How to help

In several of my articles, comments were left not only by parents of special children but also by mothers concerned that their child understands everything, is developing normally, and is already 2.5-3 years old, yet still has not developed speech, while their peers are chatting away.

 

 

I believe that in such situations, it is necessary first and foremost to visit a good speech therapist and neurologist in person, as these specialists know what is normal and what is not, where you can wait and "it will come on its own," and where you need to work right now.

However, there are unpredictable situations, such as the quarantine this year, when it is difficult to get anywhere, conduct examinations, and organize classes. So that the parents of "quiet" children do not waste time, I decided to gather here some tips for activities with 2-3 year olds that will help stimulate speech and will definitely not be unnecessary while you wait for the opportunity to see specialists.

What games and activities help speech development?

? Sound Imitations

An old, proven, and effective way to get a child talking. Sound imitations are used by speech therapists not only to stimulate speech in normally developing children but also in cases of severe speech disorders.

Sound imitations are great because they can be incorporated through play and everyday life: The doll cries: "WAA-WAA," the bell rings: "DING-DING," the dog barks: "WOOF-WOOF," the rain falls: "PITTER-PATTER," and so on.

At first, when the child does not speak at all, you can just use sound imitations - for example, showing a dog, say "woof-woof." When the child starts to say sound imitations, you should start adding the "adult" word: the child says "woof-woof," but you already say: "The dog barks 'woof-woof,'" and then eventually just "The dog barks." This way, you will gradually lead the child from sound imitations to adult speech.

Also, poems are good for sound imitations. The most famous sound imitation rhyme is "In the Birdyard". You can also find such verses online:

 

 

? Articulation Gymnastics

Will help prepare the mouth muscles for speech, stretch the frenum of the tongue if it is too short.

The exercises can be very diverse. If the child can repeat, you can perform such a complex:

 

 

If the child is uninterested/cannot repeat, there are variations of articulation gymnastics with food. This rarely leaves anyone indifferent ????

 

 

You can also:

• Lick jam/melted ice cream off a saucer;
• Spread sweet stuff on the child's lips so they lick them;
• Blow on hot tea/cocoa (without puffing the cheeks);
• Pick grapes and currants off with lips.

IMPORTANT: each exercise should be done at least 5 times for 5 seconds. When the child gets used to it, you should gradually increase the time to 7-10 seconds.

I remind you that the motor center for speech in the brain is located next to the center that controls fine motor skills, so by developing the hands, we develop speech. The link above has a detailed overview of such games.

? Reading with Pictures Instead of Words

Children like this and it leaves few indifferent. The idea is that you read short, understandable stories to the child where there are words, and the child fills in the words with the pictures as best they can.

 

 

You can find similar stories online by searching for "stories with pictures instead of words".

What is important to know before starting activities?

• For good results, regular activities at least 4 times a week are important. Little will change with just once a week;
• When working with the child, do not scold them for mistakes, but gently correct them, explaining why you do it that way;
• Switch to another game if you see signs of fatigue (distracted gaze, yawning);
• Praise and encourage any successes, while not focusing on failures;
• When the child starts to speak and does so incorrectly, in the early stages, do not impose the correct pronunciation on them;
• It is important not to ignore the child, to respond to any of their questions, even if those questions are just pointing with a finger;
• Try to find alternatives to activities like cartoons and phones. Some of them are quite good and useful, but the child will not be able to practice speech while talking to the television.

? If activities are really difficult - the child is inattentive, restless, the computer may help. In my time, I found a good website that had posted speech therapy activities in flash form. The visual material and sound accompaniment captivated and made even my son with sensory-motor alalia do something. Below is a link to 10 free lessons with various tasks.