Communication, speech and language is a fundamental skill for a child’s development. It allows them to connect with others, express themselves, and succeed socially and academically in life.
Often times, children face speech articulation challenges, making it difficult to clearly pronounce certain words or sounds. Helping your child with speech articulation is important to promote their overall confidence and achieve their developmental milestones.
Helping a Child with Speech Articulation
A child with a speech articulation issue requires understanding, patience, and consistent effort. As a parent or caregiver, you can support your child by modeling correct articulation and active listening. As well as, a supportive home environment and engaging speech therapy, to overcome their speech difficulties.
Identify any Speech Articulation Issues
The first step is to pinpoint the words and sounds you child is struggling with. Listen for any difficulties they are having with their speech, observe their speech patterns for consistent errors.
Common problems can include substituting one letter sound for another, such as substituting the “r” in “rabbit” for a “w” for “wabbit”.
Encourage Active Listening
Model active listening with engaging activities such as playing listening games, reading books together, and take turns in conversation. This can enhance overall speech and the correct pronunciation of words and sounds.
Model Correct Articulation
Children learn by imitating, so it is essential to model correct articulation. Emphasize sounds and enunciate words, provide positive reinforcement and be supportive to motivate them in their speech journey.
Engaging Speech Therapy
At First Words Speech Therapy, we provide speech therapy services for children with speech and language, communication and articulation difficulties.
Our certified speech therapist develops a customized treatment plan, tailored to your child’s specific goals. We foster a positive attitude when it comes to building on communication skills and speech development. To get more information on our speech therapy services, contact First Words Speech Therapy for an appointment.
“The earlier a child’s speech and language problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persist or get worse. Early speech and language intervention can help children be more successful with reading, writing, schoolwork, and interpersonal relationships,” according to ASHA.
