The ABC’s of Stuttering in Children

by Courtenay M. Articulation Disorders Language Development News Parents' Corner Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques

 

What is causing my child to stutter and how long will it last? Image Courtesy of Shutterstock

What Causes Stuttering and Can It Be Fixed?  Image Courtesy of Shutterstock

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which words, sounds or syllables are repeated or last longer than normal. Stuttering, also called stammering or disfluency, causes a break or a pause in the flow of speech. Young children may stutter when they are first developing their speech and language skills. The stuttering occurs when their speech skills cannot keep up with what they are trying to say. Stumbling over words or speech affects about five percent of children, and generally lasts for several weeks or several years.  Most children outgrow this stuttering phase within their first four years.

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Super Low Cost Speech Therapy Tips and Tricks!

by Courtenay M. Articulation Disorders Arts and Crafts At Home Ideas Language Development News Parents' Corner School Speech delay Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques State Resources
Activities such as blowing bubbles are excellent low cost speech therapy activities that you can do at home!

Activities such as blowing bubbles are excellent low cost speech therapy activities that you can do at home!

Speech and language disorders affect children of all races and social-economic groups. If left untreated, speech disorders can affect a child’s ability to interact and communicate with others. Parents are constantly searching for low cost speech therapy tools and ideas. But where do you begin? The Internet is jam-packed with tools, gadgets, whistles and websites that can be confusing and misleading for parents. We have narrowed down a few low cost speech therapy ideas for you to try. Of course, we always recommend that you check in with your pediatrician or licensed speech therapist first before taking on any therapies on your own.

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Is Delayed Speech More Common in Boys Than Girls?

by Courtenay M. Language Development Parents' Corner Speech delay Speech Disorders
Are Boys Speech Delayed More Often Than Girls?Image courtesy of Flickr.com

Is Delayed Speech More Common in Boys Than Girls? Image courtesy of Flickr.com

Ahh, the weekly playgroup! Another situation where you realize that every single toddler in the room seems to be speaking in clear sentences except for your son? Of course, the reasoning side of your brain is telling you NOT to compare your child to others, but the emotional side tells you that it’s hard not to compare when you are witnessing it for yourself. Is my son’s delayed speech normal? Like everything else child-development related, children learn at different rates. Your child may be swinging a golf club like Tiger Woods, or he can do triple flips on the trampoline, but he still cannot speak in complete and clear sentences. It’s okay. There is real research that indicates many boys start talking later than girls.

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The Most Common Articulation Disorders

by Courtenay M. Articulation Disorders Language Development Parents' Corner Pronunciation & Lisps Speech Disorders Speech Errors Speech Therapist

 

What Are Some Common Articulation Disorders? Image Courtesy of Gillberg Centre.

What Are Some Common Articulation Disorders? Image Courtesy of Gillberg Centre.

Speech and language articulation is the process by which a person forms words. This is done with different parts of the mouth, jaw, tongue, lips, palate and teeth. A child is considered to have an articulation disorder is if he or she is unable to produce the right sounds to communicate clearly and effectively. Articulation disorders are generally characterized by substituting one sound for another (wide for ride), omitting a particular sound (ban for band) or distorting a sound (sip for ship). Young children often make speech errors, however if these continue past a certain age, they are considered articulation disorders. Children by the age of 8 should be able to produce all sounds in English correctly.

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Easy At Home Speech Therapy Ideas

by Courtenay M. At Home Ideas Games and Activities Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Parents can conduct at-home speech therapy techniques with their children with easy, everyday activities.

Parents can conduct at-home speech therapy techniques with their children with easy, everyday activities.

For a child with any type of speech delay or language problem, professional speech therapy is an invaluable tool.  Therapy does not have to be limited to visit to a speech therapists office however. There are many options for parents who are looking for a little help in dealing with their child’s speech disorder. Often, professional speech therapists are expensive, not covered by insurance and sometimes just not a feasible option for families living in rural areas. Additionally, if your child is visiting a speech therapist regularly, there are times (such as Summer vacation) where at home therapy can help keep your child progressing. What are some “at home” options for your child?  Do they really work? Many of you are thinking, “I am not a certified speech therapist”, where would I even begin to start?

