Chatterbugs - Week 4

Week 4 of Chatterbugs was for parents only. The speech pathologists went through a slide presentation highlighting tips to help parents continue the therapy at home when the 10 week program comes to an end. In addition, the session was very interactive where parents would offer suggestions of what has been working, and not working with their children at home. I found a large difference in our willingness as parents to discuss our children's situations compared to that 1st parents-only session in early September. There was feeling of collective empathy in the room, and it was much more comfortable and comforting to share. Ben is probably the most severe of the cases in the group. Severe... that is the wrong word. His vocabulary and understanding of language is behind those of his classmates. I have no illusions about the end of this program. I know that Ben's final evaluation will tell us that he will require more therapy. I am happy about it. I wish the next block of session would start immediately, but unfortunately that's not how the program works. There is an 18 week clinical break, where we parents will continue the therapy on our own at home while another group of children cycle through the program. I am nervous about the "at home" therapy. Will Ben continue to build his vocabulary as well as he has been with just Fred and I to foster it? I think we can.