Frustrating, but normal (like so many things with child development!). It’s enough to make you question your sanity! You try to tell your spouse or friend or therapist about this new accomplishment and get your child to show off their new skill and… nothing. When your child suddenly spouts out a new word, sound, or sentence type, it’s a cause for celebration! How exciting - they’ve learned something new!Īnd then… it disappears. AVT Tags: Auditory Verbal Therapy, Guide & Coach, Parents, Professionals, Social-Emotional Leave a comment on A Cheerleader, Not a Taskmaster A Swing and a Miss Rah-rah, parents! Posted by earosenzweig ApPosted in Elizabeth Rosenzweig PhD CCC-SLP LSLS Cert. They need a cheerleader, not a taskmaster. Parenting is hard, and parents have enough obligations and more than enough judgment outside of our therapy sessions. Why was practice difficult? Was it too confusing, too challenging, not relevant, or not engaging enough? How might we fix some of these issues? Where might the goals fit during daily activities in the week to come. On the other hand, LOTS can be gained when the family and therapist problem-solve the issue together.
After all, nothing is gained from a parent feeling bad that they didn’t practice x, y, or z over the past week. If I’m building an open, nonjudgmental atmosphere in therapy, parents and caregivers can share both their wins and their struggles without shame.
If I’m doing my cheerleader job right, I’m designing carryover work after each session that will integrate seamlessly into the family’s normal daily routines (or, less elegantly, I’m setting them up to “fall into a hole”). My job is to be their cheerleader, not their taskmaster. They don’t owe me an apology or an explanation. I’m not their parent or their teacher or their boss. These parents are plagued by guilt and the need to confess, but they’re confused about my role. “I’m so sorry, we just didn’t get a chance to practice this week.” “I feel awful, he’s not wearing his hearing aids as often as I know he should.” “I’m sorry, there just wasn’t a chance to read together last night.” I have had so many therapy sessions where parents begin the conversation by apologizing.
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