Thanks for joining this video, Setting goals.

It's part of the Get Ready for Successful Speech Therapy video series.

In this video, you'll learn about working with your speech therapist to set a goal.

My name's Rachelle and I'm an Alberta Health Services speech-language pathologist, also called a speech therapist.

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If you don't know where you're going, it's hard to know when you get there.

The same is true for speech therapy.

Goals help us know what we're trying to achieve.

Goal setting usually happens in the first few visits with your speech therapist, when you've decided to go ahead with speech therapy.

To learn more about what to expect from your first few visits, watch the video Getting started in this series.

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When you begin your speech therapy sessions, you'll work with a speech therapist to set a goal.

It's important to set a goal that will make a difference for you and your child.

Goals help everyone understand and focus on what they hope to achieve in speech therapy.

Usually, your speech therapist will write down the goals and the therapy plan you've decided on together.

Some communication goals may feel big and overwhelming.

But your speech therapist will help you to make a goal that's manageable and will make a difference in your child's life now.

Goals may be things like, you want your child to:

Be less frustrated when talking.

Speak more clearly with friends.

Speak clearly, so that their grandparents can understand them.

Once you decide on a goal, you'll need to make a plan on how to get there.

Your speech therapist will talk to you about your options for speech therapy.

You can talk about what will work best for you and your family.

Some options may include:

In-person or virtual appointments with a speech therapist or therapy assistant.

Speech therapy groups.

Activities to work on at home.

Taking part in community activities, like a library program.

Going to see other health professionals, like your family doctor or a hearing specialist called an audiologist.

Looking at what other things might be affecting your child's communication, such as their sleeping habits or screen time.

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You'll work with your speech therapist to reach the goal you set.

And once you reach that goal, you can move on.

The goals may change as you go, and your speech therapist will be there to help you.

Here's a tip.

Think about your child's speech and what would make a difference for them right now.

Talk with your speech therapist about what you've noticed and about what matters to you and your child.

We hope that you found this information helpful.

If you want to learn more, continue watching this video series: Get Ready for Successful Speech Therapy.​​