How to play with children to help develop speech and language development?

A guest blog post by Karolina Spałek from Poland

The following article is addressed to all parents of 0- to 3-year-old children.

A two-year-old child should use about 200 - 300 words, including the names of family members (mummy, daddy), toys, onomatopoeic words and basic verbs (eat, sleep, drink, walk, etc.). Every day, I have to deal with children who do not use words. They just do not speak at all. It seems worrying. It can even be said that a child who is not able to speak, is at the same time not able to think. The ability of using speech promotes the development of thinking. If you want your child to develop properly from the very first moments of his life, the most effective way is to take advantage of fun and learn through play. 

An excellent method of learning a language is to create communication situations in which the child feels the need to talk: the situations concerning desires, satisfaction and joy.

The factor of the quantity of words and the quality of language you use to communicate with your child has an invaluable impact on the speech development. We should not underestimate the fact that the speech and language development has a lot in common with shaping other skills, such as writing, reading and learning. Language facilities are also crucial in establishing contacts and relationships with other people.

You can easily influence the correct development of your toddler. The following list consists of some inspiring tips for the speaking manners and some pieces of advice concerning the proper use of toys while strengthening the bond with your baby:

1.       Talk to your child as often as possible: during everyday activities, walks, shopping, etc. Speak slowly, clearly and correctly. Keep the eye contact while addressing your child. When you show animals, things and people - call them. If your child is in a pushchair, remember to keep him facing you! By using this strategy, you provide the child with an opportunity to observe your facial expressions, emotions and the movement of your mouth!

2.       Provide sound stimuli: avoid or eliminate television completely. It unnecessarily stimulates the child and leads to sensory processing disorders. Instead, listen to the sounds of the environment. Ask and answer: What is it? A car, a dog, a cat...

3.       Have fun by imitating animals - show pictures of animals, imitate their noises (cow: moo, cat: meow, dog: woof, au). Enjoy walking like astork, speaking or jump like a frog, moving like a cat or swing like a monkey!

4.        Imitate the sounds of vehicles: car engines, trains, aeroplanes. It is a good idea to use toy vehicles and onomatopoeic words to show how the real ones move and sound. You can put some toys or objects inside: a doll driver or your child's favourite bear. Do not forget to ask questions during the play: What can you see? What is it? It gives the child an opportunity to make a choice what he or she wants the vehicle to carry. A ball or a teddy bear? A cat or a dog?

5.       Be a storyteller. Read or tell stories to your child every day before bedtime. Take advantage of illustrated books or fairy tales. Read a passage and ask your child what he remembers: What was the story about? Who is in the picture? What's happened?

6.       Present illustrations, ask questions and give your child a chance to come up with the answer: Who is it? What is he doing?

7.       Talk about experiences. Let the child express his emotions while talking about a kindergarten or a day spent with a grandmother. Allow your child to talk about shopping with his mother or the animals met during a walk.

8.       Enjoy counting with your child: How many cats can you see in the picture? How many animals are there in the car? How many apples has daddy bought? One, two, three! Three apples! Ask questions and count together with your child!

9.       Use the mirror: make funny faces, touch your nose or chin with your tongue, lick your lips. By following your behaviour, by repetition, your child creates a sense of awareness of his own body. With your guidance, he does it in a pleasant atmosphere. Remember to let your child act on his own initiative and try to mimic his gestures!

10.   Draw. Use crayons and markers - inform your child what you are drawing: Mummy is drawing a cat. What does a cat do? Meow! The child scribbles but later follows the scheme. This is a combination of speech development and the improvement of motor skills. It prepares your child to draw, colour and write.

11.   Practice breathing: whistle, use pipes, flutes, fans. Make soap bubbles, blow feathers, pieces of paper or ping pong balls. Blow a drop of water using a straw or let your child have fun by blowing the paint around the paper to create fabulously abstract works of art. This painting can be attached to the fridge with a colorful magnet clip!

If your child does not speak, encourage him by all means to do so!

300 - 500 words -this is an amount of active vocabulary of a three-year-old child who uses them to build his first sentences. Remember that the onomatopoeic expressions, such as 'woof' or 'meow' are ones that vary across cultures and nationalities! If you notice that your child lags behind his peers in his ability to talk, it is necessary to contact a speech and language therapist. However, before the first visit, do not waste your time and take matters into your own hands! Help your child to move forward! I wish you good luck in all actions you will carry out to encourage your little ones to use language!

Karolina Spałek

www.Logotorpeda.com

Translate: Aleksandra Kmieć

What's communication like for a 2 -3 year old?

Another in the excellent series 'Through the eyes of a child' from the Communication Trust

Through the eyes of a child: 1 - 2 years

I never cease to be amazed at how babies and young children learn to communicate. Have a look at this excellent video by the Communication Trust.

