Expert Advice on Increasing Parent Involvement – 3 Videos, 8 1/2 minutes

Speech therapy progress when working with young children can take place in cars, during mealtimes, and while families navigate their busy daily routines. That’s why involving parents and caregivers in the therapeutic process is one of the most powerful ways to help young children grow their communication skills.

But we also know that family involvement can be complicated. Cultural values, family schedules, and life circumstances all play a role in how—and when—caregivers can participate.

We put a course together on five research-based strategies that help bridge that gap. Together, they form the acronym SMILE: Sign, Model, Imitate, Label, and Expand. These simple, effective techniques make it easier for families to create meaningful communication opportunities throughout their day.

Watch the short videos below to hear how these strategies came to life through real conversations with our presenter. Then, join us for the full conversation to learn how to help families naturally integrate communication-building into their everyday routines.

How do you gather a language sample from really young children?

What successful strategies do early intervention and school-age intervention share?

Specific actions SLPs can take to increase parent follow-through with communication practice.

Want to hear the full story and earn CEUs?

Check out this course: Increasing Parent Involvement When Working with Birth-to-3 Populations

Involving parents and caregivers in the therapeutic process is a major component of successful therapy. However, social, familial, personal, and environmental factors can complicate efforts to engage caregivers and teachers.

In this course, we introduce five research-based strategies (SMILE: Sign, Model, Imitate, Label, and Expand) that improve interactions with families because they layer communication needs onto a family’s daily routine. This way, families know what to do, when to do it, and are creating communication during the times that matter most to them. Join us to find out how to make your intervention with young ones even more effective.