A Guide to Preschool Speech Therapy Goals for Parents
If your preschooler is in speech therapy OR if they’ll be starting speech therapy soon, chances are you spend a good amount of time trying to make sense of what they’re working on and how it’s helping them in the big-picture.
You might be wondering what speech therapy is (technically speaking), what you can expect, and what kind of goals your speech therapist will have for your child. In other words, you might have questions. And the good news is that we have answers! As speech therapists and moms to preschoolers ourselves, preschool speech therapy is one thing we can most definitely help you make sense of. (How on earth our kids are already preschoolers, though? That’s another story!)
Good for you for being proactive about this and wanting to learn about goals your child may work on in speech therapy. We know from experience and from research that children do best when their caregivers support their speech therapy goals at home. So even though you probably feel like you still have a lot to learn, we want you to know that you really are WAY ahead of the game!
Let’s make sense of preschooler speech therapy goals!
Understanding Preschool Speech Therapy
First thing’s first, we need to define preschool. When we say preschool, we mean children between the ages of three and five. (If your child is under 3, our post on toddler speech therapy would be a better fit for you!)
Now, let’s define speech therapy. Speech therapy is carried out by speech therapists, or speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who, following the definition provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
Okay, NOW we can talk preschool speech therapy goals!
Related: What Is Speech Therapy?
What Are The Goals of Preschool Speech Therapy?
It’s important for parents to know that while THEIR child will have very specific goals, there are children of all abilities in speech therapy. Children with disabilities might work on foundational language skills. Some children come into speech therapy speaking a lot, but they need support with the social aspect of communication. So, this list of possible speech therapy goals is long!
So with the caveat that every child is SO different, some common preschooler speech therapy goals that we might work on in general are:
Increasing attention span
Understanding directions
Increasing vocabulary
Speaking in longer sentences
Expanding play skills
Saying specific speech sounds correctly
Taking turns during conversations
Answering simple who/what/where questions
Learning to understand that others’ perspectives
When your preschooler starts speech therapy, your speech-language pathologist will ask about the things you’ve been noticing, observe your child, and then identify the specific ways they can support them.
So for example, you might notice that your child isn’t talking as much as other children but feel unsure about what next steps would help them communicate more. Since language and communication is very complex and made up of tons of smaller, foundational skills, Your SLP will evaluate your child and identify where specifically the communication “breakdown” is happening. Then, they’ll set goals that fill in that gap for your child.
Because treatments are SO individualized and specific to each child, there really are no “one size fits all” preschool speech therapy goals.
Setting SMART Speech Therapy Goals
One thing we want to highlight about the goals your speech therapist sets for your preschooler is that they won’t just be shots in the dark. Speech therapists aren’t the type of people to just “see what happens” or “wait and see”. We set SMART goals based on what we observe, we break things down into achievable steps, and we measure progress all along the way.
SMART Goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. And, they’ll be based on your child’s speech assessment and individual needs.
You can expect to be included in the process of setting your preschooler’s speech therapy SMART goals. You should always feel in the know and be clear on what your child is working on.
Just know that if for any reason you aren’t, all you need to do is reach out to your SLP. Speech therapists love working with families who want to be engaged and involved. Your therapist will be more than happy to catch you up, fill you in, and answer any questions you ever have!
Accessing Free Preschool Speech Therapy
If you live in the United States, your preschooler may qualify for free speech and language therapy through their local school district. You can refer your preschooler for speech therapy by calling their school district and requesting a speech and language assessment. Just note that because there are specific criteria, depending on your child’s abilities, they may or may not qualify for speech and language services through the school setting.
In Canada, free speech and language therapy services are provided by public health clinics. This varies between provinces and territories, so it’s best to check with your local public health services to figure out your exact next steps.
If your child does not qualify for free services, or if you don’t want to wait to access free services, there are other options available. You can always pay for private speech therapy services directly or through your insurance.
Prepare for Kindergarten & Support Early Literacy At Home
Not every child needs speech therapy, and sometimes those who do have to wait a long time for it. We’ve created our membership programs as a way to step in and support families like yours in situations like these!
If you have a preschooler who you feel could use some extra language and early literacy support, check out our Songs + Stories membership! As members, your family gets access to weekly storytime videos and monthly songs & rhymes classes—all led by speech-language pathologists and designed to provide opportunities for language enrichment and skill development.
Interested? Want to sneak a peek? We’ve got you! Click the link below to access a free song, rhyme + storytime video and see if our membership is right for you!