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Children are often ascribed with an expectation to lead carefree, happy lives, and to generally experience positivity during their childhood. Now, this may happen in a lot of cases, however, it doesn’t happen with all of them.  Certain personality traits in some children may make it seem that they are constantly thinking negatively. This may manifest as a regular unhappy demeanor, lots of complaining, and several others. In this case, such a child may be viewed as being chronically negative.  What Causes Chronic Negativity? In psychology, several reasons explain why people can be chronically negative. So, if you’re wondering why is your child is consistently negative, here are five of the most common reasons. Emotional Reasoning This is usually based on feelings and the thought process follows that the justification they come up with for how they feel must hold true. For instance, “I feel lonely, therefore, I’m not liked by anybody.” This sort of thinking can result in a lot of negative feelings.  Fortune-Telling This is a really destructive thought process  because of the effects it can have. It practically takes pessimism to new levels. It is basically a thought process of viewing the future in a constant negative light. What makes this thought process even worse is the fact that the thinking might affect behavior, causing something to actually go wrong, and it would be taken as confirmation.  A vicious cycle of negative expectations and results then begins. For anything good that happens, it would be regarded as a fluke. An example is “I know I’m going to flunk this test.” This results in panic and distracts from actually studying to pass.  Overly Generalizing  This can also be explained using the confirmation bias. It usually follows picking a negative aspect of a situation and making it align with a recurring pattern that occurs in your life. For instance, “I made some mistakes on my homework, I never do anything right.”  These random occurrences which may in fact be very random are accorded more importance than they should be and somewhat enlarged beyond how they should be.  Dichotomous Thinking or Black-and-White Thinking For children like this, there are no grey areas. Only black or white, good or bad, positive or negative. There is no making light of a terrible situation or finding the upside in a relatively inconvenient occurrence.  This thinking pattern which extends to how they feel manifests as something having to meet all of their expectations completely or it falls short altogether. For instance, a 99% grade isn’t good enough — if it’s not 100%, then it’s regarded as a total failure. This sort of thinking is a surefire way to be chronically negative. Labeling   This refers to a situation where your child labels themself or someone and the label practically becomes overarching. Basically, there’s some space to hold a different opinion or see themself or the person in a different light. For instance, “I spilled some water. I’m so clumsy.” Being clumsy becomes the only light in which their personality is reflected.  Combating Chronic Negativity  Combatting may seem pretty heavy, however, dealing with chronic negativity before it takes root and becomes a deeply ingrained personality trait is crucial. Here are some tips to help.  Don’t Acknowledge All Bad Moods  This doesn’t imply that you shouldn’t acknowledge your child when they’re in a bad mood. You should. However, don’t address them based on the mood that they’re in, and don’t let it affect yours either.  A lack of reaction is a step in the right direction towards eliminating negative behavior. Ensure that your disposition is constantly one that is accepting  in spite of the negative temperament. This way, you can subtly influence them over time and equally as important, preserve a good relationship with them.  Identify Root Causes Sometimes, the occurrence of a negative mood follows a pattern. It may be worse in the mornings of weekdays when they have to go to school or after school. It may also be heightened by certain situations like fatigue or hunger.  By addressing the root cause, you can help effectively deal with this negativity. Identify and meet their physical needs, as well as any need for either structure or a pattern to their day. Consider other scenarios like making plans for new interactions and facilitating overall social development .  When you do this, over time, your child is able to get a better handle on their emotions and do better at dealing with negative moods.  Confront the Negativity It is one thing to not acknowledge all bad moods. However, one thing you have to do is confront the negativity. Your child shouldn’t escalate their mood  such that it becomes the general feeling in the home. Put a foot down when it seems like the complaining and negative behavior is getting out of hand.  If they constantly harp about the negative aspects of situations, point out the positives. Also, be sure to address irrational statements. If they’re still not getting off that horse, you can go ahead to say something like “That’s enough. I know you feel some kind of way, but..”  So, you shut the lid on it and continue with whatever you were doing. This makes it evident to your child that the case is closed.  Demonstrate Positive Behavior  A chronically negative child would not suddenly transform into having a positive and cheerful personality. This is something that would happen over time, so, you have to set it on track. For instance, in a situation that isn’t looking great, you can remain calm and optimistic.  Encourage your child to review and explore other feelings when the go-to in a particular situation is a negative reaction. If their attitude has caused a rift to occur with a friend, help them repair such a social relationship .  Encourage them to explore interests and hobbies that they like and enjoy. This is a great way to help them stay calm and even take it a step further to make them feel positive. If there is a choice to be made, and they aren’t thrilled about either, allow them to choose still.  Be sure to remain patient and show lots of love and affection so that they can be somewhat infected by your spirit.  Relieve Positive Events and Experiences  One way to reinforce positive thinking is to reinforce positive situations. In children below the age of 8, there is a High-Low game that you can use to counter any negative experiences or thoughts with positive ones.  At dinner, you can have all members of the family share one higher moment and one low moment in the day. Try to start with the low so that it ends with the high. This has two benefits — first, you get to know how their day went, and you make sure they are left with a positive feeling after, which is what you’re after anyway.  For older children, you can approach with a more intentional method that involves maintaining a positive events diary. So, irrespective of how bad they think that their day went, have them write down at least three positive experiences that they had during the day.  It could be as basic as really enjoying their lunch or soda to doing very well on a test. The result is that despite a seemingly negative day, they would start to realize that it wasn’t all that bad. This cultivates seeing the good in seemingly bad situations.  Encourage Gratitude  This involves deliberately practicing gratitude. You could make it a regular occurrence at dinner for everybody to say something that they are grateful for. This ensures that dinner is more positive and the atmosphere feels less heavy. Don’t be surprised if your child is grateful for dinner every night. This is still helping you achieve the result that you want.  For older children, consider a gratitude journal, similar to the positive events diary. Rather than fixating on the things that went wrong that day or didn’t go their way, their thoughts are focused more on the good things that happened to them.  Something else that this does is that it helps them be really present in every situation. So, for instance, if their friend at school did something nice or told them a kind word, they would likely think to themselves “I’m grateful for the gift of friendship.”  Also, you should emphasize the fact that there is a lot to be grateful for and it doesn’t necessarily have to be restricted to the really big things. They can appreciate people, things, and experiences, amongst others. In addition to the journaling, if you want to hear them say it out loud, you can use prompts like “Something I’m grateful for today is…” This sets them on the right track to practicing gratitude. How to Encourage a Positive Attitude in Your Child Fostering a positive attitude in your child is a gradual process and usually requires that you put some basic measures in place. Here are some crucial measures that would serve as a proper base for getting them to develop a positive attitude.  Provide a Sense of Security  Every child wants to feel safe and secure. This in itself is one of the bases for developing a positive attitude. Insecurities, which result when your child doesn’t feel safe, would eventually play into their attitude.  A practical way to develop your child’s sense of security is to have honest and genuine conversations with them. Be open to them so that they know they can come to you anytime without fear of judgment or harsh reprimand.   They know that they can discuss sensitive issues with you, even those that they would typically keep secret or try to deal with alone. When there’s any problem, they know you’re there to help proffer a solution. This is how you build a sense of security.  Develop Your Child’s Self-Esteem  This relates to how they view themselves and as such, can play a crucial role in how they behave and their actions towards others as well. The main elements of self-esteem are how your child regards their abilities and other areas of themselves.  How others interact with them can also impact self-esteem. Feedback such as compliments, praise, and criticisms from you can impact it too. The way you treat them as a parent is another crucial factor.  Overall, if your child has high self-esteem and regards themself in a positive light, it would reflect in their attitude. On the other hand, a negative view of themself can result in a negative attitude. Encourage Goal Setting  No doubt you feel pretty accomplished when you set a goal and achieve it. It’s pretty much the same for your child. When they set goals and achieve them, it plays into having a positive attitude. Achieving set goals does wonders for self-esteem and self-worth.  Having a goal also keeps your child busy, so, they have something to work towards. Even before the main accomplishment, they can get dopamine hits from reaching certain milestones or completing various sections of the goal.  They start to view themselves in a positive light — as someone who achieves things. Even after meeting the goal, they can always reflect on the fact that they made it happen. This is an excellent way to foster a positive attitude and mindset in children.  Be a Model of Positivity  If you want to decrease chronic negativity in kids, then you must be ready to exemplify what you want to see in them. Your child is constantly watching you and your reactions to several situations.  So, if you’re in a state of constant optimism, don’t be surprised to find that your child would likely be the same. If reverse is the case, it wouldn’t be too long before you spot some negativity in them. You’re a role model to your child in several areas, and your attitude isn’t left out.  Model yourself properly and watch their attitude gradually transform to match yours.  Conclusion  Getting a chronically negative child to experience a change of attitude isn’t magic. It’s a gradual process that requires plenty of conscious work and patience. Be sure to apply the various measures in this article, and as a final highlight, ensure that you’re a model of positivity yourself. Over time, you’re guaranteed to see improvement.

