We have all had exhausting days as parents when all we want to do is get home, but at the same time when opportunity knocks its important to seize the moment to teach our children.
A child lagging behind his mother, walking home from school today was a perfect opportunity for that mom to foster and teach language. The mother turned the corner and walked ahead. The child went to the corner and stopped. He didn’t call his mother back to him he simply stood. She turned around to see if he was following her and when she saw he was not she went back to him. Again he said nothing. She asked if he wanted to cross the street. He said nothing, so she took his hand and crossed the street. What would have happened if she had sought his eyes then went stood beside him and waited for him to tell her what he wanted or if she had modeled for him “you want to cross the street” and then simply waited until he attempted to say the sentence…. Um language facilitation. As therapist that is what we do to illicit language. Create opportunities and then provide the language.