Author: Administrator

How to Assist Your Child
in Developing
Speech and Language

Dear Parents/Care Givers,
The following is an information package collated to assist you in understanding what is expected of your child at various stages of development. If you have any queries or concerns about your child feel free to contact us on 9409 69 29 to arrange a meeting.
The following package contains information on;
Approximate ages of which children acquire speech sounds.
Expectations for Kindergarten and Pre-Primary .
Ways you can assist your child to develop speech and language skills.
What you can do if you have concerns about your child's speech.
Approximate ages of which children acquire speech sounds.
1996 Chris Lewis and Sonia Hewtson, Speech Pathologists

Age	Sound	Comments
1 ½ - 2 ½ years	m, p, b, w, n, t, d	These are easy sounds made by putting the lips together; and by putting the tongue up behind the teeth.
2 ½ - 3 ½ years	h, k, g, ng, y, f	These sounds are made by / putting the back of the tongue up to the back of the soft / palate.
3 ½–4 ½ years	l, s, z, sh, ch, j, blends	It’s still appropriate to lisp on “s” until 6 ½ -7 years but not to be saying eg; ‘dock’ for ‘sock’
4 ½ - 6 ½ years	r, v	These sounds are made by placing the middle of the tongue up to the palate.
6 ½ - 8 years	th	Lisping should cease. We / usually treat ‘r’ after 7 ½ years and “th” after 7 years if necessary.

0-4 years

Age	Age Appropriate Language Developments
12 Months	Make sounds and babble / Copy simple actions such as clapping / Getting and holding a familiar adults attention (eg. Making eye contact, pointing, / vocalising, holding out arms to be picked up)
18 Months	Say between 5-20 words spontaneously and in context / Attempting to copy simple words / Recognising their own name when called / Able to point to some simple body parts / Following simple instructions (eg. Get the ball, show me the teddy)
2 years	Using 50 single words / Beginning to put words together to make simple sentences (eg. Ball gone, no more) / Following longer instruction (eg. Put the cup on the table) / Able to answer yes/no questions
3 years	Using short sentences containing 3-5 words (eg. I want drink, Daddy’s gone to work) / Able to be understood by the family most of the time (eg. May have difficulty with some sounds, including ‘k’ ‘g’ ‘ch’ ‘j’ ‘sh’ and blends.) / Beginning to use some simple connectors to join words (eg. And, then) / Able to describe significant events which have happened recently (eg. Going to the park, a birthday party) / Able to understand and answer ‘what’ and ‘who’ questions
4 years	Able to hold a simple conversation / Using most sounds correctly (with the exceptions of ‘ch’ ‘j’ ‘l’ ‘sh’ ‘z’ ‘r’ and ‘th’) / Beginning to use a range of joining words (eg. And, then, because, but, when) / Asking question using ‘why’ ‘how’ and ‘when’ / Answering some ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions correctly / Following longer instructions containing 2 or 3 parts.

Expectations for Kindergarten and Pre-Primary
Receptive Language/Comprehension
Understand the classroom routine well by end of term 1.
Can consistently follow 2 part instructions and is developing some knowledge of 3 parts (put the paintbrush on the table and the art shirt on the stand) (should follow 3 part instructions well in PP)
Can understand questions that involve who, why, what’s that for, what are they doing?
Can listen to a simple story and shows some basic understanding of the content when shared in a group situation (in PP should have developed good skills)
Can follow positional language involving words such as behind, in front of, next to in a situation that in not predictable or he/she does not know the expected routine.
Information ‘drops’ out of their memory-forget what had been said more so than other children their age.
Follows conversation easily when you communicate with them about their experiences. Can talk about things that are not present/in front of them– things that happened at home or on the weekend. Watch for children who can not talk out of the here and now.
For PP children: Can understand language of sequence: before, after, first, second, last.
Behaviour/Attention (can be highly linked to comprehension skills)
Greater degree of inattention that impedes their ability to complete classroom activities (some children appear as if they are not listening but then complete tasks very efficiently)
Distractible and distracts other children.
Ability to sustain attention (may be able to start concentrating but cannot maintain for any period of time for a variety of tasks) Some children can concentrate for tasks where there is less verbal load but may find listening and speaking tasks harder. Watch for if their attention is generally not good or if variable. This does not include video games or screen time since these activities can be naturally reinforcing for children with attentional difficulties and they can
concentrate or this but not for other activities.
Tires easily during activities compared to peers.
Watches other children before they do the task.
Does not interact easily with peers. Seems to be playing catch-up - doesn’t quite get the activities.
Watch for highly passive children in the group who may not appear distractible.
Also watch for children who are anxious and don't follow class routines.
Expressive Language
Syntax/grammar: Use 8 words sentences and starting to use connector words such as ‘and’, ‘then’, ‘because’. May make some inconsistent grammar errors for pronouns (he, she) but is not consistently making these errors all the way through their language. If they are making these errors at 4years it indicates some speech processing issues and may require a referral. Children who are 5years should have good grammar aside from irregular past tense (runned / ran , sheep / sheeps).
Semantics or Vocabulary skills: Ensure your child conveys their message and uses an appropriate amount of words. Children who may have difficulty with expressive language, word retrieval and vocabulary can either present as not very talkative or talk a lot but include mostly irrelevant information. These children can sound like they have a good language base but actually leave their listener confused because it’s all over the place.
Can they recount stories well that are presented to them? This is highly linked in with year one literacy success. They should be able to present simple descriptions and events in their life described either when you talk to them 1 to 1 or during news time.
Sound/Phonological Processing Skills
It is a concern for PP children with a difficulty with pronunciation of multi-syllabic words on a consistent basis.
Mixes up words that sound similar to each other, instead of saying I will ‘use’ that they say I will ‘news’ that.
Difficulty with sound awareness tasks such as rhyming. Breaking words into syllables and phonemic awareness tasks for beginning sounds.
Difficulty at PP level learning the sounds that match the letters.
Speech sound difficulties that continue to affect how they are understood.
This area is related to their ability to understand how sound works and can relate to learning difficulties in a child which can be identified early and early intervention applied.

