If once the parents’ challenge was to answer all the children’s questions, today the challenge is for them to ask you questions. Below, find some tips on how to encourage your child’s speech. Article by Silvana Gjoni, speech therapist and therapist.
Often, during work, we are faced with parents whose child does not speak or has a very limited vocabulary, not in accordance with his chronological age, without any developmental disorder. This comes for various reasons: the child wants to communicate with gestures, the parental model is such that it does not encourage enough exposure to stimuli that “force” the child to speak, the parent fulfills every request of the child, without the need for him/her to expresses itself. Therefore, more and more, especially with the evolution of technology, children are not encouraged to speak. If once the parents’ challenge was to answer all the children’s questions, today the challenge is for them to ask you questions.
Below are some tips on how to encourage your child’s speech:
PARALLEL SPEECH. Say out loud what the child is doing. For example, “You took the bear in your hand and you will play”.
TALKING TO MYSELF. Say out loud what you are doing yourself. For example: “I am preparing breakfast”.
SPEECH STIMULATION. Repeat the same word several times to encourage its production. If you are playing with a ball, say often: “Throw the ball”, “You threw the ball”, “Throw the ball”, “The ball”.
PUT IT BEFORE FORCED CHOICES. For example: “Would you like a green or a yellow apple?”. Thus, the child is aware that he has to choose between these two and at the same time he will become more independent in his choices.
SING. Singing songs, especially those with rhymes, teaches children new and necessary words to communicate. He also enjoys the moment and the melody of singing.
REORGANIZE. Repeats what the child says, but without mistakes. Thus, he will be exposed to the correct speech pattern and will make fewer mistakes. Definitely avoid using phrases like: “No, it was wrong”, Don’t say that, as these phrases lower self-confidence and do not allow him to explore the language.
MODEL IT. Say the words to him the way you want him to say them. For example: “I…want…apples”. Repeat often.
ALSO USE SIGNS. To facilitate communication, you can also use signs, such as the most common ones, “Bravo”, “Good luck”, “Ok, finger”, “Clap your hands”, “Shoulders up”, when we don’t know the answer, etc.
LIMITED ACCESS. Give the child only one favorite toy or something and not all at once, so that he is forced to ask for more.
SABOTAGE. Enter their game and grab one of their favorite toys to make them ask for their toy back. Thus, you have taken advantage of the opportunity to communicate and model the child’s language.
READING. Read them a story from a favorite children’s book every evening. As time goes by and the story repeats, you can add elements and encourage the child to add others.
EXTENSION. Repeat what the child says and add information. Eg: the child says, “I want water”, you add, “I want water, please”.
TIME. Spend quality time with the child, playing with him and showing him your presence through actions. This is worth more than any toy.
