The New York Times: When To Worry If A Child Has Too Few Words
Read how Pediatrician Perri Klass, M.D., discusses how difficult determining a language delay in toddlers can be in The New York Times article When to Worry if a Child Has Too Few Words published February 8, 2010.
Labels: Hearing, Language, Language Delay, Speech Therapy
My son tends to leave out details in conversation, how can I help him?
To be more specific with details and descriptions, encourage your son to "read" wordless picture books to you. You can also use picture books with text, as long as the pictures are detailed / expressive themselves. This works best with Caldecott Medal / Honor Books. These books won the Caldecott Award because a child who can not read, can tell the story on his own, just by looking at the pictures. Caldecott books can be found at your local library or where children's books are sold. Try: Books of Wonder or the Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan.
Caldecott Favorites Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems Flotsam (This is also a wordless picture book) by David Wiesner The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, Illustrated by Chris Raschka When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang No, David! (Essentially wordless) by David Shannon The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey Rumpelstiltskin by Paul Zelinsky King Bidgood's In The Bathtub by Don and Audrey Wood A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Umbrella by Taro Yashima A Tree Is Nice by Marc Simont Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
The pictures in books by Leo Lionni and Ezra Jack Keats are incredibly descriptive.
Wordless Picture Books
The Frog Series by Mercer Mayer The Snowman by Raymond Briggs Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins Pancakes For Breakfast by Tomie DePaola Carl Goes Shopping by Alexandra Day Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann Hug by Jez Alborough
Listen to your child tell the story. If you feel he leaves out important information, ask an open ended, leading question (e.g., "OOOO - What's happening over here?"). If he can't describe what's happening, describe it for him. Perhaps this will increase his awareness that he needs to be more specific, or when he reads it to you tomorrow, or next week, he'll include that information. Have fun!
Stephanie is a speech pathologist in NYC. Labels: Bilingual, Language, Language Delay, Parent Friendly Activities, Speech Therapy
What Are Some Board Games You Recommend For Preschoolers?
While pretend play is extremely important for your two year old, it is also a great time to introduce board games. Games can enhance attention, concentration, turn taking, sharing, following directions and having fun!
Below are some great games to start with. If you find that your child doesn't respond well at first, put it away for a month or so and then try again. Help your child make matches, understand the directions, etc.
Cariboo - Opening the doors with the purple key to find colorful balls is motivating. When the treasure is revealed, all players are rewarded.
Zingo - This is Bingo with a fun dispenser. Kids excitedly shout out the names of the pictures.
Hullabaloo - Your child will be moving around the room from floormat to floormat while following the directions provided by the console.
First Games Set - Includes Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Hi Ho! Cherry-O and Memory. These games address a variety of skills such as counting, memory and following directions.
Picture Dominoes - Addresses matching, turn-taking and vocabulary (depending on the set you choose).
Naturally, the best part of playing games with your child is the quality time you spend with them.
Stephanie Sigal provides speech therapy for children in New York City. She can be reached at sayandplay@yahoo.com.
Labels: Language, Language Delay, Parent Friendly Activities, Speech Therapy
Bilingualism and Language Delay
As a Manhattan-based speech - language therapist, half of my caseload typically contains children speaking two or even three languages.
Parents of bilingual children are often concerned that they have fostered a language delay. This is particularly pressing when their toddler doesn't seem to be using as many words, or is not speaking using the complex sentences of their peers.
As De Houwer (1999) summarizes, "There is no scientific evidence to date that hearing two or more languages leads to delays or disorders in language acquisition. Many, many children throughout the world grow up with two or more languages from infancy without showing any signs of language delays or disorder" (p. 1).
There have been very few instances in my career where I discouraged a second language. Speaking two languages is an incredibly valuable skill. What a great gift to give your child!
Bilingual children generally develop language skills just as other children do, although it may take longer than learning one.
Children who speak more than one language may:
- mix grammar rules between the languages
- use vocabulary from the different languages in the same sentence
These experiences are standard and should gradually disappear as language skills develop.
Major language milestones should still be achieved:
- first words by age one
- two-word phrases by age two
If you would like to have your child evaluated for a language delay, please call or email me, I would love to hear from you.
