If you were to sit in on a speech therapy lesson conducted by a speech pathologist, you might be given the impression that what they do is ‘off the cuff’, their ability to conduct that lesson comes naturally, and what they do is seemingly effortless. That is not to suggest that speech pathologists have an easy job, but rather that their knowledge, experience, and dedication to what they do can make each speech therapy lessons seem that way.
The key point we must make here is that any lesson, whether it be for children with speech and language difficulties, a maths class in high school, or a university lecture on quantum physics theory, can only be effective if it has been properly planned in advance. To an outsider, it may seem that any educator when giving a lesson, regardless of the subject, can make what they do appear simple, merely as a result of them having an outstanding understanding of their subject.
However, what invariably happens within that lesson is the result of careful and thoughtful planning, and that is exactly what happens each time a speech pathologist conducts a lesson for the children they are responsible for. If you have ever wondered how such lessons are created, here are some guidelines as to how a speech pathologist at a place like communikidsspeech.com.au plans their speech therapy lessons.
Speech Therapy Goals And Individual Needs
The first consideration a speech pathologist will make when they begin planning a lesson is towards the students who they will be teaching. Individual children will each have specific needs relating to their speech and language difficulties and this means that their overall therapy plan will need to be bespoke. However, that does not exclude the opportunity for them to have lessons with multiple children present where the subject matter and content can help each one of them.
Notwithstanding that point, a speech pathologist will ensure that the lesson they are creating can be beneficial for each child. It may be the case that they include some slight variations to the lesson content and the activities which are included for one or more individual children based on the overall lesson topic.
A key part of the initial planning is an assessment of the speech therapy goals which they wish to achieve with the lesson. Again, individual needs will be taken into account. Having considered these, the speech therapist will determine what speech therapy goals they wish to achieve with each lesson.
Routines And Schedules
From many years of educational research and data analysis, it has been found that students, regardless of their age and aptitude, find lessons more beneficial if they follow an established routine or schedule. This can be something as simple as the teacher starting every lesson with a specific activity, ideally a fun one, and possibly doing likewise at the end.
Having a set format or routine for lessons allows those being taught to focus better on the lesson content, rather than wondering what is coming next. This principle allows speech pathologists to include in their lessons regular activities which the children know to expect and hopefully look forward to.
Lesson Activities And Resources
Speech therapy lessons can take on many formats, but they will all adhere to some core principles. We have already mentioned planning, assessing individual needs, determining goals and routines, and these will all be taken into account when the speech pathologist decides upon the specifics of the lesson, including the activities therein.
A variety of materials will be used such as games, and those games can utilise resources such as PCs or tablets. Other resources and materials include flashcards, board games, workbooks, songs, video, and audio to name but a few. In truth, there should never be any shortage of materials available to speech pathologists given the vast number that has been created for speech therapy lessons.
