Speech Development PROMISE Years Speech-Language Pathologist

Speech-Language Pathologists Where you can find us… Who we provide intervention for… What we do…

What is Speech? “how” we say things Pronunciation of sounds in words Also referred to as articulation

Articulation vs. Phonology Articulation – acquisition and production of specific sounds (e.g. /w/ for /r/ wun for run) Phonology refers to the rules that govern the combination of sounds into syllables and words and the acquisition of sound patterns (e.g. /t/ for /k/ tat for cat)

Impact of Sound Errors on Communication Misunderstanding the child’s needs Frustration Behaviour problems Reduced language Social difficulties Self-esteem Spelling and reading difficulties in school

How Does Speech Develop? The development of speech sounds involves: –Motor control of the jaw, lips, tongue, hard and soft palate and vocal folds –Child’s ability to hear and distinguish speech sounds –Child’s cognitive development

How Does Speech Develop? Children make sounds from birth Infants engage in vocal play and experiment with sound production Babbling begins at about 6 months, sounds become more adult-like and babies begin to use adult inflection Babies learn everything they need to know about speech in the first year of life

How Does Speech Develop? Babies will attempt to imitate speech and non-speech sounds First words emerge between months Initially, a child will be limited in their use of consonants and vowels Children often show a preference for a given sound

How Does Speech Develop? Children need to use a variety of sounds before combining sounds into words Children learn to say sounds on their own before saying a sound in a word As children babble and use jargon, they practice combining different sounds If a child only uses a few different sounds, we need to work on building their sound repertoire

How Does Speech Develop? As a child develops, they use more sounds and sound combinations Initially, children make sound errors that are developmental –E.g. “da” for “dog” It is the type of errors and age at which they are made which determines a speech delay Some sounds may not develop until school age (e.g. /l, r/ and ‘th’)

Typical Articulation Development Age (1-2) - All vowels and simple sounds (m, n, h, w) Age (2-4) - Early sounds (p, b, k, g, t, d) Age (3-5) - Later sounds (f, v, s, z, sh, ch, j) Age (4-7) - Latest sounds (l, r, th, and blends) ** By the time children reach 7 years of age they should have developed all of these sounds

Guidelines All children develop at different rates Speech intelligibility to an unfamiliar listener Age 2 – approx. 50% Age 3 – approx. 75% Age 4 – approx. 90%

If You Can’t Understand… repetition more info about the word ask the child to show you different word encourage full sentences be honest

How Does a Child Learn Sounds? By listening –Children need to hear the sound many times before they can produce it Opportunities for listening occur all day long –Conversations with caregivers –Being read to –Singing songs and rhymes

How Does a Child Learn Sounds? Sounds are learned systematically Simple sounds are learned first –E.g. sounds made with the lips /p,b,m/ –“mama”, “baby” Children also have to learn to sequence sounds together –E.g. “wawa” for “water”

What Each Child Has to Learn About Speech There are rules of speech sound production –Words have sounds at the beginning, middle and end –Some sounds can be stretched out E.g. “f”, “sh”, “s” –Some sounds can’t be stretched out E.g. “t”, “d” –Some sounds require vocal fold movement and others don’t E.g. “p” vs. “b”

What is a Speech Delay/Disorder? Delay – child follows a typical pattern of development, but at a slower rate Disorder – child makes sound errors that are different from those seen in most children –E.g. “ag” for “dog” –lisp

Phonology Ages at Which These are Typically Mastered Final Consonant Deletion (Age 3-3½) e.g. coat=coe Stopping- f,s (Age 3) e.g. soap=dope Syllable Deletion (Age 4) e.g. banana=nana Cluster Reduction (Age 4) e.g. spoon=poon Gliding of Liquids (Age 5) e.g. leg=weg

Motor Speech Difficulties Some children may have difficulty producing some speech sounds due to difficulties with the motor speech system –Muscle weakness –Lack of coordination of muscles –Paralysis –Difficulties coordinating and sequencing movements required for speech

Possible Causes of Speech Sound Problems Hearing loss Genetic syndromes e.g. Down Syndrome Congenital problems e.g. Cleft lip/palate Injury e.g. head injury Illness e.g. meningitis Unknown or unidentifiable

Ear Infections A child with frequent ear infections and/or middle ear fluid experiences a temporary hearing loss which may continue up to 6 weeks after the infection heals Similar words may sound the same Child may have difficulty hearing final consonants and word endings

Types of Speech Errors Omissions –A sound is left out of a word –E.g. “ma” for “mop”, “pider” for “spider” Distortions –A sound is produced unclearly or incorrectly –E.g. lisp “thoup” for “soup” Substitutions –One sound is produced for another –E.g. “tar” for “car”, “ticken” for “chicken”

Where to Start? Sounds to work on may have been identified by the SLP at the screening appointment Choose 1 sound to work on at a time (at least a week) Remember: –Developmental sequence of sounds –The child’s readiness or stimulability

Where to Start? Possible goals may include: –S-blends (e.g. spider, star) –Use of final consonants (e.g. hop, cub) –Develop or expand imitation skills Motor imitation (e.g. clap hands) Sound imitation (e.g. “mmm”, “beep”) Word imitation –Increase sound repertoire

One Step at a Time Children learn speech sounds gradually Once you introduce a sound, it will not be used in conversation right away Children need to experience success at a given step before moving on

One Step at a Time 1.Isolation “k” 2.Words“car” 3.Phrases“my car” 4.Sentences“I want a car” 5.conversation

Modeling Model good speech habits and pronunciation Emphasize the sound your child is working on in your own speech during your daily interactions

Modeling Choose a few words with your child’s sound and use them throughout the day Provide lots of repetition of the sound and words Do not put any demands on your child to say the sound or words If the child makes an attempt to imitate you, provide lots of praise. If not, keep modeling.

Modeling Ignore errors by not bringing them to the child’s attention Repeat the child’s message slowly and clearly using the correct sounds –E.g. if the child says “I need a poon”, you say back “I need a spoon”

Remember… Remember to praise all of the child’s efforts! Be specific in how you praise –“I like the way that you slowed down to tell me that” –“Good job using your sounds!” –“You kept your tongue in for that s word!”

Games and Activities Keep it fun! Read books with the child’s target sound Sing songs and nursery rhymes Find items around the house that begin with the target sound Create scrapbooks of pictures that start with the target sound