Tuesday, July 3, 2012
What you Need to Know About Speech Disorders
My daughter started talking very early. Everyone was amazed at how clearly she could speak considering she wasn't even two years old yet. The only problem was, she stuttered. Once she finally got the ball rolling, she spoke great, but it always started out with, "M-m-m-m-m-ommmy, can I have some milk?"
Since she's our first child, we didn't know if this was normal or whether we need to intervene. Luckily we spoke to our pediatrician about it right away and he advised us not to say anything to her. He said that if she was just given time and we didn't damage her self-esteem by correcting her, that it would likely resolve on its own.
And I'm happy to say that it did. She is almost four now and speaks without even a hint of a stutter. Most people probably won't even remember that she ever went through that phase. We were lucky, but many people are not so lucky and do need a bit of guidance on helping their child.
Jacky Gilchrist specializes in writing about health and medical topics. She writes a blog for Speech Buddies, a company that offers speech therapy products to parents and speech therapists. Gilchrist contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if she could guest-post here, giving my readers some insight into what is normal and what isn't. Gilchrist covers topics such as coping with specific speech disorders, encouraging vocalization, and navigating the legal procedures involved with special education.
Does My Child Have a Speech Disorder?
Figure 1 Image source: thebabycorner.com
It’s perfectly natural to worry about your child and wonder if he is developing at a rate that is on target for his age level. The world of pediatrics is overflowing with milestone charts that measure everything from gross motor skills to cognitive abilities to language and speech development. Just remember that every child develops at his own pace. Avoid panicking if, for example, your one-year-old is a little slow to point to his a picture in a book upon request. While this is considered to be the target age for that particular skill, some toddlers simply need a bit more time.
That said, you know your child best. If you feel that he might show signs of a speech disorder or delay, it’s always best to take him to a speech-languagepathologist (SLP), or speech therapist, sooner rather than later. If your child does require speech therapy, starting a treatment program before he enters elementary school is preferable. This way, a speech problem is less likely to hold him back academically.
However, the SLP might also recommend waiting in certain cases, depending on the age of your child and his specific issues. Under some circumstances, your child’s speech and language might “catch up” with the target level for his age group.
Common Signs of Speech Disorders
The term “speech disorder” covers everything from stuttering to dysarthria (a neurological condition that compromises oral-motor muscles). While it’s impossible to cover every speech and language issue in one article, here are a few of the common signs to watch out for.
Articulation Disorders
Children with articulation disorders have trouble producing sounds. Some sounds may be omitted entirely, while others may be pronounced incorrectly. For example, you may notice that your toddler says “gog” instead of “dog.” Your child may also add extra sounds onto words, or he might simply be very difficult to understand.
Figure 2 Image source: healthkicker.com
Phonological Disorders
A child with a phonological disorder makes certain patterns of speech errors. He is able to correctly pronounce sounds, but fails to apply the proper rules of language. If your child has a phonological disorder, you will likely notice that he makes the same speech errors consistently. He probably also simplifies words by leaving off sounds. You might notice that your child can correctly pronounce the “b” in “blue,” for example, but he avoids saying the “b” in “tub.”
Expressive/Receptive Language Disorders
An expressive language disorder means that your child has problems selecting and using words to express himself. A receptive language disorder means that your child has difficulty understanding spoken or written language. A child could also have a mixed expressive/receptive language disorder. Some of the common signs of the former include slow acquisition of words, delays in babbling, and problems with the rules of language. Children with a receptive language disorder may appear to be ignoring a person who speaks to them, may have trouble following directions, and may frequently repeat words and phrases. This repetition of spoken language is called echolalia; it can also be a sign of other speech and language problems.
These are just a few of the speech and language issues that speech therapists commonly treat. Check out the American Speech-Language-HearingAssociation’s website for a more comprehensive resource on speech and language in children.
Speech and Language Milestones
I’d like to stress again that every child develops differently. Use these speech and language milestones as a general guide to the development of your child.
Figure 3 Image source: mothersspace.in
Birth to 1-Year
By the time a child is three months old, he typically begins to react to noises and make cooing noises.
By the time a child is six months old, he typically begins to babble with various sounds, including “m,” “b,” and “p.” He also giggles, attentively listens to music, and looks in the direction of sounds.
By the time a child is one year old, he typically recognizes common words (like “juice”) and can respond to them. He also babbles with groups of sounds, like “bibibibi.” He may articulate one or two simple words, like “mama.”
One to Two Years
By the time a child is about one year old, he typically will point to pictures in a book or to a specific body part upon request.
He will often begin to follow simple directions.
By the time he is two years old, he will typically speak about 50 words. He can typically link two words together, like “What’s that?”
His articulation may still be unclear much of the time, but parents will typically understand some of the words.
Three to Four Years
By the time a child is three years old, he may speak 250 to 500 words. He will also typically link three to four words together in a simple sentence.
By age four, a child will typically speak in complete sentences, speak clearly enough for non-family members to understand, and answer simple questions.
If you’re concerned at all about your child’s speech and language development, it’s always best to consult a speech therapist. She can assess your child’s development to determine if there is indeed an issue. She can also advise you as to whether waiting or initiating speech therapy would be effective for your child’s individual needs.
