Carryover of Speech Therapy at Home

Carryover is the ability to take the skills learned in the treatment session and use them in other environments such as at home, school, or with peers. Carryover leads to generalization of skills outside of the therapy room. Finding time to complete the homework assigned by your therapist can be tough, but know that it will benefit your child long term.

The key to successful carryover is support from parents. Parents need to have the right conversations with their children about the importance of carryover activities. The more practice the child puts in at home, the quicker they will be able to meet their goals inside of the therapy room. For children with early language goals, the parents play a pivotal role in carrying over the skills learned in therapy. Parents should follow the models that are recommended and demonstrated by the speech therapist. For example, parents should withhold objects to elicit requests out of their young children at home instead of handing the desired objects to their children right away. Overall, carryover is essential for generalization of skills outside of speech therapy sessions.

-Lauren I.