Celebrate the small steps!

As parents its common to wonder why your child is still speaking with speech errors when you've heard them say it correctly in the speech room.

Here's how I explain it to parents. Let's think about teaching someone how to play a sport. I've always wanted to learn how to play tennis. That being said, there are many details that go into learning the sport: learning the rules, learning how to do a backhand stroke, a serve, how to make contact with the ball, how to aim the ball... it's a lot to think about all at once! In fact if I tried thinking too much about how I make a perfect backhand stroke while playing, I would probably trip up and get distracted. The goal of my tennis lessons are to get me so used to moving and playing the correct way that it completely integrates and I don't have to think too much about it. How does the coach help me get to that goal? By taking small achievable steps. First she might teach me the correct motion of a good swing. Then she might have me stand in a good position and send the balls directly to my racket. Once I achieve that, she might aim the ball a little further away from me.. you get the gist.