Waitlist Evaluation Program Part 2

*Please refer to the previous blog last month for Waitlist Evaluation Program Part 1before reading about the second session of the evaluation sessionshere.*

After the first session, the clinician will write an evaluation report which may include information gathered from parent interview, informal evaluation, play observations, standardized assessments, and references from additional service providers. The speech-language pathologist(SLP)will discuss all of this informationwithin the evaluation report with the family at the second session.

In addition to the evaluation report, the SLP will provide materials, references, and recommendations for the child’s communication skills at this time. This may include a variety of handouts such as:

• Milestones for speech/articulation, language, social skills, and feeding for the age of the child.
• Resources with strategies and examples of ways to target specific communication skills(ex-parent guidesfrom The Hanen Centre)
• .Personalized recommendations for the family to target during activities that are motivating for this child.
• Picture cards or handouts for articulation drills or language expansionswith visual cues.

The SLP will review each of the materials that are provided and will give examples of how to implement the recommendations. The remaining time will be utilized as a therapy session so the therapist can demonstrate exactly what an ongoing therapy session may look like. This is also an ideal time to ask any and all questions regarding the evaluation report, what to expect in therapy sessions, and discuss potential goals that may be targeted to progress the child’s communication skills.

If you think of any questions after the SLP leaves, do not worry! We will not leaving you hanging. You are welcome to contact the therapist who evaluated your child with any questions and we are happy to be an ongoing resource for your family! Families that choose to be on the waitlist for an ongoingtherapy spot will be contacted when one becomes available.

We hope that the waitlist evaluation program provides families with specific, personalized recommendations to get a head start on implementation of strategies in their home until a SLP is able to provide weekly feedback and recommendations. These evaluations have also been insightful for families that were worried their child was falling behind in their speech and language skills, but discover they are on track! Either way, we are thrilled to share our knowledge of tips and tricks to develop speech, language, and total communication skills through these evaluations.

Please let us know what questions you have about getting your child evaluated!

-Lauren