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From: Jaime Hannan
Date: 13 Oct 2010
Time: 06:10:58 -0500
Remote Name: 74.83.213.115
When working with any individual with a communication disorder, I suggest spending some time figuring out how that disorder is affecting the individual on all levels - and that includes his/her family. Going about this may involve a lot of listening - both to what is said and what is not said. Often times, the family members do not have a solid understanding of a disorder, especially at the beginning. They may have been told a lot of different things by a lot of different people. They may have looked up the disorder online, not knowing whether the information they read was credible or not. For example, if you look up autism, you will find a whole slew of information - both correct and incorrect. The same is true for stuttering. Years ago, the information would have told you that "bad parenting" caused both autism and stuttering. We know now that that is the furthest thing from the trust. As an SLP, you may have many roles...you may be a teacher - helping the family and the individual to understand the disorder; you may be a counselor - helping the individual to cope with the disorder and helping the family to cope with the loss of their "ideal" child; you may be a therapist - helping to treat the individual's disorder and helping the family to continue that treatment at home; and, you may even be a cheerleader - helping both the individual and his/her family to see the strides made during therapy and to remind them of the strengths and positive qualities that the individual DOES have! I believe that sometimes an individual may become more focused on what he/she cannot do, and forget all of the things that he/she can do. Similarly, a parent of a child with a communication disorder may be so overwhelmed that they may have a hard time looking past the disorder...at least at first. However, with an increased understanding of the disorder, along with the skills needed to help their child outside of therapy...parents may feel much more empowered. Empowerment is an important goal to work towards, I believe, because parents are the experts on their children and spend a lot more time with the child than we do. Providing this knowledge and education can lead to empowerment...and empowerment can lead to acceptance (both by the individual and his/her own family). You have chosen a great field, and in those moments when you feel like you may not know "exactly what to do," just remember that families know when you have their best interest in mind - and that is more powerful than anything else. Hope this helps! Feel free to contact me with any more questions. Jaime.