Become a “mini-SLP” at home!
Here is where I share some of my favorite play-based tips and strategies—just like in therapy—so you can support your child’s speech, language, and communication while keeping learning fun.
Reducing Power Struggles: Simple Communication Strategies That Help Kids Listen (Without the Battles)
Every parent has been there—your child refuses to get dressed… won’t clean their room… ignores a direction… or melts down when you say “no.” Power struggles happen in every home, but they don’t have to take over your day.
In my therapy sessions, I coach parents in using small communication shifts that dramatically reduce frustration and increase cooperation. These strategies help children feel more in control, more confident, and more connected—while still honoring boundaries and expectations.
Here are the tools I teach families all the time.
1. Pick Your Battles (What Can Your Child Choose vs. What Do You Choose?)
Kids thrive when they feel a sense of control, and power struggles often happen when a child feels like everything is being decided for them.
The trick is knowing which decisions are safe to hand over and which ones you need to keep.
Ask yourself:
“Does this choice affect safety?”
“Does this impact our schedule?”
“Is this something I truly care about, or something I can let go?”
Examples of choices kids CAN make:
Which color cup to use
What shirt to wear (within weather-appropriate options)
Which book to read
What toy to bring in the car
Things parents typically need to choose:
Bedtime
Safety-related behaviors (seatbelts, crossing the street, using scissors, etc.)
School routines
Medication or health-related decisions
When you’re clear about what you choose and what they can choose, expectations feel calmer—and kids feel respected rather than controlled.
2. Save “No” for True Absolutes
If kids hear “no” all day long, it loses its meaning—and their frustration grows quickly.
A great communication trick?
Reserve “no” for true non-negotiables: safety, disrespect, aggression, or major boundary crossers.
For everything else, try:
“Not right now, but you can ____ later.”
“That’s not an option, but you can choose between A and B.”
“We’re all done with that. Want help picking something new?”
“Let’s try something different.”
This keeps “no” powerful when you really need it.
3. Use Directives, Not Questions (When You Actually Mean a Direction)
Parents often phrase directions like questions without realizing it:
❌ “Can you put your seatbelt on?”
❌ “Do you want to clean up?”
❌ “Are you ready to brush your teeth?”
To a child, these all sound optional—even if you didn’t mean them that way.
Kids respond better when we are clear and confident:
✅ “It’s time to buckle up.”
✅ “Please put your toys in the bin.”
✅ “Let’s go brush teeth.”
You’re not being harsh—you’re being clear, and that reduces confusion, frustration, and the chance for a power struggle.
4. Offer Choices to Build Cooperation
Choices are powerful because they let your child feel in control within the boundary you’ve set. You’re still leading, but they get a voice in the process.
Examples:
“Do you want to clean your room by starting with the books or the laundry?”
“Do you want to walk to the car or skip to the car?”
“It’s time for shoes. Red shoes or blue shoes?”
“We’re leaving the park in 5 minutes. Do you want to take one last swing or go down the slide one more time?”
When children feel like they helped decide how something happens, they’re more willing to follow through.
5. Chunk Multi-Step Directions (Break Them Into Smaller Pieces)
Many power struggles happen simply because the child is overwhelmed—not because they’re refusing.
Instead of giving a long chain of directions:
❌ “Go upstairs, put on your pajamas, brush your teeth, and bring down your laundry.”
Try breaking it into bite-sized steps:
1️⃣ “Go upstairs and put on your pajamas.”
➡️ Wait for completion.
2️⃣ “Great! Now brush your teeth.”
➡️ And so on.
If your child struggles with working memory or processing, they may want to follow directions but don’t know where to start. Chunking creates success, not stress.
Putting It All Together: A Real-Life Example
Your child is refusing to clean their room. This could go one of two ways…
Option A – The Power Struggle Loop
❌ “Clean your room now.”
❌ “I said now.”
❌ “If you don’t clean it right now…”
→ Everyone ends up upset.
