Movement and speech therapy

At Speech Language Play NYC, we are strong advocates for movement in speech therapy sessions. Some may choose to sit at a table, but that's not our expectation for what speech therapy will look like. There are a few reasons for that: 

• It's developmentally expected that some children would want to be moving around

• Movement is necessary for some kids; it supports attention and regulation

• When a child is regulated and having a good time, progress in speech therapy goals will more likely be made 

Movement is developmentally expected: 

• Young children learn through play and movement. They're eager to move about their space and explore and jump from one activity to another. As speech therapists, we want the child we're working with to enjoy and be interested in the materials they're playing with and have the freedom to move throughout the therapy space to do so.

Movement is necessary for some kids:

• For some, movement is necessary to support regulation and attention. The type of movement each child benefits from can be different- occupational therapists are great resources for determining what a child's body is craving! In our practice, we often incorporate heavy work activities. These types of activities provide proprioceptive awareness or awareness of where their body is in a space. Some types of heavy work activities that we often incorporate into speech therapy sessions include pushing objects, jumping, squeezing objects, wall push-ups, pulling objects, bear crawls, and wheelbarrow walks. 

We know that many of our clients benefit from movement. Since we often do home and school visits, we incorporate movement as much as possible given the space and materials we have available. To support children who could use more movement activities during speech therapy, we will be offering speech therapy sessions at PlayWell in the Fall! The gym space at PlayWell is beautifully and thoughtfully designed to provide opportunities for movement and sensory experiences. If you'd like to work with us at PlayWell, reach out

today!