Whether or not you are receiving support from a speech and language therapist regarding your child with delayed speech, there are certain communication methods that you should or should not try. Here are some of them;
Cross-examination!
“Mommy, what is this?”
“What color is it?”
"How old are you?"
While asking consecutive questions causes closure and confusion even in adults, "questioning" children who have difficulty speaking like this is the worst communication style you can do. This being the case, it is surprising that almost every encounter an adult has with a child is based on these questions.
So what should be done? Almost every form of expression works, except asking questions and demanding answers.
“What is it here, is it an insect, oops, I don't like insects at all…”
“I also have yellow trousers. Yes, do you like yellow?”
“Wow, you have grown so big, have you finished school? (When you talk to a 3-year-old child)”
Although the above sentences do not request any conversation, they create the need to talk. This is exactly what you need to do.
“Come on, say daddy!”
This is the second type of “communication” you should avoid.
This is a "command", not a type of communication, and children are humans, not parrots.
You can use two methods instead of such commands; word bombardment and monitoring the child's output:
Games and fairy tales containing target words and word groups are ideal materials for word bombardment; “Mother teddy prepared dinner, but father teddy bear was not there. Then the mother bear called the father bear; daddy bear, daddy bear, come on. The baby bear called out; Dad, ba-baaaa come….” Inviting your child to such a fairy tale or game setup without forcing is a good method for teaching target words.
Imitating the child's simplest outputs and expanding them is another method. In this method, the target is not words and word groups, but the aim is to increase the child's output no matter what. For example, if your child only says "ma ma ma", you can turn it into phrases such as "ma-ma-maaasa, mi-mi-miiinik" by supporting it with appropriate visuals or songs. Or with ma You can find pictures that start with ma, and those that don't.
Language and communication
Parents often say, "My child understands everything, but he is stubborn!" I hear similar sentences.
Such a claim is problematic in many respects, but first of all, there is a big problem in this claim's view of language and communication. Often there is a problem at the basis of the claim, that is, the child does not actually understand everything that much, but even if this part of the claim is true (as seen in Selective Mutism cases), it cannot get anywhere from here.
Communication and talking are walking, babbling, These are actions that require choice rather than necessity, such as eating. If your child really does not understand and speak everything, there are bigger reasons than just stubbornness. The child does not choose communication, at least it does not choose verbal communication, it does not need it.
In this case, you have either created a world that will make your child's verbal communication efforts futile. "What did my anger want! Did he ask for candy, did he ask for water…” or you turned his efforts to speak into traumatic events: “Child, why don't you tell me?” Come on sugar, cheeekeeeer. Look, my brother says it too!”
The way to get out of this vicious circle is to understand that communication and language are not the same thing and that they do not necessitate each other.
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