Treating Families in Crisis Part 1: Reaching Goals Despite Obstacles

Working with children in early intervention can feel like flying a kite. You create your game plan, you hope for perfect conditions and you cross your fingers that both the child (kite) and the family (string) feel like flying that day. What happens if it rains or is too windy? What if the kite and the string are simply unable to focus on flying that day? As speech-language pathologists, we know not everything goes according to plan. Sometimes our backup plan needs a backup plan. And no matter how hard we try, some days speech-language treatment might be the furthest thing from the family’s mind. During family-centered sessions, it’s our job to involve and empower the family to work on goals at home. If a family experiences a crisis, however, babbling, improving language or transitioning to solid foods can take a back seat. According to the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services, a crisis is identified by a family’s reaction to a stress-producing situation or event disrupting the family’s normal pattern. This can include a serious injury to the child or family member, Child Protective Services investigations, the child receiving a feeding tube, a house fire, persistent illness in a child, a family member or parent leaving the home, or unemployment. Families can also be dealing with the death of a child, a terminal illness diagnosis or children affected by abuse. When working with families during or after a crisis, these five steps help them stay on track with tr...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Feeding Disorders Source Type: blogs