Looking for some summer speech/language activities?
Articulation disorders are one of the most common childhood speech disorders. Children may make speech sounds incorrectly because their articulators (teeth, jaw, tongue, etc.) are not moving correctly. Common articulation errors may include substitution errors (wed for red) and distortion errors (thand for sand-frontal lisp). Some of the most common errors are /s/, /r/, /l/, and /th/.
Speech Language Home Activities: Teach Specific Sounds to Your Child
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Books, Stories, and Games that Reinforce Specific Speech Sound Targets
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Children whose language development is significantly delayed may be considered developmentally delayed in language acquisition, or diagnosed with a language disorder. The child may lack age appropriate language comprehension and expressive abilities. This may include a delay in learning appropriate vocabulary (semantics), grammar (syntax), and social use (pragmatics) for his/her age. Language disorders can be specific to each child. For example, one student may have poor social use of language (pragmatics), but appropriate vocabulary and grammar use. Where another child may have a poor vocabulary, but appropriate grammar and social use of language. Early identification and intervention may reduce the severity of a language disorder.
Activities for Home Practice
Stuttering is a communicative disorder which is characterized by an interruption in the normal flow of speech. These "breaks" in speech may include blockages, (air flow is stopped), repetitions (roo, roo, rooster; can I go, can I go, can I go with you), or prolongations (bbbball). Secondary characteristics such as facial grimacing, arm or hand movements may occur at the time of stuttering without the person knowing. Stuttering most frequently appears in children between the ages of two and six years and may occasionally develop in school age or older children. Statistics suggest that about 3-5% of preschool to school age children will exhibit this fluency disorder called stuttering. It is more common for boys to stutter than girls. Speech therapy may be recommended and is often more successful when initiated before the age of five.
Voice disorders in children are often characterized by a voice that is too high or too low in pitch, too loud or too quiet in volume, or has a hoarse or harsh quality. Poor voice quality may be linked to some type of vocal abuse. Vocal abuse may include activities such as excessive screaming, frequent coughing or throat clearing, or speaking at an uncomfortable pitch (while imitating a character perhaps). Chronic abuse may eventually lead to a "callusing" on the vocal cords know as vocal nodules. If a voice disorder is suspected, the child should first be referred to an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor). If voice therapy is necessary, the speech-language pathologist may target areas such as identifying an appropriate pitch and/or volume and reducing behaviors which are abusive to vocal cords. Voice therapy is often effective in improving the child's voice.