Before diving in, I want to thank GOOD Morning Wilton for this great opportunity to share some of my experiences as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) with my friends and neighbors here in Wilton. I am thrilled to be writing three articles this summer that will address common speech concerns experienced by children. I hope everyone will find them beneficial.

In each article, I will first identify a concern that frequently prompts parents to contact a SLP. Then, I will talk about some tools and “tricks” parents and other family members can employ to address the concern.

For each, it is important to keep in mind that no technique, strategy, or “trick” will be successful without frequent, routine reinforcement by parents, family members, caregivers, etc. The good news is that very often parents can help their children make significant progress and can build learning into daily activities – but reinforcement is critical to success!

One of the most common questions I hear from parents of young children is, “My child is not talking. Should I be concerned, and what can I do to help?” Many children who are “late” talkers often become frustrated that people don’t understand what they are trying to say or convey through gestures. As parents know all too well, a common result of frustration is the dreaded tantrum.

This may come as a surprise, but the single most effective way to help with this is to disrupt and “sabotage” a child’s environment (gently!). That is, parents need to provide opportunities for children to talk. If they can get everything they want without asking – whether they get it themselves or we give it to them – many children will see no “need” to talk.

In the course of everyday routines and tasks, there are many “tricks” parents can use to give children “something to talk about” and encourage children to verbalize what they need.

Here are some ideas:

  • place toys out of reach; put them on a higher shelf – encourage language such as “up,” “help,” name of specific toys
  • place pieces of a puzzle in a ziploc bag which you hold onto; give the puzzle board to the children – encourage language such as “open,” “give me,” “more please,” name of next piece
  • place a favorite snack or toy in a clear container that children cannot open by themselves – encourage language such as “help,” “open/close,” “in/out,” name of item in container
  • put yogurt in a bowl, but don’t offer a spoon to eat it – encourage language such as “no,” “no eat,” “no spoon,” “mama spoon”
  • if your children want to color, provide the paper but not the crayons – encourage language such as “no,” names of colors, “no blue”
  • if your children want water, give them an empty cup – encourage language such as “water,” “no water,” “put in”
  • when getting ready to leave, put one shoe on your child and head for the door – encourage language such as “wait,” “mom wait,” “shoe,” “my shoe”
  • take the batteries out of your child’s favorite toy – encourage language such as “help,” “off/on,” “broken,” “more”
  • when your children ask for a specific item, give them something else (i.e. ask for an apple, give a banana) – encourage language such as “apple,” “apple mama,” “no banana”

Don’t forget, these types of activities, which can be incorporated into your daily routines, are meant to teach children that words are powerful – they help you get what you want! A little effort a few times a day, may yield very noticeable improvements right around the corner.

Next month…Do your children mispronounce their words? I’ll offer some ideas for fun ways to work on correcting those sounds!

Jennifer C. Lalor is a practicing speech-language pathologist here in Wilton. Her email address is jennifercombslalor@yahoo.com.