Learning Environment
The space for my speech therapy business is very important to me. It is important that each and every client and his or her family feels welcome and comfortable there. I wanted to create a space that is just as comfortable for my clients as it is for me. My goal was to have private rooms for me to work closely with my clients and also two open waiting areas for their families. When working with a client I will not only use the one room with them, we will use the play area as well to help make them feel comfortable. My speech therapy office will not have many distracting things in the two rooms I decided to have because those will be used to focus on the client and keeping their attention. There will be a kitchen where I will take certain clients to do different things with food and to make the sessions more personal and fun. I included not only a waiting room, but also a play area for the waiting families and siblings. I will also use that area with my clients on days that aren't busy to use the different toys and appliances in there. There will be an iPad touch in the two rooms and t.v.'s in the play area. That will be the extent of technology used in my office because I feel that is all I need. As a therapist I will have an ipad touch as well on hand to do the same activity my client is doing. I will also have different resources and toys in each of the rooms according to the certain levels of the client. I will have planned out what I am going to use each day with each client and they will learn to know what is on which shelf and they will be the ones picking the resources out. I want my office to be open and welcoming but also be a place that work gets done and there aren't too many distractions.
My first main area is the waiting room. There will be a front desk to the right where parents will sign in everyday. The waiting area will be big and open with plenty of seating as well as a television. I want this to be an area where the parents will feel comfortable waiting and they can get things done as well. Many parents may come into the sessions with their child but this room will be for those who don't. In the waiting area, I will have iPads where each parent can log in to one if they would like and follow along with their child's session. If they don't want to go in the room with us because they feel it may be a distraction then they are welcome to sit in the waiting area and follow along with their child's progress. The child won't be using the iPad the whole time during a session, but once the parent logs in it will connect them to their child's work and they can see what is going on. Overall, the waiting room is important to me because it is where the parents will be spending most of their time and I want them to feel comfortable and involved even though they aren't actually in the session.
The second main area is the play area. My main reason for this area is for siblings or friends who may come along and don't want to sit in the waiting area the whole time. I will also use this room to bring my clients into to use the different toys and things. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a child and I feel they would enjoy doing something different from time to time. This room will have a big carpet area where kids can sit and play in the floor as well as tables and chairs. It will be stocked with books, puzzles, blocks, and various toys that children can play with. It will also have a t.v. with bean bags where kids can play video games that are instructional or have to do with speech therapy. Some of the games might deal with teaching how to support and grow up with a sibling with a speech impediment. I want this area to be open and fun for any child and always ready to be played in.
Next I will have my room 1. This room will be for clients whom are at the lower levels of speech and need the most attention. They will not use the iPad as much and they will have more toys and hands on games to play in this room. The room will have a table and chairs for myself and the client to sit as well as a chair in the corner if the parent decides to join the session. This room will consist of more things to color with and it will be a more closed off setting where I can solely focus on the client. This room won't have many distractions because it will be important that I work closely with the clients in this room. We will do more things that include both of us, instead of individual things just for the client. Overall, this room will be a comfortable place for my clients who aren't as far along and it will be a structured learning environment.
My next room will be room 2. This room will be for clients whom are at higher levels of speech and they will be using more technology. The room will be the same as room 1 in that they will both have a table and chairs for myself and the client. This room will also have a chair for any parent who wants to be a part of the session and watch. Most of the time in this room a client will be using an iPad and they will be doing more activities individually. With children being born in todays digital society, they will be more accustomed to using technology such as the iPad. During a session, the client will use the iPad to play games that have to do with what they are learning during that particular session. I am hoping that the use of the iPad will help keep the client's attention and help them keep focused on their speech. I don't want my clients to come to speech therapy thinking it is boring and that they don't want to be there, I want it to be a place where they have fun and are comfortable but are also learning. This room will be a duplicate of the first room except for the different materials being used.
The last room will be the kitchen. I will have this area for not just myself but my clients as well. Many times we will talk about food and do different things with food to improve the child's speech. I will be doing many activities with food and to improve their mouth movement which will overall improve their speech. I will have an actual kitchen so that again it can feel more comfortable for the client and hopefully this area will add more of a home feeling.
I want my speech therapy office to be as open and comfortable as possible. I want there to be every resource possible that can help a child's speech and I think the main things that can do that are the therapist themselves and the child. Not a lot of technology is not needed for this business because our main focus is speech and the child's mouth and that can not be accessed through a computer. I want there to be enough room for all of my clients and their families and I want them to feel welcome coming to the office. I have learned a lot through using the virtual tour and floor plan websites and it has made me really think about what I want each room in my building to accomplish. I want each room to effect each and every client and their families personally and using the virtual tour has made me think about exactly what I want in each room to accomplish that goal. I hope this virtual experience works for you and you find what you are looking for!
