Supporting Language Development
Speech: Tips for getting your children to speak early
Speech: Tips for transitioning from a bottle to a cup
Supporting Language Development
Bronwyn Charlton, ph.d, Aliza Pressman, m.a, Alexandra Barzi, ph.d
info@seedlingsgroup.com
www.seedlingsgroup.com
There is a typical developmental pattern of language acquisition.
crying (0–3 months)
cooing (2–4 months)
babbling (5–7 months)
comprehending words (8 months on)
saying single words (12–18 months)
combining words (18–24 months)
forming simple sentences (subject-verb-object) (24 months on)
expressing complete thoughts (24 months on)
Techniques for nurturing language development:
•responding and turn taking: when your baby makes sounds, she is trying to communicate. respond as if you are in a conversation allowing her to speak and listen. be sure not to interrupt her so she learns that what she has to say is important. she will learn the ebb and flow of a conversation from your modeling.
• labeling: when your baby expresses an interest in an object, point to the object and tell her what it is. by “labeling” objects, you will help her to process all of the hundreds of items she comes across each day.
• imitating: you don’t always need to talk to your baby in real words. you can also imitate the sounds and faces that she makes. through imitation you are establishing a connection and letting her know that her attempts at communication are valued and recognized.
• providing choices: as your baby grows into a toddler, allow her to experience increasing independence (within reason, of course). encourage her to communicate her needs by giving her choices. limit the choices to two, which is less overwhelming. find opportunities in everyday activities for providing choices, whether it’s which diaper she should put on or what cup she wants to drink from.
• expanding: when your baby points to something and makes an attempt at labeling it, encourage her by saying the appropriate word and adding more details. for example, if she points to a duck and says “du”, you can say “yes, that’s a duck. that’s a yellow duck”.
• questioning: as your baby learns to communicate with more words, you can ask her to elaborate. even if her words are still hard to understand, asking her to expand on or explain what she is saying gives her an opportunity to sharpen her thinking and come up with more ways of expressing herself.
Kim Kramer
Kim Kramer, M.S. Ed., M.S., CCC-SLP, TSHH
www.slpny.com
Parents always ask me "How do I get my child to speak early?" Every child is different, but most children say their first word around 12-months of age. Sorry moms, but it's usually "dada" because it's easier to say. One of the tips I always tell parents, is to talk to their child all day long (yes, they are listening!). Label everything in their environment and describe every activity as it is occurring. For example, while giving your child a bath talk/sing throughout. I used to sing a silly washing song while washing each body part, "Wishy-washy, wishy-washy, wash your feet." Other tips include, use a slower rate of speech, use shorter phrases, and read, read, read. Children are never to young to be exposed to reading.
Kim Kramer
Kim Kramer, M.S. Ed., M.S., CCC-SLP, TSHH
www.slpny.com
Doctors, dentists, and yes, your mother-in-law all give different advise about transitioning off a bottle. Here are a few general guidelines. Introduce an open cup at 6-months of age. Only put a little liquid in the cup and tilt the cup up (not the child's head) so that the liquid slowly enters the child's mouth. You are aiming for your child to take ONE sip by closing their lips. Around 10-month of age, you can introduce a straw cup. Most children will have no clue how to suck through a straw so here's a tip. The adult holds a straw and pippets (put straw in the liquid and occlude the top of the straw with your finger so that there is a small amount of liquid in the straw) a SMALL amount of liquid. Place in your child's mouth and when they close their lips around the straw, release your finger so that the liquid goes into their mouth. Shortly, your child should start closing their lips around the straw and sucking while you release the liquid. Proceed to a straw cup once your child is sucking. Most doctors suggest that a child starts to transition off a bottle at 12-months of age. One tip on transitioning is to do it slowly. Start with a mid-day bottle instead of the first/last bottle of the day. If you are giving 4 bottles a day, say 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, start with an 11am or 3pm bottle first. Replace it with a straw cup. After a week, replace the other daytime bottle. After a week, transition the 7am bottle, and then a week later the 7pm bottle. Some kids can transition all of their bottles in one week, but most will not do it so quickly. There is some controversy on the topic of sippy (spout top) cups. Some moms love them and won't give them up. I didn't use them for my son and I find that most Speech Pathologists do not recommend their use. I'll let you make your own decision, but know that an open cup and a straw cup allow the child to develop more mature oral patterns.
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