The Limitations of Weekly Speech Therapy and How Parents Can Help
Joanne Jones 
Weekly speech therapy helps, but real progress happens at home. Learn how daily interactions can boost your child’s communication development.
The Limitations of Weekly Speech Therapy and How Parents Can Help
For many parents, weekly speech therapy sessions feel like the cornerstone of their child’s development. While these sessions are incredibly valuable, they’re only a small piece of the puzzle. The real magic happens between sessions—in your home, during everyday moments, and through the interactions you share with your child.
Why Weekly Speech Therapy Isn’t Enough Speech therapy provides expert guidance and targeted strategies, but an hour a week is just that—an hour. Children communicate all day, every day, not just in therapy. Imagine learning a new skill but only practicing it for one hour each week. Progress would be slow, wouldn’t it? For speech and language development, consistency and repetition are key.
Here are some reasons weekly sessions alone might not achieve the results you’re hoping for:
Limited Time: One hour a week leaves 167 hours where no direct therapy is happening. It’s during these hours that your role becomes crucial.
Context Matters: Real-life communication happens in varied environments, not just in a quiet therapy room.
Children Need Practice: Like any skill, speech and language require frequent practice in everyday situations to truly develop.
How Parents Can Help The good news? You don’t need to be a speech therapist to make a huge impact. Your everyday interactions are the perfect opportunities to support your child’s development. Here’s how:
Play with Purpose: Follow your child’s lead during playtime. Repeat their sounds, name objects they’re interested in, and encourage turn-taking.
Narrate Daily Activities: Describe what you’re doing as you go about your day. For example, "We’re putting on your shoes. One shoe, two shoes."
Slow Down: Give your child time to respond. Pauses create space for communication.
Celebrate Attempts: Whether it’s a word, a gesture, or a sound, acknowledge every effort your child makes to communicate.
Create Opportunities: Instead of anticipating your child’s needs, wait for them to signal or ask. For example, hold up two snack options and let them choose.
Bringing It All Together Think of weekly speech therapy as the foundation and your everyday interactions as the building blocks. Together, they create a strong structure for your child’s communication development. You’re not just a parent; you’re your child’s best teacher, advocate, and cheerleader.
So, while those weekly sessions provide essential support, the most meaningful progress happens at home, with you. And that’s something to feel empowered about.