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In the Unitยญed States, there are many chilยญdren ages three to 17 diagยญnosed with some sort of speech disยญorยญder. Accordยญing to staยญtisยญtics, 7.7 perยญcent of these chilยญdren in the Unitยญed States strugยญgle with issues that are relatยญed to swalยญlowยญing, voice, lanยญguage, or speech.Indeed, speech disยญabilยญiยญty is a severe issue. Some parยญents might not conยญsidยญer this as someยญthing seriยญous. Howยญevยญer, chilยญdren with speech disยญorยญders and are not treatยญed earยญly can hinยญder their day-to-day rouยญtine until adultยญhood. This can impact their job appliยญcaยญtion, social life, and othยญer aspects in their entire adulthood.Parยญents should be all ears when it comes to speech disยญorยญders. Some causยญes of speech disยญabilยญiยญty are:
Emoยญtionยญal stress
Childยญhood trauยญma or infection
Supยญpresยญsion
Genetยญic abnormalities
Brain or nerve damage
Issues in musยญcles or bones
Once you notice your chilยญdren havยญing difยญfiยญculยญty comยญmuยญniยญcatยญing, itโs recยญomยญmendยญed to address these issues as soon as possible.You can enroll your chilยญdren in virยญtuยญal speech therยญaยญpy classยญes to ensure that this issue doesnโt go on until adulthood.
On top of online speech therยญaยญpy sesยญsions, you can still pracยญtice speech therยญaยญpy at home. Here are some ways on how you can develยญop your childrenโs speech even at home.1- Ask Open-Endยญed QuestionsSome chilยญdren who have difยญfiยญculยญty in conยญversยญing can become shy because they canโt express themยญselves. Itโs betยญter to avoid this and encourยญage them always to comยญmuยญniยญcate, espeยญcialยญly when at home. Try to strike a conยญverยญsaยญtion with your chilยญdren, even if it means askยญing them simยญple questions.To get them to talk more, try to ask more open-endยญed quesยญtions. Instead of askยญing them โYes or Noโ quesยญtions, try to ask quesยญtions that need more detailed answers. This way, they can try to explain themยญselves. Please corยญrect them and guide them whenยญevยญer theyโre speaking.Also, try to ask quesยญtions that have no right or wrong answers. Some chilยญdren might be scared of answerยญing for fear of givยญing the wrong answers. And this will bring down their self-confidence.Assure them that the quesยญtions donโt have a right or wrong answer. Ask them quesยญtions like:
What is your favorite food, and why?
What do you think about the trees outside?
Why do you like to play your favorite games?
Who is the perยญson you look up to the most?
Why do you think school is important?
Try to ask some quesยญtions every day and spend some time sitยญting down so he can verยญbalยญize the ideas in his head.Someยญtimes, disยญtracยญtions arenโt good when a kid is tryยญing to explain himยญself. So, make sure that you talk with him face to face withยญout any othยญer distractions.
2- Listen Carefully
As menยญtioned, itโs betยญter to talk with your chilยญdren face to face when pracยญticยญing speech therยญaยญpy at home. This will give them the impresยญsion that you care about their answers.Whenยญevยญer youโre doing some houseยญhold chores while talkยญing to your chilยญdren, they might think that they donโt have to give a seriยญous answer because youโre not givยญing 100 perยญcent of your attenยญtion to them.Always look at them in the eye and valยญiยญdate their responsยญes. Try to comยญfort them whenยญevยญer theyโre havยญing a difยญfiยญcult time explainยญing themselves.The worse thing that can hapยญpen when doing speech therยญaยญpy at home is when your chilยญdren are all-out in expressยญing themยญselves and youโre busy doing the dishยญes. This doesnโt show that youโre givยญing them 100 perยญcent of your time and supยญport in helpยญing them get better.
3- Make Them Read More
Readยญing offers a myrยญiยญad of benยญeยญfits. There is also a corยญreยญlaยญtion between readยญing and speakยญing. Readยญing a lot helps us improve our speech and comยญmuยญniยญcaยญtion skills.This is because we get more familยญiar with the sounds, gramยญmatยญiยญcal errors, spelling patยญterns, and more. When you let your chilยญdren read more, youโre introยญducยญing them to difยญferยญent writยญing tones. This will enable them to garยญner ideas on cerยญtain sitยญuยญaยญtions and will impact the way they express themselves.Make them read their favorite books. As much as posยญsiยญble, let them read the same books over and over again until they familยญiarยญize the vocabยญuยญlarยญies. Readยญing also helps widen your childrenโs vocabulary.The more words they know, the more they know how to express their ideas. Also, while readยญing, you can always ask them quesยญtions to engage in conยญverยญsaยญtions. Ask them about the picยญtures or ask them what they think about the sitยญuยญaยญtions, charยญacยญters, or scenes.
4- Do Speech Therapy Exercises
Make it a habit to do speech therยญaยญpy exerยญcisยญes with your kid at home. The advanยญtage of doing these at home is that it wonโt seem like a โclassโ or someยญthing mandatory.You can creยญate games that involve pracยญticยญing their speech. For examยญple, you can try to show them picยญture cards of aniยญmals. Once you show them a parยญticยญuยญlar aniยญmal, you can ask them to imiยญtate the aniยญmal sound.There are many speech therยญaยญpy activยญiยญties you can do with your chilยญdren. Always make it engagยญing. Comยญmuยญniยญcaยญtion is a two-way street. Also, nevยญer repยญriยญmand your chilยญdren if they make a misยญtake, as this might disยญcourยญage them. Instead, corยญrect them with a posยญiยญtive note.
5- Make It Fun
Last but not least, always make your speech therยญaยญpy at home fun and enjoyยญable. A child has a very short attenยญtion span. They can easยญiยญly get disยญtractยญed and can only focus for a few minยญutes. Howยญevยญer, if you make the activยญiยญties fun, they will try their best to join in on the fun.If you also ensure that you engage them every step of the way, they will likeยญly focus their attenยญtion on you or on the activยญiยญty. Whatยญevยญer you do, always spend speech therยญaยญpy sesยญsions at home with a smile and some laughยญter. This way, your child will nevยญer feel like itโs โhomeยญwork.โ
Conclusion
Speech therยญaยญpy is cruยญcial to improve and develยญop your childโs speech disยญorยญder. Whether someยญone young or old has speech disยญabilยญiยญties, itโs recยญomยญmendยญed to act on it immeยญdiยญateยญly. Please donโt take this issue for grantยญed, as it can have a grave impact on a personโs day-to-day life.Eliza Brooks has writยญten this artiยญcle, Eliza is a pasยญsionยญate blogยญger and she loves to write about perยญsonยญalยญiยญty develยญopยญment, menยญtal and physยญiยญcal disยญabilยญiยญties, and ways to overยญcome them effecยญtiveยญly. She is curยญrentยญly workยญing with Verยญboso, which offers online speech therยญaยญpy for chilยญdren to improve their speakยญing skills.
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