Option B – The Communication Strategy Approach
⭐ Parent chooses the boundary: “We’re cleaning your room before dinner.”
⭐ Parent gives choices within the boundary:
“Do you want to start with your books or laundry?”
⭐ Parent chunks the steps:
“Great! First books. Then we’ll do laundry.”
⭐ Parent uses positive language instead of “no”:
“We’re all done playing until your room is clean. You can choose which part to do first.”
This approach meets the child’s need for control and the parent’s need for structure—without a battle.
Why These Strategies Work
These tools support:
emotional regulation
independence
language development
receptive language skills
executive functioning
confidence
cooperation
connection
When communication is clearer, calmer, and more predictable, the need for power struggles decreases dramatically.
Why Speech-Language Pathologists Are Perfect for Treating Reading Difficulties in Children
When a child struggles with reading, parents often wonder: Who is the right professional to help? While tutors and reading specialists play important roles, one of the most highly trained—and often overlooked—experts in children’s reading development is the speech-language pathologist (SLP).
As someone who has spent nearly a decade working with children of all abilities—especially those with autism, language delays, speech sound disorders, and early literacy challenges—I’ve seen firsthand how much a language-based approach can transform a child’s confidence and skills.
Here’s why SLPs are uniquely suited to support children with reading difficulties:
1. Reading Is Built on Spoken Language — and SLPs Are Language Experts
Reading isn’t just recognizing print on a page. It’s the process of connecting letters to sounds, combining sounds into words, and understanding what those words mean.
SLPs specialize in spoken language—sound production, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and expressive communication. These are the exact foundations children need to become successful readers.
In my practice, I often meet children who appear to have reading problems, but the real challenge is deeper: difficulty understanding language, recalling information, or organizing their thoughts. Once we strengthen the underlying language system, reading becomes so much more accessible.
2. SLPs Are Highly Trained in Phonological Awareness and Sound Structure
One of the strongest predictors of reading success is a child’s phonological awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words.
Because I also treat articulation and phonological disorders, I get to connect the dots between how a child produces sounds and how they later read and spell those same sounds. This dual lens helps me pinpoint why a child may struggle with blending, segmenting, or sounding out words—even when it isn’t obvious on the surface.
3. SLPs Treat Speech Sound Disorders That Can Interfere With Reading
Many of the children I work with have speech sound patterns that directly affect literacy. A child who says “tat” for “cat” or leaves off final sounds may also have trouble recognizing those sounds in print.
SLPs can correct the speech pattern and build corresponding reading skills at the same time. This is where therapy becomes incredibly efficient and personalized.
4. SLPs Address Comprehension, Not Just Decoding
Reading is more than sounding out words—it’s understanding them.
I spend a lot of time helping children:
Build vocabulary
Understand sentence structure
Retell stories
Make predictions and inferences
Connect what they read to what they already know
This is especially powerful for my neurodiverse learners, who often benefit from a structured yet play-based approach that makes comprehension feel meaningful and fun.
5. SLPs Are Skilled at Working With Neurodiverse Learners
As a Certified Autism Specialist and a provider who uses a play-based, individualized approach, I work daily with children who learn best when their strengths, sensory needs, and communication profiles are honored.
Many of these same children also struggle with attention, reading fluency, or comprehension. By integrating therapy strategies that support regulation, engagement, and joint attention, literacy instruction becomes more accessible—and less frustrating—for them.
6. SLPs Use Evidence-Based Interventions Backed by Research
From structured literacy approaches to systematic phonological awareness training, SLPs are required to use evidence-informed techniques. This means:
No “guessing” what might work
No one-size-fits-all programs
Every activity is chosen because it fits the child’s developmental profile
In my practice, this allows me to tailor treatment to each child—whether they need foundational sound awareness, support with grammar and sentence structure, or more advanced comprehension strategies.
