Resources

How To Facilitate Speech and Language Development

These are words you may want to encourage your toddler to use by consistently modeling throughout the day

  • No
  • Yes/yeah
  • Want
  • Go
  • My/mine
  • You
  • What
  • On/off
  • In/out
  • Here
  • That
  • More
  • Some
  • Help
  • All done

Reference: Hoffman, ISHA 2-7-20

  • Talk with your child a lot.
  • Read different types of books. Read every day, and talk with your child about the story.
  • Help your child learn sound patterns of words. You can play rhyming games and point out letters as you read.
  • Have your child retell stories and talk about his day.
  • Talk with your child about what you do during the day. Give her directions to follow.
  • Talk about how things are the same and different.
  • Give your child chances to write.
  • Keep your child reading. Find books and magazines that interest your child.
  • Ask your child what he thinks about what he hears or reads. Connect what he reads to events in his life.
  • Help your child connect what she reads and hears at school, home, and other events.
  • Talk out loud as you help your child read about and solve problems.
  • Help your child recognize spelling patterns. For example, point out the beginnings and endings of words, like “pre-” or “–ed.”
  • Get your child to write letters, keep a diary, and write stories.

Please visit the ASHA website for additional information.

Possible Signs of Speech and Language Delay

Language is made up of the words we use to share ideas and get what we want. Language includes speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. A child with a language disorder may have trouble with one or more of these skills.

Signs of language problems include:

Birth–3 monthsNot smiling or playing with others
4–7 monthsNot babbling
7–12 monthsMaking only a few sounds. Not using gestures, like waving or pointing.
7 months–2 yearsNot understanding what others say
12–18 monthsSaying only a few words
1½–2 yearsNot putting two words together
2 yearsSaying fewer than 50 words
2–3 yearsHaving trouble playing and talking with other children
2½–3 yearsHaving problems with early reading and writing. For example, your child may not like to draw or look at books.

Speech is how we say sounds and words. It is normal for young children to say some sounds the wrong way. Some sounds do not develop until a child is 4, 5, or 6 years old. Signs of a speech sound disorder in young children include:

1–2 yearsNot saying p, b, m, h, and w the right way in words most of the time
By 3 years

Says n, t, d, k, g,and f in words

Familiar people understand the child’s speech

By 4 years

Says y and v in words

May still make mistakes on the s, sh, ch, j, ng, th, z, l, and r sounds

Most people understand the child’s speech

Please visit the ASHA website for additional information.

Social Communication

Social communication is also called pragmatics. These are the rules that we follow when we talk. There are rules about when and how you should talk to people. We use facial expressions or gestures to share how we feel. We learn how to let someone know when we change the topic. Knowing and using these rules makes it easier to communicate.

Social communication includes three major skills:

Using language for different reasons, such as:

  • Greeting. Saying “hello” or “goodbye.”
  • Informing. “I’m going to get a cookie.”
  • Demanding. “Give me a cookie right now.”
  • Promising. “I’m going to get you a cookie.”
  • Requesting. “I want a cookie, please.”

Changing language for the listener or situation, such as:

  • Talking differently to a baby than to an adult.
  • Giving more information to someone who does not know the topic. Knowing to skip some details when someone already knows the topic.
  • Talking differently in a classroom than on a playground.

Following rules for conversations and storytelling, such as:

  • Taking turns when you talk.
  • Letting others know the topic when you start talking.
  • Staying on topic.
  • Trying another way of saying what you mean when someone did not understand you.
  • Using gestures and body language, like pointing or shrugging.
  • Knowing how close to stand to someone when talking.
  • Using facial expressions and eye contact.

These rules may be different if you come from another culture.

A person with social communication problems may:

  • Say the wrong thing or act the wrong way when talking. He may laugh at the wrong time or start talking about something else.
  • Tell stories that do not make sense.
  • Use language in limited ways. She may not say hello, goodbye, or thank you. She may yell instead of asking for what she wants.

Children may break some of these rules as they learn. If your child has a lot of problems with these rules, he may have a social communication disorder. He may also have other speech or language problems. He may have trouble talking with others or making friends.

A speech-language pathologist, or SLP, helps people with social communication problems. The SLP can test speech and language skills. The SLP can then help your child learn how to use language with different people and in different situations.

Please visit the ASHA website for more information.

Feeding and Swallowing Disorders in Children

Your child may have a feeding or swallowing problem if she:

  • Arches her back or stiffens when feeding
  • Cries or fusses when feeding
  • Falls asleep when feeding
  • Has problems breast feeding
  • Has trouble breathing while eating and drinking
  • Refuses to eat or drink
  • Eats only certain textures, such as soft food or crunchy food
  • Takes a long time to eat
  • Has problems chewing
  • Coughs or gags during meals
  • Drools a lot or has liquid come out her mouth or nose
  • Gets stuffy during meals
  • Has a gurgly, hoarse, or breathy voice during or after meals
  • Spits up or throws up a lot
  • Is not gaining weight or growing
For additional information please visit ASHA

Childhood Apraxia of Speech

  • lack of strong canonical babbling (ma-ma-ma-ma, da-da-da-da)
  • low verbalizations
  • uses more gestures & made-up signs
  • words emerge, then disappear
  • early feeding issues, drooling,
  • limited vowel and consonant productions; lack variety of vowels and consonants
  • produces isolated vowels or consonants for a “word”; low # of syllable structures
  • sound preferences; syllable preferences
  • limited intonation
  • quiet infant; late cooing; late babbling
  • late onset first words

References:
(DAVIS & VELLEMAN, 2000; CASPARI & JAKIELSKI, 2010)
Hoffman, ISHA 2-7-20

Modified Animal Sounds
  • Owl (hoo-hoo)
  • Dog (wooh-wooh)
  • Cat (me-ow)
  • Horse (eee; neigh-neigh)
  • Cow (moo-moo)
  • Pig (oy-oy)
  • Sheep (baa-baa)
  • Duck (waa-waa)
  • Chicken (baw-baw)
  • Monkey (oo-oo-ah-ah)
  • donkey(hee-haw)
  • Wolf (ah-oo)
Play With Vowels
  • ee-oo(yucky)
  • awww(so cute)
  • Ow! (that hurts)
  • Uh-oh 
  • Oooo
  • Oh! (surprise)
  • Ee-i-ee-i-oh
  • ahhh(yawn sound)
  • Oo-ee-oo-ee
  • Eye (ah-ee)
  • Ahhh!(scared)
Reference: Hoffman, ISHA 2-7-20
  • P-b (pop hand near lips)
  • T-d (tap above top lip)
  • K-g (touch back of throat area)
  • M (close thumb to fingers near mouth and slide to the right)
  • N (touch right side of nose)
  • W(make circle motion around your puckered lips)
  • S-Z (two open hands with palms facing out up near chin moving back and forth in short motions)
  • F-v (place four fingres on top of thumb near side of mouth)
  • Sh-zh (place pointer finger near lips like when you say “shhhh”)
  • Ch-j (closed fist facing out near side of mouth with one pushing motion)
  • L (pointer finger flipping up and out near upper lip)
  • y(open thumb and pointer finger place right below chin with other fingers curled under
Reference: Hoffman, ISHA 2-7-20

Additional resources: https://www.apraxia-kids.org/

These are words you may want to encourage your toddler to use by consistently modeling throughout the day

  • No
  • Yes/yeah
  • Want
  • Go
  • My/mine
  • You
  • What
  • On/off
  • In/out
  • Here
  • That
  • More
  • Some
  • Help
  • All done

Reference: Hoffman, ISHA 2-7-20