There are several measures that you can put in place to help kids with speech problems. Some of these measures are to be practiced solo, in other words, the kid alone carries them out. While there are others that can be worked on together, one of these is joint attention. So, how do you utilize joint attention? What Is Joint Attention? Joint attention refers to an ability to share the same focus on an ‘object’ with a second party. Objects here may be people, events, concepts, and even actual objects. It falls under the umbrella of social communication and usually begins to develop in infancy and then gradually gets better all through early childhood. This behavior is one that allows two people to focus on the same thing in order to be able to relate with each other. It typically involves gaining, maintaining, and then shifting attention. This concept is crucial for learning language, social development, and cognition. Note that shared attention vs joint attention = joint attention or shared attention. They are an identical concept. When Does Joint Attention Start? Joint attention starts as early as when the child is born and progresses all through early childhood. By 18 months, a pretty firm foundation would have been laid. Here’s a breakdown: Newborn to 8 Months Eye Gaze: this occurs as early as 4 days old when the baby begins to recognize their mother’s face Eyes Checking: this occurs when the baby looks at their mother and then shifts their eyes in the direction of what their mother’s focusing on. This is regarded as early joint attention via gaze; at this stage, participation is passive Eyes Pointing: at the point where a newborn uses their eyes to view an object, they move from being a passive participant to the role of initiator in the parent-child relationship 8 to 12 Months Gesturing/Pointing With Fingers: development of motor skills sees the child point towards an object to share with their parents (this is regarded as early non-verbal communication; developing joint attention using gestures) Line of Regard: at this point, most children can follow the line of sight of their parents to share a focus on an object or person in the distance 12 to 15 Months At this stage, following a line of regard is consistent in the child. So, using eye gaze, the parent can command an infant’s attention upon introducing objects into an environment where they are. Coming to understand that there is intentionality behind pointing. 15 to 18 Months This stage sees children being able to hold joint attention. There would be frequent attention shifts to monitor the other party they are sharing with, and you would find this occurring during social play. To adequately share the experience, the child can spot another person’s attention to events or objects. How Can Joint Attention Happen? Joint attention typically follows two major routes: Initiating joint attention Responding to joint attention In initiating joint attention, the child typically begins the social interaction. For instance, the child could look at an object that catches their attention and then shift their gaze to their parent, cueing them to look at it too. In older children, it may be a vocal attention call such as “Look here, Dad.” When a child starts this sort of joint attention, it could be indicative of their social motivation. In responding to joint attention, the child responds to the action that someone else makes to initiate joint attention. For instance, if a carer points at a bird and says, “Look at the bird!” The child’s response would be to follow the carer’s gesture (this could be by pointing their index finger at the bird) and gaze at the bird. Compared to initiating attention, responding is way easier. What Does Joint Attention Constitute? There are three main components of joint attention. They include: Attention: this refers to being able to follow someone else’s eye gaze Emotions: this covers being able to discern from the other person’s face about how they feel Intentions: this relates to when the child and parent are attempting to do the same thing, and they are both aware of their joint action Why Is Joint Attention Important? Joint attention is a key component of development of cognitive and social communication skills. It is so crucial that it begins right after birth, and by age three, children can easily gain and hold the joint attention of both adults and their mates. When joint attention skills are lacking, children can have a hard time communicating, interacting, and developing relationships with peers and caregivers. For proper bonding, joint attention plays a major role — as well as the ability to view something from someone else’s perspective. Why Do Autistic Kids Find Using Joint Attention Difficult? For kids on the Autism Spectrum, lacking joint attention is regarded as a “core deficit.” For kids with autism, activities like following a parent’s pointing to look at a toy or going up to a parent to tickle them into beginning a back and forth game can be difficult to accomplish. This is often a result of the social skills necessary to share these experiences being absent. For these kids, establishing joint attention is critical for them to be able to effectively communicate what they want or need at any point in time. It is also vital to help them learn socialization — including proper social interaction. How to Establish Joint Attention for Kids With Speech Problems Establishing joint attention follows a pretty comprehensive process that you have to practice consistently and over a period of time. Here are some practical tips to accomplish joint attention speech therapy goals. Copy Your Child Children are almost automatically engaged when you copy what they are doing. This serves to increase their excitement, and they draw you further into their activity. For instance, if your child is throwing a ball around, do the exact same thing with another ball. If they make a particular sound such as “aaa” or a gesture every time they knock a toy over, get another toy and emulate them. This would signal to the child that you find watching them fun, and you can even end up doing it in turns. Model Language Properly You can be a great source of encouragement to your child by modeling joint attention skills. Communicate often and gesture a lot when you’re talking to your child. For instance, you can point to a bunny while playing and say, “Bunny!” When outdoors and you see a bird, you can look up and point and say, “Bird!” If you’re studying a picture book together, you could take their finger, point at the object, and say the name. Give them some time to repeat after you as well. For better results, you can use visual tracking whereby you keep the pointing finger close to your child’s face and then move it gradually in the direction of the object. In addition, you don’t have to do all the pointing. Allow and encourage your child to point at things that catch their attention. To help facilitate their development of the pointing skill, provide routine hand-over-hand guidance. Let Your Child Lead Instead of trying to get them interested in a new activity, observe how your child plays with their toys. Note the toys or activities that hold their attention the most and the actions they carry out with them. You could begin by playing with an identical toy near your child while doing the same thing they typically do. For instance, if they’re playing with a car, lay down with them and play with yours in a line manner. You could even have the cars interact by gently bumping them into each other. This allows you to initiate joint interaction easily. Come Down to Your Child’s Level If they’re lying on the floor, lay on the floor with them so that you’re at eye level. If they’re sitting at their little table, you can get on your knees and hunch forward. Children typically play with their toys very close to their faces, so do the same. The upside to going down to their level is that it’s easier for them to switch attention from the object to you and back. This can also facilitate eye contact. Keep it Fun Play a lot! Kids love very few things more than they love to play. Consider exploring games that do not involve toys. For instance, you could play the hand swing game where you hold their hands and swing when they reach upwards. Piggyback rides — pause to look back at them and continue when they look at you. If your child is pretty active, consider some chasing around. If they really enjoy these activities, there’s a bigger chance that you would share joint attention with them. Start and Pause Don’t rush. Some kids may require a little while to process your invitation to interact and play. Allowing them sufficient wait time to evaluate and understand the situation. For instance, if you’re taking turns when playing with a toy, keep it close to you when it’s their turn. Then look at them like you’re expecting an action. Allow them enough time to review the situation. You could even cue them with a verbal prompt such as “whose turn” or a physical prompt like putting their hand on the toy if they still haven’t responded after a little while. This break in between could help them come to terms with the fact that it’s time to proceed with turn-taking. How to Increase Joint Attention You can increase joint attention by making slight changes to how you interact with your child. Here are some ways: Ensure you always play or sit facing across your child Use several non-verbal gestures while playing Make sure that your position allows you to maintain a lot of eye contact and plenty of smiles To get your child’s attention, try games like peekaboo or blow bubbles Use toys that can have some reaction — cause-and-effect toys Draw attention to your face using accessories like hats and sunglasses Employ animated facial expressions and an animated voice What Are Some Signs of Joint Attention Difficulty in Kids? The signs of joint attention may sometimes not be very apparent, so, your observation skills have to be top-notch. Eye contact avoidance Inability to sustain joint attention when social play is ongoing Difficulty following your eye gaze to share a joint focus on an object Difficulty using direction of gaze or accurately pointing to alert someone else’s attention to something Difficulty sharing emotional states with others This is why joint attention goals for speech therapy aim to improve on these points. What Are Key Things to Know About Joint Attention? There are two key things to know about joint attention to determine that what is happening is indeed joint attention accurately: There are always objects/ events involved in joint attention activities: joint attention doesn’t necessarily refer to interacting together. For instance, you could have an interaction like one where you and your child play a tickle game and then laugh together isn’t joint attention. This is because there is no object or event being focused on. Beyond being focused on each other, there has to be an external action happening simultaneously, like something falling off a table or the breeze blowing the drapes suddenly. One person looks at it and then looks at the other to draw their attention. Joint attention always comprises sharing interests: joint attention is usually for the purposes of social interaction. Drawing the attention of someone else to something just so that they can share their interest. Joint attention doesn’t happen when one person draws the attention of the other to something because they want the object. For instance, when a child points at a cookie box on a high shelf and looks at their parent, this isn’t simply showing interest. They want their parent to help them bring it down. So, this doesn’t qualify as joint attention. Conclusion Using joint attention for kids with speech problems can effectively boost their communication and social skills. This article covers crucial areas like how to teach joint attention and understanding what is not joint attention. If you’re trying to conduct joint attention speech therapy, ensure to go at a slow pace and celebrate small wins.

Besides incredible companionship and being such great playmates, dogs can play an important role in our lives. Canines can help children with speech difficulties. However, this assistance may include tackling social, emotional, and communication problems. Are you interested in getting a therapy dog for your kids? Read this piece to learn how therapy dogs can help children with medical issues that cause speech difficulties, such as Dysphasia. Understanding Speech Difficulties in Children If you didn't know before now, speech difficulties describe a medical condition when your child’s mouth is unable to work together to produce clear speech. When left untreated, speech difficulties make it difficult for your child to read or write. It's possible to treat speech difficulties, such as tongue tie or cleft palate, with surgery. However, most cases can be managed with speech therapy. What Are Common Speech Difficulties? Popular speech difficulties in children include: Stuttering: When your child stutters, it may be a sign of developmental delay. This condition describes a scenario where your child's brain isn't properly coordinating speech functions. Articulation errors: An articulation error occurs when your child is unable to produce certain sounds because of improper tongue positioning. They may struggle with basic articulation activities at home and in school. Tongue-tie: A tongue-tie is also known as ankyloglossia. With this type of physical condition, your tongue becomes difficult to move. Apraxia: Apraxia makes it difficult for you to control the muscles in your mouth. Dysarthria: This medical condition makes young children slur their words. It's usually caused by brain damage. Selective mutism: This is a special type of anxiety that makes it difficult or almost impossible for children to express themselves in certain conditions. What Is the Difference Between a Speech Impediment and a Language Disorder? It is important to note that there are clear distinctions between a speech impediment and a language disorder. Speech impediments occur when your child’s mouthparts cannot work together to produce sounds. On the other hand, a language disorder is a condition when your child struggles to understand what's being said or speak clearly. Speech Impediment and a Child Developmental Milestone Speech is a crucial developmental milestone in the lives of young children. Different healthcare providers have used several milestones to track speech development in young children. Every child is expected to have achieved a certain level of spoken English at different life stages. If you didn't know, a speech impediment is a popular reason your child may struggle with speech issues. What Are the Causes of Speech Impediments? Contrary to what many people believe, there's no single, direct cause for speech impediments. They are often caused by different underlying health conditions. Each of them has different causes and effects on the body. For example, stuttering may be due to developmental delay. However, this condition may also be hereditary or may be due to underlying mental conditions. On the other hand, tongue-tie is a physical condition where your child is unable to separate their tongue from the roof of your mouth. Speech impediments in your youngster may be due to any of the following underlying conditions: Dyslexia: This learning disability may cause young children to struggle reading simple texts for their age grade. Autism Spectrum Discorder: Children suffering from this condition may struggle to interact with others. This inability will affect verbal and non-verbal communication. Loss of Hearing: Children suffering from a loss of hearing may also struggle to communicate because of their inability to process verbal feedback. Cerebral Palsy: Young children suffering from cerebral palsy will have problems coordinating their hands, muscles, and speech. What Is the Role of Therapy Dogs? Therapy dogs have a simple purpose – to provide emotional support to their owners. It's possible to train your pet as a therapy dog whose role would be to support you and your family. These furry friends are treated as part of the family and live in homes. They're not the type of canines you confine to a cage all day. You may also train these pets to visit other settings, including schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice homes. Unlike other domesticated canines, they are docile and friendly to strangers, allowing them to get close enough for a rub or hug. Due to their training, they are patient and unbothered even when disturbed. For instance, when children tug at their fur or force them to sit in their lap. Aside from therapy dogs, there are other therapy animals, including rabbits, horses, birds, alpacas, and llamas. What Is the Difference Between Therapy Dogs and Service Dogs? To avoid any misconceptions, it's crucial to make this distinction before going further. Service dogs are different from therapy dogs. Here's how: More often than not, service dogs are specifically trained to perform specific tasks for their owners. These pets receive intense training to help their owners cope with certain disabilities. In the United States, there are certain laws preceded by the Americans with Disabilities Act that allow dogs to serve as companions to their owners when visiting public places. Therapy dogs are also called ‘comfort dogs.’ Their role is to support the mental health of a person by satisfying their needs for attention and comfort. Due to their sweet, therapeutic demeanor, they offer great benefits to people with health challenges. The major difference between both is that service dogs are trained for a purpose and suit certain people with disabilities, while therapy dogs are an ideal companion for several people. However, you should note that therapy dogs are not covered by ADA regulations. So, you may need to make special provisions beforehand if you're visiting certain places. The pet must get an invite to accompany you and offer solace. How Can a Therapy Dog Support Speech Impediments? Extensive research has proven the effect of therapy dogs on certain mental and psychiatric health conditions. If your child has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD, depression, autism, and post-traumatic stress disorder, they will benefit from interacting with therapy pets. Autism is a common cause of speech impediments in children. The truth is most emotional challenges leading to speech challenges are caused by physical health problems. And that's why therapy dogs are a great alternative to treat these issues. The presence of these pets usually has a calming effect, making it easier for young children to express themselves. These pets are useful for more than just speech impediments. There's clear evidence that suggests individuals suffering from post-surgery conditions or accidents may also benefit from owning a therapy animal. Interactions with these animals may boost oxytocin and reduce cortisol. What Are the Results of Recent Research on the Effect of Therapy Dogs on Speech Difficulties? As mentioned earlier, therapy dogs are proven to be a great fix for certain mental issues. This section will discuss the scientific evidence proving the positive effect of therapy dogs on popular speech difficulties. What Is the Relationship Between Therapy Dogs and Developmental Dysphasia (DD)? One of the most common speech difficulties in young children is Developmental Dysphasia. Any child suffering from this medical condition will struggle to transform their thoughts into words. Overall, the child may find it difficult to communicate properly. A recent study compared the results of dog-aided speech therapy to conventional speech therapy in children diagnosed with Developmental Dysphasia. This experiment was supposed to prove the treatment comprising a therapy dog and speech pathologist would be more effective. While the results of this research were not definitive, the group that relied on therapy dogs showed better results and plenty of potential to be a more effective solution. Therapy dogs were a potentially better solution for young children because they tackled symptoms of this ailment. Due to the social interaction between these pets and their owners, they may help children open up to their peers, become more confident, and communicate effectively. If you get a therapy dog for children, it will potentially improve the quality of life. What Is The Significance of Therapy Dogs to Autism-Related Speech Difficulties? A child suffering from autism will very likely have communication issues. These issues may range from stuttering to selective mutism. Some autistic children may struggle to understand words and symbols and how to analyze different contexts. In some children, you'll discover symptoms such as intentional blabbing, robot-like speech, or echolalia. However, their speech difficulties may be a result of social or physical issues. Therapy dogs are an effective treatment for autistic speech difficulties; may be combined with sessions with a certified Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). You may also discover that various behavioral problems, including restlessness, tantrums, and anxiety, will be reduced. All these improvements contribute to helping your child find an effective way to communicate. If your child is stressed by the therapy session with the therapist, a therapy dog may calm them down. Also, dogs are effective at calming anxious children, boosting interaction, and preventing isolation. How Can a Dog Boost Successful Communication? Any child struggling with expressing their feelings may have an emotional Issue. When the child constantly struggles to communicate, it may affect their motivation, self-confidence, and willingness to interact with others. Over the long run, these children cannot build meaningful relationships with their peers and adults. Therapy dogs for children know the right time to provide emotional support. They'll never let them feel lonely and tense. To prove how dogs can help children perform cognitive activities, a researcher studied the blood pressure and heart rate of subjects while engaged. It was noted that the presence of a furry friend was linked with a low pulse rate. These pets make kids open to interaction and more assertive. There was further proof that the presence of pets during therapy sessions makes the specialists less scary to kids. If the therapy session becomes too intensive for the child, their pet will support them. Several clinics and hospitals organize programs to train therapy dogs to help patients communicate better. There may be some concern that dogs don't know how to speak. However, this makes them great listeners. Your child will have enough opportunity to practice their speech without any criticism or pressure to perform. Many therapy dog applications are with children. On the other hand, furry pets are also effective for adults. What Type of Dogs Can Serve as a Therapy Dog? Are you looking for the ideal therapy dog? The first thing you should know is that all breeds qualify. All they need is a bit of training - either large or small. Many large breeds, such as Standard Poodles, Retrievers, Labradors, and St. Bernards, are commonly trained as therapy dogs. If you don't have a large living space, it's also a good alternative to choose smaller breeds, including Pomeranians and Minipoodles. However, some are more often used than others. A breed like Labrador is super gentle, and such, is a top choice. When choosing a therapy dog, you should also consider its demeanor. However, note beforehand that your dog's temperament may depend on its upbringing and training. Before qualifying as therapy pets, they are tested for stimuli response. These tests determine your pet’s response to being picked up, loud noises, and being surrounded by equipment. How Do You Get a Therapy Dog? Do you have a child with speech difficulties? Do you wish to train a dog to aid their development? A good idea is to check online directories. Simply search for therapy dogs around your area and navigate through the results. Another simple alternative is to train a pet you previously owned. Search for pet dog training around you for the best alternatives. If you're unclear about the quality of the facility, it's a good idea to phone ahead or send an email to learn about their program, including details about the acceptance procedure. Conclusion Speech impediments are clearly a challenge for many young children and many parents are interested in effecting solutions. Are you one of them? That's where therapy dogs come in. These pets have the ability to offer comfort and soothe emotional needs. However, they can do so much more. There's plenty of evidence indicating the effectiveness of therapy dogs in tackling speech impediments.

