Welcome to my speech pathology services!
5 ways to boost your child’s communication
1. Get down to thier eye level
Crouch down, sit down on the floor, or pick them up. Being on the same level encourages eye contact and social communication.
2. Talk to your child in simple language
Use short sentences without too much words. Provde a great example of clear, simple sentences that are achievable for your child to say.
3. Exaggerate it !
Let your guard down and be a bit ‘over the top’, when playing with your child. Use lots of facial expressions, gasps and ‘uh oh’s’. Your child will LOVE it!
4. Read a book
Don t just read a book with your child - interact with the book too! Put on a silly voice, sing the words, do some actions or noises or tap the rhyming beat !
5. Sing a song
Just sing even if you think you can t sing in tune (your kids don‘t care). Make up your own songs, sing songs from your childhood, or just sing any tune. Kids listen better to instructions that are sung. Try it !
EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
12 months
You should be hearing lots of babbling, almost sounds like they are “talking”.
First words appear along with “mama”, and “dada”
12 - 18 months
Your child is starting to understand one step instructions eg get the cup, give me the book.
Understands “no” but he may not be able to obey!
Understanding lots of nouns eg socks, cup, mum, nanna, ball, dog, bath
Using around 15 words
Imitates words overheard in conversation
Asks “What’s that?” and “more”
18 - 24 months
Identifies some body parts and clothing. Starting to understand “action” words eg jump, eat
Starting to understand regularly used phrases “give me a kiss”, “stop that”, “sit down”
Point to things when asked “Show me the truck”
Using words more than gestures, uses 50 different words
Starting to put two words together eg mummy go, daddy car, eat cheese, me ball.
Starting to use a couple of descriptive words eg big, happy, fast, and pronouns eg I, me
24- 30 months
Understands concept of one eg “give me one car”, understands size concepts eg big, little
Responds to simple questions of who, what, where
Identifies objects by simple function eg things we eat, things we wear
Vocabulary is increasing with lots of :
- nouns eg boat, car, baby, friend, foods & toys
- action words eg do, go, have, make, get, want, walk, drink, swim, sleep, splash, run
- adjectives eg sunny, hot, cold, yucky, wet, sore
- pronouns eg he, she, you, I, me, mine
- location words eg in, on, out
- negation eg no, don’t, not
You’ll start to hear grammar and more structured sentences – for example, word endings like ‘I go’ become ‘I’m going’. You’ll also hear past tense – for example, ‘walked’, ‘clapped’ – and plurals like ‘cats’ and ‘horses’.
Uses words for a variety of social functions eg to ask for help, to ask for things, to get attention, to request repetition, to answer yes/no questions.
Common Communication Milestones, also expect:
At 3 years of age, the child should be understanding:
• Following more complex two part instructions
• Understand simple wh-questions such as what, where and who
• Understand the concepts of ‘same’ and ‘different’
• Sort items into groups when asked
• Recognize some basic colors
• Say 4-5 word sentences
• Using a variety of words for names, actions, locations and descriptions
• Ask questions using ‘what, where, who’
• Have a conversation but may not take turns or stay on topic
Articulation:
Most children master the following sounds at 3 years: b, p, m, n, h, d, k, g, ng (sing), t, w, f, y in words
Speech articulation (Developmental milestones):
3-4 years :The child is able to say the following sounds in words – /p/, /b/, /m/, /n/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/, /s/, /y/, /h/ Speech may be unclear to adults who don't know the child well
At 4 years of age, we can expect:
UNDERSTANDING:
• Answer most questions about daily tasks
• Understand most wh-questions, including those about a story they have heard
• Understand some numbers
• Show an awareness that words start or finish with same sounds
SPEAKING:
• Use words such as “and”, “but”, and “because” to make longer sentences
• Describe recent events
• Ask lots of questions
• Use personal pronouns (he/she/me you) and negations (don’t /can’t)
• Count to five and name a few colors
If your child is not doing some of these speech/language developmental milestones at the age expected, it is time to get an assessment done sooner rather than later.
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The Importance of Parent -Child PlayDetail your services
The Importance of Parent-Child Play
Play is the most important activity a child can engage in. Free play helps kids develop all their skills, explore the world around them, gain and expand knowledge, and have fun.
The best learning environment is one that allows children to feel safe and encouraged to follow their interests. Play teaches children how to interact with others, solve problems, develop language, use imagination, express feelings, and resolve conflicts.
Why is Playing with Your Child Important?
Active participation in your child’s play encourages him to explore the environment under your caring supervision and to experiment with different situations and consequences in the safety of play.
1. Mutual Play with Your Child Promotes Social and Emotional Development
Playing together with your children is very important because it teaches them social skill sets that will help them navigate social life more easily.
Play with your kids helps learn skills such as turn-taking, sharing, and selflessness. It teaches them the importance of taking responsibility and encourages self-control skills and empathy.
Interaction between you and your child supports communication skills and teaches them how to negotiate and express their needs, thoughts, and feelings in an assertive, yet respectful way.
2. Play with Your Child Helps You Spot the Difficulties
The way your child plays (or the absence of play whatsoever) can help you identify potential difficulties or delays in your child’s development. For example, a child on the autism spectrum will show little to no interest in playing with toys or engaging in play with you.
3. Play Helps you Understand Your Child’s Emotions
Playing with a doll aggressively may be a child’s way to express troubling feelings. Kids have the same feelings as adults. However, they lack the communication skills to express these emotions. So, when your child finds it difficult to manage his emotions, pretend-play allows you to assist him with emotional expression. Play helps children work through their feelings.
For example, if your child is scared of going to the doctor or has problems with separation anxiety, play is a great way to help her work through her fears.
4. Play Encourages Confidence and Healthy Body Image
Mutual play with dolls or dress-up props is a great opportunity to encourage a healthy body image and boost confidence and self-esteem in your child.
5. Mutual Play with Your Child Encourages Creativity
As an adult, you can provide a more varied and mature play than older siblings or other children. Different art and craft activities promote imagination, creativity, problem-solving, hand-eye coordination, and motor skills. Prepare items of different shapes, textures, and sizes, and help your child manipulate sensory materials.
6. Play with Your Child Strengthens Your Connection
Finally, playtime is a wonderful opportunity to create a nurturing relationship and bond with your child.
Studies show that a caring and nurturing relationship between a child and a parent (or other caring attachment figures) benefits a child’s development and health on many levels. Mutual play with your child helps kids learn skills essential for healthy development, makes them proud of themselves and boosts their self-esteem and confidence.