Are you one of the parents who think their kids might have a speech deficit and want to learn more or one of the parents who have kids with insane vocabularies who are really proud of where their kids are and want to take it to the next level?
Join Better Speech on the new episode of A Dad's Path Podcast, where we share some knowledge on speech and childhood development, including the connection between receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking) language, clues to look for if you think your child may need help with their speech development, and what you should be doing to develop your kids' communication skills.
Listen to the podcast using one of the players below:
Episode highlights
There are two parts of language:
The receptive part of the language: the language that we understand, e.g. is your little one answering yes/no questions? Or when I ask you "Is your name Will?" will you tell me yes or no? That's a receptive part of language: I heard language, I understood it, I processed it.
The expressive part of the language: I will express to you my answer right now. As I'm talking, I am the speaker, you are the listener.
Often you can find a connection when someone is not listening or it seems like they're not listening, they might also have speech challenges.
Learn how to help your child with speech development
What you should be doing more to develop your kids' communication skills?
Talking constantly with little ones and narrating what you/they are doing is really important for their speech development. This way you're helping them shape the environment and the understanding that there is language and I need to understand it.
Sometimes parents might feel that their child is not developing according to the guidelines, or they have questions about their speech and language skills, e.g. you want to know what your child should be doing so that he/she can continue to progress and grow. In this case, you can check out the American Academy of Pediatrics, reach out to your physician or your primary care doctor, or even just Google. You can also check out the various Better Speech resources, or use games from our Practice Library.
However, not every child needs speech therapy. For example, if your kid speaks really clearly and their articulation is perfect, you can have more fun with speech therapy and start practicing telling stories, presenting, and playing with their voice. You can also practice making eye contact, or watching out for posture while communicating with others.
When you're in the car, try playing games and using audiobooks to stimulate conversation instead of watching TV screens.
If you have little ones, talk about the things that you're doing. Talk about the things that are passing them by and that they're seeing. If you have older ones, talk about your day. Use a time to make it fun and educational. Give them that opportunity to talk and tell you about whatever is coming to mind.
If you want to use audiobooks, that's another great one because they're still listening and they're creating these mechanics of visualization and bringing that image to life, and they're watching something without actually watching something, they're hearing it. Audiobooks also help to develop your child's vocabulary by introducing them to new words.
If you have a little one that may need speech therapy services, reach out to us at Better Speech - we offer online speech therapy services convenient for you and tailored to your child's individual needs. Our services are affordable and effective - get Better Speech now.
About the Author
Lenora Edwards
I am ASHA Board Certified Speech Language Pathologist and Chief Knowledge Officer with Better Speech. Since obtaining my CCC’s in 2010, I have worked with individuals of all ages from little ones who are learning to understand and express themselves to adults who want to improve their speaking skills and become a more fluent and effective communicator. I love to teach and educate others, in my spare time I like reading, cooking and traveling!
