Readiness for Change in Speech Therapy

Change can be difficult, especially when it comes to speech therapy. However, readiness for change is a crucial step in creating a better future for yourself.

Readiness for change is the moment when you realize that you need to make a change in order to improve your life. In this article, we will explore what readiness for change is, why it is important, and how to prepare for it.

What is Readiness for Change?

Readiness for change is the state of mind where you acknowledge the need for change and are willing to take action towards making that change. It is a critical component of success in any area of life, including speech therapy. Without the willingness to change, progress will be limited, and you may not achieve the goals you set for yourself.

Why is Readiness for Change Important?

When you are ready for change, you are more likely to make progress in your speech therapy. This is because you are motivated to take action, and you are open to new ideas and approaches. Being ready for change also means that you are more likely to stick with your therapy, even when it gets challenging. This determination and persistence are critical to success in speech therapy.

How to Prepare for Change

Here are some steps you can take to prepare for change in speech therapy:

1. Acknowledge the need for change: Recognise the areas in your, or your child’s life that needs improvement, and acknowledge the need for change. This is the first step in creating a better future for yourself or the person you care about.

This is the first key component that is needed, and has to come from within. When you are a parent looking after a young child, especially in the 0-4 age bracket that may require speech therapy, very often the only person who needs to recognise the need, and want it to change, is you. This is mainly because the majority of the work is done by you, in how you interact with your child, and help encourage their communication. Everything is new to these children, and speech therapists will be focusing almost exclusively on play based approaches. It is your own readiness for change, and willingness to engage with things that makes the difference.

With older children, especially into Tween and Teenage years, there has to be a readiness for change from their side. If their communication difficulty is already causing them some negative issues in their life, this readiness to change is sometimes assumed by the parent. As it is their voice, usually we would suggest that you, as their parent have a talk with them to ensure that they feel ready to change, and start their speech therapy journey. (It doesn’t mean they need to see all the steps, the first step is simply deciding to tackle it).
If your child is of an age where their communication difficulty is not causing them any real issues yet, you may find that they could be a bit more resistant to the idea of speech therapy. (Why wouldn’t they, as far as they are concerned there is no problem!) As you are the expert on your child, and every child is different, sometimes you might feel that you can reason it out with them. Let them know that this is not a problem now, but as they get older, if they don’t deal with it, it can have an impact they won’t want. Other times, you’ll know that they aren’t interested at that time. (This is one of the reasons given when we get enquiries when a parent says ‘They tried speech therapy before for this, but it didn’t work’. Normally when scratching the surface a little more, it transpires that the child wasn’t ready for it- at that time). If this is your situation, be patient. Don’t over force the issue, so that when your child themselves feels that they want to make a change, they don’t have to run the risk of the ‘I told you so’ moment. It will be easier for them to ask you to get them assistance if it has not been an issue between you in the past.

2. Set achievable goals: Once you have acknowledged the need for change, set achievable goals that will help you reach your desired outcome. Make sure your goals are realistic, and that you have a plan for how to achieve them. This part is easy in Speech Therapy – at least in practice – get in touch with us to arrange an appointment. Once you have started working with one of our speech therapy team, you follow the path they set out for you.

The speech therapist is your guide to get to where you want to be. They will be able to adjust the goals and the plan based on your own circumstances. As the saying goes in sports and exercise circles “Trust the Process”. It is no different with speech therapy. If it is your child that is getting the help, it is important that it is set according to your child’s abilities.

If it is for yourself, you may find yourself being fustrated and want things to move faster. It is important that you move at your own, achieveable pace. Very often with adults, the need for setting overachieveable goals is more common. A lot of our daily work life is focused on exceeding, not just meeting targets, however our bodies don’t work that way. If you are receiving voice therapy for example, the additional stresses you place on yourself will impact your voice. The main message is, trust the process, trust your therapist!

3. Surround yourself with supportive people: Having supportive people in your life can make a huge difference when it comes to making a change. Find people who will encourage you and help you stay motivated. Within children’s therapy, this often is the triangle between home life (including grandparents, childminders, friends), school/preschool life, and therapy plan. Very often, once a therapy approach is being used with a child, you, as their parent will need to ensure that where appropriate, those the child will be interacting with on a regular basis are aware of how they can support the child. This is all part of setting your child up for success.

In conclusion, readiness for change is a crucial step in creating a better future for yourself in speech therapy. Acknowledging the need for change, setting achievable goals, and surrounding yourself with supportive people at the key pillars for success.