Speech & Language

Did you know that good speech and language skills support academic skills, such as listening, speaking, reading fluency, and reading comprehension? Here are a few ideas for activities you can do at home.

YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN LANGUAGE SKILLS BY…
  • Talking, reading, and playing with your child.
  • Listening and responding to what your child says.
  • Talking with your child in the language that you are most comfortable using.
  • Teaching your child to speak another language, if you speak one.
  • Talking about what you do and what your child does during the day.
  • Using a lot of different words with your child.
  • Using longer sentences, as your child gets older.
YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN SOCIAL SKILLS BY…
  • Having your child play with other children.
  • Demonstrating pretend play while playing with your child. (For example, having a pretend tea party with stuffed animals, or pretending to put out a fire with stuffed animals as firefighters.)
  • Play turn-taking games with your child, such as rolling a ball back and forth, taking turns during hide and seek, or taking turns adding blocks to build a tower.
YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN ARTICULATION SKILLS BY…
  • Saying sounds the right way when you talk. Your child needs good speech models.
  • Not correcting speech sounds. It is okay if your child says some sounds the wrong way.
YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN FLUENCY SKILLS BY…
  • Giving your child time to talk.
  • Not interrupting or stopping your child while he speaks.
  • Noticing if your child gets upset when stuttering. Pay attention to how she speaks. Children who stutter may close their eyes or move their face or body when talking.

Hearing loss can impact your child’s ability to develop speech and language skills.

HEARING SCREENINGS IN PERRY TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS

The speech-language pathologists in Perry Township Schools conduct hearing screenings with all students in grades 1, 4, 7, and 10 every school year. A hearing screening is a very brief test done with an audiometer. If a student does not pass the initial screening, a second screening is completed a few weeks later. If a student does not pass the second screening, parents are notified and recommended to follow up with an audiologist for further hearing testing.

Hearing screenings are also attempted with preschool students participating in an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services.

MORE INFORMATION

You can read more about hearing from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association by using the following links.

Children all over the world learn more than one language at a time. Learning another language will not cause or worsen speech or language problems. Bilingual children develop language skills just as other children do.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT AS MY CHILD LEARNS MULTIPLE LANGUAGES?
  • Most bilingual children speak their first words by the time they are 1 year old. By age 2, most children can use two-word phrases. Phrases like “my ball” or “more juice” can be in one or both languages.
  • From time to time, children may mix grammar rules. They might use words from both languages in the same sentence. This is a normal part of becoming bilingual.
  • Some children may not talk much when they start using a second language. This “silent period” can last for several months. This is normal and will go away.
WHAT OPTIONS DO I HAVE FOR TEACHING MY CHILD TO BE BILINGUAL?
  • Use two languages from the start. Many children grow up learning two languages at the same time.
  • Use only one language at home. Your child can learn the second language when he starts school.
  • Give your child many chances to hear and practice both languages during the day.
  • Your child might have trouble using both languages. In this case, talk to your child in the language you know best. You should do this even if your child uses a different language at school. A good language model gives your child the skills he needs to learn other languages.
WHAT ARE SOME WAYS I CAN HELP MY CHILD?
  • Books. You can read to your child in both languages. You can find the books you need at bookstores, at libraries, and on the Internet.
  • Music. Singing is a great way to introduce a second language to your child. And, it can be a lot of fun!
  • TV and videos. Children’s programs are available in many languages. These programs teach children about numbers, letters, colors, and simple words.
  • Language programs. Children can learn other languages at camps or in bilingual school programs. These give children the chance to use two languages with other children.

You can read more information about multilingualism from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association here.

Children can have trouble with speech, language, or both.

  • Having trouble understanding what others say is a receptive language disorder.
  • Having trouble sharing our thoughts, ideas, and feelings is an expressive language disorder.
  • It is possible to have both a receptive and an expressive language problem.
  • When children have trouble saying sounds, stutter when they speak, or have voice problems, they have a speech disorder.

Students with speech or language disorders may receive therapy from an SLP, or speech-language pathologist.

SIGNS OF LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
Birth–3 months Not smiling or playing with others
4–7 months Not babbling
7–12 months Making only a few sounds. Not using gestures, like waving or pointing.
7 months–2 years Not understanding what others say
12–18 months Saying only a few words
1½–2 years Not putting two words together
2 years Saying fewer than 50 words
2–3 years Having trouble playing and talking with other children
2½–3 years Having problems with early reading and writing. For example, your child may not like to draw or look at books.
SIGNS OF SPEECH PROBLEMS
1–2 years Not saying p, b, m, h, and w the right way in words most of the time
2–3 years Not saying k, g, f, t, d, and n the right way in words most of the time. Being hard to understand, even to people who know the child well.

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 STUTTERING

Most of us pause or repeat a sound or word when we speak. When this happens a lot, the person may stutter. Young children may stutter for a little while. This is normal and will go away over time. Signs that stuttering might not stop include:

2½–3 years Having a lot of trouble saying sounds or words

Repeating the first sounds of words, like “b-b-b-ball” for “ball”

Pausing a lot while talking

Stretching sounds out, like “fffffarm” for “farm”

You can read more information about speech and language disorders from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association here.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD IS DEVELOPING TYPICAL SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SKILLS?

Good question! You can look at developmental milestones to get an idea of expected typical development. Developmental milestones are skills that most children can do by a specific age. Use the following links to get information for your child’s age.

Language refers to the words we use and how we use them to share ideas and get what we want. This includes what words mean, how to make new words, how to put words together, and what we would say at different times.

  • What words mean, or “semantics.” Some words have more than one meaning. For example, “star” can be a bright object in the sky or someone famous.
  • How to make new words, or “morphology.” For example, we can say “friend,” “friendly,” or “unfriendly” and mean something different.
  • How to put words together, or “syntax.” For example, in English we say, “Peg walked to the new store” instead of “Peg walk store new.”
  • What we should say at different times, or “pragmatics.” For example, we might be polite and say, “Would you mind moving your foot?” But, if the person does not move, we may say, “Get off my foot!”

You can read more information from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association here.

Speech is how we say sounds and words. It includes articulation, fluency, and voice.

  • Articulation is how we make speech sounds using the mouth, lips, and tongue. For example, we need to be able to say the “r” sound to say “rabbit” instead of “wabbit.”
  • Voice is how we use our vocal folds and breath to make sounds. Our voice can be loud or soft or high- or low-pitched. We can hurt our voice by talking too much, yelling, or coughing a lot.
  • Fluency is the rhythm of our speech. We sometimes repeat sounds or pause while talking. People who do this a lot may stutter.

You can read more information from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association here.