My first main area is the waiting room. There will be a front desk to the right where parents will sign in everyday. The waiting area will be big and open with plenty of seating as well as a television. I want this to be an area where the parents will feel comfortable waiting and they can get things done as well. Many parents may come into the sessions with their child but this room will be for those who don't. In the waiting area, I will have iPads where each parent can log in to one if they would like and follow along with their child's session. If they don't want to go in the room with us because they feel it may be a distraction then they are welcome to sit in the waiting area and follow along with their child's progress. The child won't be using the iPad the whole time during a session, but once the parent logs in it will connect them to their child's work and they can see what is going on. Overall, the waiting room is important to me because it is where the parents will be spending most of their time and I want them to feel comfortable and involved even though they aren't actually in the session.
The second main area is the play area. My main reason for this area is for siblings or friends who may come along and don't want to sit in the waiting area the whole time. I will also use this room to bring my clients into to use the different toys and things. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a child and I feel they would enjoy doing something different from time to time. This room will have a big carpet area where kids can sit and play in the floor as well as tables and chairs. It will be stocked with books, puzzles, blocks, and various toys that children can play with. It will also have a t.v. with bean bags where kids can play video games that are instructional or have to do with speech therapy. Some of the games might deal with teaching how to support and grow up with a sibling with a speech impediment. I want this area to be open and fun for any child and always ready to be played in.
Next I will have my room 1. This room will be for clients whom are at the lower levels of speech and need the most attention. They will not use the iPad as much and they will have more toys and hands on games to play in this room. The room will have a table and chairs for myself and the client to sit as well as a chair in the corner if the parent decides to join the session. This room will consist of more things to color with and it will be a more closed off setting where I can solely focus on the client. This room won't have many distractions because it will be important that I work closely with the clients in this room. We will do more things that include both of us, instead of individual things just for the client. Overall, this room will be a comfortable place for my clients who aren't as far along and it will be a structured learning environment.
My next room will be room 2. This room will be for clients whom are at higher levels of speech and they will be using more technology. The room will be the same as room 1 in that they will both have a table and chairs for myself and the client. This room will also have a chair for any parent who wants to be a part of the session and watch. Most of the time in this room a client will be using an iPad and they will be doing more activities individually. With children being born in todays digital society, they will be more accustomed to using technology such as the iPad. During a session, the client will use the iPad to play games that have to do with what they are learning during that particular session. I am hoping that the use of the iPad will help keep the client's attention and help them keep focused on their speech. I don't want my clients to come to speech therapy thinking it is boring and that they don't want to be there, I want it to be a place where they have fun and are comfortable but are also learning. This room will be a duplicate of the first room except for the different materials being used.
The last room will be the kitchen. I will have this area for not just myself but my clients as well. Many times we will talk about food and do different things with food to improve the child's speech. I will be doing many activities with food and to improve their mouth movement which will overall improve their speech. I will have an actual kitchen so that again it can feel more comfortable for the client and hopefully this area will add more of a home feeling.
I want my speech therapy office to be as open and comfortable as possible. I want there to be every resource possible that can help a child's speech and I think the main things that can do that are the therapist themselves and the child. Not a lot of technology is not needed for this business because our main focus is speech and the child's mouth and that can not be accessed through a computer. I want there to be enough room for all of my clients and their families and I want them to feel welcome coming to the office. I have learned a lot through using the virtual tour and floor plan websites and it has made me really think about what I want each room in my building to accomplish. I want each room to effect each and every client and their families personally and using the virtual tour has made me think about exactly what I want in each room to accomplish that goal. I hope this virtual experience works for you and you find what you are looking for!
Photo credits: Google Images
http://www.tlcomaha.com/images/content/environment/playroom.jpg
http://www.1888toys.com/productimages/kc-j113-jonti-craft/kc-j113-0396jc-image.jpg
http://www.1888toys.com/images/products/KC-J113-0393JC-image.jpg
http://www.anchorhealthproperties.com/eNewsletter/article/090324HHN_Image2.jpg
http://cdn.homedit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/corner-makeover.jpg
http://www.tciincgc.com/images/level2/03-drbauman01b.jpg
http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/xhFpMZ90kG2xdKCT7a3A9A/l.jpg
http://nutraeasy.com/pursuit/images/speech_therapy.jpg
http://www.speechbuddy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/childwithipad.jpg
http://woodrecycling.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/table-6.jpg?w=800
http://www.tlcomaha.com/images/content/environment/playroom.jpg
http://www.1888toys.com/productimages/kc-j113-jonti-craft/kc-j113-0396jc-image.jpg
http://www.1888toys.com/images/products/KC-J113-0393JC-image.jpg
http://www.anchorhealthproperties.com/eNewsletter/article/090324HHN_Image2.jpg
http://cdn.homedit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/corner-makeover.jpg
http://www.tciincgc.com/images/level2/03-drbauman01b.jpg
http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/xhFpMZ90kG2xdKCT7a3A9A/l.jpg
http://nutraeasy.com/pursuit/images/speech_therapy.jpg
http://www.speechbuddy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/childwithipad.jpg
http://woodrecycling.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/table-6.jpg?w=800