How Often Should My Child Go to Speech Therapy? Here’s What the Experts Say

When a family first makes contact, we are often asked “how long do I need to commit to before we see progress?” and “how many speech therapy sessions per week are needed?” as well as “how do you design a speech therapy schedule for kids that’s realistic and effective?”

Kids Spot has been around in Sydney’s eastern suburbs for over 20 years and we’ve helped hundreds of families find the right rhythm to ensure they meet their goals.

Why session “frequency” matters

The research tells us that “skills that fire together, wire together” and this requires practice. A bit like when you are training at the gym, you would never expect to complete only 5 training sessions and be able to bench press 100kg’s. Skills take practice and the length and frequency of practice matters. 

As Speech Pathologists, we are trained to support children to develop new skills and train parents and carers to help their child practice these skills at home between sessions. 

In almost all cases we recommend at least 1 session a week where you are involved and engaged in the session with your child. This is followed by daily home practice / play where you can connect with your child in a way that specifically targets their goals. We know that the concept of home practice can seem daunting so we work with you to develop a your child’s personalised speech therapy schedule to they achieve their whilst having fun, connecting with you and sharing their new skills with the world. 

FAQs we hear from parents

“Do longer gaps or term breaks hurt progress?”

They can. When frequency drops, kids often lose momentum and their skills can regress. We plan around holidays and offer home programmes that you can use while you’re on holidays. . 

“Will twice-weekly always be faster?”

Often, yes—if this approach fits your child, their needs and gals and you have capacity in your schedule, more than once a week often yields faster results.