SLP Questions to Ask Parents
A parent interview for speech-language pathologists: what to ask a child's mother, father or other caregiver at a first visit, ahead of an evaluation, or when you sit down to review progress. The questions follow the order the conversation usually takes: the family's concerns first, then the case history, the languages around the child, how the child communicates day to day, feeding, and last the daily routines and goals that home practice will hang on. Choose the groups that fit the referral, since a parent interview is a conversation and not a form read aloud.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Concerns
What made you decide to have your child's speech and language looked at now?
Why ask it
The word 'now' brings out the trigger: a teacher's comment, a cousin the same age who talks more, a referral from the pediatrician. It also shows whose worry this is. A parent who was sent by someone else may need the concern explained before they will put time into it.
In your own words, what worries you most about how your child talks or understands?
Why ask it
Take the answer down exactly as it is said, because it often differs from the referral form. Read that sentence again before you share results. A report that never speaks to it will feel to the family as if you tested the wrong thing.
Can you give me an example from the past week of what you are worried about?
Why ask it
'He doesn't talk right' becomes something you can picture once you have the word he tried, who was listening and what happened next. If the first example is from the dinner table, ask for one from somewhere else, such as the car or the playground.
When did you first notice a problem, and has it been getting better, getting worse or staying the same?
Why ask it
You are after the age it started and the direction since. Slow gains, a long plateau and a sudden change each point the evaluation somewhere different, so find out what else was going on in the family around the time it began.
What is your child good at, and what do they love doing?
Why ask it
Parents who have spent weeks listing problems often relax when asked this, and the rest of the history comes easier. Keep the specifics: the yellow digger, the cartoon, the trampoline, the baby sister. Those are your materials for the first session and the strengths paragraph of the report.
Who else has noticed, and what have they told you?
Why ask it
A grandparent who says 'his father talked late too' and a daycare teacher who says 'get him checked' may both be in the parent's ear. Knowing who stands where tells you who will back the home practice and who will need to hear your findings firsthand.
What have you already tried at home, and how did it go?
Why ask it
It keeps you from recommending the thing that failed last month. It also shows the parent's instinct: quizzing ('say ball'), holding the snack back until a word comes, or repeating the word correctly. Credit the effort before you suggest changing any of it.
How does your child seem to feel about their own talking?
Why ask it
Listen for a child who has stopped trying certain words, lets a sibling answer, or goes quiet with strangers. Awareness changes how you introduce yourself to the child: 'we are going to play some games' suits one, and an honest 'I help kids with tricky sounds' suits another.
Case history
Has your child been evaluated or had speech therapy before, and what came of it?
Why ask it
Where, for how long and why it stopped are the facts, and what the child liked or hated about it is the part that helps you plan. If there is an earlier report, ask your supervisor what permission you need to request it, since the rules for sharing records are not the same everywhere.
Was there anything out of the ordinary about the pregnancy, the birth or the first weeks?
Why ask it
Say first that you ask every family this, because some parents hear blame in it. An early arrival, time in a NICU or special care nursery and trouble feeding in the first days are the details to get dates for. With an adopted or foster child the caregiver may not know, so record 'unknown' and leave it there.
Was your child's hearing screened as a newborn, and when was it last tested?
Why ask it
A pass at birth describes hearing on that one day, and a child born somewhere else may never have had the screen. Get the date and result of the most recent test. If nobody can remember one, find out how a hearing check is arranged where you work before you lean on any speech or language score.
Has your child had ear infections, and did anyone talk about ear tubes?
Why ask it
'A lot' means different things to different families, so get how many, at what ages, and whether they came back to back. Then move to what the parent sees day to day: the TV turned up, a child who says 'what?' often, or one who watches faces closely.
About when did your child babble, say a first word and start putting two words together?
Why ask it
Many parents remember the first steps more clearly than the first word. Tie it to an event: was he saying anything at his first birthday, or on that summer trip? Treat the ages as estimates, and get sitting and walking too, so you can see whether talking is the only thing that ran late.
Has your child ever stopped using words or skills they used to have?
Why ask it
Put it to every family, plainly, and if the answer is yes get what was lost and at what age. Do not guess at a cause in the room. Tell the parent you will pass it on, and follow whatever your setting lays down for a reported loss of skills.
Does your child have any diagnoses, take any medication or see other specialists?
Why ask it
Add surgeries, hospital stays, seizures and head injuries to the question if the parent stops at 'no'. For each provider named, find out whether the family wants you in contact with them, and get that permission the way your workplace records it before you pick up the phone.
How does your child sleep, and what time of day are they at their best?
