Parental Tips For Increasing A Child's Speech And Language Progress
December 4th, 2008

As soon as a baby begins to coo, the doting parents are anticipating those first words. You talk to them every chance you get and hope they will start to talk. Once you hear those magic words start to appear from your baby's lips, it's as if a miracle has happened. For many parents this is also a very stressful time if their baby doesn't seem so eager to say anything. Most pediatricians will tell you a baby will talk when they are ready. But what about the child who is no longer a baby, who still isn't talking or talking as well as his or her peers. This can be very concerning for parents. Remember that children do have their own agenda and it is not always a problem. You also have to take into consideration that each milestone is based on skill level and not age. There are age ranges for children's process in language and speech. Children will also plateau in their speech development from time to time as they grow in other areas.

Out of all children under the age of three, 5-10% have some delay in their talking abilities. This does not mean that they will stay delayed or even have a problem at all. Possible signs of a speech or language delay in children less than three years old vary and may not be an indication of anything at all. Keep an eye out if your child is not making sounds or they are very muffled or opaque. This could indicate a hearing problem or issue with the facial muscles. If your child is not understanding directions, no matter how simple or taking an overly long time to process the information an issue with receptive language could be the problem. The most common indicator of a speech or language problem is the child is unable to speak in two-word sentences. This child will most likely communicate by pointing or other types of nonverbal expression. The simple request for a toy, drink, or food is a game of charades. This could indicate a problem with expressive language.

If you truly believe your child has a speech or language issue, take him or her to the pediatrician. They will test your child's hearing first and if there is no problem there then they will refer you to a speech pathologist. The parents giving correct and accurate information is crucial for making a correct diagnosis. Make sure you keep track of the words your child can say correctly, if any, and words that are not said appropriately. The speech pathologist will play games and observe your child in a playful social setting to access his or her communication skills. They will give you their diagnosis and a plan to improve the child's speech and language skills. The criteria that the speech pathologist gives you for your child's specific needs is crucial for their development. It may be something that will be ongoing or just until the catch up now that the problem has been fixed.

If you just want to up your child's speech and language skills and there are no problems there are several things you can do. Most importantly, talk with your child not at them. When you are speaking to your child no matter how old, remember to ask them questions and talk with them. This will show them what dialogue is and communication. Play and laugh with your child, use your imagination and make up things. This will stimulate their brain and help better development. Reading is one of the most fundamental keys to improving a child's speech and language skills. When you read to a child they must perceive what you are saying and be able to comment if you ask questions. They will hear new words and broaden their vocabulary. Interact with your child when reading. Act out the story together as you read it. Ask the child to help recite favorite lines. This will enhance their verbal and nonverbal skills. The more you interact with your child and speak to them often the better their language skills will get. Giving your child the best possible start in life is the greatest gift you can give them

---

Please use the form below to comment on this page:

Name:
Email Address:	(kept private)
Comments:
Let me know if my message is replied to:	yes
Please enter the digits 513 in the box. This keeps away spam robots:

PHP Warning: Unknown(): Unable to load dynamic library 'C:\Program Files\HSphere\3rdparty\PHP\PHP5\ext\php_curl.dll' - The specified module could not be found. in Unknown on line 0 PHP Warning: Unknown(): Unable to load dynamic library 'C:\Program Files\HSphere\3rdparty\PHP\PHP5\ext\php_gd2.dll' - The specified module could not be found. in Unknown on line 0 PHP Warning: Unknown(): Unable to load dynamic library 'C:\Program Files\HSphere\3rdparty\PHP\PHP5\ext\php_mysql.dll' - The specified module could not be found. in Unknown on line 0