Parental guidance in speech therapy: complete guide
Parental guidance is an approach that places parents at the heart of supporting their child. Rather than fully delegating stimulation to the speech therapist during sessions, parents are equipped to become the main actors in their child's language development, on a daily basis, in natural communication situations.
👨👩👧 Resources for parental guidance
Advice sheets, stimulation supports, tools for parents
Access the tools →📋 Table of contents
What is parental guidance?
Parental guidance is an indirect approach to speech therapy intervention. Rather than working directly with the child, the speech therapist trains and supports the parents to modify their interactions with the child on a daily basis, thus creating an optimal language environment.
What it is
- Equipping parents with concrete strategies
- Transforming everyday moments into stimulation opportunities
- Reinforcing parental confidence
- Building on the parent-child relationship
What it is not
- Giving "homework" to do at home
- Turning parents into therapists
- Making parents feel guilty
- Replacing direct rehabilitation when it is necessary
Why this approach?
💡 Parents are the best stimulators
- The child spends much more time with their parents than with the speech therapist
- Parents know their child, their interests, their routines
- Stimulation in natural situations is more effective
- Research shows the effectiveness of this approach
- It strengthens the parent-child bond
Key principles
🎯 Follow the child's interest
Observe what interests the child and use these interests as a communication support. The child is more motivated and attentive when talking about what they are passionate about.
👀 Get down to their level
Physically (getting to their height, face to face) and linguistically (adapting language level, slightly more complex sentences than those of the child).
⏸️ Wait and observe
Give the child time to initiate, to respond. Do not fill every silence. Create expectations (pauses, routines) to encourage the child to communicate.
🔄 Reformulate and enrich
Repeat what the child says in a correct and/or enriched version. "Car!" → "Yes, that's a red car!" Without asking them to repeat.
💬 Comment on their action
Put into words what the child is doing, what they see, what they feel. "You are building a tower. Oh, it is tall!"
Concrete strategies to convey
During play
- Play in parallel and comment
- Imitate what the child is doing
- Make intentional mistakes to create communication opportunities
- Offer choices rather than closed questions
During routines
- Name objects, actions, people
- Create language rituals (nursery rhymes, formulas)
- Pause in known routines for the child to complete
- Use the same words regularly (repetition)
During reading
- Point to the pictures
- Ask open-ended questions
- Make connections with the child's life
- Let the child turn the pages, show
Practical implementation
Session format
- Observation of parent-child interactions (video or live)
- Joint analysis: identify strengths and areas for improvement
- Demonstration by the speech therapist
- Practice by the parent with feedback
- Concrete goals to implement at home
Speech therapist's posture
- Kindness: value what parents are already doing well
- Partnership: parents are the experts of their child
- Adaptation: take into account the family and cultural context
- Gradualness: one strategy at a time
Our tools to download
Frequently asked questions
Not always. For young children (under 3-4 years) and language delays, guidance is often the first-line intervention and may be sufficient. For more severe or established disorders, it complements direct rehabilitation. Both approaches can be combined: sessions with the child + parental guidance.
Adapt goals to the family reality. Offer strategies that integrate into what they are already doing (meals, bath, trips). Small and concrete goals, even 10 minutes a day, can make a difference. Use video so parents can review demonstrations. Involve other adults (grandparents, childcare providers).
It is a risk if poorly presented. The speech therapist must adopt a valuing posture: parents are already doing many things well, we will build on their strengths. The child's difficulties are not their fault. We provide additional tools, not reproaches. The framework must be kind and non-judgmental.