Teaching body parts is a crucial part of speech therapy that takes you beyond regular linguistic instruction. It is treated as one of the fundamentals of simple language development. If your child began to speak recently, the next thing is to teach them about body parts. While it may seem ordinary, this knowledge will form the foundation of their communication and interaction with their environment. The Importance of Teaching Body Parts in Speech Therapy However, certain children may struggle to process the names and functions of body parts due to different challenges. Their challenges may range from the ability to process languages to cognitive and sensory level processing in the youngster. To ensure children effectively learn about body parts, they need a tailored learning approach. However, it's easier said than done. This piece will discuss the identification of body parts for speech therapy, including any unique challenges that may occur and how to measure progress. What Are the Developmental Stages of Body Part Awareness in Children? To understand why some children struggle to grasp body parts, you'll need an in-depth understanding of the developmental stages of body part awareness. Often, most children embark on a journey of increasing body part awareness as they go through their growth stages. After birth, infants gain basic awareness of their bodies. Within a short time, they become aware of objects and people, too. During infancy, children can recognize prominent features such as the face, hands, and feet before other body parts. As your child grows older, they will become more aware of their body parts and their functions. For instance, they will recognize the nose is for smelling and the mouth is for eating. If your child suffers from an underlying condition, these developmental stages may not go smoothly. It's not uncommon to find children who struggle to grasp other body parts or process body awareness slowly. As a parent, you need to spot any potential challenges to their development and seek help from speech therapists. Due to their expertise, speech therapists are your best bet to ease any potential issues affecting the child. Speech therapists can identify and tackle challenges associated with learning body parts, especially for impaired children. They work beyond linguistics. They are also experts at analyzing the cognitive and sensory challenges of children. As a result, they will create a learning system suitable for your child's current growth stage. This approach is an effective way to help children towards better language proficiency. The truth is teaching body parts with speech therapy is beyond conventional instructions. It's more or less a unique journey to teach your child effective communication. How to Build a Body Part Foundation Using Speech Therapy? Are you wondering how to teach body parts in speech therapy? You're at the right place. For your child to excel at identifying their body parts, you should build a solid foundation. There are health difficulties that may hamper child development. However, adopting a step-wise approach may be the best way to build this foundation. Introduction to Basic Body Part Vocabulary The journey of body part vocabulary starts with a basic introduction. These introductory lessons are designed to suit the learning capacity of different age groups. If your child is younger than 5 years, their lessons will focus on primary body parts of speech therapy, including the hands, nose, and eyes. As they get older, complex words are introduced. By sticking to this approach, your child’s articulation will be age-appropriate and cognitively manageable. What Are the Strategies for Teaching Foundational Body Part Words When teaching toddlers and preschoolers about body parts, adopt play-based learning techniques. You may also use interactive games, activities, and songs. A play-based learning system will boost learning retention because lessons will be more enjoyable. However, your school-age will benefit from a structured program that includes visual aids, discussions and a long list of hands-on activities. How to Use Visual Aids and Interactive Materials to Teach Body Parts If you want to teach your preschooler about body parts, use visual aids and interactive materials. It's clear that children with speech difficulties may learn faster with a multi-sensory system. And that's why speech therapists enjoy using visuals such as diagrams, flashcards, and online digital platforms. These aids are tools to reinforce retention and create diversity. The truth is that interactive materials for teaching body parts are more than mere visual representations. Your child will gain more from lessons incorporating touch and movement. They create a strong connection between words and their corresponding parts. For instance, you may use certain textured items that trigger sensors on the skin. You may also reinforce concepts relating to arms and legs with a few songs. When you use interactive materials, it creates a new dynamic to the learning process, making it more enjoyable. How to Create a Unique Learning Approach for Different Age Groups To teach speech therapy effectively, you must have a clear understanding of the mental processing capacity of each age group. Then, you'll use this information to create easy-to-understand lessons and navigate any challenges that may occur. What Are the Strategies for Teaching Body Parts to Toddlers and Preschoolers As mentioned earlier, toddlers and preschoolers would fare better with a play-based learning approach engaging their senses. Young children learn faster with a hands-on approach that directly shows them what they need to know. There are many songs pointing to body parts that are ideal for training toddlers and preschoolers. As they sing, their brain will create associations between the words and help them identify their location better. You may also adopt touch activities to reinforce the lesson. If you have a preschooler, it may be time to ditch those play-based lessons. Here, you can introduce structures learning. However, ensure that you still maintain a playful tone. It's a good idea to incorporate arts and crafts into their learning. For instance, they can draw and identify different body parts. Regardless of your preferred method, it's a good idea to maintain a positive and encouraging atmosphere. Creating a positive atmosphere will give your child more confidence in their communication and comprehension skills. What Are the Techniques to Teach School-Age Children with Speech Difficulties When children get older, they encounter new challenges in learning body parts. If the child is facing any speech difficulties, it may result in additional complexities. Parents and speech therapists would need to adjust their training techniques for reasonable progress. A good idea is to introduce these kids to advanced games and learning activities that boost cognitive development. There are several educational board games designed to boost body part identification for different age groups with speech impairments. For boosted results, you can add a competitive element where young children are engaged along with their peers. While it may seem like an ordinary competition, the social aspect of learning becomes activated. Through group activities, the child’s confidence is developed, and interactions are refined. Ultimately, it creates a sense of belonging. What Are the Unique Challenges and Opportunities in Each Age Group? Every age group has its challenges and unique opportunities when learning body parts. First, toddlers have a short attention span. Therefore, any of their learning activities must be short and highly engaging. However, preschoolers are quite curious. Their curiosity offers an opportunity to teach more complex concepts. Although you may find school-age children with communication challenges exhibit a higher level of cognitive ability to comprehend complex tasks. It's crucial to understand the challenges and opportunities for each age group. This insight gives speech therapists the upper hand in creating solutions. By recognizing the never-ending process of learning, therapists finetune techniques to suit the individual needs of young children. All identified challenges offer a chance to grow and show the importance of a personalized approach to teaching body parts. It's only by understanding the uniqueness of each age group you'll be able to effectively teach your child body parts. You'll have to learn to embrace the unique characteristics of young children as they grow, constantly adjusting your lessons to meet their demands. How to Measure Progress and Set Goals When teaching body parts with speech therapy, it's important to constantly track and measure progress. You may even set milestones for your child as they develop. These milestones inform you when your child is not performing up to their potential. There's a common mistake many parents make. They set their body part articulation goals based on their own expectations. More often than not, many children may underperform or fail to grasp much. The best approach to setting goals in this aspect of speech therapy is to focus on your child's needs and innate abilities. Don't set overwhelming goals. Instead, they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). By doing this, you'll evaluate progress easily. For instance, a reasonable goal for a toddler would be to be able to identify three basic body parts within a month. For school-age children, they should be able to tell you the names and functions of at least three body parts within a month. Setting goals is important because it gives your child a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. They'll be motivated to graduate to the next hurdle. How to Track Progress Through Assessment Tools and Observations To properly track your youngster's progress, you'll need a combination of assessment tools and a keen eye. Your assessment tools will formally observe the child while your eye will record any other information that is left out. By closely studying your child, you will notice their reactions and expressions of body part vocabulary. A good formal assessment would be a structured task where the child is asked to identify or label body parts. You can increase the complexity of the task by asking them to state the functions of these parts. Engaging your child in a conversation about body parts is also a good idea. During the conversation, notice how much they can provide useful information, their engagement, comfort levels, and any emerging skills. Don't ignore regular formal and informal check-ins on your child. These check-ins will support real-time changes to the child's learning program. Remember that children get bored easily. So, a dynamic approach will keep them engaged longer. How to Celebrate Milestones and Successes in the Language Development Journey Celebrating developmental milestones is just as important as tracking them in teaching body part articulation. When your child is able to identify different body parts correctly with increasing complexity, it makes sense to celebrate and reward them. This will give them a sense of progress. However, it's more than that. Celebrating your child’s milestones will create a positive, motivating, and supportive environment for optimal results. You will encourage the child for more tasks. Your rewards should vary. You could give verbal praise, small gifts, or a compilation of previous achievements. Constantly celebrate your child to create a confidence that will spread to other aspects of their life. However, ensure the creation of a reasonable balance. Avoid giving too many gifts quickly. It may make your milestones somewhat irrelevant. You risk ruining the essence of this celebration. Learning how to teach primary and secondary body parts in speech therapy is not easy. However, speech therapy has effective strategies to help you and your child. There's no perfect strategy. To make this work, create a special journey for each child. Learn to strike a balance between play-based and structured learning to teach your child all body parts at the right time. Another good idea is to use online apps and platforms to help children with speech difficulties. Conclusion This piece contains many important lessons with a major emphasis on adopting an individualized approach to teaching children body parts. Over the long run, these lessons offer more than body part awareness. They transform the child's life, boosting communication and interaction skills. Ensure to identify each age group's unique challenges and opportunities because each will respond to lessons differently. Finally, set achievable milestones and celebrate your child when they surpass them to motivate them.

