Speech & Language Milestone Chart
Child’s Communication Development: K-5
Pragmatic Language & Social Skills
What is a Speech Language Pathologist
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What is Speech?
Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following:
- Articulation: How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the "r" sound in order to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit").
- Voice: Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce sound (e.g., the voice can be abused from overuse or misuse and can lead to hoarseness or loss of voice).
- Fluency: The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency).
When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with
his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder.
Ways to Help Prevent Speech Sound Disorder:
1. Participate in screening programs offered at clinics, schools, etc.
2. Have your child's hearing checked
3. Play with your child and use correct speech
4. Take care of your child's dental and oral health
Ways to Help Prevent Stuttering:
1. As much as possible, read and speak at a normal or slow normal rate
2. Pause about 1 second before replying to your child's statements or questions
3. Respond to what your child says rather than how he or she says it
4. Let your child choose what you talk about
Ways to Help Prevent Voice Disorders:
1. Avoid shouting or screaming
2. Drink 8 glasses of water daily
3. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and smoking
4. Seek medical attention for sinus infections and allergies
(Provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
10 Tips to Improve Overall Communication for the Child with Apraxia of Speech:
1. Play oral motor games with your child. Practice sticking out your tongue, moving your tongue side to side or placing your tongue in each cheek.
2. Blow bubbles, whistles, or use other fun blowing tools to encourage oral-motor coordination.
3. Be sure to give your child plenty of time to speak to you, encourage them to speak at a slow rate in order to improve their intelligibility (how well they are understood).
4. Begin with a core vocabulary of words and phrases such as "me too" or "I want ___."
5. Give feedback such as "move your tongue up a little" or "you did it".
6. Give visual, auditory and tactile feedback.
7. One therapy approach does not fit "all".
8. Use the "watch me, listen, and do as I do" strategy.
9. Use gestures or signs for communication when appropriate.
10. Practice, practice, practice!
Tips for Children who Stutter:
1. Listen to what your child is saying rather than how they are saying it.
2. Respond to your child the same way whether they are disfluent or not.
3. Don't make suggestions on how they should speak because this can make it more frustrating.
4. Simplify by using shorter sentences and age-appropriate vocabulary.
5. Create an environment that is supportive where everyone can take turns and don't allow siblings to tease.
6. Minimize speaking without notice or putting the child "on the spot".
Developmental Ages for Sound Mastery
90% of: Produce the following Sounds Correctly:
3 Year Olds p, m, h, n, w
4 Year Olds b, k, g, d, f, y
6 Year Olds t, l, r, ng
7 Year Olds ch, sh, j, th
8 Year Olds s, v, z
INTERVENTION IDEAS FOR ARTICULATION ERRORS OR UNCLEAR SPEECH:
1. Reinforce child each time he is able to correctly make speech sounds he has difficulty imitating.
2. Have child record the words he hears the teacher or other children using which have an identified sound.
3. Explain to the child what sound he is making incorrectly, and what he is doing incorrectly when trying to make the sound.
4. Model the correct sound for the child.
5. Use pictures. (If the child says /sh/ for /ch/, use pictures of similar sounding words such as /ship/ and /chip/. As the adult says the words, the child points to the appropriate picture. The child then takes a turn saying the words as the adult points.
6. Use a tape recorder for the child to listen to speech sounds and evaluate his own speech. Can he hear the error?
7. Have child identify who he thinks is a good speaker and why. (other children, adults, celebrities) Do they speak clearly, use good eye contact, appropriate volume, etc.)
8. Make a list of what attributes are likely to help a person become a good speaker.
9. Play a game in which the child tries to imitate the sounds made by the adult or other children (Simon Says).
10. Have child keep a notebook of difficult words he finds each day. The child can then practice saying the words.
11. Have child keep a list of all the words he can think of which begin with sounds he experiences difficulty making. (or use a spelling list)
12. Have child cut out pictures of items containing the sounds he has difficulty making and display them where he can practice the word each day.
13. Have child make up sentences, using speech sounds he has difficulty imitating.
14. During oral reading, underline difficult words and reinforce the child’s attempt at saying them correctly.
15. Evaluate the ease at which the child tries to imitate particular speech sounds. Can the child easily repeat the sound? Is the sound too difficult to imitate.
16. Identify a peer to act as a model for the child to imitate in making particular speech sounds.