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- Sarah
- Hanson
- No
- 6 Pine Tree Drive, Suite 330
Arden Hills
Minnesota
55112
United States - Associated Speech and Language Specialists
Arden Hills
Minnesota
55112
United States
We emphasize an individualized therapy approach that is child-centered and family focused. We like to get to know each child and use his/her specific interests in therapy sessions. Our initial goals are focused on increasing the child's verbal repertoire, functional communication, and parent education. Speech goals focus on obtaining many repetitions of those sounds the child is able to make as well as eliciting new sounds. Therapy targets typically start with vowels and evolve to address various word shapes as the child is able. Therapy time is play-based while focusing on targeted speech sounds. Functional communication goals include utilizing alternative means for the child to communicate their wants and needs. For example, we may use signs, gestures, or pictures depending on what each child uses most effectively.
Parent education is imperative to our therapy process. At the beginning of therapy we discuss the importance of family involvement. Since each child is unique, family involvement is different for all families. Some families request to be present in every session and we can provide modeling for home programming while we are working with their child. Other families prefer that we work with the children independently if we see that the child is making more verbal attempts without family members present in the session. Either way, we provide functional home programming following each session that can be done in a fun, yet systematic way with family members.
My experience with AAC for children with CAS has mostly been with low tech approaches. I love to use a core vocabulary book for children. I have a collection of old blank photo albums that I will give to families and ask them to put some pictures in there of the child's favorite toys, food, activities and important people. The child and I go through the pictures and I listen for their current productions and develop stimuli targets. It is a great opportunity for functional communication and increasing confidence. I also like to use magnetic photo sleeves for parents to put on refrigerators for functional requesting of preferred food items. I have made electronic vocabulary books with Quizlet or Bitsboard. These are nice for the children to show off and use with extended family members.