The Pasadena Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center board members and members from the Valley of Pasadena totaling twelve (12), attended the annual American Heroes Airshow held at Hansen Dam Recreation & Sports Complex in Los Angeles on November 4, 2023. Our booth exhibited the RiteCare logo, where much to the delight of over two hundred (200) attendees, stopped by to get bags of popcorn and toys, consisting of paper airplanes, glow sticks and colored whistles as we shared details and answered questions about our services, including a few serious inquiries made on behalf of friends and family. The informative brochures we displayed allowed us to speak in depth about our services, and many expressed interest in donating to support our endeavor to help provide speech therapy to children. Thank you for your continued support as we look forward to more events where we can highlight our services.

Practicing articulation at home is a crucial aspect for speech therapy to work well. Repetition ensures that newly learned language skills or information are ingrained in their minds. Since kids spend most of their time at home, you must integrate articulation games or activities into their routines. This allows your child to reinforce the new things they have picked up in speech therapy sessions. Preparing for Articulation Practice A great way to structure articulation activities is to make it a mix of play and articulation practice. Enter articulation games. Your kid would be motivated, too, because they would enjoy every bit of it. Depending on the stage that your child is at, have them practice a minimum of three targets (word, phrase, sentence). If you - the parent(s), participate in the articulation games too, it could be more fun! Before taking your turn at the game, mention three targets too. You could make an error on purpose to see whether they are paying attention and pick up on it. If they do, you forfeit your turn to them! Now, here are some great articulation games or activities for articulation practice that you can do at home. Articulation Treasure Hunt This is an exciting game, especially since it involves ‘treasure.’ You could get miniature medals or trinkets that would be the reward for pronouncing words correctly. So, you could put these treasures under small cups or bowls. You then place an articulation card on top of the bowl or cup. Use words with different sounds, as this is good for language development. To get the treasure underneath, your child has to pronounce the target word correctly. When they do, they get to lift the cup and get the treasure. They don’t necessarily have to be keepsakes so that you can recycle them. However, if you want to use proper gift items or freebies, you could find fun stuff like stickers or, on occasion, candy! You could also transform this into a scavenger hunt. Hide the containers all around the house, and let the scavenger hunt begin. Egg Carton Toss Get an egg carton and number the spaces. Your child then tosses a coin into the carton. For each number the coin falls on, your child has to say their target word on your word lists or worksheets that number of times. The repetition is good for the correct production of the word and language development. This game is ideal for word level. Go Fish This game is excellent for sentence level and would typically require more than one player. You make the printable picture cards you got from your Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) into flashcards. You then request two copies, stick a colored piece of paper onto each back, and cut them out. Shuffle the whole deck and deal 3 cards to the players. The first player requests a card in this format (“Do you have a cat?”). If the other player does, they hand it over to player one and said player puts both pairs down. If player two doesn’t have a cat, he tells player one, “Go fish.” Player one then selects a card from the standing pile. Whoever has the most cards when the pile is exhausted wins. You can record points on a piece of paper. Mother May I This is another of the several articulation games that is great for sentence level language skills. Using printable picture cards from your ccc-slp speech therapists, you create a path that is long and winding. There should be some sort of treat or treasure at the path’s end, like candy. Whoever gets to the end of the path first is the winner. So, your child starts the name and could say something like “Mother, may I go horse?” If they pronounce “horse” correctly, you respond, “Yes, you may.” They then get to move their pawn to the horse. If they don’t say the target word properly, you respond, “No, you may not.” Your child remains in the same position and will try again during the next round. Now, it’s your turn, and you follow the same format, saying, “Mother, may I go horse.” To encourage your child and set them up to win, try to make errors intentionally. They may also pick up on these errors and correct you, facilitating learning and developing articulation skills. Beat the Clock This would require using printable pictures from your SLP who has a ccc-slp and a timepiece that has a second hand. The nature of the game makes it excellent for all speech therapy levels. You stack a pile of target words from your word lists or worksheets, and once the timer goes off, your child starts to say them one after the other as fast as they can. Once they’ve pronounced one correctly, flip over to the next, and so on. For sentence level, they would need to make it in sentence form, for instance, “I see a DOG.” Record the time it takes them to go through all these words. The goal is for them to beat their initial best, building articulation skills along the way. Board Games This is a 2-in-1 activity because they get to learn in a fun way. Sit down to play your child’s favorite board game. Before your child takes their turn, they must say their target word, phrase, or sentence from your word lists or worksheets. This is a pretty comprehensive exercise, which makes it ideal for several speech therapy levels. Narrating Favorite Stories This is a pretty comprehensive activity, too, because it allows your child to think for themselves. For this activity, you would need picture books your child has read several times and is familiar with. However, instead of reading the text in the book (if your child is reading already), have them narrate the story in their own words using just the pictures. Of course, you may have to cover the text. Listen carefully while they are narrating and correct any speech errors they make during the storytelling. I Spy Books It is a 2-in-1 activity, just like board games, and is excellent for all levels. Get out an “I Spy” book, and before beginning the race to find an object on the page, have them practice 3 target words. Have them practice these words at least 3 times before the next round of “I Spy.” What Is Needed to Develop Articulation? Most of the work that goes into articulation development is beyond the words or the images. These mainly serve as tools to develop the mechanisms and behaviors necessary for articulation. Here are some of the building blocks necessary to make this happen: Hearing Hearing has to be well-developed to pick up or detect speech sounds. The middle ear must function well for your child to identify and differentiate between target sound as well as process and assimilate speech sounds. Anything affecting the ears, such as ear infections or colds, which impact hearing, could cause fluctuations in hearing levels, impacting hearing and speech. Concentration and Attention Being present at every point and following through on activities is crucial for articulation development. Concentration is necessary to stick with what has to be done long enough for the effects to occur. Attention follows staying present even in the face of potential distractions. In this case, it could focus on speech and target sound for the duration needed to process and retain, sharpening articulation skills. Muscle Coordination Several muscles are typically involved in making the sounds that the mouth produces, such as the vocal cords, diaphragm, tongue, jaw, palate, and lips. Proper coordination and movement of these muscles is necessary for proper speech. Beyond this, it is crucial to make a meaningful sound. Articulation disorders like apraxia are caused by a form of disconnect between the brain signals and muscles needed for speech. How Do You Improve Articulation? Improving articulation is a gradual process that has to be deliberately carried out. You have to set up the playing field such that at any point in time, you are doing something that facilitates this development. Here are some things you can do to improve articulation: Word Play Set up a game such that you use a target sound or several while the game is ongoing, and you repetitively model them. For instance, “baa baa” goes the sheep, or “hee-haw hee-haw” goes the donkey. Ensure that even when you’re not actively playing any articulation games, you talk to them a lot. This way, they listen to the correct pronunciation of several words throughout the day, and it starts to get ingrained in them. Maintain Eye Contact When your child speaks, ensure you’re keeping eye contact with them or at least looking at them. Encourage them to also look at you closely so that they can copy how you make different sounds or carry out the correct production of words. Imitation is a crucial tool for speech development and articulation. Limit Background Noise At home, limit or eliminate background sounds like those from the television or music player. This reduces distractions and allows your child to engage properly in conversation. This is particularly important when dealing with articulation disorders like apraxia. Read to Them Often Reading is a great way to enhance the process. This activity is great because it is a comprehensive one, teaching how to pronounce words correctly and stirring your child’s creativity, too. Vocabulary development is not left out either. You could also use apps such as audiobook apps. These apps have some of the best readers and can significantly help with articulation disorders like apraxia. Audiobook apps are also very convenient and require no prep, unlike other activities for home practice. Sentence Repetition If their speech is unclear, repeat the correct version to them. For instance, if the child says, “dat ee my twoy,” you reply, “yes, that’s your toy.” Acknowledging and repeating shows you listen to the child while enforcing the proper language model. So, in essence, you respond to the message your child is passing across, not necessarily the specific word pronunciation. Showing If you’re having trouble understanding what your child is saying, ask them to show you. You shouldn’t worry about explaining that you don’t understand what they said. You could also request that they repeat themself, and you try to figure it out. If this doesn’t work, go with the showing. How to Make Practicing Articulation at Home Easier Initially, this could seem like quite a bit of work; however, over time, you would ease into the system you would have created. To make the process easier, here’s some tips that can help: Routine: speech therapy activities for articulation should be a part of the established daily routine. For instance, it could be the last activity of the night post-brushing. Or you could fix it for earlier in the day after school. Have them practice speech often, too. Short Intervals: articulation practice should be done in a few minutes so that it doesn’t become tedious. Ten minutes daily would work wonders. You could even do fewer speech therapy sessions. The main idea is to keep at it since progress is gradual. Repeat: frequency is what does the trick, which is why short durations are advised for home practice. For instance, 5-minute daily practice throughout the week beats a single 30-minute practice. This can help with articulation disorders like apraxia. Spice Things Up: learning should be done in a fun way, and this shouldn’t be any different. This is why engaging in fun activities your child loves for home practice is excellent. This way, they look forward to both the game and practice. During practice speech, be sure to shower praise and celebrate milestones. Provide treats and make it a wholesome time overall. Stay the Course: your speech therapists (with ccc-slp) will notify you of the position that your child is in with relation to the speech therapy steps. You should do easy articulation activities that are in line with this step. Your SLP could also provide specific articulation speech therapy activities for that particular step and notify you when it is time to move along. All you have to do is listen and follow the instructions provided to you. Conclusion Getting your child’s speech to improve is a gradual process and one that you have to commit to. Practicing articulation therapy activities at home gets easier and more natural with practice. In addition, since your child would be extra relaxed at home, they would find it even easier to practice these easy articulation activities. Be sure to interface with your SLP often. Finally, beyond seeing this process as work, enjoy the fun activities too.

