I have a good friend, Joanne Muench, an SLP who is one of the most dedicated professionals I have ever worked with. In the early days of the pandemic Joanne, like every other Speech Pathologist I know, had to master distance teaching and teletherapy therapy techniques practically overnight. Joanne quickly set up a Facebook Group AZ Teletherapy Peeps, which has been a terrific forum for therapy ideas, technical assistance, and provide support to everyone who is feeling a bit overwhelmed. It is something Joanne shared on Teletherapy Peeps about emotional health which I would l;like to pass on. to you.
Whether you have selected a distance learning model for the start of the 2020-01 school term, or if you are supervising homework after a long day of work and worry, things can get emotional very quickly. Being teacher, parent and working adult is never easy. Sometimes playing together can become something else entirely. What began as a fun game suddenly takes turn and emotions bubble up. How do we help ourselves and our children get past the emotional hurdles? I am talking about this in the Gabbing Blog after many discussions with the parents and grandparents of young children who are worried about emotion health, social development, and the overall happiness of their families.
There are no easy answers, to be found here, but this chart does provide some ideas on how to start a discussion about what may be happening when a child’s behavior seems to be a bit “off”. I like it because it identifies some concerning behaviors and then lists loving and concrete ways you can help smooth the bumpy ride. Children can understand the concept of an empty cup. (For very young children you might pull a cup from the kitchen cabinet and demonstrate the concepts of filling and emptying as you talk. } We want to encourage everybody to “Use your words” when emotions flame up . This chart is a reminder to use language to build positive relationships in stressful times. I hope you find this to be “food for thought”.