7. SLPs Collaborate With Families and Teachers
One of my favorite parts of private practice is getting to collaborate closely with parents and teachers. When home, school, and therapy communicate well, children make faster and more meaningful progress.
I regularly:
Share strategies with parents
Coordinate with teachers
Help adapt school reading expectations
Provide tools families can use during nightly reading routines
When everyone works together, kids feel more supported—and more confident.
The Bottom Line
SLPs look beyond the surface of reading struggles. We identify why a child is having difficulty and build a plan that supports the whole child—their language, their communication style, their strengths, and their learning needs.
If your child is showing signs of reading difficulty—whether it’s trouble with sounds, slow phonics progress, or challenges understanding what they read—working with an SLP can be an incredibly effective step toward stronger, more confident reading skills.
How Picture Walks Can Boost Speech & Language Skills at Home
It all begins with an idea.
As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, one of my favorite early therapy strategies is something simple, fun, and incredibly effective: picture walks through books. Families are often surprised by how much speech and language practice we can get before we even start reading the words on the page—just by exploring the pictures together.
The best part?
Picture walks are easy for parents to use at home, require no prep, and can support children of all ages and communication levels.
What Is a Picture Walk?
A picture walk means flipping through a book and looking at the illustrations before reading the story. You and your child talk about what you see, make predictions, label objects, and explore the visuals freely.
This builds:
vocabulary
comprehension
early literacy
attention and engagement
speech sound practice
social communication and joint attention
All without the pressure of reading every word correctly.
How I Use Picture Walks in Speech Therapy
In my therapy sessions, I use picture walks to:
✨ Follow the child’s lead
If they’re drawn to a particular page, character, or object, we stay there! This naturally increases motivation and communication attempts.
✨ Build vocabulary in a meaningful way
Instead of drill-style flashcards, we embed new words into a fun, visual context.
“Look! The bear is hiding.”
“He’s climbing up!”
“That’s a giant, sparkly cookie!”
✨ Target WH-questions
Picture walks create tons of organic opportunities to practice:
Who is in the picture?
What is happening?
Where are they going?
Why does he look upset?
How do you think they will fix that?
✨ Address speech sounds
If a child is working on a sound (like R, S, or L), I select books with repeated opportunities.
Example: For R, we may pause on “rocket,” “rain,” “tree,” “bird,” etc.
✨ Practice following directions
“Find something that is red.”
“Point to the animal that could fly.”
“Show me something bigger than the car.”
These give children a way to practice comprehension without feeling like a test.
How Parents Can Try Picture Walks at Home
You don’t need special materials or training. Here’s how to do it naturally:
1. Go Slow and Explore Freely
Let your child flip, pause, and linger.
There’s no “right way” to look through a book.
2. Comment More Than You Question
This takes pressure off your child.
Examples:
“Wow, the girl looks surprised!”
“I see a dog jumping.”
“That looks like a really big mess.”
3. Follow Their Interests
If they love trucks, spend your picture walk labeling parts, talking about actions, or comparing sizes.
4. Model Speech Sounds
If they’re working on a sound:
emphasize it (“That rainbow is so bright!”)
point out words that start with it
practice just one or two key words per page
5. Use WH-Questions in a Playful Way
Keep questions fun, not quizzing:
“What do you think will happen next?”
“Who would you want to help?”
“Where do you think they are?”
6. Celebrate Any Response
Words, gestures, pointing, sounds—everything counts!
Best Types of Books for Picture Walks
Parents always ask what books work best. Here are my go-tos:
Books with rich illustrations (noisy pages aren’t necessary)
Wordless picture books (Journey, Flotsam, Good Dog, Carl)
Books with repeating scenes or themes
Books about your child’s favorite things (vehicles, animals, food, etc.)
Why Picture Walks Work
Picture walks:
support story comprehension
build early literacy
reduce performance pressure
increase engagement and connection
encourage spontaneous communication
create natural opportunities for speech sound practice
And they fit beautifully with a child-led, play-based therapy approach, which is how I structure my sessions.