How to Encourage a Child's Speech Development
Get a physical assessment of the child., Calm down!, Talk to your child about everything., Read as much as you can., Play games!, Get the siblings involved., Involve your child in activities outside the home., Teach kids to calm themselves., Provide...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get a physical assessment of the child.
This can rule out any potential health problems.
Conditions that affect hearing or speech, itself, will obviously play a major role. -
Step 2: Calm down!
A stressed out parent or caregiver and child will not help the situation.
Understand that every child works at their own pace.
Some kids can start talking at one while others after four. , Mention every every task and every item.
Don't worry if your child does not respond.
Receiving language input and interpreting it is important for each child.
If a child understands, but does not yet respond, he or she is still putting the pieces together.
For example:
When making a salad, talk about the vegetables, their texture, what they are important for, and how you put the salad together.
The child will start to learn each individual item and its purpose. , Read newspapers, magazines, posters, books, and menus aloud to your child.
Read a book throughout the day.
When the child loses focus and concentration, it is alright to put the book down for a bit, but pick it up again throughout the day. , Board games, "I spy," and similar games are ideal.
Pick any games requiring language use and actively involve the youngster.
Pick out his or her favorites for repeated play and fold in a few new games each week or month.
Talk with friends and neighbors about swapping games so that there is a greater diversity of activity for all the families in your network. , Have them talk with and play with the child.
Children sometimes learn faster from siblings or peers.
Remember to reward the siblings for spending quality time with your child and strive to create interesting activities for them.
They could go on a bug hunt and give a running commentary on how they imagine the bugs might look at the world, what might make them comfortable, and how to figure out where to look for different kinds of bugs—those within the soil, on plants, under rocks, and in the water.
Next week that adventure could explore the variation of terrain around the neighborhood or the different uses of rock and building materials.
Get ideas from all the kids and keep a running list of potential activities they might tap at any given time. , Never use a language problem as an excuse to not engage them in classes and camps or involve them in play dates.
Again, the variety is key.
Stay attuned to the light within your child's eyes.
When the light goes off and and you see the brightness of excitement, bank that feeling and capitalize on your discovery of something that really, truly engages your child. , This is a critical coping skill, because, with a speech delay, they will not develop strong expressive skills.
Their inability to express themselves will sometimes lead to frustration and cause them to act out.
Teach them to deep breathe:
In through the nose as if they are smelling a flower; out through the mouth as if they are blowing out candles.
For the child with a speech delay, getting back on track can be a long process and teaching them to manage their emotions well will help them throughout their life. , It sometimes helps to create images that your child can use to express feelings.
For example, you could have a page of emotions—a sheet of paper that has different faces on it—a happy face, a sad face, a mad face, and so forth.
They could point to the face that matches their feeling.
Then you could work with them to display that emotion with their own expression.
You are then in a position to work with him or her to attain a relaxed satisfaction or happiness.
Better yet, have child can express himself or herself through art:
They can sketch their emotion and you can interpret their sketch verbally.
Soon they might develop a means of expression which serves to tap and release the well-spring of emotion within them. , There is no real excuse not to make use of online resources—books, cards, worksheets—anything you might imagine is readily available.
Such materials are ubiquitous. , People backing you and with whom you share your daily travails and hourly triumphs empower you to offer positivity and support to your youngster.
Listen to the story of your neighbors and community members.
Take a break from your world and step into theirs.
You will, no doubt, find that the vital energy within you builds and is amplified.
The perspective offered by stepping into another's world-view acts gyroscopically to center your existence on what is most important—love and caring.
Don't forget the online community.
There are thousands who walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you.
Find a group of positive, supportive individuals and share your ideas and emotions.
Avoid like the plague, though, those individuals who lie in the dregs and refuse to rise from the mire.
You do not need any downward impetus.
Instead, concentrate on elevating others and you will likely find that you are provided a boost in spirit.
Explore the many ways of viewing and coping and use them to good advantage.
If you are far from others physically (off in the boonies with no internet), try journaling.
Record your thoughts, emotions, and worries using free association.
The mere act of recording helps to sort, settle, and provide insight.
Too, you will build a record of your progress which will buoy you when you need it most. , Build confidence in your ability to work through this phase proactively.
If children have a speech delay it is not anyone's fault, but it is a reality that you can help to mitigate.
Don't feel guilty or pressured for the child to be at a certain level by a certain age.
Each child is unique and progresses in his or her own way in a time frame that is comfortable for them.
You are in it for the long haul, so revel in the small advances and build a base of trust and understanding.
This will, ultimately, be the springboard to their place in society.
You may go two steps forward and one step back at times, but stay positive and trust that you are providing the best resources and emotional support that is available. -
Step 3: Talk to your child about everything.
-
Step 4: Read as much as you can.
-
Step 5: Play games!
