Parents' Tips for Helping Children With Speech Problems
Posted on: 4 July 2018
If your child struggles with a speech disorder, he or she is certainly not alone. In fact, there are many children who have trouble with certain letter sounds. Recognizing the problem is only the first step, though. There are things you'll need to do in order to help your little one overcome these struggles and learn to speak clearly and correctly. Here are a couple of things to consider as you're trying to help your child overcome their speech problems.
Consult A Professional
The very first thing you should do if you've identified a speech problem is to make an appointment with a speech and language therapist. He or she will conduct a thorough evaluation of your child's speech patterns and help you determine why there's a problem — if there's an identifiable cause.
Once the struggles have all been identified, the therapist will also recommend some services to help your child improve. Some recommendations will be things that you can do with your child at home, while others will happen in the office during routine therapy appointments.
Model Proper Speech
After you've been provided with the letter sounds that your child struggles with, make an effort to model proper speech with him or her. Emphasize those letter sounds when you're talking around or to your child. Encourage others in your family and household to do the same. The more frequently your child hears the correct sounds, the more likely he or she will be to pick up those sounds themselves.
Encourage Proper Speech
There are several ways that you can encourage your child to correct their letter sound mistakes. For starters, when they mispronounce a letter sound in a word, repeat the word back as you respond, emphasizing the correct sound.
Further, provide your child with many opportunities to make those sounds, whether through general conversation or even asking questions. The more practice kids get, the easier it will be to correct the problem.
Purchase a book that teaches your child the correct sounds — such as A Child’s Guide to Pronunciation. You can find books about proper pronunciations for children through many different suppliers, and you may even be able to get one from your child's speech and language therapist. For kids who are too young to read on their own, take time to read this book with them daily. Kids who are able to read should be encouraged to read the book each day to help reinforce those sounds.
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