How long will my child need speech therapy?
This is something many parents ask me during their child’s initial evaluation or during a consultation. Of course there is no single answer to this question, and it is difficult for SLPs to know. Parents should definitely be wary of any professional “guaranteeing” results in a certain amount of time.
While I wish there was a concrete answer that I could provide, the length of therapy is highly individualized and based on a number of different factors including:
severity of disorder
responsiveness to therapy
child and family motivation
establishing appropriate rapport with your therapist
relevant medical, familial, and educational background/history
implementation of practice and carryover at home
behavior and personality traits
consistency of treatment
the competence of your therapist
These factors make answering this question extremely difficult. Every child and their family are so unique, and therapy is individualized to meet our client’s specific needs. Some challenges take longer than others to remediate, and patience and consistency is key in speech therapy. With that said, SG Speech Therapy monitors your child’s progress, and we provide progress reports every 90 days to ensure that your child is given the opportunity towards meeting the goals set forth by their therapist.
We aim to keep an open and honest dialogue about the need for continued treatment. It is important to note that we want your child and every family to reach their maximum potential in their communication abilities, and working with our client’s and their families in decisions regarding their goals and plan of care is crucial to us.
For specific questions regarding your child’s duration of therapy and factors that you may be facing, reach out to a local speech language pathologist.
With Love,