-
Step 6: Get the siblings involved.
-
Step 7: Involve your child in activities outside the home.
-
Step 8: Teach kids to calm themselves.
-
Step 9: Provide an emotional outlet.
-
Step 10: Make use of online speech aids.
-
Step 11: Develop a network of support.
-
Step 12: Take care of your emotional self.
Detailed Guide
This can rule out any potential health problems.
Conditions that affect hearing or speech, itself, will obviously play a major role.
A stressed out parent or caregiver and child will not help the situation.
Understand that every child works at their own pace.
Some kids can start talking at one while others after four. , Mention every every task and every item.
Don't worry if your child does not respond.
Receiving language input and interpreting it is important for each child.
If a child understands, but does not yet respond, he or she is still putting the pieces together.
For example:
When making a salad, talk about the vegetables, their texture, what they are important for, and how you put the salad together.
The child will start to learn each individual item and its purpose. , Read newspapers, magazines, posters, books, and menus aloud to your child.
Read a book throughout the day.
When the child loses focus and concentration, it is alright to put the book down for a bit, but pick it up again throughout the day. , Board games, "I spy," and similar games are ideal.
Pick any games requiring language use and actively involve the youngster.
Pick out his or her favorites for repeated play and fold in a few new games each week or month.
Talk with friends and neighbors about swapping games so that there is a greater diversity of activity for all the families in your network. , Have them talk with and play with the child.
Children sometimes learn faster from siblings or peers.
Remember to reward the siblings for spending quality time with your child and strive to create interesting activities for them.
They could go on a bug hunt and give a running commentary on how they imagine the bugs might look at the world, what might make them comfortable, and how to figure out where to look for different kinds of bugs—those within the soil, on plants, under rocks, and in the water.
Next week that adventure could explore the variation of terrain around the neighborhood or the different uses of rock and building materials.
Get ideas from all the kids and keep a running list of potential activities they might tap at any given time. , Never use a language problem as an excuse to not engage them in classes and camps or involve them in play dates.
Again, the variety is key.
Stay attuned to the light within your child's eyes.
When the light goes off and and you see the brightness of excitement, bank that feeling and capitalize on your discovery of something that really, truly engages your child. , This is a critical coping skill, because, with a speech delay, they will not develop strong expressive skills.
Their inability to express themselves will sometimes lead to frustration and cause them to act out.
Teach them to deep breathe:
In through the nose as if they are smelling a flower; out through the mouth as if they are blowing out candles.
For the child with a speech delay, getting back on track can be a long process and teaching them to manage their emotions well will help them throughout their life. , It sometimes helps to create images that your child can use to express feelings.
For example, you could have a page of emotions—a sheet of paper that has different faces on it—a happy face, a sad face, a mad face, and so forth.
They could point to the face that matches their feeling.
Then you could work with them to display that emotion with their own expression.
You are then in a position to work with him or her to attain a relaxed satisfaction or happiness.
Better yet, have child can express himself or herself through art:
They can sketch their emotion and you can interpret their sketch verbally.
Soon they might develop a means of expression which serves to tap and release the well-spring of emotion within them. , There is no real excuse not to make use of online resources—books, cards, worksheets—anything you might imagine is readily available.
Such materials are ubiquitous. , People backing you and with whom you share your daily travails and hourly triumphs empower you to offer positivity and support to your youngster.
Listen to the story of your neighbors and community members.
Take a break from your world and step into theirs.
You will, no doubt, find that the vital energy within you builds and is amplified.
The perspective offered by stepping into another's world-view acts gyroscopically to center your existence on what is most important—love and caring.
Don't forget the online community.
There are thousands who walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you.
Find a group of positive, supportive individuals and share your ideas and emotions.
Avoid like the plague, though, those individuals who lie in the dregs and refuse to rise from the mire.
You do not need any downward impetus.
Instead, concentrate on elevating others and you will likely find that you are provided a boost in spirit.
Explore the many ways of viewing and coping and use them to good advantage.
If you are far from others physically (off in the boonies with no internet), try journaling.
Record your thoughts, emotions, and worries using free association.
The mere act of recording helps to sort, settle, and provide insight.
Too, you will build a record of your progress which will buoy you when you need it most. , Build confidence in your ability to work through this phase proactively.
If children have a speech delay it is not anyone's fault, but it is a reality that you can help to mitigate.
Don't feel guilty or pressured for the child to be at a certain level by a certain age.
Each child is unique and progresses in his or her own way in a time frame that is comfortable for them.
You are in it for the long haul, so revel in the small advances and build a base of trust and understanding.
This will, ultimately, be the springboard to their place in society.
You may go two steps forward and one step back at times, but stay positive and trust that you are providing the best resources and emotional support that is available.
About the Author
Brittany Castillo
Enthusiastic about teaching pet care techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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