Stephanie Sigal M.A. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
sayandplay@yahoo.com
646.295.4473
De Houwer, A. (1999). Two or more languages in early childhood: Some general points and practical recommendations. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved March 4, 2005, from www.cal.org/resources/digest/earlychild.html
Labels: Bilingual, Language, Language Delay, NYC, Speech Therapy
Ear Infections and Language Development
When a child consistently has ear infections, or has fluid in his ears, it makes it difficult to hear sounds and words accurately. If you plug your ears with your fingers, you can appreciate the muffled quality of speech your child is experiencing. Recurrent ear infections often occur before age 3 - when a child is learning to speak. These frequent ear infections may lead to speech and language difficulties.
- Speech (articulation) is the production of sounds that make up words and sentences.
- Language refers to the use of words and sentences to convey ideas and express our wants and needs.
You may realize your child is having difficulty hearing if he says "What?" often, has trouble following instructions and / or difficulty paying attention. He may wish for the music or television volume to be turned up as well.
Conversely, you may feel that your child is hearing just fine, despite fluid in the ear or a recent ear infection. However, he may have difficulty understanding words in conversational speech and hearing certain sounds, which could make it difficult for him to learn to produce these sounds accurately. Formal hearing tests with an audiologist and attending follow-up appointments with your Pediatric ENT are crucial. It is not possible for you to determine if your child can hear accurately without having a complete audiological examination.
Ear infections are generally treated with antibiotics, but there is no good medical treatment for ear fluid without infection. When a child has frequent ear infections or when fluid persists in the ears for an extended period of time, your ENT doctor may recommend tube placement. The tubes help ventilate the ear while your child's natural ear drainage system is maturing. Most tubes stay in place for 4 months to a year, and they generally fall out on their own. By that time, your child's anatomy will likely have changed, and it will be easier for them to clear the fluid or to avoid infections. In about 15% of cases, the tubes need to be replaced.
When your child has an ear infection:
- Talk and read to your child face to face
- Eliminate background noise
- Get your child's attention before you speak
- Use a normal loudness level
- Confirm that your child is understanding what you are saying
As a seasoned speech therapist and mother of two young children with a history of chronic ear infections, I would be happy to speak with you about questions you may have about your child's speech and language development.
I provide evaluations and therapy for children with speech (articulation), language, and oral-motor difficulties. Sessions are conducted in the comfort of your Manhattan home (Upper West Side (to 96th Street), Upper East Side (to 96th Street), Midtown, Village, Soho, Tribeca, and Gramercy).
Labels: Articulation, Hearing, Language, Oral Motor, Speech, Speech Therapy
Stephanie Sigal Volunteers with Baby Buggy
Stephanie Sigal Volunteers with Baby Buggy to Teach Families at the Child Center of New York to Maximize Children's Speech and Language Skills
New York, NY - May 1, 2009 - Speech-Language Pathologist Stephanie Sigal M.A. CCC-SLP, and Baby Buggy held a Say and Play Communication Enrichment Conference on April 21, 2009 at the Child Center of New York Sonia Strumpf Clinic. The conference was arranged by Nura Poursharif, the Program Director at Baby Buggy, and Patricia Hart, the Project Director of the Child Center.
The Child Center of New York helps Queens families with children ages five and younger to better manage their lives by offering parenting guidance, counseling, home visits, day care, early intervention, vocational training and legal aid. This Say and Play lecture was provided for families with children between approximately 12 and 24 months. Specific tips were presented regarding improving communication skills while parents read books, sing, play, use sign language, and feed / eat with their child. Recommendations were made to help parents use language effectively with their child during personal daily events and routines.
"The families at the clinic were really engaged in what Ms. Sigal had to say because the information was beneficial and practical," said Nura Poursharif, the Program Director at Baby Buggy. "Ms. Sigal has an incredibly animated personality, and she offered tips that were easy to implement. She showed the participants ways to interact with their children that are fun, and the lessons will help them bond with their children and create strong and productive long-term relationships."
"While attending my first Baby Buggy benefit a few years ago, I wanted to be actively involved with Baby Buggy's mission, but I couldn't quite figure out where I would best fit in," said Ms. Sigal. "After attending a second benefit last year, I heard a number of Baby Buggy recipients say that they wanted to be the best mothers they could be. I knew that I could help them meet that goal, because that is the foundation of my early language programs." Labels: Baby Buggy, Language, NYC, Speech Therapy
Floortime / DIR
What is Floortime?
Floortime or the D.I.R. (Developmental, Individual, Relationship-Based) Model created by Stanley Greenspan, M.D. and Serena Wieder, Ph.D. uses motivating experience-based learning to improve language, independence, specific concepts and social skills to children with language delay.