Through the eyes of a child: 6-12months

The Communication Trust has produced 4 excellent videos for parents. Take a look at this one for babies between 6 and 12 months

You might think we’re ‘just’ having a snack....

But I’m actually..

·       Making a choice of snack and drink which is really important.

·       having a good reason to communicate

·       Increasing my confidence. 

·       Taking part in one of the best communication opportunities of the day. Notice how they only give me a little bit so I have to ask for more. The word ‘more’ is a good word to build from 1 to 2 words together.

·       Working in my expressive language skills: they expect me to request in the best way I can and they push me to do a little more when they know I am able

Working on language and communication skills is best done in real everyday situations. We need to make sure we are giving a reason to communicate, an opportunity and a means. The means can be pointing first then answering a forced alternative e.g. do you want water or juice? Put the one you think he wants last to begin with so he can copy easily at first.  One of the biggest causes of language delay today is that we don't expect enough of our children and we give them what they want without making them work for it. We take away the opportunities and reasons to communicate so their means of communicating doesn't need to progress.

Hanen have a great term called 'owling' and we all need to do  more of this:

• Observe
• Wait
• Listen

 Take a step back and see every day activities as opportunities for communication...

So don't just provide food and drink, use snack or mealtime to help your child's language skills!

 We can show you how if you come to one of our sessions www.smarttalkers.org.uk

You think we're just having a story... but we're doing lots more

Last week I covered some Chatter Tots sessions where I had to read a story to the group. It's always quite hard to engage a large group but doubly difficult when some parents just chat to each other at the same time. I tried the usual tricks to engage theses parents but I didn't want to pause the story as several were really engrossed. I waited until the end then  I casually mentioned to the parents that the story was actually a significant part of the group and it would be great if next time they could encourage the  toddlers to be a part of the session. They were apologetic but said they had no idea that  was a useful part and actually thought I was killing time!!!!!!

I've said it before and I will say again, this is why a story is important:

General points 
1. Babies: There’s no such thing as too early. It’s good to start showing babies pictures and talking about them as soon as they focus her eyes on the pattern on a jumper or the change-mat. It’s part of parent –child interaction. Sue Gerhardt, discusses the major adverse implications on the developing brain if not there is not this type of quality interaction, (‘Why love matters’, 2004) *

2. Toddlers: discovering new words, learning to "read" pictures to find the meanings of words or the answers to questions hiding behind those thrilling pull-tabs: where's the kitten gone?

3. Pre-schoolers: a realisation that pictures on the page are the introduction to print; being read to helps the child toward written language at this age just as it helps towards spoken language two years previously.

4. School-Aged: Once children are used to being read to, they will never be bored if somebody will read, and since there are bound to be times when nobody will read and they are bored, they'll have the best possible reason to learn to read themselves.

All the research agrees that reading to themselves isn't a signal to stop reading to them though, even when the child starts to read stories to himself for pleasure. 

Specific
1. Bonding
Maybe the most important benefit a parent and child have from reading together is a bond which naturally develops as they spend time together. They are connecting with the baby while the baby is doing the things she likes best; being with you and hearing your voice speaking to her. ‘The book isn’t as important as the moment and........ it could even be a comic,’ Lesley Smith, Early Years Practitioner.

2. Attention/listening:
Attention skills are extremely important and need to be learnt to be successful in school. Attention and listening are the main skills in decline in the 21st century. A recent survey of 100 primary schools hi-lighted this (Libby Hill, 2010). By sharing a story book early on, it is helping to develop both attention span and listening.

3. Social interaction
Perhaps the most important benefit is the time the adult spends reading with the child. ‘The book is the vehicle for the interaction, which is the most important thing,’ Deborah Falshaw, Teacher & Early Years Practitioner.

4. Communication
Many of the components of communication are developed whilst sharing a book: turn-taking, listening, shared attention and speaker/listener roles are identified

5. Language
Hearing the adult use different intonation patterns and the full range of phonology of the language they’re speaking helps develop the child’s own speech and language.

a) Vocabulary: linking the names of words to the pictures helps vocabulary development. It’s often easier to find pictures than real objects to show the child. In any event, the pictures supplement the child’s semantic links to aid the acquisition of new vocabulary.

b) Reasoning: Following a character's actions in a story helps develop problem solving skills. Children are just learning about the world they live in. They are beginning to learn that their actions have consequences. Story book characters can help test these sometimes confusing issues without the pain of going through it themselves. The next time a child is confronted by a situation he has encountered in a story that has been read to him, he will know he has options.


6. Intelligence/Imagination
Getting children absorbed in books helps stimulate imagination which has been proved to advance their thinking power. They learn to pretend and put themselves in the story which often promotes a higher level of thinking. Children who are read to at an early age find it easier to express themselves and their feelings, making them more confident as they grow up (Professor James Law, City University, own conference notes 2009).