Why ask it
Book the evaluation for the good hours: a toddler tested through nap time gives you a sample of a tired child. If the parent mentions loud snoring or sleeping with the mouth open, write it down as they describe it and suggest they raise it with the child's doctor.
Has anyone in the family had trouble with speech, language, reading or hearing?
Why ask it
Name the examples aloud: stuttering, late talking, a hard time learning to read, hearing aids. Parents often do not connect an uncle who 'hated school' with this question until you do. The stories also show what the family expects, and 'he grew out of it' is one you will hear.
Languages
Which languages does your child hear, and from whom?
Why ask it
Map it by person and place: Spanish with the grandmother who does the afternoons, English at preschool, both at dinner. The 'home language' box on a form flattens all of that. Rough hours in each language are what you need.
Which language does your child use most, and does that change with the person or the place?
Why ask it
A child may answer in English to parents who speak to them in another language, or save one language for one grandparent. That pattern tells you where to collect a sample in each language, and who should be in the room when you do.
When did your child start hearing each language regularly?
Why ask it
A child who met English at preschool a few months ago has had a few months to learn it. You need that timeline before you read anything into a score from a test given in one language, and the report should state it.
Do you see the same difficulty in every language, or mostly in one?
Why ask it
The parent knows what is usual in the home language and you may not, so have them compare with brothers, sisters or cousins at the same age. When you are working through an interpreter, request the child's examples translated literally, errors and all.
Which language are you most comfortable using with your child, and has anyone advised you to change that?
Why ask it
Families are sometimes told to drop a language, and some have already done it by the time they reach you. Hear what they were told before you offer your own view. Note here which language the home practice sheet and the report should be in.
Communication
How does your child let you know what they want?
Why ask it
The answer is the child's whole system: words, pointing, pulling an adult by the hand, crying, signs, a picture board or a device. Have the parent act out the last time the child wanted a snack. If a device or picture system is in use, ask who set it up and whether it comes out of the backpack at home.
About how many words does your child use on their own, and can you tell me some?
Why ask it
The number will be a guess, and the list is what counts, with words from every language the child uses. Mark which ones come without a prompt and which only as a copy of an adult. If your setting uses a vocabulary checklist, this is the moment to send it home.
Does your child copy what you do and say, such as clapping, animal noises or new words?
Why ask it
A lot of early therapy runs on 'watch me, now you', so the answer shapes your first sessions. Sort the examples into actions, sounds and words. A child who claps along but never tries a sound starts somewhere different from one who echoes whole lines from a show.
What is the longest thing your child has said lately?
Why ask it
You want it word for word, mistakes included, typed as given. One real sentence shows you word order, endings and the little words that a description like 'talks in sentences' hides. Was it typical, or a personal best?
How much of what your child says do you understand, and how much would a stranger understand?
Why ask it
A rough answer is all you need: nearly all, about half, a few words. The gap between the two halves shows how much the family is translating. The best interpreter in the house is often a brother or sister, and worth meeting.
Which sounds or words come out differently, and how does your child say them?
Why ask it
Invite the parent to imitate it, and promise not to laugh. 'Tat' for cat and 'nana' for banana give you a first word list for your own sample. Find out too whether a word comes out the same way each time or changes from one try to the next.
Does your child follow directions when you do not point or show them what you mean?
Why ask it
Routine and gesture can make a child look as if they understand more words than they do. The telling cases are a direction that is out of the ordinary, such as putting a shoe on the couch, and one that has two parts.
What happens when your child is not understood?
Why ask it
Some children repeat, some show you, some give up and some hit or fall apart. That reaction often decides what to work on first, whatever the scores say. Anything the parent already does that settles the moment is worth writing into the plan.
Does your child point to show you things, look where you point and turn when you call their name?
Why ask it
Get stories in place of a yes or a no, such as the last time the child carried something over just to share it. Record what the parent describes and let your own observation do the interpreting. An intake interview is not the place to raise a label.
How does your child play, alone and with other children?
Why ask it
Pretend play, taking turns, watching from the side and doing the same thing with a toy over and over are the things to note. What happens when another child joins in, or takes the toy, tells you more than a list of favorite games.
Can your child tell you about something that happened when you were not there?
Why ask it
This one is for school-age children. A parent who has to ask ten questions to piece together recess may be describing trouble with telling a story in order. The test is whether someone who does not already know the people in it could follow the account.
Does your child repeat sounds or words, get stuck, or look like they are pushing to get a word out?
Why ask it
If the answer is no, you have lost ten seconds. If it is yes, ask when it started, whether it comes and goes, whether the child seems bothered, and what the family does when it happens. That last part is where your counseling of the parents will begin.
