How Can I Incorporate a Speech Therapy Dog to Better Engage Teens?
Has this ever happened to you?
A teenaged client walks through your door looking oh-so-unenthused to see you?
Or maybe you get the eye rolls and long sighs as you pull out yet another deck of articulation cards?
Speech therapy dog Delta snuggles with a teen client at the end of a session.
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I work with a number of teens for animal-assisted speech therapy, some of whom come to me after years of working on residual speech sound errors, lingering expressive language errors, or social communication challenges. Teens are going through a lot and coming to speech therapy is often low on their priority list. Without exception, teens are my favorite age group with which to incorporate my therapy dog to:
· Build excitement about therapy
· Empower a growth mindset
And even for
· A little self-care after a challenging session.
Building an excitement to come to speech therapy
While I try to maximize the amount of practice time we get in a session, when it comes to speech therapy for teens I find it particularly helpful to have a few minutes of unpressured rapport building time at the start of a session. Teens often come after school, and may already feel drained from the social and academic pressures they face there. Being greeted by a happy therapy dog and completing simple, quick routines with the pup can help with this transition.
A few routines I use are:
· Choosing a special snack for the therapy dog (I like to change these up occasionally and often use all-natural treats that may elicit groans or giggles like duck feet, pig ears, and pig snouts, as long as it won’t cause sensory overload for the child)
· Checking the water bowl (gives teens a sense of independence and responsibility if they help care for the therapy dog)
· Sharing a fun story or photo from the therapy dog’s week and/or asking about the teen’s pet
Empowering a growth mindset
Teens who have been in speech therapy for a long time may feel overwhelmed and frustrated by their slow rate of progress. Avoiding defeatist attitudes can be difficult, but applying a growth mindset framework to the therapy dog can keep the conversation about progress open.
I sometimes let teens choose a trick they want to teach the therapy dog and then show them a simple data collection strategy to illustrate how the dog gets better with practice. Stepping on a target on the ground has been a good novel trick for Delta, since I can change up the target each time (stepping stone, sticky note, rag) to make it a semi-novel skill for her.
Even relating stories about a struggle the therapy dog has overcome, such as Delta desensitizing to unexpected noises, can be helpful.
Speech therapy dog Delta provides support and motivation during speech therapy for teens.
Giving yourself a mindfulness break
Teens can be a challenging age group to keep motivated for speech therapy. Not every session is going to be spectacular. But you can help maintain your own enthusiasm with a little help from your speech therapy dog:
· Model self-help within a session: “This is really challenging. I need a minute to just pet our dog and relax, how about you?”
· Schedule a quick break for a walk or game of fetch after a more difficult session
· Practice some deep-breathing while petting your therapy dog between clients
· Take a longer walk after work and allow your mind to relax enough to consider new strategies to reach teen speech therapy clients.
Whether you’re considering adding a speech therapy dog to your practice or already partner with one, I hope you can capitalize on their natural strengths during your speech therapy for teens.
For more information on partnering with a speech therapy dog, follow on Instagram @Speech_Dogs. Check out the Animal-Assisted Speech Therapy Resources page for video clips of animal assisted therapy activities, helpful therapy dog supplies, and links to educational resources.
And in Fall ‘24, get your copy of Paws for Progress: Integrating Animal-Assisted Interventions into Your Speech-Language Pathology Practice from ASHA Press.
May your days be filled with puppy wiggles and children’s giggles,
Sharlet
