Communicating Effectively Education News from Alleyn's | www.alleyns.org.uk Karen Lane, Speech and Language Therapist at Alleyn’s Junior School, talks about how we can help develop our child’s speech.
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arents and carers play an integral role in helping children develop speech and language skills. Many of us may have experienced the temptation to hand a child a device to distract them, especially with the added stresses of our current challenging times, but are we missing out on opportunities to teach our toddlers and young children real communication skills?
Play Creative play is essential for unlocking emerging vocabulary. Teddy bears’ picnics, den building, Playdoh, and sand play are all great shared activities, and for babies as young as six months you can use single word naming to model words. By 12 months a toddler should have 50 – 100 words. After that you can model two- and three-word phrases to help your child develop short sentences by two years old. Remember, there is a wide range of “normal” so don’t panic if your two-year-old isn’t speaking in sentences – they may need a little longer.
Articulation Sounds develop at different ages and not all children speak clearly at first. If other people can’t understand your child at three however, it might be time to get an assessment. Therapy waiting times can be long so it’s better to seek a GP referral early than assume your child will grow out of it. When children have difficulty expressing their thoughts and feelings or find it hard to understand rules for social interaction, their frustrations can result in behaviour difficulties. Be patient and try to understand why your child is frustrated. Get down to their level, maintain eye contact and give them time to express themselves.
Questions You might be keen to impart your knowledge to your child and fill them up with answers to 22 | SE22 - December 2020
questions like, “What is the capital city of...?”. This might impress the in-laws but rote learning is less valuable than asking open ended questions like “What do you think about…?” or “I wonder what would happen if…”, which are more likely to stimulate a child’s thinking, develop a love of learning and also their ability to use reasoning skills when they start school.
Reading Reading to your child can help them develop a thirst for good stories. Even after they have learned to read, continue reading to your child to help expand their vocabulary, their understanding of story structures and to provide you both with valuable time together. Play family games like Boggle, Blurt, and Articulate too, to boost your child’s vocabulary. Delayed speech and language development can impact a child’s progress at school. If you feel worried, trust your instincts and consult your GP for a referral to a Speech and Language Therapist. Empowering children to communicate effectively can help them unleash a lifelong love of learning.
Useful links • www.ican.org.uk • www.specialneedsjungle.com • www.stamma.org/about-stammering
