Language Development (Robinson)

Nearly 1 in 12 children are currently affected with some type of language disorder; it is our job as therapists and educators to detect these as early as possible to have an impact on long-term language development. According to research the use of parent-based interventions optimizes the child’s communication development. A popular parent-based intervention service delivery model is parent coaching. Parent coaching is widely used in early intervention programs. It is an adult teaching strategy that empowers parents and gives them hands on tools to use in interventions with their children.

In this one-day course, participants will be able to learn strategies to diagnose language disorders in infants and toddlers and to determine appropriate treatment approaches to stimulate language development. Participants will learn methods to survey parent perspectives regarding their child’s communication abilities and develop age appropriate family driven functional goals. Participants will also learn specific coaching approaches and evidence-based steps for coaching parents. This course will specifically teach coaching approaches and guide participants through strategies to choose an appropriate language intervention based on parent perspectives and child developmental needs.