Speech Therapy
and Homeschooling

You just found out that your child has been recommended for speech therapy. Or maybe you are concerned with the way you child communicates. What can a parent do? Can we do anything at home that will help our child?

Where to Receive Therapy

There are several places that your child could receive speech therapy. Most children's hospitals have speech therapist on staff. Another option is to take your child to a private clinic. Going to a private clinic or a hospital might be paid for by your health insurance company. Check to see what your insurance covers.

Some children go to their public school. You will need to check to see if the option is open to homeschoolers. Sometimes you will be required to pay a fee. You will also need to check to see if the therapy is in a group or done individually.

Speech Therapy at Home

Another option is to do therapy at home. There are some programs for home use. Straight Talk 1 is for parents of children who need help pronouncing words. Straight Talk 2 is to help children use words and sentences to communicate.

The program shows you how to incorporate speech lessons in everyday life. The lessons are done in five minutes segments. Straight Talk is provided by the NATTHAN Organization (Nationally Challenged Homeschoolers Association).

At home therapy would be good for families that can not afford to go to a private therapist every week. It would also be good for parents that do not want to involve their children in the public school.

The Early Years

If you feel that your child is not communicating, is non-verbal or has other speech problems go to your child's physician and tell him your concerns. Have your child's doctor check him for a physical cause. You can also ask to be sent to a speech therapist.

Some school districts have a program called Child Find. Child Find is a government program to evaluate children for special needs. If your child does have problems you may be asked to enroll in a special needs preschool. If you are against this idea you will be better off finding a doctor that believes in homeschooling.

During Therapy

If your child goes out for therapy be involved as much as possible. When the parents are involved in the speech therapy the child does better.

Here is a list of things you can do:

• Talk to your child's therapist.
• Talk to your child about what he did in speech class.
• Play word games with your child.
• If you are using a home based speech program, have your child evaluated by a certified speech therapist quarterly.

When you are considering speech therapy you have several options. You can take your child to his public school, go to a private therapist, or do therapy at home.