Turned on Jack Johnson, grabbed a highlighter and felt like I was back in grad school as I sat down to read a chapter titled Speech, Language, and Communication Assessment and Intervention for Children by Gerber and Prizant, from the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL).
Sound like a mouthful? I did have to access areas of my brain that have lain dormant in my current mama-state. The article was a great review of all of the areas a speech therapist has to take into account when doing an assessment and planning treatment for children.
This article highlights the need for a developmental perspective. I found something to highlight in almost every paragraph. It was laid out in an outline style, which I loved. It made me miss working and it made me realize how very, very much I still have to learn. While this article didn't teach me anything new, it reminded me of how complex speech therapy can be and why I love it so much.
The ICDL is onto something. No longer is therapy about teaching a kid how to not say "My wabbit wooks weally tired". It is about meeting a kid where they are and facilitating the next step up the developmental ladder with a focus on the kid's ability to interact and function in his/her environment. It's about empowering parents to do their best by their children. It's for those kids with autism who cannot seem to find a way to access society and those toddlers who are tantrumming more than they are talking. I can't wait to explore the nooks and crannies of the ICDL website.
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