Q + A: The Impact of Speech Therapy In Early Intervention

The Board's Speech Language Pathologist, Marisa Odenweller, and Developmental Specialist- Speech/Communication, Samantha Bullock, participated in a Q + A session to discuss the impact of speech therapy for children in Early Intervention services. Read the session below to learn more about speech therapy for children under three, strategies and supports Marisa and Sam offer, and their own experiences as parents with a child who was in Early Intervention.

How do you approach speech therapy with a child under the age of 3?

Marisa: Speech therapy with a child under the age of three looks like play, because IT IS play! Studies have shown children learn best through play. In fact, they have found that when things are done through play it takes 10-20 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, where if it is not done through play it can take up to 400 repetitions to make that same new synapse in the brain. I provide coaching to caregivers (parents, grandparents, babysitters, daycare centers, etc.), in order to give them the tools to continue working on new skills throughout their daily routines with their child. During speech therapy sessions I provide specific language, articulation, play, social skills, etc., examples to caregivers, model the strategies, and then provide them the chance to use these strategies during our sessions. It is important to be able to be flexible and think on your feet during speech therapy sessions with children under three, and be willing to change up your “plan” based on what the child is interested in doing that day. A speech therapy session could include working on food vocabulary during a meal or snack time, playing bubbles or chalk outside, meeting at the playground to work on social skills, or inserting myself into circle time or group activities at daycares or babysitters' homes. 

Sam: Approaching speech therapy for children under the age of three is done through play. The visits are child-lead and they are unaware through their play that they are “working.” The plan is to go with the flow, because children under three are on the go and busy bodies. Typically, the plan doesn’t go as planned. Our department makes goals for these children around a routine throughout their day – so lots of goals around play time, meal time, nap time, circle time (at child care centers), etc.

What are some strategies and supports you would recommend to parents who are concerned with their child's language development?

Marisa: Strategies and supports I recommend to parents and caregivers are simple, yet effective. They include the following:

• Narration of play and daily routines (take a walk and talk about what you see, include them in cooking or laundry and talk about what you’re doing)

• Repetition of words in play and routines (pick 5-10 words to use in a routine or during play and repeat them during that time)

• Read books and identify pictures in books

• Sing songs with actions (Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Head-Shoulders-Knees-Toes, etc.)

• Provide choices during play and routines (“Do you want a cracker or a banana?”, “Should we play with the ball or play with bubbles?”, “Do you want the Elsa shirt or the Bluey shirt?”, etc.)

• Go to the playground and interact with peers, work on interactive play like taking turns going down the slide, chase games, popping bubbles

• Supports for parents and caregivers include our monthly play group in collaboration with YWCA Child Care

• Resource and Referral, the Early intervention program, talking to their child’s pediatrician if they have concerns for their child’s development.  We also have pediatric outpatient therapy options in our county through both local hospitals, and multiple private therapy options.

Sam: Some strategies and supports I recommend for my families are using visuals (as needed), using gestures/signs to help bridge the gap for the communication delay, sing songs (love songs with gestures!), look through books together, giving choices, narrate their play, expand on their utterance (for instance, if the child says car, expanding “go car” or “big car”, etc.), provide verbal modeling throughout their day with labeling and narrating, providing handouts for the families (some of my families love our monthly speech calendars), and encourage the families to seek additional services if desired (this can be collaborative with other areas of development, such as PT, OT, sensory, etc. or additional supports in outpatient speech therapy settings).

What is the best part of your job?

Marisa: One of the best parts of my job as a SLP in Early Intervention is that no two days are the same! I am always learning and implementing new strategies and activities to help families help their children to increase their language, social, and play skills in their daily lives. I love being able to collaborate with other professionals to co-treat children. One of my favorite parts of my job is seeing the progress each child and family makes week to week when implementing strategies we worked on during the previous visit. My absolute FAVORITE part of the job is hearing when a child says their first word or phrase, and being part of something that can bring so much joy to a family. I do not take this job for granted, and am thankful each and every day I get to work with our amazing families in the Early Intervention program!

