5 Reasons Kids Need Speech Therapy Sessions in the Summer
It’s summertime, and you might be wondering whether your child should get speech therapy sessions. Some families take a break from therapy. Other families get services through the schools and need to wait until the new school year. There are also families that have not started speech therapy yet and may wonder whether this is a good time to begin.
In this post, we answer your questions about speech therapy sessions during the summer. We also list 5 reasons why kids need speech therapy sessions in the summer. Some of these reasons may be more important to families than others. Learn about each reason and see how it may affect your child’s progress on their speech and language goals.
Lastly, we share how you can make the most of your vacation time and get speech therapy services for your child. Use these reasons and tips to maximize your child’s progress! Now let’s get started…
5. Speech Therapy Sessions can Complement Summertime Activities
This little-known reason can help parents make the most out of their child’s speech therapy sessions during summertime. If your child gets help for language or social skills, summer activities can make sessions even more meaningful and impactful.
The reason is that for kids who struggle with language and social skills, outdoor activities can be used to help boost these skills. Especially true for learning new vocabulary, different and exciting places give kids new ways to use their skills.
For example, a child who struggles with language gets the chance to use what they learn in speech out in the community and during their vacation.
When kids practice skills in the community they get to:
- Talk with peers and build friendships
- Learn new words in new places
- Use language when they’re most interested
- Relate experiences to language
How Summer Activities Help in Sessions
4. Speech Therapy Sessions Get Kids Ready for the New School Year
Whether your child needs help with making sounds, using language or talking with peers, speech therapy sessions prepare them for school. What many parents may not realize is that language skills build on each other. This means they need the skills they learn now to get more advanced skills later.
When kids struggle with these skills, getting expert help can make a significant difference in how they do in school. Language skills are foundational to most of the other skills taught in school. Even math problems (word problems) use language.
By giving kids speech therapy sessions before school, you get them ready for many classroom activities. Here we include just a few of the classroom skills supported by speech therapy sessions:
- Listening to and following directions
- Talking with peers and teachers
- Understanding classroom lessons
- Giving answers and expressing ideas
3. Speech Therapy Sessions Help Give Kids a Routine
When at school, kids have a strong routine. They know when classes start, how to follow classroom rules and what to expect during the day.
This structure helps them participate and stay engaged. Have you ever noticed that your child may have a harder time getting back into class after winter break? Everybody might feel this way. For kids it’s especially true.
We believe that summer is important to kids and offers a much needed break. However, speech therapy sessions make up a much smaller amount of time compared to a full school day.
Speech sessions may be two or three times weekly for 30-45 minutes. This amount gives children plenty of time to enjoy their summer while still staying engaged in a light routine.
This light routine may help ease the transition to the full school day. It also gives kids a consistent way to keep learning the speech and language skills they need during the summer.
Routines Help Kids on the Autism Spectrum
Routines especially help children on the autism spectrum. These kids do best when they know what to expect. By giving these children a light routine, you help them stay regulated.
Children on the autism spectrum benefit from these routines and many of these kids need help with speech and language.
With speech therapy sessions during the summer, these kids get the important skills they need. They also get a consistent routine and know what to expect while still enjoying their vacation time.
2. Speech Can Become Delayed If Too Much Time Passes
For children who struggle with speech and language, ‘Waiting to see’ can cause problems. If a child needs help but has not started therapy, summer is a perfect time to start. If you noticed that your child struggles to speak, getting therapy for them now helps more than waiting to see what happens.
With time off from school and vacations, parents might want to wait to see if their child’s speech gets better. However, it is never a good idea to ‘Wait and see.’ If a child struggles with making sounds, they may need expert help now. It is always better to get an evaluation to see if a child really does need help.
We share a few signs to tell whether a child may need a speech therapy evaluation:
- They make sound errors different from peers
- They switch sounds in the same word
- They struggle with early sounds like /b/, /m/, /n/ and /p/
- They struggle with both speech and language
1. Children’s Can Regress and Lose Progress They Made in Their Speech Therapy Sessions
Children may make great progress in their speech therapy sessions during the year. However, progress in speech therapy sessions can be lost. It takes consistent effort for progress to continue.
- Keep the skills they already learned
- Learn new skills they need
- Prepare for the new school year
- Maximize their progress in therapy
How to Make the Most of Your Vacation Time and Get Speech Therapy
You can help your child make the most of their summer and get speech therapy in a number of ways. If your child gets online speech therapy, they may still be able to continue their sessions.
First, prepare for vacations. We share a few tips below on how to prep for sessions while on vacation:
- Find a time that works for you and your child’s therapist
- Make sure their is a quiet space for your child to work
- If you bring a new computer, try testing it out before leaving
- Reduce visual distractions and noise if possible
Online Speech Therapy Keeps Summertime Easy
Online speech therapy provides an excellent option for families in the summer. During the summer, many families like to go to new places and vacation. They keep busy schedules. Telehealth lets kids keep making progress while still getting to get the most out of the summer.
For example, if you decide to travel, you may get to continue speech therapy sessions. You also avoid driving long distances to a clinic. You avoid having to stay in one place to keep therapy going as well.
At Verbalyze, we offer exceptional online speech therapy services to California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania residents. Families who join our practice get convenient and flexible scheduling.
Families at our practice get to make the most of their vacations while also getting their children the help they need. We provide support to parents and share with them expert at-home tips.
Conclusion
To summarize, speech therapy sessions during the summer help kids keep making progress. They also help them keep the skills they already learned. These kids get to avoid relearning speech and language skills at the start of the new school year.
We shared how summertime activities can support therapy sessions. We also talked about how therapy sessions can help kids use their speech and language skills on vacation. These sessions also help give kids a light routine and prepare them for the new school year.
If your child struggles with making sounds, putting words together, speaking fluently or talking with peers, reach out to a licensed speech therapist to get your questions answered and get started today. We provide services to all PA residents at this time.
