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
Stuttering Update
Dennis Dryana, Ph.D., a director of the Stuttering Foundation and researcher for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders announced the discovery of three genes for stuttering today.
While this information could be helpful to one day find a cure, we still need to rely on speech therapy to prevent stuttering. This significant finding rules out stuttering is due to factors such as stress.
What is stuttering? The following information is condensed from Let's Talk, I think my child is stuttering. What should I do? American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2003.
It is considered normal for young children to have some dysfluent speech, especially when they are expressing complex ideas. It's also common for children ages 2 through 7 to repeat whole words or phrases and to use "uh" and "um" in their speech. Most children become more fluent as they get older and their language skills improve.
However, stuttering often begins during these early years. A speech therapist that specializes in treating stuttering / fluency disorders can help determine if the child is beginning to stutter or just has a normal dysfluency.
Characteristics of the child at risk for stuttering: - Repeats parts of words, prolongs a sound, or breaks up words
- Often repeats part of the word about 3 times
- During repetitions, the child substitutes an uh vowel (tuh-tuh-tuh-table)
- May use a broken rhythm during repetitions (b.b.....b..boy)
- Has 10 or more disfluencies every 100 words
- Opens mouth to speak but no sound comes out
- Has other family members who stutter
Select Characteristics of a child with normal disfluency: - Often repeats whole words or phrases
- Typically repeats part of the word no more than 1 or 2 times
- During repetitions, the vowel sound remains the same (ta,ta,table)
- Rhythmic repetitions
- 9 or fewer disfluencies every 100 words
- Starts speech easily; keeps speech going
Speech Pathologists that Specialize in Stuttering in Manhattan
Dr. Lesley Wolk
212.678.3895
Karin Wexler 212.678.3409
American Institute for Stuttering 27 West 20th Street Suite 1203 New York, NY 10011 212.633.6400
Phil Schneider 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway Suite 7 Riverdale, NY 10463 718.549.0433 phil@schneiderspeech.com
Attend a Stuttering Group For Kids Meets At Brooklyn College
Labels: Articulation, NYC, Speech, Speech Therapy, Stuttering
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
Articulation Errors
Many children make predictable developmental sound substitutions as they are learning to talk. Articulation errors may involve substituting one sound for another ("tar" for car), omitting a sound in a word ("boo" for blue), or distorting a sound.
Here are general guidelines as to when speech sounds should appear:
Age Sound
2 M, H, N, W, ING, P, B
3 F, K, G, Y (yellow), D, T
4 CH, L, S, R, V, SH
5 J (judge), Z, TH
For good articulation, we need adequate:
- Respiration (abdominal air)
- Phonation (larynx / vocal cords)
- Resonation (mouth / nose)
- Jaw, lip, tongue and abdomen strength and stability
A speech therapist can help improve your child's speech clarity. It is important for the therapist to understand why your child is having difficulty saying speech sounds. For example, is his jaw unstable? Does he not achieve adequate lip closure? When oral-motor / muscle based therapy is used along with traditional articulation techniques (e.g., practicing individual speech sounds), excellent results are often achieved.
Suckling on bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups past age one should be avoided for good articulation, as long as nutrition is not compromised. Dentition may be affected from suckling, which can also affect articulation. Thumb, finger, shirt and blanket suckling may also lead to poor speech clarity.
You may find the articulation podcast and the blog helpful. You are also welcome to ask me specific questions about your child. I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Stephanie provides 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, Oral Motor, 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
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