Imagine you are standing in a beautiful garden, surrounded by flowers, trees and bees buzzing busily. There is a tiny sapling in amongst the beauty, just waiting to be nurtured and ready to grow and bloom. Your child is just like that sapling. They too need special care, attention and support to grow into the little humans they are destined to be. As they grow and develop, their needs grow too, some more than others. For many parents, knowing what kind of support their child requires can be challenging. But let’s think of that sapling once again. If it receives the right amount of sunlight, water, soil and nourishment, it can develop a strong root system on which to base its continual growth. That’s why we grow more than just communication skills.
Like that root system, understanding and foundation skills can support the development of your child’s communication abilities, encourage growth, and build confidence. A Growing Understanding Speech Pathology is dedicated to ensuring all families receive support and nurturing to grow, and this growth starts with helping you, the parent, understand and engage with the speech therapy process.
Growing Your Understanding
As the name suggests, A Growing Understanding was created to offer speech pathology services that focus on growing the understanding of not just children, but their entire family. This approach to speech therapy is backed with significant research that indicates family involvement, particularly parents, is vital when it comes to reaching the goals associated with your child’s development. It is because of this that we ensure our speech therapy services are anchored in what we call the three ‘E’s of family support – Engagement, Encouragement and Empowerment:
Engagement
Engagement is a key component of a child’s ability to learn. Whether that’s in the clinic, a classroom or a home environment. Your child needs to be engaged with what we’re doing so we can achieve the best results. The same goes for the parents. By ensuring we listen to your child’s needs, are adaptive to any given situation, utilise resources that are based on your child’s interests, and introduce fun, we can deliver a focused service, where your child is happy and willing to learn. This, in turn, elicits an active response from you as the parent, enabling greater engagement between yourself, the speech pathologist and your child.
Encouragement
To maintain engagement throughout any speech therapy session, we must ensure your child is motivated. Motivation often comes from encouragement. If a child feels they can achieve, they are more likely to give whatever it is a try. And we know that adults respond in a similar way. If you feel like you have the right knowledge, the right support, and are heading in the right direction, you too will feel more confident and willing to give it a go.
Empowerment
Feeling as though you have the strength and confidence to do whatever is necessary for your child is essential when it comes to ensuring their growth. For children with language and communication difficulties, the voice of their parents is incredibly important. You are the one who speaks on their behalf, stands up for what they need and encourages inclusion. It is because of this that empowerment is at the centre of what we do. Without it, your child will not have the confidence to tackle the challenges that may lay ahead for them. Also, you will not have the strength and skills to support them.
Growing Your Child’s Confidence and Communication Skills
As speech pathologists, we are trained and qualified to help children with two of life’s fundamentals; communication and eating. While this is a pretty simplistic way of looking at what we do, it does emphasise the importance. These fundamental skills don’t come as easily to some children as others. Our work across a variety of delays and disorders, ranging from mild articulation delays, late talking and stuttering, to more complex disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), down syndrome, hearing impairment, motor speech disorders, and other developmental delays, is essential when it comes to helping children grow.
It’s because of our understanding of these varying delays and disorders, that we’re equipped with the skills and tools to help your child build their communication skills. We are able to forge meaningful connections with the people around them, and grow their abilities and confidence. By working as a solid team – your family and our dedicated professionals, we can navigate the speech pathology journey together. This achieves the best outcomes for your child.
Embarking on Your Speech Pathology Journey
Think back, for a moment, to that sapling we spoke of in the garden. Does it have all it needs to grow and bloom? The same goes for your child. If you feel for any reason that they may not have what they need to grow, we encourage you to seek advice. Early intervention is critically important when it comes to your child developing the fundamental skills necessary for future success.
A Growing Understanding’s certified speech pathologists are here to answer your questions. We possess the skills required to assess your child’s abilities. We also provide specialised support and therapy to help both you and your child grow. Click here to talk to us about your concerns or make an appointment today.
