Parent guilt is real! Parents look at me with guilt and shame when I ask them what their child likes to do for fun. Many parents avoid eye contact or apologize when they whisper guiltily that their child enjoys watching movies or playing on an iPad. You do not have to feel guilty about your child’s enjoyment of technology. There is nothing to feel bad about.... I love watching movies and scrolling on my iPad too!
Did you know that there are fantastic ways to use technology to increase speech and language skills, encourage play, and learn? Check out this free ebook by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, “Family Time with Apps” https://joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/jgcc_familytimewithapps.pdf to learn how you can use technology with your child! The big takeaway from this book is parents should be participating in technology activities. Of course, sometimes technology is used for independent time as well!
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Do you have a family pet? I do! I have two dogs and two cats…. basically I have a mini zoo at my house. Did you know you can use your pets to encourage your child to talk? You can do this several different ways! Describing: When your child is looking or playing with your family pet start describing what you see. Talk about the color of their fur/feathers and texture are. Make comments about what the animal is doing (i.e., scratching, licking, running, sleeping). Make sure to always point out Training: When you are training your dog have your child help you. If your child is non-speaking or a pre-verbal communicator make sure you have visuals. A visual (AAC) might be a “core board,” “PECS,” “talker/device,” “pictures.” When training a dog there are gestures that are used along with verbal commands that your child can help with. If your child cannot verbalize “sit” teach them how to make the gesture for sit while you say it. Many times parents are surprised by the things they hear their child is doing during speech therapy. I commonly hear from families “the only way my child will talk is if I ask them questions, and even then they only answer with one or two words.” I promise you I do not have a magic wand I wave to make your child talk! Instead I use therapy approaches that encourage commenting vs. answering. Below I have a couple ways you can encourage commenting in your everyday activities that do not require extra time or materials. The key to engaging your child is to make comments about things they are doing or objects/people you see in the environment. Activity: Brushing teeth Comments you can make:
Activity: Putting on shoes Comments you can make:
Activity: Driving in the car
The term “late talker” is used a lot….. but what does the term “late talker” mean? A “late talker” is a child under the age of three who has fewer than 50 words by 18 months and no 2-word combinations by 24 months. Look above to see how many words a typical child has between the ages of 1 and 3 year old. Approximately 50% to 70% of late talkers who receive speech therapy catch up to their same-aged peers by preschool or kindergarten. Late talking can also be the first indicator of a language disorder. Language disorders are often seen in children with hearing loss, developmental disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disabilities, psychological/emotional disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.
It is always important to remember no matter your child’s diagnosis (late talking vs. language disorder), your child is capable of so many wonderful things. I was once told to STOP working on reading with a 13-year-old client I was treating…. but I didn’t listen. Guess what! She is reading and frequently getting in trouble for reading texts during class now. If you are concerned about your child’s language development don’t use the “wait and see” approach. Have you ever asked your speech therapist “how much longer will my child need therapy?” Was your therapist able to give you an exact date or timeline? Probably not, and that’s a good thing. Unless the speech therapist has been working with your child for a significant amount of time they probably can’t answer your question. Even if they know your child really well, they may not be able to answer this question.
Here are four areas that can influence a child’s speech therapy timeline: Diagnosis: Children can be diagnosed with more than one communication disorder. The more diagnosis’s a child has, the longer they are usually in therapy. Some children only have difficulty with speech (how they say sounds and words), and other children have difficulty with language (how they understand words/sentences and use them). And many children have difficulty with both. Children who have a speech disorder may be in therapy for less time, but this isn’t always the case because a child’s diagnosis is only one factor. Age: Children who are diagnosed younger make faster progress then children who are diagnosed later. For example, children who are preverbal and given access to visual communication alternatives earlier have more access to academic and social communication. Consistency/Frequency: Consistency is the key to progress. Children who attend 90% of their therapy appointments will make more progress than children with less consistent attendance. Behavior/Attention: There are behavior and attention challenges with many children who are diagnosed with communication disorders. Some children need frequent breaks to participate and engage in therapy. Family/Caregiver involvement: Parents and caregivers are the most critical part of therapy. Parents/Caregivers who join sessions and carryover treatment techniques help their children generalize skills and make progress. So if your therapist asks you to work on something at home, please try to do it. It really helps! |
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