Have you noticed anything about your child's voice, such as hoarseness, or a voice that is gone by the end of the day?
Why ask it
Two follow-ups: how long it has been that way, and how much yelling there is, from sports, a noisy house or keeping up with a loud sibling. Many workplaces want a doctor to see a child before any voice work begins, so learn what yours requires and say so to the parent.
Feeding
How did feeding go when your child was a baby?
Why ask it
Prompt with breast, bottle, trouble latching or sucking, slow weight gain, and the move to solid food. A parent who says 'fine' to the open question will often remember a rough first month once you name these.
What does your child eat on an ordinary day, and which foods or textures are refused?
Why ask it
Get the actual list, since 'picky' covers everything from no vegetables to five foods in total. Note brands and textures: only one kind of nugget, nothing wet, nothing mixed. A very short list is one to share with whoever handles feeding at your site.
Does your child have any food allergies, or foods you want kept out of our sessions?
Why ask it
Snacks, bubbles, play dough and balloons all turn up in therapy rooms, so this goes on the front of the file and not on page three. Family or religious food rules belong in the same place. Learn what a reaction looks like for this child and what your site expects you to do if one happens.
Does your child cough, gag or choke at meals, or take a very long time to finish?
Why ask it
Whether feeding and swallowing are yours to assess depends on your training and your setting. Either way, write down what the parent reports and with which foods or drinks, and know before the interview who you would refer to.
Does your child use a pacifier, suck a thumb or drool more than you would expect?
Why ask it
Get how often and until what age for each, without a raised eyebrow, since parents have usually had plenty of opinions about the pacifier already. Straw and open-cup drinking are easier to watch than to ask about, so have the family bring a snack and a drink next time.
What are mealtimes like for your family?
Why ask it
You learn who eats together, whether a screen is on, and whether dinner is a fight. A calm, shared meal is a ready-made place for practice. A tense one is better left alone until something else is working.
Routines and goals
Can you walk me through a normal weekday, from waking up to bedtime?
Why ask it
You are looking for the slots: the car ride, bath time, the snack after school. Mark the two or three that are unhurried and happen every day. Home practice attached to one of those tends to last longer than a worksheet with no place in the day.
Who lives at home with your child, and who looks after them most during the week?
Why ask it
The second answer may be a grandparent, a sitter or a daycare room, and that person may do more of the talking with the child than the parent in front of you. Invite them to a session if you can. Count older brothers and sisters as well: one who answers for the child is part of the picture.
How are things going at school or daycare, and what does the teacher say about your child's talking there?
Why ask it
A child who chatters at home and says nothing in the classroom, or the reverse, changes where you need to observe. For a school-age child, follow with reading, spelling and whether they will answer when called on. To speak to the teacher yourself, get the family's permission in the form your setting requires.
Which part of the day is hardest because of communication?
Why ask it
Mornings, drop-off, the grocery store, bedtime: the answer is where a first functional goal can live. A change in the worst ten minutes of the day gets noticed by the whole household, and that kind of early win can keep a family practicing.
How much time does your child spend on screens, and what do they watch or play?
Why ask it
Hold this until the parent trusts you, and ask it flatly, because any hint of judgment gets you a smaller number. The titles matter more than the hours. A child who repeats lines from one show has handed you a way in, and a parent who watches along and talks about it is already doing part of a home program.
Do you have books, songs or little games you do together most days?
Why ask it
Whatever exists is what you build on, whether that is a bedtime book, a song in the car or a tickle game. What the child does during it is the detail to get: fills in a word, turns pages, wanders off. If there is nothing yet, that is your starting point and no reason for a lecture.
If therapy goes well, what will be different at home six months from now?
Why ask it
'Talk like the other kids' is a hope. Ask what they would see first: ordering his own food, fewer meltdowns at bedtime, a teacher who understands him. Put that picture into the goals in the family's words and bring it back at the progress meeting.
What would your child most like to be able to say or do?
Why ask it
With a child old enough, turn and ask them. Saying their own name clearly, telling a joke, talking to a grandparent on the phone: a goal the child chose tends to be one they will work for.
How much practice can you honestly fit in, and at what time of day?
Why ask it
The word 'honestly' gives permission to say five minutes. Shift work, other children and a long commute are facts to plan around. Agree on an amount small enough that the parent can report success next week.
How would you like to hear from me between sessions, and who else should get updates?
Why ask it
Text, a note in the backpack, a portal, a call: offer only the channels your employer permits, then let the parent choose. Where a child lives in two households, who is entitled to updates is a matter for your setting's rules and not something to settle in the room.
Since we last met, what have you heard your child say or do that is new?
