Article by Stephanie Ekis, MS, CCC-SLP
Here we are again – the beginning of a new year. I always try to stay away from creating ridiculous resolutions. I’ve been down that road before. I have made many promises to go to the gym every day or to eat vegetables with every meal. As I’ve gotten older (and a bit wiser) I like to set specific and more obtainable goals.
My resolutions usually cross over all aspects of my life, from personal to professional. As I think about some of the children with whom I have worked with over the years, my top three resolutions might look something like this:
Resolution #1: Provide more opportunities to communicate.
This one will always make the top of the resolution list. I can’t stress how important it is to do a little bit of planning and organization. If you don’t specifically plan and organize these opportunities – then chances are, these opportunities will be missed. The more opportunities to practice skills the better communicator your child will become.
Tip: Use the Selecting Activities Worksheet to start planning and organizing opportunities!
Resolution #2: Have more fun with learning and communication.
Communication and learning can be fun sometimes. I am personally more motivated to do something if it is fun and something that I enjoy doing. I also get bored quickly (Guess what? So do your kids!) so I like to mix things up a bit when teaching new skills. While many children need repetition in order to learn new things, it is not necessary to present things in the exact same way every time (Zzzzz…BORING!).
Resolution #3: Expect greatness.
High expectations, good instruction and appropriate support can lead to learning and communication skills beyond what might have been expected. I can’t tell you have many kids I’ve met who far exceeded what everyone thought – just because we gave them a chance and believed in them. I hate to hear things like, “He’s not smart enough.” or “She will never be able to do that.” If your child picks up on the dread and negativity, they will start to feel the same way in regards to learning and communication. I believe that when children hear statements like this it could potentially become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keep in mind that a self-fulfilling prophecy can be positive too. If children hear that they are smart, funny and good communicators – well, I think you know what might happen.
