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Speech Therapy: Articulation Delay
Your child's evaluation at Pediatric Therapy Services, Inc. indicates that he/she has an articulation delay. Articulation refers to the actual speech sounds that make up words (i.e. "b, t, f"..), as well as how the sounds are put together to produce syllables, words, and sentences. Skilled speech therapy, when combined with consistent practice of learned skills at home offers your child an excellent chance at overcoming his/her speech delay. The following tips may assist you in helping your child reach his/her therapy goals.
- Be a good listener
- Be a good speech model
- Correct productions of sounds takes time
- Your child needs to know when you don't understand him/her
- Give your child accurate and positive feedback
Pay attention to what your child is saying, not how he/she is saying it. Constant correcting can make a child feel badly about speaking. It's okay for them to make mistakes.
Speak slowly. Repeat your child's words back to him/her using correct pronunciation (e.g., child says "Wets doh", you might say "Yes, let's go"). Even though some mispronunciations are cute and we may be tempted to imitate our child's productions, remember that children learn by listening. They need to hear it correctly in order to produce it correctly.
Breaking habits is hard work. Be patient and don't expect immediate results. Your child needs encouragement and a lot of practice.
Admit that you don't understand. Give him/her a chance to "try again", using words, gestures, etc. Repeat what you can understand and encourage attempts to self-correct.
Avoid saying, "You said that wrong". Instead, try saying, "Is it a 'tink' or a 'sink'?". Always praise accurate productions using words like "I like the way you said your /f/ sound!".
Source:http://www.speechdelay.com/testrosettarticulation.htm
Speech Activities for Home
¤ While watching TV, listen for 10 words containing the target sound. After listing the words that were heard, practice them 3 times each.
¤ While reading books, have the child listen for words containing the target sound and practice them.
¤ Get a list of target sounds in words from your SLP. Find pictures of these words in magazines, from internet resources, etc. With the cards, have your child:
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put the cards on the refrigerator and say the words before and after dinner.
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put a piece of cereal on each card and say the word and eat the cereal.
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drive a toy car over the cards while he/she names them.
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throw the cards in a can while he/she names them/
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put a paper clip on the cards, pick them up with a magnet and say them.
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flip each card with a spatula each time he/she says a word.
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toss a penny or bean bag and name the card it lands on.
¤ Relax and have a good time practicing; if practicing causes too much stress or frustrates your child, quit for a few days and then try again later. Remember to keep it enjoyable!
*Typical Speech Sound
Development:
¤ 90% of children can produce these
sounds by age 3-4 years:
/p/ /m/ /h/ /w/ /b/
¤ 90% of children can produce these
sounds by age 4-5years:
/k/ /g/ /d/ /f/ /v/ /y/ /t/
¤ 90% of children can produce these
sounds by age 6-7 years:
/ing/
¤ 90% of children can produce these
sounds by age 7-7.5 years:
/r/ /l/ /z/ /s/ /ch/ /sh/ /j/
¤ 90% of children can produce these
sounds by age 8-8.5 years:
/th - voiced/ /th-unvoiced/
*Source: http://mi001.k12.sd.us/speech.htm
Additional Resources:
"Help Your Child Learn to Speak Clearly" http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/~inglemjo/spcharts.html
"Phonology Homework Ideas and Worksheets"