7. Emotional development
Children’s emotions can be validated through story reading. Sharing stories about characters who have the same emotions, especially negative ones, lets the child know that the feelings are normal. Children can learn from the reactions of the characters in the story (Susan Anderson, ‘The invaluable importance of reading to your child’).

8. Good habits
Children will pass on the love of reading to their children if they have been read to. Children live what they learn. They will be more likely to share reading with their own children.

9. Introducing difficult topics
Sharing stores about controversial topics is a good way to introduce discussion. Topics from sex education to drug issues can be difficult to discuss without a book as springboard.

10. Helping to handle stress
Life can be tough for a child in the 21st century. Books provide escapism as well as a source of comfort.

You think we're just singing but we're doing so much more

It was lovely to see so many families at the Songs and stories session last week at Stafford Children's Centre when I covered for Nikki. One family had even travelled from Cannock because they know the benefits of the class. Someone else commented they weren't coming because 'it was just singing and reading'.

Well, it's not 'JUST' singing  at all .........

We mostly use nursery rhymes  which are important for many reasons:

1. Most importantly (to me as a speech and language therapist) is that they help develop spoken language skills. They are a  powerful tool in the repertoire of language developers. They show the child the rhythm and flow of language, help connect words to actions and help a child to understand and remember words. They also help attention and listening. A room full of noisy babies will still and quieten when I start singing (No, that's not my awful voice!!) and to add action keeps their attention for longer.

2. Bonding: Singing together helps language development but also interaction between parent and child or carer and child.

3. A Swedish study published in the journal Integrative Physiological and Behavioural Science suggested that singing, not only increases oxygen levels in the blood but triggers the release of “happy” hormones such as oxytocin, which is thought to help lower stress levels and blood pressure. As other studies show the increased levels of  both parental and child stress levels in the 21st century, this must surely help.

4. They can be used in conjunction with other communication enhancers e.g. choice making. The ability to be able to make choices is fundamental to human communication. Choosing which song to sing from a variety of props or choosing the next behaviour for action rhymes such as  'if you are happy and you know it'. These are non-verbal behaviours so do not require a verbal response. 

5. Increases confidence. Even if they haven't got the necessary expressive skills to join in verbally, they can take part with the actions.

6. There is overwhelming evidence that early learning of nursery rhymes and rhythmic poems, songs, and chants significantly enhances early reading skills and phonemic awareness.  In fact research highlights phonemic awareness as a strong predictor of a child's reading success. It helps them:

• to hear rhymes or alliteration
• to blend sounds to make a word (e.g., /a/-/t/ = at)
• to count phonemes in words ( how many sounds do you hear in "is"?)
• to identify the beginning, middle, and final sounds in words
• to substitute one phoneme for another (e.g., change the /h/ in "hot" to /p/
• to delete phonemes from words (e.g., omit the /c/ from "cat")"

so its helping them with pre-reading skills!

Come along to any  of our Smart Talkers Pre-School Communication classes and join the fun

www.smarttalkers.org.uk

What's your favourite children's book?

The parents of our Smart Talkers groups have voted for their favourite story. Here is their list:

• The hungry caterpiller
• What the lady bird heard
• Stick man
• Walking through the jungle
• Whatever next?
• Room on the broom
• Dear Zoo
• We're going on a bear hunt
• The tiger who came to tea
• The Grufello

What do you think, is yours on the list? We'd love to know....

Are nursery rhymes out dated?

A recent Small Talk survey showed that many people today are not really aware of nursery rhymes. People over 40 were more likely to recall one or two, whereas, an entire class of 17 year olds studying child care, could not think of even one.  May be nursery rhymes have had their day, are old fashioned, out dated, even boring? 

Does this matter if they are dying out and parents are not singing to their children?

YESSSSSSS!

Nursery rhymes are important for many reasons:

1. Most importantly (to me as a speech and language therapist) is that they help develop spoken language skills. They are a  powerful tool in the repertoire of language developers. They show the child the rhythm and flow of language, help connect words to actions and help a child to understand and remember words. They also help attention and listening. A room full of noisy babies will still and quieten when I start singing (No, that's not my awful voice!!) and to add action keeps their attention for longer.

2. Bonding: Singing together helps language development but also interaction between parent and child or carer and child.

3. A recent Swedish study published in the journal Integrative Physiological and Behavioural Science suggested that singing, not only increases oxygen levels in the blood but triggers the release of “happy” hormones such as oxytocin, which is thought to help lower stress levels and blood pressure. As other studies show the increased levels of  both parental and child stress levels in the 21st century, this must surely help.

