COVID-19 SLP Life month... 7. Seven.

Life is different today than it was last week, month, and year. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 closures life has been a never ending upheaval. Our brains are being challenged to be flexible and creative to process and understand ever changing information. You know what happens…? 

Cognitive Fatigue.  (1)  Simply, the brain is tired and it’s hard to function properly when it’s tired. Well, what do we do about it? Can you imagine what our kids are feeling in therapy!? Here are some tips to help therapy go more smoothly. 

REST 

Include breaks in the schedule for both you, caregivers, and the patient. 

FUNCTIONAL

It’s okay to play with a favorite toy, that’s one way to encourage more language, build more vocabulary, more trials of a sound etc. There’s a time to learn to talk and play about other toys, transition to different activities and toys; but when everything is hard, lighten the cognitive load and STRETCH your child’s favorite toy/topic to work on goals! 

ASSIST 

Be mindful of what the learner can do and what they can’t do YET, and provide all the scaffolding they need. 

Hope that helps even a little. 

Interesting Related Reads: 

1. Vygotskian Theory and It’s Application to Assessment: An Overview for Speech-Language Pathologists 

2. The Impact of Scaffolding on Young Children’s Language Skills