Tag Parent Strategies

Pets and child development are often discussed in relation to communication, social interaction and emotional development. While having a pet does not automatically improve these skills, everyday interactions with pets can create enjoyable opportunities for shared attention and communication.

Activities such as feeding, brushing, playing with or talking about a pet can create natural opportunities for children and adults to communicate, take turns and talk about emotions and experiences.

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Evett Lattouf

Evett is Clinical Director of Innerlink Therapy and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with extensive experience supporting children and adults across a range of settings. Her areas of interest include communication, learning, feeding and swallowing, autism, developmental disabilities and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Evett holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Speech Pathology from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Dysphagia from La Trobe University. She also provides external clinical supervision to speech pathologists and speaks Lebanese Arabic, supporting communication with Arabic-speaking clients and families.

Outside the clinic, Evett enjoys spending time with her rescue dogs and caring for her flock of chickens.

innerlinktherapy.com.au/our-team/#evettlattouf

Asking for help is an important communication and problem-solving skill that children develop over time. It allows a child to communicate when they need assistance, clarification, comfort or support and can help them become more confident and independent in everyday activities.

Children can ask for help in many different ways. Some may use spoken words, while others may communicate through gestures, pointing, eye gaze, signs, pictures or an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. Parents and carers can support this skill by recognising these different forms of communication and creating natural opportunities for children to practise asking for help at home.

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Home practice can help children strengthen and use the skills they are developing in Speech Pathology sessions. Short, regular opportunities to practise at home can help children become more familiar with new speech, language or communication skills and use them in everyday situations.

However, fitting therapy activities into family life is not always easy. Home practice does not need to be long or complicated. A few minutes of focused practice, incorporated into routines, play or everyday activities, can often be more manageable for children and families.

Research suggests that parent-implemented home programs can support children’s speech and language development when families receive appropriate guidance and training from their therapist.

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Evett Lattouf

Evett is Clinical Director of Innerlink Therapy and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with extensive experience supporting children and adults across a range of settings. Her areas of interest include communication, learning, feeding and swallowing, autism, developmental disabilities and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Evett holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Speech Pathology from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Dysphagia from La Trobe University. She also provides external clinical supervision to speech pathologists and speaks Lebanese Arabic, supporting communication with Arabic-speaking clients and families.

Outside the clinic, Evett enjoys spending time with her rescue dogs and caring for her flock of chickens.

innerlinktherapy.com.au/our-team/#evettlattouf

Waiting can be a simple but powerful communication strategy. By pausing and giving your child time to respond, you create more opportunities for them to initiate, communicate and take an active role in the interaction.

Children communicate in many different ways, including facial expressions, body language, gestures, sounds, words and sentences. Some communication attempts can be subtle, especially for children who use few spoken words or need more time to process what has been said.

When adults slow down and wait, children have more time to notice, process and respond. This can support communication, shared attention and participation in everyday interactions.

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Learning a new skill can take time. Whether a child is developing speech, language, communication, motor or everyday functional skills, progress often happens through many small steps rather than one sudden change.

Celebrating small wins can help children and families notice progress that might otherwise be overlooked. Recognising effort, persistence and new skills can also help make therapy feel encouraging and meaningful while keeping the focus on each child’s individual goals.

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Evett Lattouf

Evett is Clinical Director of Innerlink Therapy and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with extensive experience supporting children and adults across a range of settings. Her areas of interest include communication, learning, feeding and swallowing, autism, developmental disabilities and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Evett holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Speech Pathology from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Dysphagia from La Trobe University. She also provides external clinical supervision to speech pathologists and speaks Lebanese Arabic, supporting communication with Arabic-speaking clients and families.

Outside the clinic, Evett enjoys spending time with her rescue dogs and caring for her flock of chickens.

innerlinktherapy.com.au/our-team/#evettlattouf

Family involvement in therapy can help children use new skills beyond the therapy room and in everyday situations. Parents and carers know their child’s routines, interests, strengths and challenges, which can provide valuable information when setting goals and planning practical strategies.

Being involved does not mean turning home into a therapy session or practising constantly. It can simply mean understanding the strategies being used, sharing what is working at home and creating natural opportunities for the child to use new communication, movement or everyday skills during familiar routines.

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Talking with children does not always need to involve asking questions. Making simple comments about what a child is doing, seeing or experiencing can create natural opportunities for communication and language development.

Commenting can reduce the pressure on a child to provide an answer while still giving them useful language to hear and respond to. Parents, carers and educators can use comments during play, everyday routines, books and shared activities to support back-and-forth interaction.

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