Parental guidance in speech therapy: complete guide
Parental guidance is an approach that places parents at the heart of their child's support. Rather than entirely delegating stimulation to the speech therapist during sessions, we equip parents to become the main actors in their child's language development, daily, in natural communication situations.
👨👩👧 Resources for parental guidance
Advice sheets, stimulation supports, tools for parents
Access 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 accompanies parents so they modify their interactions with the child daily, thus creating an optimal language environment.
What it is
- Equipping parents with concrete strategies
- Transforming daily moments into stimulation opportunities
- Reinforcing parental confidence
- Building on the parent-child relationship
What it is not
- Giving "homework" to do at home
- Transforming parents into therapists
- Making parents feel guilty
- Replacing direct rehabilitation when it's 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 centers of interest as communication support. The child is more motivated and attentive when we talk about what they're passionate about.
👀 Get on their level
Physically (get to their height, face to face) and linguistically (adapt your language level, sentences slightly more complex than the child's).
⏸️ Wait and observe
Give the child time to initiate, to respond. Don't fill all silences. Create expectations (pauses, routines) to encourage the child to communicate.
🔄 Reformulate and enrich
Take what the child says in correct and/or enriched version. "Car!" → "Yes, it's a red car!" Without asking to repeat.
💬 Comment on their action
Put into words what the child is doing, what they see, what they feel. "You're building a tower. Oh, it's tall!"
Concrete strategies to transmit
During play
- Play in parallel and comment
- Imitate what the child does
- Make voluntary mistakes to create communication opportunities
- Offer choices rather than closed questions
During routines
- Name objects, actions, people
- Create language rituals (rhymes, formulas)
- Make pauses in known routines for the child to complete
- Use the same words regularly (repetition)
During reading
- Point to images
- Ask open questions
- Make connections with the child's life
- Let the child turn pages, point
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 objectives to implement at home
Speech therapist posture
- Kindness: value what parents already do well
- Partnership: parents are the experts of their child
- Adaptation: consider family, cultural context
- Progressivity: one strategy at a time
Our downloadable tools
Frequently asked questions
Not always. For young children (before 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 objectives to family reality. Propose strategies that integrate into what they already do (meals, bath, commute). Small and concrete objectives, even 10 minutes per day, can make a difference. Use video so parents can review demonstrations. Involve other adults (grandparents, childminder).
It's a risk if poorly presented. The speech therapist must adopt a validating posture: parents already do many things well, we'll build on their strengths. The child's difficulties are not their fault. We give them additional tools, not reproaches. The framework must be benevolent and non-judgmental.
