How to Help Your Child with a Speech Delay
Are you concerned your child may have a speech delay? In this post, I’m sharing simple communication strategies to try today.
The holidays are over and your closets are overflowing with new toys and games. You flinch when you open the closet doors in fear of an avalanche.
Your credit card statements are in recovery mode. And so are you.
You know your little one’s language needs some support. You’re worried about a speech delay. But you just can’t bear the thought of more. Another physical tool or toy. More expenses. Additional hours of the day.
But here’s the thing.
Some of the very best strategies for parents to boost speech and language require no extra tools, toys, hands, hours, or money. What’s better? You can try them today.
Speech Delay? Try These Strategies
All of these strategies involve paying attention to your own communication –– particularly the speech and language you use when engaging with your child.
How do you talk to them? Are your words encouraging? Or are they punitive? Are your sentences overwhelmingly complex and fast? Or are they simple and slow?
Studies tell us that these things –– these “adult inputs” –– make a difference. (1)
You might find that you already use some of these strategies naturally, without even knowing it!
Recast utterances
As your child learns to speak, they’re bound to make some mistakes. Like any skill, speech takes practice. Maybe they mispronounce a word or use a verb tense incorrectly. Your instinct may be to correct their error directly. You might even be inclined to make them say it again –– this time without the error. But this can be demoralizing for a child. Try recasting instead. Repeat what your child said, but correct the error and emphasize the correction in your speech.
Recasts are an effective way to build language in your little one. (2) There are two types of recasts:
Expanded utterances
Think of expanding utterances as echoing your child’s utterances but making them grammatically complete or adult-like. You’re filling in the blanks while keeping the sentiment the same. Pay attention to the function of –– the intention behind –– a child’s words. (Hint: their intonation might provide clues.) Are they commenting? Requesting? Asking a question? Be sure to reflect that intention in your expanded utterance.
An example:
It’s evening. Your child hears the front door opening. Their face lights up, they look at you, and they say “Mommy home.”
Think about their intention. Are they telling you excitedly that their mother is home (e.g., “Mommy!”)? If so, say, “Mommy’s home!” Are they asking if the person entering the house is their mother (e.g., “Mommy?”)? If so, try: “Is Mommy home?”
Extended utterances
When you extend a child’s utterances, you echo what they say, this time giving additional information around the same topic. You can add whatever language you want, but try to keep it concise. The goal here is to broaden a child’s exposure to new language related to words they already know and topics of interest.
An example:
Your child points to a baby in the park, looks at you, and says “Baby!”
Think about what else your child might want to say about the baby. Which features are salient? If the baby is a newborn, say, “The baby is little!” Maybe the baby is drinking a bottle; try, “The baby’s drinking.”
Focused Stimulation
In an attempt to find out what words their kids know, parents are often inclined to “test” or direct them. “What’s this?” they’ll ask. “Say ‘ball.’” This may be especially true of parents who suspect a speech delay. Shift the focus from testing to teaching. One effective way to do this is with a strategy called focused stimulation. (3) When you use this strategy, you choose a word or grammar part that you want to focus on. Then, you model it repeatedly during an engaging activity.
An example:
You’ve noticed that your child uses the word “dog” for all kinds of animals. You want them to learn the word “cat,” but you don’t want to test them (e.g., “What’s that?” or “Say ‘cat’”).
Instead, find a book, toys, or series of photos with cats. Each time you see one, say “Cat!” and point to it so your child knows you’re referencing it. For a child with a bit more language, you might add more information (e.g., “I see a black cat.”).
Slow your roll
It’s hard to learn new skills when bombarded by information. But it’s easy for parents to forget this when caught up in the chaos of daily life. We’ve chatted about the wonders of wait time before, and now I’m doubling down on the importance of speed in communication. Stop with the rapid-fire questions and directions. Break them down into parts. Slow your own speech. Don’t repeat yourself over and over again; this can “reset” your child’s processing clock. In general, do what you can to take away the time pressure for your child with a language or speech delay.
An example:
It’s a busy morning and you’re trying to get out the door. You need your child to clean up and get ready to go, but they’re sitting on the floor playing in their pajamas.
You might be tempted to rattle off all the things you need them to do (e.g., “It’s time to clean up your legos, put on some pants, use the potty, get your shoes, and go to the car.”). And you might be tempted to say it all again when they look at you blankly. Instead, try slowing down your directions, giving them one at a time, and then waiting.
Use nonverbals
You might recall that many children –– and perhaps most children with speech delays –– are visual learners. Help yours by providing nonverbal cues to support your message, whether it’s a comment, question, direction, etc. Nonverbals include gestures and pointing, facial expressions, pictures, and more.
An example:
You and your little one are playing on the floor. They ask for a ball. You’re not sure which ball they mean –– the big one or the little one.
Asking them to clarify (e.g., “Big or little?”) might be hard, if they don’t understand these basic concepts yet. Instead, try using gestures for big and little. Or simply point to each ball and shrug as if to ask which they’d like.
More Help for a Speech Delay
For more simple tips you can use today, check out our parent handout: 25 Speech and Language Strategies (available here in Spanish!), designed to make speech and language learning easy on families.
If you’re not quite sure whether a speech delay is at play, learn more about developmental milestones and see if your little one is on track.
And, when in doubt, you can always seek professional help.