Helping Your Child with Articulation at Home

A new school year is here! Your child is continuing or just beginning speech- language therapy for sounds that they are having difficulty saying. Here are a few tips to encourage your child to speak more clearly at home.

Tips to Improve Speech Clarity

  • If you understand only part of what your child is saying, request more information. “Wow! It sounds like you and Tommy had fun at recess. You and Tommy played on what?”
  • Request that your child repeat what they said. You may say, “I didn’t quite hear you, can you tell me again?” Make attempts to use nonverbal communication, such as gestures, emotion, and eye-gaze when talking with your child.
  • Use environmental cues when needed by asking your child to show you what they are talking about?”
  • Visual supports such as pictures and objects may be very helpful when trying to  understand your child.
  • Be careful not to correct your child’s speech all the time as they may feel self-conscious about how much their errors are corrected and make them more reluctant to talk. Designate a special practice time (10-15 minutes) each day that you will be working on and listening for their “good sounds”.
  • Use positive comments and descriptive language. “Nice try. I didn’t see your tongue tip between your teeth when you said ‘th’. Try saying ‘th’ with your tongue between your teeth. Great job!”
  • Modeling the misarticulated sound to your child but not explicitly drawing attention to it is helpful because hearing the correct production will help your child accurately produce the sound. For example, if your child said “dod” for “dog” you can say, “oh dog” and emphasize the “g” without pointing out your child’s error. Then continue with the conversation.

Increasing your child’s confidence when talking is very important, so if questions arise about how your child is progressing, or if you have additional concerns about your child’s speech development, call Mosaic at 388-4988 to schedule an appointment with a speech-language pathologist.

Minimize Your Child’s Risk For Sports Related Injury

School sports are exciting events for the millions of children who are beginning or returning to a sport. Unfortunately, it also brings the potential for injuries. As many as  20% of children who participate in sports activities will be injured each year. As a parent, there are things you can do to help minimize your child’s risk of a sports injury.

Ways to Minimize Your Child’s Risk of a Sports Injury

  • Choose sports that are sponsored by your child’s school, community center, or other club. This ensures supervision by qualified adults.
  • Choose sports based on the skills, size, and maturity level of your child. He or she should be able to understand the rules and recognize potential risks. A child who is much smaller than his peers has a greater chance of injury playing a sport like pee-wee football versus tee ball. A child who is unable to consistently catch a ball is more likely to get hit by a ball while playing baseball or basketball.
  • Choose gear that is sport specific and appropriate. Properly maintained shoes, pads, mouth guards, gender specific clothing, and protective eye wear is the first line of defense.

Make Sure You Prepare Your Child

  • Practice safe. The majority of sports related injuries occur during practice. Make sure there is adequate warm-up and cool-down time. This includes activities that are low intensity and slowly increase. Ensure that your child has access to water. Also make sure he or she is rests if needed, and wears sunscreen outside.
  • Prepare your child. Make sure he or she is healthy, in shape, flexible, and strong. Encourage your child to play outdoors, on playgrounds, and with friends. Practice sports skills with your child before he or she starts playing. Relay races, throwing, catching, dribbling, shooting baskets, and obstacle courses can improve coordination, speed, and reaction time. These skills are essential  to  success. Activities like hula hooping and jumping rope can improve strength, coordination, and endurance. Try yoga that is specifically for kids to improve flexibility.
  • Finally, if your child does sustain an injury, proper medical attention and rehabilitation can decrease the risk of recurring injuries or development of a chronic condition. A physical therapist can develop a program specific to your child’s needs.

For additional information about how to minimize your child’s risk of a sports injury, check out our article on how to Prevent ACL Injuries in Female Athletes.