Promoting Independent Living Skills

 Promoting Independent Living Skills for Children with Speech and Language Delays:

• Your SLP will assist you in setting goals based on assessment data that target and focus on initiating spontaneous communication in functional activities, engaging in reciprocal communication interactions, and generalizing gains across activities, environments, and communication partners;
• Introduce a total communication system (e.g., spoken language, gestures, sign language, picture communication, speech-generating devices [SGDs], and/or written language) that is individualized according to your child’s abilities and the contexts of communication;
• Consider family priorities when selecting intervention goals—meaningful outcomes are strongly correlated with communication competence across functional social contexts (e.g., home, school, vocational, and community settings);
• Incorporate cultural, linguistic, and personal values and attributes unique to each individual into therapeutic activities;
• Use a range of approaches for enhancing communication skills along a continuum from behavioral to developmental;
• Work with your therapy team to monitor progress by using systematic methods to determine whether your child is benefiting from a particular treatment program or strategy.