Solace Celebrations | Xavian & Zaneida Progress in Complex Speech Therapy Goals

The children we get to work with each and every day continue to inspire us with their hard work, tenacity, and overall willingness to learn and try new things. It’s for this reason that we take great pride in highlighting their stories and triumphs. The last time, you met Fletcher who with the collaboration of his occupational therapist and his mom has made impressive gains in various daily tasks such as chewing and self-regulation. Amazing job Fletcher!! This time, we want to introduce you to Xavian and Zaneida who are both thriving in their shared speech therapy sessions!

Xavian and Zaneida are making great progress toward their speech therapy goals to follow complex directions. Here they are playing “Simon says” and listening to multiple directions at once. Zaneida is using strategies to ask for directions to be repeated to help her be more successful during multiple-step activities and Xavian is able to follow 3 steps on his own frequently. They were even able to follow multiple directions in a row during the session!

How siblings can make ideal session partners

Xavian and Zaneida having their sessions together offer a really beneficial opportunity to not only have a familiar partner to work with that intimately understands their day-to-day situation but someone that can help inspire them and accelerate progress.  Because these are dual therapy sessions, Xavian and Zaneida can help to reinforce and support each other and also serve as an example to help remember the lessons that are learned in each session.  Just like in other in-home therapeutic sessions, having family members participate and be able to communicate with the therapist and provide feedback and insight, having your sibling both as a therapy partner and a family member helps to double down on the reinforcement so both siblings can progress together and develop a stronger bond which will help them not only in their speech therapy goals but have a good relationship and friend for life.

Speech Therapy at home lets children gain skills in the environment where it matters most

In-home speech therapy, as mentioned above, can provide a wide range of additional benefits beyond the traditional office setting.  For children going through therapy, it can be sometimes scary or stressful to have to go to an unfamiliar place like an office building or doctor’s office.  This can be compounded by the fact that while they are adjusting to the new space, having to then participate in the therapy session.  Even beyond the children’s anxiety is the logistics and coordination involved for parents, who will have to figure out time off of work, travel to and from the therapist’s office, as well as getting everyone ready and getting there on time.  This can easily overshadow the actual therapy.  In-home therapy allows for the child to be in a familiar environment that they know, with their family members close by, at a time that is convenient for the whole family.  Cutting out the stress and travel time of going to a traditional office allows for better therapeutic outcomes by allowing your child to focus on the therapeutic goals in a safe and familiar environment.  Having family present can also help to reinforce the goals and provide more insight into behaviors and family dynamics which can be helpful for the therapist.  Solace specializes in in-home or in-school therapy, so if you think your child could benefit from this, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.