Advice for Families of Children With Speech or Language Disorders: How To Support Your Child Over Summer Break

A Pause in Services Doesn’t Have To Mean a Pause in Progress

If your child receives speech and language services at school, then you may be seeking ways to help your child continue or maintain their progress over the summer.

Here are some tips from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):

1. Go on adventures together. Summer is the perfect time for children and families to explore new places. Visit different parks, museums, or other local attractions. Encourage your child to ask questions, share their opinions and ideas, and even plan some of these activities themselves—or together with you. This is a great way to build communication and learning skills.
2. Make the most of everyday activities. Playing board games, reading together, and cooking meals and participating in other daily activities together all offer prime opportunities for speech and language development. During these moments, focus on keeping the conversation flowing and, when possible, putting the screens away.
3. Talk to your child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP). Bring any specific concerns to your child’s SLP before the end of the school year. They may be able to provide tips and ideas for practice—or recommend specific apps, books, games, and/or a calendar of activities that can help build your child’s communication skills. This is also a good opportunity to discuss your child’s eligibility for Extended School Year (ESY) services.
4. Keep a journal. Write down questions and problems as they arise. Record your child’s successes and progress as well. By the end of summer, you’ll have a ready-made informative resource to share with their SLP for the coming school year or to provide to team members at an IEP meeting.
5. Arrange play dates with other kids. Play dates are important for practicing communication and social skills. Ask your child who they’d like to get together with and what they’d like to do. For older kids, suggest meet-ups with friends, and encourage them to call or text friends themselves.
6. Keep to a schedule. If your child thrives on structure, then maintaining a schedule can give them comfort and make life a lot easier for the entire family. You may want to write the schedule out on a white board that they can refer back to—so they know what to expect. A weekly or monthly calendar would help them see the bigger picture.
7. Continue reading over the summer. Adults can model this good habit. Ask your child to tell you about what they’re reading. Visit the library. Participate in various reading challenges.
8. Prepare for the transition back to school. About 2 weeks before the new school year begins, start preparing your child for it. Slowly roll back bedtime, talk about the coming changes in routines, gather any needed supplies, and find out how they’re feeling about going back to school. Ask them for some highlights from the summer that they’d like to share with their classmates or teacher. This topic may be a first-day-of-school question or assignment; it can help them feel more prepared in the moment.

For more information and tips, visit www.asha.org/public/. Have a wonderful summer making memories with your child!