4. They can be used in conjunction with other communication enhancers e.g. choice making. The ability to be able to make choices is fundamental to human communication. Choosing which song to sing from a variety of props or choosing the next behaviour for action rhymes such as  'if you are happy and you know it'. These are non-verbal behaviours so do not require a verbal response. 

5. Increases confidence. Even if they haven't got the necessary expressive skills to join in verbally, they can take part with the actions.

6. There is overwhelming evidence that early learning of nursery rhymes and rhythmic poems, songs, and chants significantly enhances early reading skills and phonemic awareness.  In fact research highlights phonemic awareness as a strong predictor of a child's reading success. It helps them:

• to hear rhymes or alliteration
• to blend sounds to make a word (e.g., /a/-/t/ = at)
• to count phonemes in words ( how many sounds do you hear in "is"?)
• to identify the beginning, middle, and final sounds in words
• to substitute one phoneme for another (e.g., change the /h/ in "hot" to /p/
• to delete phonemes from words (e.g., omit the /c/ from "cat")"

Does it matter if they are not the traditional nursery rhymes? I would say that singing anything with your baby and toddler  is better than not singing at all but the latest Adele or Beyonce track is not designed to assist phonological awareness skills which will give all the benefits above.

Does it matter if you can't sing? Definitely not. A parent's voice is the best in the world to a baby or a toddler. They are no X factor judge, likely to shoot you down in flames. They will just enjoy the interaction and see it as great fun.... and whats more it's free!

The next blog post will look at which nursery rhymes we use in the Smart Talkers Pre-School Communication groups www.smarttalkers.org.uk

Teeny Talk: developing language skills for 2 year olds

We have been running Teeny Talker sessions at Featherstone and Landywood Children's Centres since January. These sessions are for two year olds. The toddlers have been having fun with games, rhymes, songs, bubbles, stories and snack-time but have actually been working on their attention, listening, turn-taking, verbal understanding and vocabulary as well as expressive language skills. These are all essential components for developing language and communication. 

Many two year olds are not talking as expected and there are many different reasons for this (see last post) e.g. they don't need to because they have everything they want, maybe someone talks for them, perhaps they don't see the need to talk, there could be a general delay or a specific difficulty which will require referral to the NHS Speech and language therapist and further investigation. The groups have been a good way of showing the parents ideas and techniques to help.

Running groups for children this young has real benefits and is great fun.... for me as well as them!

For further information 0844 704 5888 www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk or www.smarttalkers.org.uk

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10 ways to develop your child's language skills

Guest blog by the Talking Matters Team, an excellent  group of speech pathologists from Australia

If you are waiting for an assessment or therapy to begin, or if you just want to help your child’s development every day, here are some simple things you can do that make a real difference to your child’s language skills.

1. Talk together every day. Talk to your child whenever you can, as you go about daily activities like cooking, bathing, dressing, eating, travelling to kindy or school, getting ready for bed. 

2. Get down to your child’s level. Ensure your child can see your face when you are talking to them. This helps them focus, lets them see and hear your words better and encourages them to copy you. 

3. Follow your child’s lead when you talk. Take some time to see what holds your child’s interests. Watch what they look at, touch, hear and reach for and talk with them about these things. 

4. Talk about what you are doing and ‘think out loud’. Talk in simple words about what you are doing as you do your daily activities to develop your child’s vocabulary. “I am cutting carrots into circles”. 

5. Be positive. Use lots of encouragement and tell your child what they have done well. Use specific words. “I like the way you used your words to ask for that”. “The red colour in that picture looks great”. 

6. Model new words. Tell your child the names of things they have not seen before. Teach them new action words when you do things together. Teach them describing words by talking about what they see, hear, touch, taste and smell. Include words about size, shape, colour and feel.

7. Recast your child’s errors. If your child makes a mistake when talking, repeat the sentence, fixing the mistake to show them the right way. Use a positive tone and repeat it a few times but keep it natural. E.g. Child “I runned”. Adult “Yes you ran, you ran very fast, you ran right to mummy”. Try repeating this same word a few more times later on, so your child gets lots of chances to hear it the right way.

8. Use lots of repetition. Young children learn though repetition. Repeat new ideas, words and concepts over and over. Repeat stories and songs too. Repeat new words and ideas in different places, times and situations to help your child learn the full meaning and understand different ways the word can be used.

9. Read lots of books together. Reading to your child is one of the best things you can do to help them learn. Make it a part of your day every day. Read new books but also old repeat old favourites. Choose books which suit your child’s age, language level and interests. Talk about what you read and ask your child questions.

10. Embrace new experiences. Try new places, games, songs, books and activities with your child. Do something special and different every chance you can as this opens up new words, ideas and concepts to talk about.  

The Talking Matters Online Store has language games to download, print and play. 

For more details on these ideas go to our website at www.talkingmatters.com.auand log into plus then go to language difficulties to download more information for free.

Talking Matters Team