Sam: My favorite part of the job – not to sound cliché – is working with the children and their families. For the children – to help celebrate their successes with them, praise them for their victories, and encourage them through their struggles – there is not a day that having them a part of my life is not rewarding. For the families – creating a “safe space” and support system is so important. Being a parent is already overwhelming and challenging in itself – having support to help you through the good and bad days makes a difference. The ‘not so cliché’ answer – watching a child detect and respond to new sounds is something incredibly special and near and dear to my heart and witnessing a child gain their confidence in their communication skills (gestures/verbal) is also very, very special.

Share your experience as a parent with a child who was in Early Intervention.

Marisa: Having your own child go through the Early Intervention program is such a wonderful and encouraging experience, while giving a new perspective on the entire Early Intervention process and program. By having a child in Early Intervention it makes me so thankful to work with an amazing EI team here at ACBDD. We truly are so blessed with the best in Allen County! 

Being a SLP and watching your own child struggle to find their voice was frustrating, sad, overwhelming, and as a mom wondering “where did I go wrong?” I had to remind myself it’s nothing I did, and that every child develops differently and on their own timelines. I knew it was possible Savannah would have a language delay, with her history of having a lip and tongue tie, as well as tightness in her neck, resulting in a flat spot on her head and requiring a cranial shaping helmet. Through working closely with Kathy Hoelscher, our PT, we have seen trends that children with mid-line tightness concerns, also need speech therapy later down the line. We started working with the Early Intervention and Kathy when Savannah was just one month old, and it was such a learning experience being on the parent side of EI when doing physical therapy. Kathy helped us to get Savannah caught up, and she exited EI services before she turned one. When Savannah was around 19 months old, she had multiple ear infections, and just wasn’t talking or progressing in her language skills the way I knew she should be. We were in the process of having hearing tests completed, and within a few months of starting EI, Savannah received bilateral PEtubes. She started EI services with Samantha, who focuses on speech and hearing kids. She was the perfect fit for Savannah. She completed visits at home with me, my husband, and our son, and allowed our son to actively participate in visits so he could help his little sister. She also saw Savannah for visits at her babysitter's home, which was so helpful, as she spends a lot of time there and our babysitter needed to know the strategies to use when she was in her care. Service Coordinators, Alyssa Plontz and Traci Miller, both helped us find additional resources we needed during our time in EI (cranial shaping helmet, audiologists, ENTs), and we could not be more grateful for their expert advice and suggestions as well. Savannah worked with Sam for about one year, and by the time she was 30 months old, she was completely caught up, on track with same aged peers, and had become quite the chatterbox! 

I think we take for granted how much work EI is for parents and caregivers, and from being on the other side, I know how much they are doing when we are not in the home for visits. Early Intervention is more than just two or three, 45 minute visits per month that we are privy to being part of. For the families it is constant work, education, struggles, ups and downs, and celebrating the small victories in the everyday routines we are not present in the home for. It has really helped shape my visits with children and families on my caseload moving forward, and how to approach coaching in a new way.  All of this to say, Early Intervention WORKS, and we will forever be thankful for the love, support, and help we received for Savannah while she received services through Early Intervention.

Sam: The experience that I encountered having my daughter in Early Intervention was life-changing (not being dramatic). Shout out to Kelly Von der Embse – who was our primary service provider throughout the three years she was in the program. The guidance, education, and support provided during our visits were crucial pieces to Adrianna’s successes. Not only did they help empower my daughter, but they helped empower me as a mom. Our Service Coordinator, Michelle Bardo, was always willing to go above and beyond to help connect us to community resources and ensure we were supported in each of our services. The support provided in Early Intervention during our transition to part b services is something that I will always remember. My EI team helped me understand the process better and helped ensure my daughter was getting nothing short of what she deserved moving forward into the preschool setting. This is why I now take such pride in helping my families that are transitioning to preschool. It was so helpful and I owe many thanks to them. The experience in EI was amazing – I hope I am able to give my families what they gave to us.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's development, reach out to Early Intervention at 419-221-1385.