Traditional language therapy often focuses on teaching specific skills, which children may memorize. With some children, this results in rote, unnatural responses.
Floortime, along with other contemporary language approaches, respects and engages a child's individuality and interests while challenging him or her to become a more related and logical thinker.
Parents have the power and ability to help their child communicate and learn, especially when guided by a Floortime trained speech therapist. While following their child's lead, parents help their child learn within the natural conversations of daily activities and play.
For more information, or to find a Floortime therapist in your area, please visit The Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders. Labels: Language
Speech vs. Language
What is the difference between speech and language?
When a mom or dad calls me to set up an appointment for their child, we often discuss their concerns at length. Parents are often confused about the difference between speech and language.
Speech is the production of sounds that make up words and sentences. It involves the coordination of the jaw, lips, tongue, vocal folds (vocal cords), vocal tract and respiration. There are three divisions of speech:
1. Articulation - This is one of the most common reasons parents contact me, I typically hear things like "I am the only person that can understand my daughter." or "My son is having trouble pronouncing R." Treating articulation disorders is one of my specialties.
2. Voice - A consistent raspy or hoarse vocal quality or history of vocal nodules is a reason to seek out a speech therapist.
3. Fluency - The ease and flow with which words are connected in conversation. A disorder of fluency is stuttering. It is considered normal for young children to have some dysfluent speech. If the stuttering becomes more prevalent, it would then be appropriate to consult a speech pathologist that specializes in working with children who stutter.
Please contact me for recommendations of therapists that specialize in voice and fluency in New York City. For helpful information on stuttering, check out these resourceful websites: www.stutteringhelp.org
and www.nsastutter.org
Language refers to the use of words and sentences to convey ideas and express our wants and needs. Speaking, gesture use, writing, understanding verbal conversation and understanding what one reads are all language related.
Parents with children with language delay / disorders often report to me "My daughter is 18 months old and she only babbles, she doesn't have any words." or "My son is 2 and he has trouble putting words together to make sentences."
I am a pediatric speech and language pathologist (AKA speech therapist) specializing in improving articulation (speech) and language skills. Many of the parents I work with are often craving ideas about how to help their child's speech and language skills thrive. I enjoy sharing ideas with them that are appropriate for their particular child. I evaluate and treat children in their Manhattan homes and encourage parents to learn how to ask good questions, model language in an optimal way and follow their child's lead to create an effective playtime. Exercises to improve the muscles of the jaw, lips and tongue are often incorporated into these sessions.
Maximizing your child's speech and language skills will help build relationships with siblings, family, peers, teachers and most importantly, you.
If you live in Manhattan, and have speech and / or language concerns for your child, please contact me for an appointment:
Stephanie Sigal M.A. CCC-SLP 646.295.4473 email: sayandplay@yahoo.com website: www.sayandplayfamily.com |
Labels: Articulation, Language, Speech
Great NYC Theatre For Age 3 & Up!
What is the most appropriate theatre you've experienced lately for children?
Check out Fairytales for Children at Galli's Fairytale Theatre (38 West 38th Street on the 3rd Floor between 5th and 6th Avenues).
We recently saw Galli's Rumpelstiltskin. It was beautifully told and orchestrated. The theatre encouraged children in the audience to sit together in the very front on sleeping bag type blankets, practically on the floor-level stage.
The story was told at a level a three year old could easily relate to, and the cast delightfully incorporated the children into the show. For example, when the queen's servant was sent to find unusual names, the servant calmly approached children in the audience and asked them their names. Unusual is an understatement when it comes to the names of NYC kids! The cast also asked open ended questions to each other, but the children felt they were a part of the play as well, and easily shared their responses aloud. The play was funny and creative, even for adults.
Leave yourself plenty of time to arrive on Galli's third floor theatre - the single elevator that comes with instructions only fits four at a time. After the play, you can talk about it with your child while picnicking in Bryant Park or riding the carousel. You can also plan out what Galli Fairytale you plan to see next time.
You'll find that reading Rumpelstiltskin, retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky will help give your child a better appreciation for the play.
For techniques about reading to your young child, check out the Kids' Books page of my website.
My two and four year old have enjoyed a number of family productions this past year at The New Victory Theatre, check out their website for their ever changing shows. Labels: Language, NYC
Raise Your Own Butterflies!
