Why are communication skills important for teens?
The ability to communicate effectively is an essential skill for individuals of any age but can be particularly important for teens and young adults. Strong communication skills are crucial for helping teens:
Ensure Social Development: Building and maintaining friendships and other important relationships is a vital part of the teenage experience. Effective communication skills help teens connect with others, learn about healthy relationships, and foster a sense of well-being, community, and support.
Contribute to Academic Success: Strong speech, language, and communication skills are necessary for the achievement of success in the classroom. In order to appropriately and effectively engage in classroom discussions, retain information, understand instructions, read aloud, deliver a presentation, or collaborate on group projects, a foundation of solid communication skills is vital.
Support Emotional Expression: The ability to articulate and express our thoughts, feelings, and ideas is important for teenagers as they grow and change. For many teenagers, communicating their emotions helps them reduce stress and anxiety, solve problems, resolve conflicts, and ask for help when they need it.
Enable Future Opportunities: Well-developed communication abilities are important for navigating job interviews, networking, improving leadership skills, and solidifying professional relationships in the future.
Increase Self-Esteem: Effective communication skills help to boost confidence, facilitate connections, and increase self-esteem, all of which are essential to the mental health and well-being of teens.
Signs a teenager may need speech therapy
Speech therapy is highly effective at helping individuals of all ages improve their communication skills, but it can be difficult to know when it is needed. Some specific signs that can indicate the need for communication support include:
- Challenges Pronouncing (or Articulating) Certain Words
- Difficulty Producing Specific Speech Sounds
- Stuttering (including frequent repetitions, prolongations, or consistently disfluent speech)
- Limited Vocabulary
- Difficulty Understanding or Following Instructions
- Challenges with Interpreting and Answering Questions
- Struggling to Grasp Abstract Concepts
- Limited Social Communication Skills (such as taking turns during conversations, maintaining eye contact, or interpreting social cues)
- Voice Differences (including issues with pitch, volume, or vocal tone)
- Literacy Challenges (difficulties with reading, writing, and language comprehension)
- Avoidant Behaviors (a reluctance to speak in specific scenarios or avoidance of environments that require direct communication)
Benefits of speech language therapy for teens
Speech-language therapy offers many benefits, even for teens who aren't facing a specific communication diagnosis. Some of the most celebrated benefits of speech therapy for teens include:
- Improved Overall Communication Skills
- Increased Confidence & Self-Esteem
- Academic Success & Improved Performance at School
- Strong Social Skills
- Improved Ability to Relate to & Connect with Others
- Emotional Well-Being & Improved Mental Health
- The Development of Tools & Skills for Self Expression
- Encourages Future Professional Success
- Enhanced Listening Skills
- Reduced Feelings of Stress & Anxiety
- The Ability to Build & Maintain Strong Relationships
How virtual speech therapy differs from in-person sessions
While the core philosophies and strategies of speech therapy for teens are the same for virtual and traditional speech therapy, there are some key differences between the two:
Convenience & Flexibility: While traditional in-person speech therapy requires travel to the clinic or building where the sessions take place, virtual speech therapy occurs within the comfort of your home or anywhere with a quiet space and a good wifi connection. In addition, in-person speech therapy appointments are typically only available during weekday business hours (Monday to Friday, between 9 am and 5 pm). Great Speech offers evening and weekend appointment times, making it easier and more convenient to fit speech therapy into your teen's busy lifestyle.
Participation & Engagement: While traditional in-person speech therapy allows for direct physical interactions, virtual speech therapy makes use of a digital platform and secure video calls. Studies have shown that teens progress very well and are engaged and attentive during virtual speech therapy sessions, often reaching their goals sooner than those participating in traditional speech therapy.
Privacy & Anonymity: Teenagers often struggle with feeling disconnected or rejected by their peers and don't want their challenges or differences highlighted. Virtual speech therapy means your teen can attend speech therapy from the privacy of their home and can keep their communication work under wraps if they choose to.
While both traditional and virtual speech therapy are highly effective at improving communication and boosting confidence in teens, online speech therapy makes it easy and comfortable for your teen to work closely with a specialized speech and language pathologist, helping them reach their goals sooner and succeed in all aspects of their life.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Supporting your teen's speech development at home
While speech therapy provides the best outcome for teenagers needing to improve their communication skills, there are some things parents can do at home to provide additional support, including:
- Improved Overall Communication Skills
- Increased Confidence & Self-Esteem
- Academic Success & Improved Performance at School
- Strong Social Skills
- Improved Ability to Relate to & Connect with Others
- Emotional Well-Being & Improved Mental Health
- The Development of Tools & Skills for Self Expression
- Encourages Future Professional Success
- Enhanced Listening Skills
- Reduced Feelings of Stress & Anxiety
- The Ability to Build & Maintain Strong Relationships
Why Choose Great Speech?
If you are a parent of a teen, you know that it can be difficult to get them out of the house and enthusiastic about participating in activities such as speech therapy. Virtual speech therapy removes these barriers by allowing your teen to engage in speech therapy in a comfortable and discrete environment. Our speech therapy services for teens focus on creating practical skills with real-life applications with the goal of setting them up for success at school, in their social lives, at home, and in the future.
If you want to learn more about speech therapy for teenagers or are ready to get started, connect with us by scheduling your free introductory call today!
Each of our therapists are highly-specialized, allowing our clients to be matched to address their specific communication needs. This level of specialization allows us to deliver the best service possible.