Warm Weather Therapy Tips
Well, hello Summer! Here, where I live and work in the northeast section of the US, right outside of Philadelphia, the temperatures this weekend were anywhere from 88-92 degrees! Hot, hot, hot for the last week in April!
So now that spring is officially here (the weather has finally caught up with the calendar!), the daily routines of the families we work with are going to start to change. Children tend to be outside playing more and families often take trips to the local park. These opportunities are ways in which we can broaden our therapeutic scope and expand the arena for communication.
So, for today's post I wanted to share some ideas that I have implemented in the past during my home care sessions and will shortly become a part of my weekly routines whenever appropriate!
- Hit the Road, Jack! —Take advantage of the nice weather and suggest to your families that you do a group walk to a local park. Sometimes, just a walk around the block can spark the child's focus and create a whole new scenario for building communication. Many times, these activities are already a part of the family's daily routine, so if that is an aspect you need to be mindful of during therapy, plan with the family ahead of time to make it a part of your session for the following week.
- Get Movin'!—Or, just step outside and use the family swing-set! Most children love motion and many crave it. For children diagnosed with autism and/or have significant sensory needs, movement can be very soothing. I have met with great success in the past when using swings during speech therapy. The repetitive motion of back and forth often helps to organize the child. I have seen eye contact improve and the child's overall social focus becomes more appropriate.
In addition, many children who love to swing are motivated to use the words and signs we have worked hard all winter to teach. When I have a child on a swing, we practice saying repetitive phrases, such as "1, 2, 3!" and "Ready, set, go!". In addition, the child needs to either say or sign "more please" in order for me to give another push. I have also found that they will say "stop" and "all done" more readily when they have had enough.
- Start your Engines!—Use the child's bike, scooter, etc. to help build language! Just like in the second example above, the child can practice asking for "more" and saying "stop", etc when on one of their favorite toys.
I recently showed up at a home for therapy and the little boy was outside on a Big Wheel with his siblings. He did NOT want to go inside when I arrived, so we decided to do speech outside in the sun on his Big Wheel. It was the most appropriate independent and spontaneous speech I had heard from him in several weeks! It was a really successful session and I was thrilled to see him engaged with his siblings and the neighborhood children!
Please share other outside activities you use during your speech sessions!