Homeschooling Your Child with Special Needs: Speech Therapy

YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S BEST SPEECH THERAPIST!!!  Has anyone EVER told you this before?  Well today I would like to introduce you to Dr. James MacDonald, who believes parents are the key role in helping their child communicate.  Dr. James MacDonald was a Professor of Speech and Language Pathology and Developmental Disabilities at Ohio State University.  He dedicated thirty years of his life to clinical practice and research work with pre-verbal and verbal children with language delays.  Below are just a few of his statements regarding the important role parents have in their child's speech and language development (taken directly from his website Communicating Partners)...

• The Communicating Partners Center is guided by one major belief: that parents are in the best position to make sure their child develops social and communicative skills to their potential.
• PARENTS ARE THE ANSWER. Regardless of the number of professionals, children will learn to communicate best in their home lives. Parents have the greatest opportunity to teach their children how to communicate...
• Most parents who come to me are convinced that only professionals can" fix" their child. This is an extremely dangerous belief because many parents virtually give away their child to professionals and avoid building just the intimate social relationships that only they can do.
• Parents and families inevitably influence their child’s development more than schools can. Consequently, professionals and parents need to collaborate more than they now do. 

WOW!!  Those are some amazing statements and reassuring to dedicated parents who feel that they truly are their child's BEST teacher!  There is a wealth of information on his website, Communicating Partners, and I would encourage you to check it out!!

Another resource that I feel is outstanding in the area of speech and language development is Laura Mize's website, Teach Me to Talk.  Laura Mize is a pediatric speech-language pathologist who specializes in treating young children, ages birth to three, with communication delays and disorders.   What I love about Laura is her generosity in sharing her wealth of knowledge.  She hosts a blog, weekly podcast, and series of video tips all for FREE.  She also offers some videos, books, and manuals for purchase through her website.  You will fall in love with her and her resources.  She is truly a blessing by her gracious desire to share her knowledge and expertise for the benefit of others.  Meet Laura below in her video on using BUBBLES for a speech activity.  Enjoy!

I hope these two resources will be an encouragement to you as you homeschool your child with special needs!