacher, speech therapist, orspeech-language pathologist, but regardless of what they go by, their role is invaluable. Working with a variety of different age groups that have a variety of different disorders is at the crux of who speech therapists serve. In the realm of speech-language pathology, the opportunities are endless, but they often converge at a common starting point: early intervention.

Early childhood intervention

Early Intervention (EI) refers to all the services and support provided to infants and children under the age of 3 years old who have developmental delays or disabilities or who are at risk of developmental delays. The aim of EI is to detect and tackle developmental hurdles at an early stage. These services are individualized to suit each child’s specific needs and might encompass speech therapy, among other interventions. Early Intervention aims to provide timely and appropriate support to young children, helping them to thrive and reach their full potential. Speech therapists in early intervention are responsible for working with many different disorders and disabilities with a variety of different severities.

Here are 5 types of patients speech therapists focus on:

1. Speech Sound Disorders: These involve difficulties with the production of speech sounds. Children may have trouble pronouncing certain sounds or may substitute one sound for another.
2. Language Delays: Language delays refer to difficulties in the development of receptive (understanding) or expressive (speaking) language skills. Children with language delays may have a limited vocabulary, struggle to form sentences or have difficulty following directions.
3. Pragmatic Language Disorders: Pragmatic language disorders affect a child’s ability to use language in social contexts. Children with pragmatic language disorders may have difficulty understanding social cues, taking turns in conversation, or using language to express emotions or intentions.
4. Feeding and Swallowing Disorders: Speech therapists also work with children who have difficulties with feeding and swallowing. These may include problems with chewing, sucking, or swallowing food or liquid safely.
5. Genetic Disorders: Speech therapists support children, including those associated with genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, Williams syndrome, and Angelman syndrome. These genetic conditions can impact speech and language development due to factors like differences in oral anatomy, cognitive impairments, and motor difficulties.

Speech therapists play a crucial role

Speech therapists tailor therapy to suit each child, their family, and their unique requirements. Every child is different, even if they share similar diagnoses. It is the responsibility of the speech therapist to evaluate the child, communicate with the family, and establish a language-rich, stimulating environment for the child to thrive. Speech Therapists do this in a variety of ways:

Play-Based Speech Therapy:

Speech therapists in EI use play to facilitate communication development in children. Play-based speech therapy activities provide a natural and engaging context for learning, allowing children to practice communication skills while having fun. By incorporating toys, games, books, and interactive activities, therapists create opportunities for children to expand their vocabulary, improve sentence structure, enhance social communication, and develop pragmatic language skills.

Speech Therapy Family Coaching: Collaboration with Parents

Collaboration with parents is integral to the success of early childhood speech therapy. The Speech therapist is only with the child for a limited amount of time per week, but the family is with the child all day, so it is imperative that they collaborate closely with parents. Family coaching involves providing education, guidance, and practical strategies to support the child’s development at home. Through family coaching, therapists empower parents with the knowledge and tools they need to facilitate language-rich interactions, incorporate speech and language goals into daily routines, and encourage their child’s communication efforts beyond therapy sessions.

Collaboration with Other Professionals:

In addition to working closely with parents, early childhood speech therapists collaborate with other professionals involved in the child’s care, which ensures a comprehensive and integrated support system for the child’s communication development. Speech therapists collaborate with pediatricians, educators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and other specialists to share information, coordinate interventions, and address the child’s unique needs holistically. By collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, therapists gain valuable insights into the child’s overall development and tailor their approach to align with broader therapeutic goals. This collaborative effort maximizes the effectiveness of interventions and enhances outcomes for the child, promoting holistic growth and development across all domains.

Working in Natural Environments:

Therapists recognize the importance of working within naturalistic environments to promote generalization and transfer of communication skills to real-life settings. By conducting therapy sessions in familiar environments such as the home, daycare, or community settings, speech therapists help bridge the gap between therapy and everyday life. This approach facilitates collaboration with caregivers and professionals involved in the child’s care, fostering an integrated approach to supporting communication development.

Language Strategies:

Early childhood speech therapists employ a variety of language strategies to support communication development in children. These strategies include self-talk, where therapists narrate their own actions and thoughts to model language use and encourage imitation. Parallel talk involves describing the child’s actions and experiences, providing rich language input, and scaffolding their understanding. Communication temptations are designed to elicit specific communication behaviors by creating situations where the child needs to communicate to achieve a desired outcome. Additionally, therapists use wait time to allow children the opportunity to process information, formulate responses, and participate actively in communication exchanges. Early childhood speech therapistshave a vital role in aiding a child with their development. They use different methods to help children with communication challenges, such as play therapy, feeding therapy, and collaborating with families and other disciplines. By creating natural settings and using effective language techniques, speech therapists empower children to communicate effectively, participate fully in social interactions, and achieve their full potential. If you’re interested in helping others overcome speech challenges, speech-language pathology might be the right career for you. Dive into a rewarding career where empathy meets expertise!