Hi Stephanie, I've heard you speak to my Mommy and Me group about creating a language enriching environment. Any new suggestions?
Spring is a perfect time of the year to bring Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar to life! Each year at this time, we re-use the Butterfly Garden we received as a gift. We simply order a live butterfly culture refill from the website listed below. Usually when we receive the culture, we have 5 very tiny caterpillars. The food for the caterpillars is included in the jar that has ventilation. All we do is observe the caterpillars crawling around and eating. They quickly grow and suddenly climb to the top of the jar and change into chrysalides. While they are in this stage, I carefully remove the lid and pin it inside the Garden so they still remain hanging.
When they emerge, it is incredibly exciting. Beware! The butterflies have a red liquidy poop when they first emerge (I fondly refer to this as meconium) so keep the pavilion away from anything you don't want stained. We cut a small orange in half and place it at the bottom of the Garden for the butterflies to drink. After a few very thrilling days of observation, we take the butterflies to our favorite park and release them, to "do their jobs" as my son says.
You can imagine the discussions you will have with your child through all the stages (great for learning to sequence), the vocabulary he will acquire and the fantastic science behind it all. Ask good "WH" questions (e.g., What are the butterflies doing? Where did they fly off to? Why do we give the butterflies an orange?). Don't forget to take pictures so you can practice discussing remote events. Your child will be so grateful for the experience and you will have provided a solid learning and bonding opportunity while exposing him to new language skills. You may also be reinforcing what is being discussed in his classroom.
This particular link includes the Butterfly Garden with the live insects. If you are giving it as a gift, or you're not ready to raise the butterflies this week, purchase the garden with a mail-in certificate instead.Labels: Language
Hearing and Speech - Language Development
Should I have my child's hearing tested? If you are concerned about your child's speech and language skills, you should have his or her hearing tested in a sound proof booth with a licensed audiologist before pursuing speech therapy. In my phone interview, I always ask parents: 'Have you had your child's hearing tested in a sound proof booth?' I always get one of three responses: 1. 'He had his hearing tested at birth and he passed.' This is a misconception because that was a hearing screening (not a test) and it only screened your child's hearing at THAT time. 2. 'The pediatrician tested his hearing and he's fine.' Again, this was a screening, not a complete test in a sound proof booth with a licensed audiologist. 3. 'He can hear everything, I'm not concerned.' I'm sure he can hear, but he may have difficulty, for example, hearing high frequency sounds such as S and F, which could make it difficult for him to produce these sounds accurately, or understand certain words in rapid conversational speech, especially in a classroom setting. It is not possible for a parent to determine if their child can hear accurately without having a complete audiological exam. Please feel free to contact me for a referral in Manhattan. Labels: Articulation, Hearing, Language, Speech
Fun Summer Reading For Kids
Did you know that the best way to read to your young child is face to face? When you read in this fashion, your child can observe your facial expressions and watch how you move your mouth when you speak. Reading books to your child will help improve their vocabulary, grammar, attention, thinking and memory skills.
Look for more benefits and ideas for reading with your child on the 'Kids' Books' page of this website:
Say and Play Family
Here are some great book selections for summer for birth-four year olds:
Summer by Alice Low
One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews
Louie's Goose by H.M. Ehrlich
Beach Party by Harriet Ziefert and Simms TabackLabels: Language, Parent Friendly Activities
PROMPT
My two year old son is currently receiving speech therapy for a language delay. I have heard about PROMPT - is this a type of treatment I should arrange for him? PROMPT involves using dynamic tactile cues (paired with verbal and visual cues) to stimulate speech production in children who have difficulty articulating specific sounds. PROMPT may also be used with children who have a motor-based speech disorder, such as developmental apraxia of speech (difficulty forming sounds into words). When I begin working with a two year old who is not speaking or has very few words, I often incorporate PROMPT techniques, along with traditional language development play therapy. We can not rule out that this child isn't speaking because of a motor-based problem, so combining PROMPT along with oral motor therapy can play an active role in facilitating language development. Oral motor treatment should be used in a hierarchical approach to develop awareness, strength, coordination and mobility of the jaw, lips and tongue. Using these three techniques simultaneously will provide a complete treatment package for your son. Ask your current speech pathologist if he / she is trained in PROMPT and if he / she has significant training and experience with oral-motor therapy. Labels: Articulation, Language, Oral Motor
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