Mommy Speech Tips, Part 1

Admittedly, having a child with a speech delay doesn't automatically make me an SLP. However, while therapy (with the right SLP) is awesome and can work wonders for children with speech delays and communication disorders, I think most moms will tell you that therapy can't end when the session with the professional is over. Working with your child at home is critically important to retention of skills learned in therapy, and even developing new ones. So, from my completely non-professional point of view, here is Part 1 of my Mommy Speech Therapy Tips:

(When writing these tips, my assumption is that the child I'm working with is largely non-verbal, as my son was just a few short months ago.)

Work on imitation first.

When you have a non-verbal child, it's hard to know where to start. You might point to the family dog and look at your child hopefully while saying, "Can you say 'doggie'?" And you'll likely get a blank stare back.

At 19 months old, my son was basically non verbal (he babbled and could say "mama"). He also could imitate any physical activity without hesitation but if you asked him to imitate a word, or even a simple sound, he wouldn't know where to begin. After having Camden evaluated by an Early Intervention SLP, she emphasized the need to work on his imitation skills. Imitation, she said, is a building block for communication.

So, we started simple. I made sure Camden knew what a "turn" was through play. If we were working on a puzzle, I'd put a piece in and say "Mommy's turn". Then I'd hand the next piece over to Camden and say, "Camden's turn." Rinse and repeat. When it became clear that he knew what a "turn" was, I started using that word to attempt to get him to imitate simple sounds. While reading a book about farm animals, I'd moo like a cow. Then I'd say, "Camden's turn!" excitedly and I'd pause several seconds and wait for a response. For a few weeks, there was nothing but silence and I'd simply move on. Then one evening before bed, I told Camden it was his turn to moo and paused like usual, fully expecting silence. And then I heard it. A quiet but unmistakable "Mmm". I showered him with praise. After that breakthrough, his imitation skills developed day by day. Today, 4 months later, he will attempt to imitate almost any sound or word.

Sign Language:

To sign or not to sign? That is the debate. Some professionals say signing will lead to kids talking later because they're getting their needs met through sign language. Others say that's simply not the case because, as kids learn words, they drop the sign for that particular word. I tend to agree with the latter point of view, as does Camden's current SLP. And sign language? Has been an absolute life saver for us.

When it became clear that Camden had a speech delay (around 18 months), I became serious about teaching him sign language. Prior to that time, I had half-heartedly taught him to sign "more" and "all done", which he used on occasion. Then, after buying the "Baby Signing Time" DVD and Camden having no interest in watching it, I decided to become Camden's sign language teacher myself (sidenote: I've heard from many, many other parents that their kids love the "Baby Signing Time" DVDs, so don't let Camden's disinterest in them discourage you from trying that route). So how did I learn sign language? My good friend Google taught me (seriously- just Google "baby sign language" and you will find plenty of resources). So, I'd learn the sign myself, and then I'd show it to Camden while saying the word. Then I'd take it a step further by actually manipulating Camden's hands to make the sign so he could feel what it was supposed to feel like to sign the word. And then we practiced. A lot.

A few tips? Accept your child's interpretation of the sign, whatever that may be. Most will at least remotely resemble the real sign; some will not at all. Either way, that's your child's sign. Learn it and roll with it. Also, if your child picks up many signs easily but has no interest in learning a few signs here and there, move on. Don't get stuck on a single sign-- your time is better spent finding other useful signs that your child will pick up more easily. Finally, start by using signs that are highly motivating for your child. For example, Camden is a huge fan of playing outside. Naturally, I taught him to sign "outside". He picked that sign up instantly because he wanted to be able to tell me when he wanted to go outside (which is every second of every day).

Make Play a Learning Experience.

One of the first things I did after Camden's initial Early Intervention evaluation was to get an animal farm set. It's nothing fancy; it's a tractor and a cow, horse, pig, and sheep (I also added a dog and cat separately). If your child is all or mostly non-verbal, starting with animal sounds and environmental sounds is a great first step. For weeks, I sat on the floor with Camden mooing, oinking, and neighing while he laughed and chased the animals around with the tractor. He wasn't making animal sounds, but I had no doubt that he was absorbing the ones I was making. Sure enough, after several weeks, he would say "baba" when he picked up the sheep, or would say "nnn" when I asked him what sound a horse made. He was paying attention, alright.

Camden has always been a fan of cars. Cars are a great tool for in-home speech therapy. We still play with them almost nightly. When Camden was non-verbal, I'd simply push the cars around with him while saying "vroooom!" and "wheee!" Tonight, we played cars and Camden said "oooh!" (go) when he wanted me to push my car and "wheee!" when we pushed our cars fast. Music to my ears.

I am embarrassed to admit that we just purchased Camden his first ever set of blocks a few days ago (well, Nan did). His SLP was playing blocks with him in therapy and mentioned what a great tool they are because they work on both speech and motor skills. I told her what a slacker I'd been in the block department but promised to buy him some right away. You guys? It was a great purchase. Camden wants to play blocks all day long. On the first day, I said "ba" repeatedly every time we stacked a block on top of another one. Then I asked him to repeat me. Once the tower was built, I requested that Camden say "go" before he knocked it over. And then we both shouted "wheee!" as the tower fell over. He was having a blast, but he was also working on his speech without even knowing it. Now, whenever he brings me the blocks, I request that he say "blocks" before we play. He responds with "ba".

Schylling Blocks. Love them.

Camden received Mr. Potato Head for his first birthday but I'll admit that we hardly touched it until recently. Once again, Camden's awesome SLP took out Mr. Potato Head in therapy and told me what a great tool it is to use at home. So, this is what we do now. We take a naked Mr. Potato Head and have all of his accessories piled up near us. I sing a song ("Here we go a walkin', a walkin', a walkin...uh oh! I need my ____" (fill in missing body part)). Then I hold out the eyes for Camden. When he grabs them, I ask how he says eyes. "Ah", he'll respond, while putting the eyes on Mr. Potato Head. For nose, we say "oh", for mouth, "mm", and for ears, "eee". These are all suggestions from his SLP, but of course you can tailor that to your child's abilities.

Hi. I'm cute and I'm a good teacher.

Choices.

This is so simple, but so important. Offer your child choices-- all day, every day. When I make Camden his milk in the morning, I offer him a choice between two cups. He gets to choose between two pairs of shoes to wear. When we read books, I hold up two and ask "Which book would you like to read?" And I always offer him the choice between two activities when it's playtime. The reason? It requires him to actively participate in the conversation, even if he's not using words. He might point, or grunt, or sign-- but that's still communicating.