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Between Mandy and myself, we have been in the education world for a combined 30 years! Crazy to think about! And over the years, we have been asked A LOT of questions from students, teachers, other related services, and fellow speech-language pathologists. However, parents often have the most poignant and direct questions. And understandably so! Here are some of the most frequently asked parent questions about speech and language we have received plus how to answer them like the boss SLP you are!
Keep in mind these are just our responses from our experiences! If you are ever unsure of how to answer a parent question or any question, that’s ok! There have been many times we have leaned on co-workers and administration to provide comprehensive responses.
In addition, if a parent wants more information or asks a question you are unsure of, you can always pause and respond at a later date to insure a full and accurate answer. Just remember our scope of practice and speak to what you know!
What is speech therapy?
We know you all have this answer down to a (communication disorder 😉) science, but just in case here you go!
“Speech therapy is intervention provided by a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) to help individuals communicate. SLPs can help in the areas of articulation, language, fluency, voice, and swallowing. Services can be provided to a variety of individuals in schools, clinics, or hospitals.”
How can I contact you?
We like to provide our email addresses as it is the most convenient way to communicate, but obviously whatever is easiest for you is best. To help you make sure parents (and anybody really) can reach you, check out these awesome FREEBIE Meet The SLP editable forms!
Read more here: 5 Parent Teacher Conference Tips For SLPs
In addition to HOW to contact us, we also like to let parents know WHEN to contact us. Our schedules can be hectic so giving yourself a block of time to respond to parents can be a time saving! We get back to parent questions about speech services within 24 hours. We remind parents of our contract hours so they don’t expect replies over the weekends or school breaks too.
How can I help my child’s speech and language at home?
We love when parents ask questions about speech and language support at home! While we don’t expect parents to collect data and run full blown speech sessions at home, we do like to recommend a few activities to help with the generalization of skills.
Check out some of our recommendations below!
- Read picture books together and ask simple questions along the way.
- Gently correct and model accurate speech sound production.
- Break down longer directions and have child repeat steps back.
- Play turn-taking games together.
- Review any activities completed in speech and language.
Want more? Check out: How To Increase Speech & Language Parent Involvement
When will you provide services?
Ah the amazing art of creating a speech and language schedule…that will change only a million times throughout the school year! We find the best way to answer this question is to explain the varying services models. For example, students may be seen in a small group pull-out session, push-in services while in the classroom, or in a large group class lesson depending on the specific Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and minutes.
Then we explain speech and language service minutes are written within the IEP monthly. Students will be seen for the recommended about of minutes throughout the month, but we like to try and keep that time as consistent as possible. With meetings and other school functions, those assigned minutes may occur at another time during the month.
However, we do assure parents that their student will not miss any core instruction times such as reading, writing, or math. But we may push-in during those times to better support the student if that is appropriate.
How do you measure speech and language progress?
We share the student’s goals and benchmarks with parents first. Then we explain that progress will be monitored via the IEP goals and benchmarks. The data and progress from these goals will be shared with parents at least three times a year, but can be shared more if requested by parents.
We do like to let parents know we monitor progress by taking data during sessions or by speaking with classroom teachers. In addition, students can be evaluated every three years to determine overall speech and language progress. Obviously, the assessment information is reviewed at the IEP meeting.
When will my child be dismissed from services?
After discussing progress monitoring, there are often parent questions about speech and language dismissal. Similar to the above response, a speech and language evaluation must be conducted to determine dismissal from services. Keep in mind that determining dismissal from services in the educational setting is much different than in the private setting!
Will speaking both English and another language at home negatively impact my child’s speech and language skills?
No!!! We understand speaking two languages can concern parents regarding speech and language development. But research shows that speaking two languages in the home does not impact speech and language development in a negative way. In fact, we like to say any language is good language!
For more information, check out the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommendations regarding learning more than one language.
Does my child qualify for outside speech services too?
This parent question about speech and language is always a bit tricky! We like to explain that educational speech and language services happen when there is a negative educational impact; whereas, private speech settings can work on a variety of skills including feeding and swallowing.
While we can’t outright recommend outside speech and language services, we tend to suggest to parents to decide what is best for their child and family circumstances. Additional service certainly won’t cause additional speech and language delays!
Do you collaborate with classroom teachers and other specialists?
Yes! We do! Part of our jobs is to effectively collaborate with teachers, other related services, and parents to maximize student growth. Student progress is discussed through weekly meetings with teachers and team meetings with related services. These discussions not only helps teachers understand our target goals, but also allows us to see how skills are being generalized in the classroom.
Don’t miss this: SLP Tips For Collaboration with SW, OT, PT, Teachers, & Parents
We hope these go-to responses help you out in a bind! Just remember we aren’t educational lawyers 😅 so these are truly from our experiences. Reach out to you administration if you are feeling lost in how to answer a parent accurately.
While these questions are our parent FAQs from over the years, there may be more we missed! Drop a comment below with frequent parent questions about speech and language that you often hear. We would love to add to our parent FAQs about speech and language to better help you continue to rock it!
Talking Mama Bears
Kate & Mandy