Reading comprehension can make a massive difference between just reading and understanding what you read. This is why building and enhancing your reading comprehension skills is crucial. Said skills can be developed to various levels, so you should constantly, consciously develop these skills. Here’s everything you need to know about reading comprehension and how to develop yours. What Is Reading Comprehension? Reading comprehension is simply your ability to understand or comprehend the text you are reading. This step occurs while you’re reading; however, it also happens before and after you read a text. It is an active and deliberate aspect of reading. Comprehension allows you to draw meaning out of what you’re reading and fully see and understand what the author of the text is talking about. There are two aspects of reading comprehension: Vocabulary knowledge Text knowledge. Vocabulary Knowledge This is where reading comprehension commences. If you already have a pretty solid vocabulary base, it is easier to understand the meaning of words and generally have sufficient working knowledge for decoding what a text means. Context is also crucial here to help you accurately predict what an unfamiliar word means — context clues come into play here. If you don’t have a pretty strong background knowledge of vocabulary or learning new words is extra tough, then the comprehension process would be stalled significantly. Text Comprehension This reviews the text from a general perspective to understand the concept it tries to explain. Here, you engage with the English text to understand the message it is passing across and precisely what you need to glean from it. Excellent text comprehension skills imply you can answer questions about the author’s message. You can provide a decent summary of the passage, too. In addition, you can link what you have just read to other areas of the English text or even your previous or prior knowledge. So, this step elevates you beyond just understanding the message the author is passing, serving as a stepping stone to new levels of critical thinking. Why Is Building Reading Comprehension Skills So Important? Building comprehension skills is crucial because it impacts almost every area of life. If you can comprehend what you’re reading properly, there are several benefits to be gained. For starters, you would see significant improvements in your personal and work life. Also, rather than see reading books as a bothersome chore, you could begin to really enjoy it. Cracking the code to understand texts can do wonders for your knowledge bank and enhance your ability to learn new skills and assimilate information. Here are some other perks that good comprehension skills can provide: Massive boost in writing and communicating effectively and with clarity Improved understanding of new information, such as those in newspapers, and an ability to engage and analyze the events More significant motivation to read and a newfound enjoyment of books Understanding, analyzing and comprehensively responding to memos and information passed in the workplace Improved concentration, allowing you to read for longer. You could also have a fresh understanding of prior knowledge. Strategies for Building Reading Comprehension Skills Building comprehension skills is a conscious and deliberate process that requires a bit of effort to pull off. However, as with anything, it’s only really tough initially because it’s a new habit. Over time, it gets significantly easier, and you find yourself comprehending texts more and more. Here are the various reading comprehension strategies to build independent reading skills and enhance your comprehension skills. Improve Your Vocabulary Vocabulary implies knowing the meaning of words, which can massively boost your comprehension ability. English texts are made up of random words, and background knowledge of these words allows you to understand phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and pages and is pivotal to decoding the entire text. Here are some things you can do to improve your vocabulary: First, take a vocabulary quiz online to see where you’re at concerning your current vocabulary level Practice using new words or new vocabulary both in verbal and written forms as often as you can. Note the phonics, too Explore using flashcards to test yourself on new/ unknown words at least once a week Amp up your active reading; this effectively boosts and enhances your ability to make pretty accurate guesses about what an unfamiliar word means in various contexts. List out strange-looking new words you’ve picked up in books and look them up in the dictionary when you catch a break. Sometimes, an understanding of the vocabulary can provide a fresh perspective for you regarding what the author meant. In addition, since vocabulary is so broad, don’t restrict yourself to just books. You can go to places such as literary meetups, art events, lectures, or discussions. The broader, the better because you can learn new vocabulary from different industries to help your reading and comprehension. Read Out or Read Aloud Reading books aloud is a comprehensive act that engages your hearing or listening skills. It combines both auditory (which is concerned with hearing the words) and tactile-kinesthetic (which is concerned with saying words out) to develop reading comprehension effectively. Recalling what you have read is easier when you have more than one mechanism of recall to work with. So, beyond the visual aspect, there is the auditory aspect, too. If you’re an advanced reader, use the proper intonation, keep an eye on punctuation, and try to express yourself accurately. If you’re only just beginning, say, you’re presently at the high school level, take your time with this, and you will get better gradually. Soon enough, you would be doing higher-level reading. Identify the Text’s Central Idea Noting the central idea or the main message within a given reading material can enhance text comprehension significantly. Who or what does the text concern itself with? What is their importance in the text? Once you have identified the subject, you have a solid foundation to understand the key points of the passage. This is how to build up reading skills kids and adults. Identify the Supporting Details In addition to identifying the central idea, a solid understanding of supporting details serves as building blocks to overall comprehension. The supporting details can provide context or shed more light on the central theme or character. To do this, simply recall a few details about the text you read—a summary of the summary. This can significantly help to build your active reading skills. Recognize the Structure and Main Highlights The entire point of the structure is to follow along without getting lost on the way. Is the structure of your reading material apparent? Does it simply discuss one main topic/main points or feature a beginning, middle, and end? If it’s a story, there should be a theme, a setting, main character(s), and actions that they are carrying out. Is there a conflict — and what character (s) is the protagonist and which is the antagonist? Analyzing the various aspects of a text this way can aid your understanding and allow you to have a clear image in mind. To prepare yourself, you can read the back (that should typically have a summary of the main elements in the book), read the introduction, and scan through the book’s pages, noting header titles and reading random sentences. This pre-read is necessary to familiarize yourself with the text. Section the Text If you’re having difficulty understanding a pretty tough text, or if it’s too long, then sectioning in the text could be an excellent idea. There is no hard and fast way to section, so you should do what’s best for you. You could study two to three paragraphs and pause to reflect and summarize in your mind. Sectioning your read allows you to tackle bite-sized sections at a time and improves your chances of really understanding the information present in the text. Consider Using Organizers Since the brain processes images way faster than text, integrating graphic organizers into your reading can aid comprehension. Graphic organizers that allow note-taking provide an excellent way to make sense of the main idea and details visually. When you have determined the main highlights or structure of the text, you can use the corresponding header to detail happenings in the middle, end, or beginning. You can also use the informational organizer to detail points from what you have read. Writing, which is a form of tactile-kinesthetic learning, helps you to retain better the information that you’ve read. To facilitate this and take it further, read a section and then do your note-taking exhaustively. This would draw on information that may have been shoved in the back of your mind. You can color-code your notes with colored pencils. If you feel like taking this further, you can use a 5-W organizer — who, what, when, where, why, and how or a compare-contrast organizer. Go at Your Own Pace It is crucial to learn at a pace that works best for you to avoid feeling overwhelmed. You would also be able to achieve more milestones because the goals you set are realistic and workable. This strategy is particularly effective for literature that poses a level of difficulty. You can work with a small daily goal and an overall weekly goal. Instead of doing chunk-size, like trying to finish a book in three days, you can do bite-size, like reading two to three chapters daily. This reduces pressure, allows you to enjoy the read, and provides processing time in between to reflect on what you’ve read. Similarly, you could consider reading with small groups of other learners or struggling readers. You work together step-by-step to become good readers, and in small groups, you can discuss key points or main points that aid retention. Answer Questions A great way to confirm that you’re doing great with reading is to answer questions. This also helps you develop recall skills. According to research, answering a prompt trumps passive reading or listening in learning. You could look up questions drafted by others on the internet and answer them. In addition to the simple questions, consider those that require critical thinking, too. Make it a habit to answer questions about sections of texts you read days before. This is a compelling long-term memory development strategy. If you want to draft your questions, you could use different variations of the 5-Ws. For instance: Who is… to the main character? When did … happen? How did … go down? Why did …. do what they did? Where did … happen? What is the book or text’s theme? Who were the central and secondary characters? You can amp this up to rationalizing a philosophical element or justifying an act that a character carried out in your own words. You end up drawing your inferences and boosting retention. How Do You Practice Reading Comprehension Skills? Following the reading comprehension strategies above, you would likely need to set the right stage, especially in the early days of reading comprehension practice. Here are some tips that can help. Remove Distractions The presence of distractions implies that you would have to put in a lot more effort to understand what you’re reading. As such, it would be ideal to eliminate all distractions and make the text your only focus. This could involve silencing your gadgets, searching for quiet spaces to read, and even clearing your head. Doing these allows you to be engrossed in your reading and ensures comprehension proceeds quickly. Read Texts Multiple Times Read sentences and paragraphs as many times as you need to understand the message it is conveying. You can slow down to pick them out word by word or even use various tonations to get the real meaning. If any unknown words seem pivotal to the text, look them up alongside the phonics and return to the text. This would aid understanding. Start Below Your Reading Level Rather than begin with something that would pose an instant challenge, consider starting from a lower, more manageable reading level. Say high school level before moving on to higher-level reading. This practice lays a solid foundation for your reading comprehension. To determine your present reading level, you can take a standard online quiz. Conclusion Building reading comprehension is a process, so you must go easy on yourself. Start small, read texts that interest you, and answer questions about the text. If you cannot answer the questions, reread the English text until you can respond correctly before moving on to the next. This is how to build reading skills. Remember that it gets easier with practice, and in good time, you will be excellent at comprehension.

The L sound is one of the most common English consonant sounds. However, it can be tough for children to pronounce. This can concern you as a parent, especially since you don’t want your child to fall behind. It is typical for most children to pronounce the sound by the time they are five years old. Some others usually require assistance. Here’s what you must know about teaching your child to say the L sound. Describing the L Sound The L sound is made by lightly touching the back of your tongue directly behind your front top teeth, where the alveolar ridge is located. It is a fairly simple speech sound. As you pronounce the L sound, the airflow around your tongue's sides is released. Naturally, a child begins to make the sound of L at the age of three or so. At this age, children are beginning to make speech sounds correctly and learning to make various speech sounds with their mouths and tongues. By the time they are five years old, most children should have mastered the L sound. You would note this quickly, especially if they’re a big talker. Beyond this time, your child may be having a speech delay, and you should consider speech therapy for your child. Common Issues Children Face When Trying to Pronounce the L Sound Teaching your kid the articulation of the L sound can be a bit tricky. It is one of those speech sounds that may not come naturally. Without articulation therapy or speech therapy for them with a speech pathologist, some of the common issues or speech errors children face when trying to say the L sound include: Sound Substitutions: Children sometimes replace the L sound with other consonant sounds like W or Y. This is why you will hear the word "wove" instead of love and “yittle” instead of little. Wrong Tongue Position: Children might not get the correct tongue placement. They could push it back too far or not touch it at all instead of touching the roof of the mouth. Omitting the Speech Sound: Some children may just entirely skip the L sound in words. For example, instead of butter, they may say "bu'er." Why Does My Child Mispronounce the L Sound? Children who cannot yet pronounce the L sound tend to mispronounce it by substituting it with another sound, such as the w sound – this also happens with the R sound. The R sound belongs in the same category of tough consonants as the L sound. This misinterpretation of sound patterns is known as a phonological process, and it is a typical aspect of early sound and language development in children, as well as developing phonics. Gliding is one of the most typical forms of phonological processes for the L sound during phonics development. One easy way to recognize this is when your little one pronounces the L sound as "W" or "Y." You notice their articulation of words like "wam" instead of lamb, “wook” instead of look, and "yeyow" instead of yellow when speaking. “Wook” is a pretty common occurrence because children tend to want to show a lot. Speech errors like this happen because they stop the air coming out of their mouth instead of letting it through the space between their tongue and the roof of the mouth. However, gliders should vanish by the time they are five years old, or they might need speech therapy (SLP) with a speech pathologist. Sometimes, your child might resort to vocalization when saying a word that ends with the L sound. They may pronounce the L as a vowel sound. A classic example is "bao" rather than "ball." You would pick these up quicker if you have a big talker. How to Teach Your Child to Produce the L Sound Here are some of the techniques and strategies in articulation therapy or speech therapy for your child that you can use to teach them how to pronounce the L sound: Oral Motor Exercises You should consider strengthening your child’s oral motor skills before you focus on teaching them how to pronounce the L sound. These speech therapy exercises from a speech pathologist will help your little one develop the muscles and coordination they need for precise speech production. Tongue-strengthening exercises work the tongue muscles directly, including the sides of the tongue, such as blowing bubbles or licking a lollipop. Jaw-strengthening exercises, on the other hand, develop the jaw muscles that support tongue movement. Examples of jaw-strengthening exercises include yawning or chewing gum. Demonstration Another way to help your child easily learn the L sound is by demonstrating the process to them. Children can learn a lot from watching. So, you want to show them how your tongue makes the L sound by touching the roof of your mouth. Next, you want to help them understand where to place their tongue, which is the alveolar ridge, right behind their front teeth. They may have a hard time understanding this at first, even with your demonstration. They may not know where to place their tongue. Your demonstration should provide more clarity for your child. For loads of practice, encourage your child to be a big talker. Tactile Cues Sometimes, your child just needs a gentle touch to get the guidance they need. To help your child feel where the tongue should be for the L sound, gently touch their tongue with your finger or a tongue depressor. You can assist them by demonstrating where their tongue should stay by using your finger or a lollipop to touch it, including the sides of the tongue. Next, ask your child to put the tip of the tongue there, showing them where you put the tip of your tongue, too. This tactile cue can provide proprioceptive feedback, assisting your child in developing an understanding of where their tongue is located in space. Visual Cues Your child may find it easier to understand where to place their tongue if they can visualize it. You can use a mirror to help them do this. The tip of the tongue should lightly touch the uneven alveolar ridge directly behind the frontal top teeth. This visual cue can help your child learn the precise positioning of their tongue alongside the sides of the tongue. You can also put the tip of your tongue there and show it to them. Once they have successfully gotten where to place their tongue, you want to teach them how to make airflow without moving their tongue. Allow them to relax with their tongue in position and gently push air through the sides of their mouth. All they have to do to produce the L sound is raise their voice or get them to vibrate their vocal folds to make the sound "loud." Ear Training Differentiating the L sound from other sounds is just as essential as learning to make the sound. Consider allowing your child to participate in auditory discriminatory exercises. This will help them distinguish the subtle differences between the L sound and other similar sounds like w (as in water) and r (as in road). You and your child can also play games where they have to identify words that start with different sounds. These games will help them develop the auditory skills they need for clear speech and fix speech sound disorders. Articulation of the L Sound in Syllables It's time to introduce syllables to your child once they can make the letter L independently. Ensure you introduce all vowels with the same sound in the initial and final word positions when introducing syllables. Start with the basics. Help your child understand how the L sound works in simple syllables like "la la la," "le," "li," "lo," and "lu." Here's what you can do: As you pronounce the syllables aloud, urge your child to follow suit. Together, practice saying these syllables again. Be playful and lighthearted. Employ visual aids if necessary. You could show them images of words that have the letter L in them or that begin with it. Articulation of the L Sound in Words Once your child can pronounce the L sound in syllables comfortably, it’s time to step up to words. You should begin with simple words with one or two syllables with the L sound. Some words to get you started include sell, kettle, fill, bell, model, ball, list, let, still, leg, lid, log, call, lip, fell, small, tall, spell, less, lap. To make it easier for your child to learn the L sound in words, try pronouncing the word slowly and emphasize the "L" sound. Ask your child to repeat the word after you. If they struggle, break it down into syllables. Articulation of the L Sound in Sentences Once your child is comfortable with the L sound in words, the next step is to help them use the "L" sound in sentences. This will assist your child in learning to use the L sound in various contexts and at a more natural pace. Here's how: Form short sentences that include words with the "L" sound. Read the sentences aloud and ask your child to do the same. Encourage them to use the "L" sound naturally in conversation. Here are some examples of sentences to try if your child can say the L sound in the initial part of words: Lucas loves to play with his ________. Lily spotted a beautiful ________ in the garden. Here are some examples of sentences to try if your child can say the L sound in the final part of words: The cat chased after the ________. The bell rang loudly in the ________. If your child can say the L sound in the middle of words, you should practice phrases like this with them: Carlos and Lily played catch with a colorful ________. You can fill in the blanks with L words that your child is familiarized with. Here are some other phrases and sentences for you to try out: The little kitten chased its tail. Alice likes to read books by the lake." I will help you build a tall tower. My mom is taller than your mom. Lisa will let you borrow her book. Articulation of the L Sound in Stories and Conversations Stories and conversations are the next rung on the ladder when your child can comfortably say the L sound in sentences. You can achieve this by conversing with them with an emphasis on L words. You can also read short stories and nursery rhymes with L words that your child is fond of. Tips for Parents and Caregivers Make Learning Fun: Try creating a fun and engaging environment for your child to learn. This will help you keep your child interested and motivated. Be Consistent: Consistency and patience are very important. Set aside practice sessions with your child every day. Keep the practice sessions short and regular. You will see a lot of improvement from this over time. With more practice, your child will become more confident and better at pronouncing L words. Be Creative: With an endless list of possible games and activities, there is more than enough room for you to explore your creativity. This will make your child’s learning unique and more enjoyable. Don’t be scared to create your own unique games and activities. Encourage Regular Usage: Encourage your child to use L words regularly in their day-to-day conversations. This will help them get comfortable with the words. You can also practice using other L words in your conversations with them. Model Correct Pronunciation: As often as necessary, model the correct pronunciation and correct tongue placement for your child. This will help them understand how to do it and provide them with a good model. Positive Reinforcement: Encourage your child’s speech milestones and progress with positive reinforcement, no matter how little. This will help your child feel confident while boosting their motivation. Be Patient: It takes time to learn anything. Stay patient with your child and encourage them. Treat them with care, and do not be harsh when they are wrong. Correct Mispronunciations: You should avoid scolding your child when they do not understand correctly. Be gentle with them and just show them how to do it again. This will ensure that they do not get overly self-conscious. When to Seek Professional Help: If you realize that your child is still struggling with the L sound after some months and has not shown any significant progress, then you should consider seeking professional help. Do not hesitate to consult a speech-language pathologist for expert opinions on speech delays and speech sound disorders. Conclusion Teaching your child how to say the L sound can be a challenging one and will require creativity, patience, and consistency. Following the strategies and tips in this piece will help you support your child’s unique learning process. Remember that every child’s speech development will vary, and their learning pace will differ, so you have to be very patient. When necessary, contact a speech therapist or any other speech professional to help your child through any speech sound disorders.

Several factors affect child intelligence, from environment to nutrition to quality healthcare and even parenting. You can influence most of the factors, so, of course, you would. On the other hand, some factors are way out of your control. One such is a learning disability like dyslexia. If your child has dyslexia, then you’ve probably wondered whether it can affect their intelligence. So, let’s find out. Can dyslexia really affect your child’s intelligence? What Is Dyslexia? Dyslexia simply describes a learning disorder that impacts the ability to read, write, and spell. While it is a pretty common condition, many people still believe a good number of misconceptions about it. One popular one is that it could have some effect on intelligence. However, the fact is that dyslexia is simply a learning disability. It does not indicate low intelligence, neither does it serve as a herald for your overall cognitive abilities. What Causes Dyslexia? There is no established cause of dyslexia yet. However, certain factors may contribute to its appearance. They include: Differences in how the brain develops: In kids with dyslexia, the parts of the brain that enable reading form and function differently. The brain of a dyslexic person sees less activity in the parietal and occipital areas. The occipital area functions in reading fluently and automatically with a great degree of skillfulness. The parietal lobe, on the other hand, functions in decoding the meaning of words and recognizing said words. Family history: Family history could be a factor here. If there is a history of someone in your family having it, then your child could, too. According to research, a child has a 40% to 60% chance of being dyslexic if their parent is. Furthermore, a history of certain genetic conditions like Down Syndrome could raise the chances of having a dyslexic child. Early childhood problems: Pregnancy or childbirth complications can up the odds of your child having dyslexia. These include: Premature birth Toxin exposure Infections, or Low birth weight. What Are the Symptoms of Dyslexia? Dyslexia symptoms are usually apparent pretty early, and if you keep an eye out, you can pick them up. Here are some of the symptoms that commonly exhibit: Poor reading ability: your child may have dyslexia if they struggle to recognize words. Being below reading fluency level for their age could be a sign, too. Difficulty when spelling words: Children with dyslexia find it hard to spell words correctly. You may notice that they omit some letters or replace these letters with the wrong ones while they spell. This is one of the common signs of dyslexia. Lack of phonemic awareness: Your child may find it difficult to identify sounds and pronounce words correctly. This is also one of the pretty common signs of dyslexia. Difficulty when writing: You may notice that your child can speak well but finds it hard to write down their thoughts. Confusion with direction: Your child may be unable to tell their left from their right. Difficulty when solving math: Some mathematical problems require reading written instructions. Therefore, you may notice your child struggling with word problems in math. Common Misconceptions about Dyslexia There is much information backed by research about dyslexia; however, this hasn’t eliminated misconceptions. For starters, dyslexia is a pretty common disability, affecting around 1 in 5 people. Let’s clarify some common misconceptions that would clear up some of the notions you may already hold: Dyslexia is a sign of low intelligence: Dyslexia does not impact your child’s intelligence in any way. As a matter of fact, many dyslexic students are super intelligent and bursting with talent. The only challenge they have is that their brains process language differently. Dyslexia can be outgrown or cured: Dyslexia is a lifelong condition. This means that it cannot be cured or outgrown. But do not fret; this does not mean they’ll never learn to read. With the right support from an early age, they would do just great. Dyslexia concerns only reading and writing: While dyslexia does concern troubles with reading and writing, there may be other aspects. You may also notice that they struggle with math, memory, and spatial awareness. Dyslexia results from laziness: No, dyslexia doesn’t result from laziness. It is is a neurological condition, and you cannot control it. All dyslexic individuals experience identical symptoms: Dyslexia symptoms vary across the board. The symptoms that some other child exhibits may differ greatly from your child’s. Dyslexia and Intelligence Because of the reading challenges they experience, children with dyslexia usually perform below their grade level in school sytems. This makes it easy for people to equate dyslexia to lower intelligence levels. This is false. It is, therefore, vital for you, as a parent, to learn to separate your child’s intelligence from their inability to read. There is a wide range of cognitive skills that intelligence covers, including: Problem-solving Reasoning Critical thinking Memory Creativity According to research, dyslexic students may shine in some of these areas—such as problem-solving and creativity. Here’s a further breakdown of areas where these young children can excel: Creativity: Dyslexic children can be highly creative with high iq. They also have pretty active imaginations. This allows them to do really well at activities like drawing, painting, and singing. This is especially reinforced with the existence of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. Problem-solving: Since dyslexia doesn’t impact intelligence, your kids can effectively provide excellent solutions to problems. They would be able to think outside the box and analyze challenges. Entrepreneurship: Many dyslexic kids grow up to become successful entrepreneurs — providing products and services that address societal problems. Their ability to think outside the box and see things in ways that others can’t often lead them to groundbreaking ideas. This is what sets people like Richard Branson and Sally Shaywitz apart. They are both dyslexic, and while Richard Branson is a wealthy businessman, Sally Shaywitz is a neuroscientist and co-founder of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. Interpersonal Skills: Dyslexic young children are usually very intuitive and empathetic, excelling in social interactions and communication. When Should You Test for Dyslexia? You can screen your kid for dyslexia as early as before kindergarten, which is prior to when they start to read. However, the ideal time would be in their first school year or around five years old. If you see any of these signs of dyslexia, you should consider testing: Delayed reading skills Persistent spelling difficulties Struggles with phonemic awareness Family history of dyslexia Frustration with reading or avoidance of reading and writing activities The sooner dyslexia is identified, the sooner you can arrange the appropriate interventions for the child, allowing the child to access the support they need to succeed academically and build on their strengths. How to Test a Child’s Intelligence Carrying out an intelligence test or iq test can let you know what you need to know regarding your child’s intelligence levels – whether they have above average iq or low iq based on their iq scores. Trained and certified professionals are usually in charge of conducting the iq test. They typically make use of standardized tests which measure children’s cognitive abilities based on the iq scores. Common methods for testing include the following: The Wechsler Scales: The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is a popular option. If your child is between 6 and around 16 years old (usually in high school), this scale can predict pretty accurately. The test reviews intelligence in the following areas: Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, Fluid Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed. Non-Verbal Tests: If your child has a language or communication challenge, nonverbal intelligence tests can help determine their intellectual ability. These tests evaluate the child’s ability to solve problems and think abstractly without depending on language. Examples of non-verbal tests for your kids include: Raven's Progressive Matrices Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Beta-4 Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence Observation and Interviews: Aside from the standardized tests mentioned above, your child’s intellectual capacity can also be determined through observation and interviews. This usually involves sessions with the psychologist, during which they relate with the child and take note of their behavior and responses. They may also conduct interviews with you or your kid’s teachers to find out more about the child’s everyday functioning. The information they gather would be instrumental in determining your child’s intelligence level. However, they would not conclude based on these alone. How to Support a Dyslexic Person If your kid has dyslexia, they will need a lot of support from you. With proper support, they can go on to improve both academically and in other areas. Here are practical ways to help: Academic Support: to improve their academic performance, your child may need an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). For this, you would have to work with your child's school or school systems generally. This plan usually contains unique and personalized approaches to education, thus ensuring your child can learn at their own pace. Structured Literacy Programs: Consider enrolling your child in a structured literacy program focusing on phonemic awareness. These reading programs are specially designed to help dyslexic children systematically decode words, helping them build essential reading skills. Tech Tools: Thankfully, technology has developed better ways for a dyslexic person to learn. You can make use of specific tech tools that are designed to make reading less frustrating and improve comprehension, such as Text Presentation Controls Reading Focus Tools Speech Recognition Software Writing Assistance Software Text to Speech (TTS) Readers Audiobooks Encourage Them: When working with a dyslexic child, it is essential to let them know that their condition does not define their intelligence. Let them know that there is nothing wrong with them. Be sure to give a lot of verbal encouragement and celebrate their accomplishments. This would effectively motivate them to keep pushing forward. Read Together: Beyond reading programs, reading with your child regularly not only promotes bonding but can also considerably help them to read better. When choosing books to read, make sure you go for texts that are relatively easy for their level. Advocacy: Advocacy for more attention to dyslexic students in public school, such as having a school psychologist or teachers being familiar with psychological science and phonological awareness, can do a lot. You can also advocate for donations to the International Dyslexia Association. What Are the Conditions That Can Affect Intelligence? While dyslexia doesn’t affect intelligence, some other conditions could do. Some of these directly impact, while others may just be co-occurring. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Children with autism typically have a hard time navigating social interactions and communicating. They could also exhibit repetitive behavior that could affect their intelligence. However, they may show high intelligence or high iq levels in certain other areas. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): While this condition does not directly affect the child’s intelligence, it may impact their day-to-day performance. If your child has trouble focusing or controlling their impulses, it could be a sign of ADHD. So, this does not necessarily cause low iq. Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD): SLDs may hurt academic performance. However, they do not necessarily affect the child’s overall intelligence. Here are some examples of SLDs: Dyslexia (impacts reading ability) Dysgraphia (impacts writing) Dyscalculia (impacts learning math). Traumatic Brain Injury: If your child was involved in an accident and experienced brain trauma, this could impact intelligence, causing a low iq. Mental Health Conditions: Mental health illnesses can significantly impact the focus, memory, and decision-making abilities of your child. Some of these include: Depression Anxiety, and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Genetic Syndromes: Certain genetic conditions like Down syndrome and Williams syndrome could significantly impact overall intellectual capability, resulting in less than above average iq or low iq. Conclusion First and foremost, your major takeaway should be that dyslexia doesn’t impact your child’s intelligence negatively. While they may struggle with learning activities like reading and writing, it doesn’t make them any less intelligent. With the proper support, they can get better and go on to reach their full potential.

