This is the first in a series of publications to help parents understand what to expect from the speech therapy process. As a mother, I understand the fear you feel when you suspect something is wrong with your children and are waiting to know the diagnosis of what is going on. Then when you have confirmation that your child needs intervention, a series of worries and endless questions begin to haunt your head.
First let's start with some basic information to establish possible scenarios.
Many factors can play a determining role in what things to expect from evaluations and therapy.
The first important thing you need to know, as a parent, is that your child's therapy (and even the evaluation process) may have a different aspect from another child's therapy or evaluation, even if they are being treated for similar situations by the same speech therapist. There are so many variables at stake when it comes to speech therapy that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some of these variables include:
The configuration of the services. You can get speech therapy in a variety of settings, and each setting is unique in how, why, where, and when it is recommended and implemented, including public services funded by state agencies such as early intervention or in the school system, hospitals, clinics, and private clinics, to name a few. Some of them provide one-on-one therapy, only groups, or a combination of the two.
The city or province where you live. If you are receiving services that are funded through the state such as early intervention or the school system, the services may look different from those in other places.
Your child's age and grade. Therapy can and will be different for children of different ages due to developmental abilities, imitation, reading, writing, etc.
The specific disorder your child is experiencing. Therapy for a child who works on reproducing a sound will look different from therapy for a child who is working on speech fluency (however ... it is common for these two children to be in the same group therapy sessions!) Therapy for a child with infantile apraxia of speech will be different from therapy for a child with a phonological delay, although once again these two children could be in a group session together.
The severity of the problems / delays. A child with a more severe delay may require more frequent therapy and more individual therapy than a child with a less severe delay.
Any additional delay/disorder your child may have. Some children have more than delays in speech or language. This may affect your child's evaluation and/or speech therapy. For example, if other delays are suspected, your child's evaluation may be conducted as a collaboration between various therapists (such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychologist, behaviorist, etc.).
Your child's individual personality/temperament. The shy child, the extroverted child, the funny child, the serious child... each personality type presents different needs for intervention styles to help them learn better.
Your child's learning style. Some children are more visual learners, while others are more auditory learners. Some children learn best with multisensory instruction, while others do not. Each child's therapy will be tailored to meet your child's learning style.
Your personal speech therapist. Every speech therapist does things his own way. Each has its own teaching style and unique personality , so your child's therapy may have a different aspect of your child's speech therapy from his friend. And yet, both children may be receiving exactly the right services to achieve their goals!
Source:http://www.playingwithwords365.com/2013/04/what-you-can-expect-from-speech-therapy-a-guide-for-parents/