Why ask it
Open a progress meeting with it. A skill the parent has heard in the kitchen or the car counts for more than accuracy at your table, and a blank look tells you carryover has not started. Then check for changes at home, such as a move, a new baby or a new diagnosis.
Of the goals we set, which one matters most to your family now?
Why ask it
Priorities move between meetings: the sound that worried a parent at intake can matter less than a child who has started refusing to read aloud. If their first choice is not on your list, say so and look at the plan again together. How goals are formally changed differs by setting, so know the process where you work.
Is there anything I have not asked about that you think matters?
Why ask it
Stop writing and wait. Parents often hold the thing they most wanted to say until the forms are done, and it may be a worry about a label, a custody arrangement or something a relative said.
How to run a parent interview as an SLP
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the family arrives
Read the paperwork first
If the family filled in an intake form, read it before they sit down and confirm what is on it in place of asking again. 'I see he had ear tubes at two. How has his hearing seemed since?' shows the form was read and gets you further than starting at the birth. Mark the blanks and the answers that surprised you, and spend the interview there.
Pick the groups that fit the referral
A two-year-old with few words needs most of Case history, Communication and Feeding. A nine-year-old who stutters needs Concerns, the question about getting stuck on words, the family history and Routines and goals, and very little about bottles. Choosing ahead of time keeps a twenty-minute slot from going on questions whose answers will not change your plan.
Settle the language of the meeting
Find out before the day which language the parent is most comfortable in and how interpreters are booked where you work. Tell the interpreter that you will be asking for the child's words exactly as said. Avoid leaning on an older brother or sister to interpret, since some of what you ask is not theirs to hear. In a family with more than one language, take the Languages group before Communication, so that a word count or a longest sentence is collected for each language.
Know what you may collect and share
Consent forms, release of records, who counts as a legal guardian and how long notes are kept all depend on your country, state and employer. Ask your supervisor how each works there before your first intake, so that you never promise a parent something the rules do not allow.
During the interview
Open with the worry, then go back to the beginning
Parents arrive wanting to say what is wrong. Starting with pregnancy and birth makes them wait and wonder why you are asking. Give Concerns the first few minutes, and the history questions that follow will have an obvious reason.
Ask for examples and imitations
'She doesn't listen' could be hearing, understanding, attention or a three-year-old being three. An example with a place and a time sorts these apart. When the question is about sounds, ask the parent to say the word the way the child does.
Say why you are asking
Questions about pregnancy, family history, screens and food can sound like a search for someone to blame. One sentence fixes it: 'I ask everybody this, and it helps me decide what to test.' If a parent declines to answer, note that and move on.
Mind who is listening
When the child is in the room, they hear every word about themselves. Start with strengths while they can hear, give them something to do, and offer to finish the sensitive parts by phone. Meanwhile watch how parent and child talk to each other, because that is a sample you did not have to set up.
Leave the clinical terms for the report
While the parent is talking, write 'he gets stuck on the first word and his face goes red', not your label for it. The same goes for the child's own versions of words: 'tat', not 'fronting'. The parent's sentence belongs in the concerns section and in the goals, where it shows the family they were heard.
From answers to a plan
Compare the report with what you see
A parent may describe sentences at home while you hear single words in your room, or the reverse. Neither account has to be wrong, since many children talk differently with a stranger. Say what you saw, ask whether it was typical, and consider a home video if your setting allows one.
Pass on what is not yours to decide
Lost skills, coughing or choking at meals, a hearing history nobody has tested and a voice that has been hoarse for a long time are things to route, not to diagnose across the desk. Learn your site's referral path for each ahead of time, and tell the parent plainly who will hear about it and why.
Write goals out of a routine the parent named
Take the hardest part of the day and the calmest daily routine from Routines and goals and put the first targets there. 'Asks for a snack with a word or a sign at the after-school snack' is a goal a parent can picture, practice and report on.
End by saying what happens next
Before the family leaves, tell them what you will do with what they told you, when they will hear results, and one small thing to try in the meantime. How long an evaluation or a decision about services takes differs by setting, so give the timeline that applies where you work and not a general one.
At a progress meeting
Start from the first interview
Reread the worry the parent gave at intake and say it back: 'In September you told me nobody outside the family could understand her.' Then ask how that stands today. It keeps the meeting on what the family cares about, and it makes progress visible in their own terms.
Ask about life outside your room
Your data covers your table. The parent's covers the kitchen, the car and the playground, so ask where the new skill has shown up and where it has not. A skill that lives only in sessions means the next goal is carryover.
Reset the home practice
Ask what got done, without any edge to it. If the answer is 'not much', the plan was too big or sat in the wrong part of the day. Go back to the weekday walk-through and choose a different slot together.