The gift of speech is one that we often take for granted. Being unable to truly express ourselves, especially as children, can make us feel disconnected from the outside world. Meet James This is what it must have felt like for James, who was a 2 ½-year-old boy when he came to one of our Rite Care Centers in September. When our licensed, board-certified speech-language pathologists examined him for the first time, they found that his vocabulary was severely limited for his age. He was only using about 100 words. And James had not yet been able to string two of those words together. Instead, James would mostly communicate by pointing or leading a family member to show (instead of speak) what he wanted. His mother believed that he seemed to understand everything, but that he just could not vocalize himself! James was falling behind on some of the normal milestones for kids his age. Take a look at these common childhood milestones for children between the ages of 2 and 3: They should understand the differences in meaning (“go – stop”, “up–down”). They should be able to follow two-step commands (“Get your cup and put it on the table”). They should have a word for almost everything. They should be able to use two- or three-word sentences (“Mommy go bye-bye”). They should be able to name objects to ask for them or to direct attention to them. Their speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time. They should be able to produce the speech sounds “h,” “w,” “m,” “n,” “p,” “b,” “t,” and “d”. At 2 ½, this could be an indication of a more serious disorder that is impairing James’ ability to speak. When we look at the childhood milestones of children his age, he is well below average compared to his peers. Children at the age of 2 ½ should have a vocabulary extending to about 450 words. They should also at least be able to string 2 to 3 words together. Children with a speech delay like James has could be caused by things like: Limited exposure to words: If a child is not surrounded by a variety of words as they are developing, this could have a serious impact on their speech. Since they are not hearing the words daily, they will never learn them. This includes both spoken and written words. Physical impairments: There may be problems with the physical structure of the child’s speech production centers. For instance, a cleft palate or a short frenulum can affect speech. However, these issues are usually diagnosed by a pediatrician before a child begins to speak. Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS): This speech disorder is caused by malfunctions in the area of the brain responsible for speech production. The child may have trouble controlling their lips, tongue, or jaw. A language disorder: The child may be suffering from a receptive, expressive, or mixed language disorder. A receptive language disorder may be present if the child has trouble understanding what they are hearing or reading. An expressive language disorder is when the child struggles to express their thoughts and ideas through spoken or written words. It is also possible the child has a mix of both disorders. A developmental delay: The problem may simply be a developmental delay. This means the child is continually behind in learning compared to other children his or her age. Hearing problems: Suffering from hearing loss could delay speech. The child should see a qualified audiologist if this is suspected. Ear infections: Chronic infections can cause a speech delay since the middle ear is constantly inflamed and irritated. The child would need to see a qualified Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist to determine if this is causing the delay. Since the cause of James’ speech delay can come from a variety of different directions, he needed to see a licensed speech-language practitioner to understand and diagnose his condition. And that’s what our speech-language pathologists did! James progresses: Fast forward to the present today. Since his first exam, James has been going to individual therapy sessions twice a week for a half hour each. It is no mystery whether he enjoys these sessions; we find him anxiously waiting for his therapist’s arrival, peeking his head out as he sits in his waiting room chair. He cannot contain his excitement! And for a good reason. His speech skills are quickly progressing in the right direction, and his family has noticed a big difference in the way he communicates. Even though his first visit was not that long ago, James has already increased his vocabulary from 100 to over 300 words! He is also able to join two words together, and sometimes even three! And speaking of joining three words, James has learned three of the most magical words that will melt any heart: “I LOVE YOU!” He now leaves every session with a friendly wave of goodbye and these three oh-so-precious words filled with gratitude. Help Children Blast Through Speech Impairments If you’d like to help children like James blast through their speech impairments and start communicating more functionally, consider donating to CASRF. These donations will go straight to our many speech-language programs, including the Rite Care Center James went to! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the difference these services make in a child’s life. Donate today!

As a parent, watching your toddler take those exciting steps toward growth and learning is a source of immense joy. However, it can be incredibly frustrating and concerning when you notice your little one suddenly going backward, losing skills they had once mastered. This is referred to as developmental regression, which is more common in toddlers than you think. Understanding developmental regression is important for caregivers to provide the necessary support their child needs to regain lost skills and continue progressing. This article will explore developmental and speech regressions in toddlers, what might be causing them, and, most importantly, how to help your child move forward again. What is Developmental Regression in Toddlers? Developmental regression in toddlers is when a child appears to lose previously acquired developmental milestones and skills. This is characterized by the exhibition of a decline or backward movement in their developmental progress. This occurrence can concern parents and caregivers as it may indicate an underlying issue, such as regressive autism, that requires attention. Here are some examples of developmental regression in toddlers: Social Regression: Toddlers may suddenly become withdrawn or less interested in social interactions, including playing with peers or responding to their names. Communication Difficulties: A toddler who already said their first words and was previously speaking words or simple sentences may stop doing so or experience a significant decrease in their speech and language skills. This can manifest as a loss of vocabulary or difficulty in forming coherent sentences. Motor Skills Regression: Some children may decline their motor skills. For instance, a child who could stack blocks or use utensils may lose the ability to perform these tasks effectively. Toilet Training Regression: A child in the toilet training process might suddenly start having accidents, even though they were making progress previously. Regression in Play Skills: Toddlers may revert to playing with toys and activities more typical of younger age groups, such as engaging in repetitive behaviors or fixating on a single toy. Emotional and Behavioral Regression: This can include increased tantrums, mood swings, or difficulty regulating emotions. A child may become more irritable and anxious or exhibit behaviors like hand-flapping or repetitive movements. What is Speech Regression in Toddlers? Speech regression, or language regression in toddlers, is a decline in a child’s ability to speak or communicate. This means the child was previously acquiring speech and language skills, and then there was a sudden loss of skills. Here are some examples of speech regression in toddlers: Loss of Vocabulary: A child who was once able to name and identify common objects or people may suddenly forget these new words and have difficulty using them. Difficulty Forming Sentences: Toddlers may struggle to form simple sentences or express their needs and thoughts clearly, even if they were doing so before. Regression in Pronunciation: Previously correctly pronounced words may now be pronounced incorrectly, leading to a noticeable decline in speech clarity. Reduced Use of Speech: A toddler might become less inclined to engage in conversations or respond to questions or comments, leading to decreased verbal interaction. They may instead revert to pointing at objects to communicate their needs. Echolalia: Echolalia is a form of speech regression where a child repeats words or phrases they've heard but may struggle to generate meaningful, original speech. Causes of Developmental and Speech Regression in Toddlers If you notice a developmental regression in your toddler, the first thing you may think of is autism because this is a common sign in autistic children or some other developmental or articulation disorder. However, developmental and speech regression in toddlers can be caused by various factors, such as major life changes. Understanding these causes is crucial to help you understand your kid better. Here are some common causes: Learning a New Milestone: Sometimes, when toddlers are busy learning a new skill or developmental milestone, they might temporarily forget or lose some of the skills they've already learned. For example, if they're focused on learning to walk, they might forget a few words they used to say. In cases like this, a regression should not cause alarm. Once they master the new skill, they’ll progress in the previously learned skill. Medical Conditions: Certain conditions or illnesses, such as infections, can disrupt a toddler's development and communication skills, causing regression. When toddlers get sick, especially with high fevers, it can make them feel too tired or uncomfortable to practice newer forms of communication. So, instead, they revert to their simplest form, such as babbling. However, once the child is better, they will likely regain their previous skills and progress as usual. Major Life Changes: Sometimes, major changes in a toddler's life, such as starting daycare, having a new caregiver, moving into a new home, or welcoming a new sibling, can temporarily disrupt their development and speech skills. Significant stress or traumatic events in a toddler's life, such as losing a loved one or an accident causing a big life change, can also lead to regression as they struggle to cope emotionally with this life event. These major changes can create stress, translating into anxiety for the toddler, causing them to revert to a “baby-like” state. As with the causes above, regression caused by major life changes should work out over time. Hearing Problems: If a toddler has trouble hearing properly, it can affect their speech development. For instance, a toddler with a chronic ear infection will likely find hearing sounds difficult. This can muffle their speech and lead to a language regression. Lack of Stimulation: If a toddler doesn't have enough opportunities for play, exploration, and interaction, it can slow down their development and speech skills. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): If the causes listed above do not explain your child’s regression, you might need to consider the possibility of a developmental disorder, such as ASD. Autism is a condition that can lead to both developmental and speech regression in toddlers. The symptoms of an autism-caused regression vary from those caused by other life changes. Typically, kids with autism develop normally during their first year. By their second year, the signs of autism begin to show. While speech regression is a major symptom, it is not the sole determining factor. Other symptoms of autism include: Repeating the same phrases Repetitive word use Difficulty communicating both verbally and nonverbally Lack of social interest and interaction If you notice these signs related to autism, speak to your child’s pediatrician as early as possible to potentially carry out a diagnosis of autism to review receiving intervention services. It's important to remember that every child is different, and the causes of regression can vary from one child to another. If you notice regression in your child's development or speech, it's a good idea to seek help from healthcare professionals specializing in pediatrics, such as pediatricians or speech therapists, to identify the specific cause and develop an appropriate plan for intervention and support. How Is a Developmental or Speech Regression Diagnosed? If you notice any of the characteristics listed above in your toddler, chances are they’re going through a regression. To be sure, it’s always best to visit a medical practitioner. Diagnosing developmental or speech regression in toddlers typically involves a thorough evaluation by healthcare specialists. Here's an overview of the diagnostic process: Medical Evaluation: The first step is often a medical evaluation to rule out any medical conditions that could be causing the regression. This may include checking for illnesses, infections, or other health issues affecting a child's development. Developmental Assessment: A developmental assessment evaluates the child's overall development. This assessment may involve observing the child's behavior, social skills and interaction, play, and motor skills. It can help identify areas of regression and whether there are delays or deficits in multiple domains. Speech and Language Evaluation: If speech regression is a concern, a speech and language evaluation is conducted by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The SLP assesses the child's speech and language skills, including their ability to understand and use spoken language, articulation, and fluency. Hearing Evaluation: Hearing tests may be conducted to rule out hearing impairment as a possible cause of speech or developmental issues. Developmental Screening Tools: Pediatricians often use standardized developmental screening tools, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), to assess developmental milestones and screen for potential developmental disorders. Psychological Assessment: In some cases, a psychologist or developmental psychologist may be involved to assess cognitive and behavioral functioning. This assessment can help identify underlying developmental disorders. Parental Input: Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in the diagnostic process. They provide valuable information about the child's developmental history, regression patterns, and any concerns they may have. It's important to note that the diagnostic process can vary depending on the specific concerns and the child's age and developmental stage. Early intervention services may be recommended if developmental or speech delays or regression are identified. These services may include speech, occupational, physical, and educational support tailored to the child's needs. How Can Parents Support Their Kids Through Regression Supporting children through regression, whether it's developmental or speech regression, can be challenging for caregivers but is crucial for toddler well-being. Here are some ways parents can provide support: Stay Calm and Patient: Children can sense your emotions. Therefore, staying calm and patient with your kids is important, even when you're concerned about their regression. Rather than pressure them to resume practicing their lost skills, reassure them that you're there to help. Seek Professional Evaluation: If you notice regression that lasts for more than a brief period or seems severe, consult a pediatrician, speech therapist, or developmental specialist. Professional evaluation can identify underlying issues, and early intervention often leads to better outcomes for children experiencing regression. Maintain Routine: Toddlers thrive on routine, and predictable routines can provide security during times of change. Therefore, try to keep their daily schedule consistent and regular. You can use visual schedules to help toddlers understand and anticipate daily routines. Encourage Communication: For speech regression, encourage communication in any way your child can manage. This may include gestures, pointing, speech sounds, or using pictures. Additionally, praise their efforts to communicate and assure them that you see and understand them. Engage in Play: Play is an excellent way to support development, promote social interaction, and build skills in toddlers. Engage in activities such as playing together, reading books, and using toys that encourage language development and motor skills. Offer Comfort: Regression can be unsettling for young children. Offer them comfort as possible through cuddles, soothing words, or a favorite stuffed animal. It is important to let them know that they are not alone and that you're there to support them. Limit Stressors: If major life changes or stressors contribute to your toddler’s regression, try to minimize them or provide additional support and reassurance during these times. Celebrate Small Steps: Recognize and celebrate your child's progress, no matter how small. Positive reinforcement can motivate them to continue trying. Seek Support for Yourself: Caring for a child undergoing regression can be emotionally taxing. Don't hesitate to seek support for yourself, whether through friends, family, or counseling. Explore Early Intervention Services: If the regression is related to developmental delays, such as a language delay, inquire about early intervention services. These programs can provide specialized support and therapies to help your child catch up. Educate Yourself: Learn about your child's condition or diagnosis, if applicable. Understanding what's causing the regression can empower you to support them effectively. Give Space and Independence: While offering support, allow your child some independence and the opportunity to try things independently. This can boost their confidence. Conclusion If you notice a developmental or speech regression in your toddler, there is no cause for alarm. All you have to do is show your child unconditional love and support throughout their journey of growth and development. However, if a regression continues for an extended period or presents other symptoms, it might be best to consult a professional. While carrying out intervention, remember that every child is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. Therefore, tailor your support to your child's specific needs.

