Importance of CONSISTENCY in Speech Therapy

Whether you are learning a new dance or a new language or a new skill CONSISTENCY helps you learn the skill faster. Similarly, CONSISTENCY is the driver of success in speech therapy. Consistent speech therapy and consistent home practice allows steady progress of speech language skills. Consistent speech therapy allows routine practice of communication skills resulting in faster progress toward therapy goals. It is vital for making greater progress across all domains of speech and language. When children do not have consistent attendance, their progress slows, and they are more likely to regress during these periods of time when they are not receiving services. If your child is making slower progress than desired, take a look at their attendance of sessions.  Have they missed numerous sessions?  Have they taken several breaks?   Talk to your therapist about increasing frequency of services, if appropriate.  The child who frequently misses sessions may end up needing speech/language therapy for a longer amount of time (e.g., weeks, months, or years). It is very important not to miss weekly scheduled therapy sessions in order to support improvement of communication skills.

Consistency in Home Practice

Child needs practice of skills between therapy sessions. As a child demonstrates progress in therapy sessions, it is important to continue to build on that success with practice at home. Parental involvement is an important factor in a child’s success toward speech/language goals. When parents help their child practice new skills at home, they are promoting generalization—or carryover—to a natural environment. The combination of consistent direct speech/language services and consistent home practice allows a child to maximize his/her potential.

At Speech Therapy Works we value consistency of services as we want to help your child achieve progress. Typically, speech therapy happens once a week. In some cases where appropriate, we provide services 2-3 times a week. We believe in consistent home practice and provide strategies and tricks to incorporate speech language practice in the child’s natural environment. Email info@speechtherapyworks.ca to set up an appointment for consistent speech language services