Those who work within the field of speech therapy at Speech Pathology Perth are fully aware of the huge role that parents play in the activities required for children whose speech and language development has not reached the level it should have. Further, they are conscious of the huge time constraints that parents have trying to balance their work, their home, and their children.
This is why a great deal of thought goes into planning speech therapy and in particular the speech therapy homework which is set for the children that speech pathologists are treating. Bear in mind that children are also likely to have homework from their normal schooling so the effort from parents to ensure there is sufficient time for it all is significant.
One aspect of speech therapy which can help the time-homework conundrum is scripting. This is not scripting in the same sense that a script is created for a movie or TV drama, but is a quick and simple speech therapy tool that helps both children and parents alike. The basic premise behind scripting is that it is fundamental verbal communication directed by adults towards children who are having speech and language difficulties.
How Scripting Works
When at home, parents will often simply say to children who are in speech therapy to “Use words” or “ Say what you mean”. Doubtless, the child is thinking “If only!”. Unfortunately, as well-meaning as the child’s parents might be, the simple fact is that many children cannot create and speak the words and sentences that they wish to. What scripting does is help provide children with the words they need.
Scripting can help a child communicate using single words, or a string of words formed into a sentence or a question. In essence, it helps the child communicate to the parent what they want or are trying to say, and in turn, helps a parent understand what the child is trying to communicate.
The Powers of Interactions
Much of the benefit of scripting comes from the interactions that occur between the parent and the child. It has to be recognised that this requires commitment from parents, consistency, a great deal of patience, and no small amount of thought as they try to ascertain what their child is trying to say. When interactions take place the role of the parent is to anticipate what their child is trying to communicate and then encourage the child to say the appropriate words.
Here is an example of a typical interaction that can take place between a child and a parent and how scripting can be introduced to it.
Step #1: A parent will identify a scenario, situation, and opportunity for the child to communicate. We will use the example of the television being off.
Step #2: The parent asks the child a “Yes/No” question which includes the answer to the question – “Would you like me to switch the television on?”
Step #3: The parent helps their child to give the correct response by encouraging the child to tell them the appropriate answer – “Tell me ‘Yes’ ”.
Step #4: The parent prompts the child to expand on their answer. “Tell me, ‘Switch on the television.’” The parent then helps further by saying “Yes, I have switched on the television.”
You will likely think of hundreds of alternative scenarios yourself where this type of scripting can be used. This is regarded as homework within a speech therapy plan and speech pathologists often find that children make remarkable progress as a result of it.
Common Scripting Opportunities
Much of the scripting process is based around several common expressions which should be relatively easy for children who are undergoing speech therapy to understand if encouraged. Examples of these expressions and ideal opportunities for scripting homework include:
- Watch me…
- Put away…
- Let me…
- I want…
- Take off…
- Pick up…
- Can I…
- May I…
- I want to…
How many more can you think of?