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Tips for Building Early Language Skills with Your Child

by Courtenay M. Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner School Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques
child reading with mom

Reading with your child is one of the best ways to help build language skills. Source: news.appstate.com

Mama!  Dada!! Like many parents, you have likely been waiting months for your child to finally say a real word!  Sure, the grunts, pointing and babbling sounds are cute, but that moment your child utters her first word is priceless!   Once the first word is spoken however, there is no turning back. What was once a semi-peaceful trip to the grocery store is now filled with endless, “Ball”, “Mama”, “Apple”, “Want Dat”.  Car rides are no longer excuses to escape with Adam Levine.  Instead the sounds of “Stop,” “Go”, “Car”, “Fire Truck” are yelled triumphantly and continuously from the back seat. Are there ways in which parents can start building speech and language skills early?  How early is too early?
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Word-Final Disfluencies: How Can I Help My Child?

by Chris O Language Development Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Word-final Disfluencies

Word-final disfluencies are often classified as forms of stuttering that occur at the ends of words or sentences. However, the treatments for this disfluency type are often more typical of therapies used for other disfluencies and not necessarily stuttering. Image source: busybeespeech.blogspot.com

Uniqueness is a beautiful thing – unless that is it comes to struggling to find a diagnosis and treatment plan for an uncommon speech disorder. Then unique can translate to undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, either one of which can be frustrating and challenging for families. If you’re a parent of a child with word-final disfluency, chances are that at least one time you’ve been told that your child’s speech pattern is unique, but not necessarily something to worry about or for which to seek therapy. Unique can be beautiful, but if you’ve got that feeling in your parental gut about that not-so-normal-stuttering speech pattern, there are steps you can take to help your child. Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Listening Games for Kids

by Chris O Games and Activities Language Development Reading Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques

Can you make a list of 13,000 words you know? This is the average vocabulary for 6 year-olds who are developing communication skills at a typical rate. However, for many children who are struggling with speech and communication skills, that vocabulary list is much shorter. Sue McCandlish, an Education and Speech Pathology professional, developed the model below that outlines how valuable listening is to the overall model of communication. She encourages teachers and parents to engage the “working memory” of children through listening games and activities. So why not get in the holiday mood and try some Thanksgiving listening games for kids? Continue reading →

Turkey Time! Thanksgiving Activities for Kids with Language-Based Learning Disabilities

by Chris O Games and Activities Language Development Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques
Thanksgiving Activities for Kids with Language-Based Learning Disorders

Check out our book list of Thanksgiving treasures to read aloud to the kids. Then see if they can retell the story to you in their own words. Image source: www.notimeforflashcards.com

Language-based learning disabilities (LBLDs) encompass a wide range of challenges related to language, including spoken, written, and implied. A child with LBLD needs extra support, both in and out of the classroom, involving guidance by healthcare professionals and possibly speech therapy. You can help support the overall goals of improved communication skills by implementing games at home – and the holiday season means it is the perfect time to try these Thanksgiving activities for kids with language-based learning disabilities. Continue reading →

Gobble, Gobble! 10 Thanksgiving Speech Therapy Games

by Chris O Games and Activities Language Development Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques

Thanksgiving Speech Therapy Games

Image Courtesy of www.covermytimeline.com

It’s almost turkey time, so get the holiday started off right with a few Thanksgiving speech therapy games that build articulation skills and improve communication – in a fun and engaging way.

Gobble Up Articulation with These 10 Thanksgiving Speech Therapy Games!

1. Fill a Cornucopia of Vocabulary Words – You can play this activity for several days and use either an actual cornucopia (I have both a decorative wire one and wicker ones), or print one like this and have your child color it. Then cut pieces of paper into small shapes – I like to make pumpkins, corn, and other simple festive shapes on orange, red, yellow, and brown paper. Work with your child on building target vocabulary words and every time one is considered “achieved” or “mastered”, add it to the cornucopia. If you’re using a paper version, just glue or tape the words on the paper cornucopia and hang it in an area of the house that is easy for your child to see. Continue reading →