Whether you're a concerned parent, caregiver, or someone interested in understanding more about speech and language development in young individuals, this article will provide you with valuable insights and information regarding speech therapy for children and when they should begin speech therapy. From recognizing potential signs of speech and language challenges to exploring different types of therapy programs, we are here to help you in navigating the world of speech therapy for children. Now, let’s delve into the importance of early intervention, various therapy approaches, and how to support children in their journey to effective communication. What’s the Ideal Age to Start Speech Therapy for Children? The ideal age to start speech therapy for children can vary based on individual circumstances, but early intervention is generally recommended when speech and language delays or disorders are identified. If you suspect that your child might have difficulties with speech and language development, it's important to consult with a pediatrician or a speech-language pathologist (speech therapist) to get a professional assessment. Here are some general guidelines: Birth to 12 Months: Babies typically coo and babble during this period. While it's not necessary to seek speech therapy at this stage, if you notice significant delays in responsiveness to sounds, lack of babbling, or absence of basic communication gestures, consulting a professional is advisable. 1 to 2 Years: By this age, children should be saying a few simple words and attempting to communicate. If a child isn't saying any words by 18 months or is difficult to understand by 2 years, a speech evaluation might be beneficial. 2 to 3 Years: Children should be expanding their vocabulary and combining words into short sentences. If a child's speech is still largely unintelligible to unfamiliar listeners, or if they're not making progress in their language development, speech therapy could be considered. 3 Years and Older: At this point, a child's speech should be mostly understandable, and they should be using more complex sentences. If a child's speech is significantly delayed, they have difficulty with certain speech sounds, or they struggle with language comprehension, a speech-language evaluation might be recommended. Remember that every child is different, and some variability in speech and language development is normal. However, if you have concerns about your child's speech and language skills, it's better to seek guidance sooner rather than later. Early intervention can greatly improve outcomes and help children develop better communication skills. Speech-language pathologists are trained professionals who can assess your child's speech and language skills, identify any delays or disorders, and recommend appropriate interventions. If you're unsure, consult your child's pediatrician or reach out to a speech-language pathologist for guidance based on your child's individual needs. Why Is Speech Therapy for Children Important? Speech therapy for children is of paramount importance as it plays a crucial role in fostering effective communication skills and overall development. Effective communication is a cornerstone of human interaction, enabling children to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs, while also comprehending the world around them. Speech therapy addresses various speech and language disorders that might hinder a child's ability to communicate. By targeting issues such as speech sound production, language comprehension, expressive language, and social communication, speech therapy equips children with the tools they need to confidently interact with peers, teachers, and family members. Furthermore, early intervention in speech and language delays can prevent potential academic, social, and emotional challenges later in life. Through tailored exercises, techniques, and strategies, speech therapists empower children to overcome these hurdles, facilitating not only effective communication but also boosting their self-esteem and cognitive development. In essence, speech therapy provides children with the essential skills to engage meaningfully with the world, ensuring they have the best possible foundation for lifelong success and well-being. What Types of Speech Therapy Are There for Children? Speech therapy for children encompasses various approaches and techniques tailored to address specific speech and language challenges. Here are some common types of speech therapy for children: Articulation Therapy: This type of therapy focuses on correcting the production of speech sounds. Children with articulation disorders might have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds, leading to speech that is difficult to understand. Articulation therapy helps children learn how to produce sounds correctly through exercises, drills, and repetition. Language Therapy: Language therapy targets the development of both receptive (understanding) and expressive (use of) language. It helps children improve their vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, and overall language comprehension and expression. Fluency/Stuttering Therapy: Children who stutter may benefit from fluency therapy. This type of therapy helps children manage and reduce stuttering by teaching techniques such as controlled breathing, slow speech, and strategies to reduce anxiety associated with speaking. Voice Therapy: Voice therapy is designed for children who have vocal issues, such as hoarseness, pitch problems, or excessive strain while speaking. It focuses on improving vocal quality, pitch, and volume through exercises that promote healthy vocal habits. Pragmatic Language Therapy: Pragmatic language refers to the social use of language, including taking turns in conversations, maintaining eye contact, understanding nonverbal cues, and interpreting social situations. Pragmatic language therapy helps children develop appropriate social communication skills for effective interaction. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): For children with severe speech and language impairments, AAC methods like communication devices, symbols, or sign language can be used to facilitate communication and language development. Feeding and Swallowing Therapy: Some children might have difficulties with feeding, swallowing, or oral motor skills. Feeding and swallowing therapy aims to improve these skills to ensure safe and efficient eating and drinking. Early Intervention Programs: These programs are designed for infants and toddlers who show signs of speech and language delays. Early intervention focuses on promoting communication skills during the critical early years, which can have a significant impact on future development. Play-Based Therapy: Especially effective for young children, play-based therapy uses play activities to engage children in language-rich interactions, helping them develop communication skills in a natural and enjoyable manner. Individual vs. Group Therapy: Speech therapy can be conducted individually or in small groups, depending on the child's needs and goals. Individual therapy offers personalized attention, while group therapy can help children practice communication in a social context. Speech therapists assess each child's unique needs and tailor the therapy approach accordingly. The goal is to improve communication skills, enhance self-confidence, and support overall development to help children thrive in various aspects of their lives. What Programs Are There for Speech Therapy for Children? There are several established programs and approaches used in speech therapy for children, each designed to address specific speech and language challenges. The choice of program often depends on the child's needs, age, and the nature of their communication difficulties. The California Scottish Rite Foundation, for instance, offers literacy programs that provide opportunities for children to improve their communication skills and self-confidence. The Lidcombe Program focuses on treating stuttering in young children through parent-administered therapy. For children with autism spectrum disorders, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) employs visual supports to enhance communication. The PROMPT technique uses tactile cues to guide accurate speech sound production. Additionally, programs like Fast ForWord utilize computer-based exercises to improve language and cognitive skills. The Social Thinking program aids children with social communication challenges, helping them navigate social interactions more effectively. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) programs such as Proloquo2Go offer communication tools for children with severe speech impairments. These programs, along with numerous others, provide a diverse range of strategies and resources to ensure that speech therapy for children is tailored to their unique needs, ultimately enabling them to develop strong communication skills and thrive in various social and academic settings. How Do I Know if My Child Needs Speech Therapy? Recognizing if your child needs speech therapy involves observing their speech and language development milestones and looking for signs of potential delays or difficulties. While children develop at their own pace, certain red flags might indicate the need for further assessment by a speech-language pathologist (speech therapist). Here are some signs to watch for: 1. Speech Sound Development: By certain ages, children should be able to produce specific speech sounds. If your child is not pronouncing sounds or words clearly or is difficult to understand, it might be a sign of a speech sound disorder. 2. Limited Vocabulary: If your child's vocabulary seems significantly smaller than that of their peers of the same age, it could indicate a language delay. 3. Difficulty with Sentence Structure: Struggling to use age-appropriate sentence structures and grammar might suggest a language disorder. 4. Late or Limited Babbling: Babies should engage in babbling by around 12 months. If your child isn't cooing, babbling, or using gestures to communicate by this age, it's worth investigating further. 5. Lack of Social Communication Skills: Trouble making eye contact, responding to their name, or engaging in back-and-forth interactions might be signs of social communication challenges. 6. Stuttering: Some degree of disfluency (repeating sounds, words, or phrases) is common in early childhood, but if stuttering persists for more than six months or is accompanied by tension or struggle, it's advisable to consult a professional. 7. Difficulty Following Directions: Struggling to understand and follow simple instructions appropriate for their age could indicate a receptive language issue. 8. Frustration or Withdrawal: If your child becomes frustrated, avoids communication, or shows signs of anxiety when trying to communicate, there might be underlying speech or language challenges. 9. Family History: If there is a family history of speech or language disorders, the risk of your child experiencing similar challenges might be higher. 10. Regression: If your child has been meeting developmental milestones but starts regressing in their speech and language skills, it's important to investigate the cause. If you notice one or more of these signs, it's recommended to seek an evaluation by a licensed speech-language pathologist. Early intervention is crucial for addressing speech and language challenges effectively. A speech therapist can assess your child's communication skills, determine if there is a need for therapy, and develop an appropriate intervention plan if necessary. Keep in mind that every child is unique, and seeking professional advice can provide you with a clear understanding of your child's specific needs. Conclusion: It’s important to remember, that every child is unique, and their speech and language journey is an adventure that unfolds at its own pace. Whether you're seeking advice for early intervention, exploring different therapy options, or simply gaining insights into how to support children's communication skills, you've taken an important step. By staying informed and seeking guidance from professionals, you're ensuring that children have the tools they need to express themselves confidently and connect with the world around them.