Have you ever explained to a parent that you will be working with them and not with their child, only to hear: 

“Wouldn’t it be better if you worked with my child? You’re the expert.”

This situation is tricky to navigate. As a speech-language pathologist, you know how important parent or caregiver involvement is for young children with language difficulties. But when a parent is hesitant to take on an active role, these conversations can be challenging. 

However, a parent’s hesitation can offer valuable insight into their expectations for intervention. By having an open discussion with them, you can encourage them to express their concerns while also helping them understand the important role they play in supporting their child’s communication.

1. Start as you mean to go.
   It is important to introduce parent-implemented intervention (or parent coaching) during your very first session with a family. Right from the start, parents need to understand the kind of service you offer and why you offer it.
   
   Describe parent coaching or parent-implemented intervention in simple terms. Explain why you offer intervention that is based on parent involvement and describe what that looks like. Help parents understand that intervention is a collaborative process in which you work together to identify their child’s needs and strengths. Explain that, as the SLP, your role is to help them learn to use strategies that support their child’s communication during everyday interactions and routines and that these strategies are all drawn from research.
2. Have an open, honest discussion when parents hesitate.
   When a parent expresses hesitation, it can be tempting to immediately explain the benefits of parent-implemented intervention. But before you do, take the time to understand their perspective.
   
   Ask them what their concerns are. Then listen without interruption so you can understand. They might tell you that they feel uncertain about their ability to support their child. They might say that they are worried about the time commitment or that they were expecting you to do the therapy. 
   
   Open-ended questions and reflective statements can help you better understand their perspective and create a supportive conversation:
   • “Can you tell me more about that?”
   • “It sounds like this approach is different from what you were expecting.”
   • “It sounds like you’re worried about being able to help your child.”

After asking a question or making a reflective statement, pause and allow time for the parent to respond. Reflect back what you hear to ensure you have understood their perspective.

When parents feel heard and respected, trust grows and honest communication becomes easier. It also gives you valuable insight into how to tailor intervention in a way that feels manageable and meaningful for the family.

3. Negotiate a plan together
   Once you understand the parent’s concerns, you can begin problem-solving. For example, if a parent is worried about the time involved, discuss how strategies can fit into activities they are already doing with their child, rather than becoming another task on an already full schedule.  
   
   If a parent doubts their ability to support their child effectively, reassure them that research shows parents can be highly effective in supporting language development when they receive appropriate coaching and support [1, 2, 3]. Because parents have such a strong bond with their child and are with them every day, they have many more opportunities for meaningful communication than you would during weekly therapy sessions.
   
   As you address concerns, discuss a realistic timeframe for trying the approach. A trial period can feel less overwhelming and helps parents feel more comfortable trying something unfamiliar. Reassure the parent that you will revisit the plan after the trial period.

What this might look like in practice

Imagine you’re beginning intervention with a new family. Micah is two years old and has an expressive language delay, while receptive language skills are within normal limits. She uses about 10 spontaneous words and doesn’t initiate often, but she does respond to her parents’ questions and instructions. During play, her parents are quite directive, asking many questions and telling her what to do with the toys

1. Start as you mean to go.
   You introduce the parent-implemented approach to the parent during your first session, which is the assessment. 
   
   Micah’s mother, Lindsay, attends with her daughter. You conduct the assessment and then describe your findings. You explain how parent-implemented intervention works, why parent involvement matters and how you will coach Lindsay to support Micah’s communication development.
    
   Lindsay responds, “Oh, I think it would be better if you did it – you’re the expert.”
2. Have an open, honest discussion when parents hesitate.
   Rather than immediately trying to convince Lindsay that parent-implemented intervention is best practice, you explore her concerns. 
   
   You say, “It sounds like this approach is different from what you had in mind. Can you tell me more about that?”
   
   Lindsay explains that she worries she might not do things correctly and fears that she would hold Micah’s language development back. She also says that previous attempts to help Micah such as naming objects and then asking her to name them  haven’t seemed to work. 
   
   You detect frustration, discouragement and fear in Lindsay’s response and reflect this back by saying, “It sounds like you’re feeling discouraged because what you’ve tried so far doesn’t seem to be working.” You pause to give Lindsay space to continue.
   
   Lindsay replies, “Yes, and I’m worried that if Micah doesn’t get help from a professional, she’s going to fall even further behind.” 
   
   Now you have a clearer understanding of Lindsay’s hesitation: she doubts her ability to support her child effectively. 

3. Negotiate a plan together
   You begin by addressing Lindsay’s concerns directly. You say, “It sounds like you’re worried you won’t be able to help Micah with her language development. That’s understandable when you’re not sure what to do. However, research shows that when parents are coached and supported, they can be very effective in supporting their child’s communication development.” You wait for her to respond, and once she does, you respond to what she has said.  
   
   Then you can assure her that this won’t be hard. You say, “I’m going to make sure we work through the strategies that you are going to learn in a way that makes them easy to understand. You will practice them with Micah during the sessions so you feel confident about using them at home with her. How does that sound?”
    
   Lindsay responds, “Yes, that would make me feel a lot better. And I guess if I’m using them at home too, it will help her even more.” 
    
   You reply, “Yes, it makes a big difference because when you use the  strategies with Micah during everyday activities, she has many more opportunities to interact with you and practice communication in real-life situations.”
    
   Lindsay then says, “Okay, I’ll give it a try… and let’s see what happens.” 
    
   You negotiate a time frame for Lindsay to try out using the strategies and reassure her you will check in often to talk about how things are going.
    
   Parents don’t always begin intervention feeling confident or ready to take an active role – and that’s to be expected. When they feel heard, respected and supported, they usually become more willing to participate actively in intervention, and that partnership can shape what happens during everyday interactions between sessions. By taking time to understand parents’ concerns, acknowledge their perspective and build a plan together, you can create the trust and partnership needed for meaningful progress.