If you enjoyed this post, you will love my book! It was released in July, 2012 and was co-written by me and Susan Case, a Kindergarten Teacher. In this unique book, we will help you save your sanity! If you have ever tried to cook dinner while your kid clings to your leg and cries, this is the book for you! We worked together to give a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that we could give you activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity. Kids behave better when they are given challenging projects to work on, which will in turn give you more free time to do the things you really need to do, like washing dishes, paying bills, and relaxing so that you can be a better Mom!
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Sunday, July 1, 2012
Things I Never Thought I Would Say
These are things I never thought I would say, yet here I am...saying them anyway...
1. I have mini-van envy. I have to admit that it would be heavenly to have doors that magically opened and then have the kids be able to easily scramble up in the car without me lugging them up there. Mini-vans might not be cool, but I want one.
2. It turns out Sesame Street isn't as annoying as I thought it was before I had kids. At least compared to Yo Gabba Gabba and many others.
3. I love it when I get to sleep in until 6. Yes, I said sleep in since I normally have to get up at 5.
4. I love the Real Housewives of New Jersey. And the Bachelorette. Despite, many years of resisting and thinking I was too cool, it turns out there is a reason these shows are popular. They rule.
5. I am a published author!! I honestly never thought it would happen. Yet it did! More on that to come...the e-book will be ready tomorrow on Amazon and the actual book is at the printer's as we speak, but here is a sneak peek at the final cover....
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Thursday, June 28, 2012
Making Jelly With Grandma
Sometimes I forget how fun the library is. It's been so hot lately (over 103 yesterday), so earlier this week we went to the library in the afternoon. While we were there, Munchkin Girl picked out several books, one of which was Berries to Jelly, which describes something this culinary-challenged Mom has never even considered doing: making home-made jelly.
Munchkin Girl was very intrigued by this book and we read it about 10 times that first day. That night, she was cuddled up in Daddy's lap reading it and she looked up at him and said, "I'm not super good at making jelly."
We had to try not to laugh because she looked so distraught and sad at her inability to make jelly. He replied, "Don't worry. I'm not super good at it either. But you know who is? Grandmother!"
I called Grandmother that night and invited ourselves over for a jelly-making party. My Mom went too, and once we got there, I couldn't believe how silly I was for not doing this kind of thing more often. I'm not usually the sentimental type, but there is something truly special about spending time with four generations of women, and doing something memorable, like making strawberry jelly.
Munchkin Girl helped us stir in all the ingredients and she was so thrilled to make jam after she had read about in her book so many times. We left Little Buddy at home so that we wouldn't risk him trying to tackle us while we cooked. (You laugh. It's happened before. He's a wild man.)
My Grandma's recipe is really easy and doesn't require any long cooking of strawberries, so if you want to make your own jelly, give this a shot:
Ingredients:
- One 20 ounce bag of frozen strawberries (My grandma says they stopped making 20 ounce bags, but you really need the 20 ounces so you might need to buy two bags)
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 package Sure Jell (you will find this by the canning section. Here is what it looks like)
- First, thaw the strawberries. You can try microwaving them on PL-5 for about 4-5 minutes
- Blend them in the blender until there are no chunks
- Mix with 4 cups of sugar, and then let sit for 10 minutes
- Now, in a small sauce pan, mix 3/4 cup water with the Sur Jell. Bring to a boil and then stir constantly for 1 minute
- Next, pour Sure Jell mixture into Strawberry mixture and stir for 3 minutes
- Pour into jars and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature to give time to set up
- Refrigerate or freeze as desired
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Monday, June 25, 2012
Easy Craft: Paper Tissue Flowers
If you want to thrill a 3 year old girl, let her make some paper flowers and then leave them on the table for a centerpiece! We did this last week and Munchkin Girl even used them for her tea party with her dolls. I heard her telling them, "You see, if you want to make a flower, you just pull this here and here. It's really easy. Don't worry...You can do it later, when you get bigger."
For this project, you need to buy some flower wire from Hobby Lobby. Other than that, all you need is tissue paper. First, you will to cut down a piece of tissue paper into a bunch of squares (probably about 12 inch by 12 inch). Depending on your child's age, you might have to do this part yourself. Then you will fold it over itself several times until it is a long skinny rectangle. Then you will wrap the wire around the middle and around itself.
Now you can give it to your child and have her pull the pieces apart. They have to slowly peel them apart one by one. This takes a lot of concentration and was great for working on her fine motor skill, which as I've learned is what makes kids ready to write later. It also makes it prettier if you snip off the end before you start, into a circle or something fun, to give the flower more texture.
And now, the finished product...I do realize this might seem confusing and weird, but it really is fun if you can figure it out. To help you, I made a video. Just click the photo below and it will take you to the video where you can see step-by-step instructions.
As you all probably know by now, my baby-sitter is a miracle worker. She took our paper flowers a step further and I asked if I could share it with you. She also makes roses from crepe paper. This isn't really something that little kids can help with, but if you have that creative gene, you might enjoy doing this part too and then it makes for an even cooler centerpiece when you add them all together. For this part you will use crepe paper instead of tissue paper. Ins't that amazing that the roses below are made of paper?? Just click the photo below and it will take you to the video on how to make these paper roses.
I sure wish I could say that I'm one one in that video, making those superb roses. But alas, I'm not a magician. I'm just a Mom with zero artistic skill. If you are like me, my advice to you is to stick to the easy ones. If you are brave enough to try the fancy roses, send me a picture...just because I can't do the art doesn't mean I can't appreciate it!
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