As a parent, getting my child the help he needed for his reading and writing struggles was challenging. When he first started having difficulties, I knew it wasn’t just a passing phase. Despite all the extra effort we put into his reading and spelling, there was little progress. I began to suspect that he may have dyslexia. However, getting him the right support felt frustratingly indirect. Before he could receive a diagnosis of dyslexia, he was required to complete at least six months of speech therapy. While I understood that we needed to give him a chance to improve with intervention, it often felt like the process was too long and protracted.
During the weekly therapy sessions, my child, who is generally curious and eager to learn, seemed increasingly detached. Week after week, I watched as he struggled to stay focused and interested. This disengagement worried me because he clearly wasn’t connecting with the therapy. It was as though an invisible wall was forming between him and his learning.
Looking back, I think one of the key factors contributing to his disengagement was the complex language used in the sessions. Terms like ‘morpheme’, ‘grapheme’, ’syntax’, and ’digraph’ that were used in explanations felt formal and confusing. Having moved to Australia from Croatia as a teenager, I wasn’t familiar with this way of teaching, so the technical explanations seemed completely foreign. If I, as an adult, struggled to understand these terms, how could my ten-year-old be expected to grasp them? I began to wonder whether all the technical jargon was really necessary when it only seemed to create more confusion for both of us.
My workplace trains Health and Community Workers on using plain language, which is all about making language clear and accessible. It strikes me that the same principles could be applied to speech therapy. Furthermore, if I find the language challenging, how much harder must it be for parents who are newly arrived, those from non-English speaking countries and refugees? They face even greater obstacles, struggling not only with technical terms but also with English itself. I started to think that adopting plain language in speech therapy would not only be helpful but was, in fact, essential.
As parents, our goal is to see our children thrive and feel confident in their learning. Adjustments in how information is presented – using familiar terms, avoiding jargon, linking new concepts to things children already know and making therapy more interactive could make a huge difference. Therapy shouldn’t feel like another obstacle. A plain language approach could make it more engaging, accessible and enjoyable for both children and their families.
For parents facing similar challenges, I urge you to ask questions and advocate for your child’s needs. Don’t hesitate to speak up if the language in therapy sessions is too complex and suggest ways to make it simpler. And for parents who can’t advocate due to language barriers, it’s crucial that therapists proactively consider their needs . Adopting a more accessible approach to therapy isn’t just beneficial, it’s necessary to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.
