Tips For Eliciting Language For Children Who Are Late Talkers

Written By: Elissa Murnick M.S. CCC-SLP Certified Speech Language Pathologist, Director Murnick Speech & Language Associates

Many parents of young children who are late talkers want to know if there is anything they can do to help improve their child’s Speech/Language development. Below are suggestions for parents which can help stimulate their child's language. Even the slightest improvement in your child’s communication can significantly help reduce frustration.  If concerns are still present after utilizing these techniques, it is recommended that a child be seen by a Certified, Licensed Speech Language Pathologist. Parents often wonder how to find the right professional to work with their child. A great resource is the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA). You can visit their website at www.asha.org to find a listing of Certified Speech Pathologists in your area. In addition, ASHA is a great resource to learn about developmental milestones as well as descriptions of most types of Communication Disorders. Many insurance companies cover Speech and/or Language Impairments so you can always check you plan for a list of therapists that are on your plan. Your child’s Pediatrician or preschool teacher can also serve as a good referral source to find a Speech Language Pathologist that he/she recommends.   

Children Birth to 2 Years

• Imitate your baby’s laughter and facial expressions.
• Have your baby look in a mirror with you and have him/her imitate your mouth making various movements with your tongue, lips and teeth as well as a variety of speech sounds.
• Try to have your baby imitate vowel and consonant-vowel sounds such as “ma”, “ba” and “da”.
• Respond to your child’s effort to communicate using speech, maintain eye-contact and imitate your baby’s attempts to vocalize using different patterns and emphasis (i.e. elevate the pitch of your voice to show that you are asking a question)
• Teach your baby to mirror you actions by  clapping your hands, blowing kisses and  playing  simple games such as “Pat-a-Cake”, “Peek-a-Boo”, "Open Shut Them" and “Itsy-Bitsy Spider”.

For more tips for children ages birth to two years, visit tips for eliciting language in children who are late talkers on my website.

Children 2 to 4 Years

• Produce a good example of speech that is simple for your child to follow.
• Repeat what your child says showing him/her that you understand. Expand on what was said, (i.e. “Want doll”? “I have doll”. “I have baby doll”. “Do you want baby doll?)”
• If you use baby talk to help your child understand a message, make sure you include the correct form of the word with it.  “Do you want your ba-ba?” “You can have your “ba-ba” now.
• Print up pictures of your child’s family and friends and put them into a small, plastic, kid friendly photo album. It is best to include photos of people doing things. You can use the photos to help teach your child to use pronouns and expand overall utterance length by having your child repeat your model (i.e.“He is playing in the snow” or “She is swimming”).
• Make a scrapbook of your child’s favorite things by cutting out pictures from a magazine and organize them into categories such as food, transportation or toys. Create silly pictures by mixing and matching pictures. For example, glue a picture of a cat behind the wheel of a truck. Talk about what is wrong with the picture and ways to “fix” it. Count items pictured in the book.

For more tips for children ages twp to four years, visit  tips for eliciting language in children who are late talkers  on my website.

Children 4 to 6 Years

• Attempt to give full attention to your child when he/she starts to speak to you.
• Establish your child’s attention prior to speaking to him/her.
• Encourage, praise and acknowledge all of your child’s attempts to speak. Show that you understand the word or phrase he/she said by completing what he/she asked of you, if appropriate.
• Pause after speaking to your child. This gives your child a chance to continue the conversation and learn to take appropriate turns in conversation.
• Continue to build vocabulary by introducing new words, providing a definition and using it in a context that is easily understood. This may be done in a silly, exaggerated manner. “I think I will drive the vehicle to the store. I am too tired to walk”.

For more tips for children ages four to six years, visit  ttips for eliciting language in children who are late talkers on my website.

Many parents of children want to know how they can help their children develop better Speech and Language skills.  Because some of the skills basic to reading are essential to good oral communication, listening, and language development, it is recommended that parents read to their children.

 SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS TO FOLLOW DURING READING TIME:

• Make a habit of reading to your child and letting your child read to you every day. Even if he/she is a non-reader, your child can describe the photos in the book to you to tell the story in his/her own words.
• Select easy-to-follow, familiar stories for young children. A child will ask you to read the same story over and over because emphasis will be placed on different aspects of the story each time it is heard.
• Have your child listen to a sentence or paragraph and retell what you’ve just read in his or her own words.

 For more suggestions for parents to follow during reading time, visit  ttips for eliciting language in children who are late talkers  on my website.

Elissa Murnick is a licensed, certified Speech Language Pathologist and the owner of Murnick Speech & Language Associates in Fairfield, CT. She has worked for almost 15 years with children of all ages with a wide range of Speech and Language disorders in a public and private school setting as well as private practice. For more information about scheduling an evaluation visit Murnick Speech & Language Associates on the web at www.murnickspeechandlanguage.com.