Expectations for Kindergarten and Pre-Primary
General Information
Take note of any reported delays in when their language commenced.
Any reported family history of speech, language or learning difficulties including dyslexia, ADHD.
Prior speech pathology assessment and input.
History of ear, nose and throat pathology as a younger child this can really affect their ability to develop language
foundations and the effects can be quite subtle resulting in difficulties with attention and a child that can present with classic auditory processing signs. This includes children who have sleep difficulties as well.
Referenced
Susanne Humphrey (Speech Pathologist) 2009
Ways you can assist your child to develop speech and language skills
Developing Speech and Language Skills for 0 - 4 years
Use short simple sentences;
Keep sentences short and simple, just above your child's language level. If the child is talking in 2 word sentences, talk to him or her in 2 - 4 word sentences.
Repeat, repeat, repeat;
Repeat your words a lot. The more they hear a word, the quicker they’ll learn to use it. Don’t make your child repeat words, they will learn it just by hearing it and will say it eventually.
Copy your child;
Copy your child's sounds or sentences as if having a conversation. This lets your child know you’ve heard them and can help them realise you haven't understood and may motivate them to try in a different way. Also encourage turn taking an
important social skill in communicating.
Expansion and Copy + 1;
Copy your child's words and add another word. This can be used on many different levels.
Eg. Child-truck
Adult-big truck
Child– I see a dog
Adult– You see a big fluffy dog. Etc.
This shows how they can say longer sentences and what types of words to use.
Read and Share Books;
We can not over emphasise the importance of regularly sharing books! Research shows that how often a child is
exposed to books, and how young it starts, has a strong relationship with their later academic achievements.
So read...read...read!
Use more comments than questions;
Use comments more than questions and commands. Questions and commands place pressure on the child to ‘perform’. Comments place little/no pressure on the child. Children learn to talk by hearing people talk.
Referenced
West Coast Speech and Language Service 2008
Recasting for Speech sounds
What is recasting?
Recasting is not a new concept. In fact, many parents naturally recast their child's speech everyday. Recasting is
basically taking something your child says incorrectly, and repeating it back to them correctly.
Children learn speech and language through hearing correct models (examples) from adults. Recasting is about your child listening to the way a word is supposed to sound. Recasting helps your child to make the connection between the way they pronounce a word, and the correct way to pronounce a word.

What recasting is not;
Recasting is not asking the child to repeat the word correctly. Your child does not have to do anything to be
involved in recasting.
Recasting is not exaggerating or repeating the incorrect sound. An example of ineffective recasting would be;
Child: “tat”
Adult: “TAT– you shouldn’t say tat you should say cat” (here the adult has produced two incorrect productions and only one correct production. This type of recasting does not help the child to understand which is the correct and incorrect
production.)
How do I recast my child’s speech?
Be positive and natural about providing the recasts. When your child produces an error sound (eg tat), use a
positive tone of voice to respond and make the sentences natural so that they don't interrupt the flow of the
conversation.
Speak clearly and with a normal speech rate.
Ensure you have your child's attention when you provide the correct model.
Use short sentences and remember to target the same word or error sound repetitively. Children learn best when they have a number of occasions to hear the correct production.
For example;
If your child points to a cat and says “Tat”
You could say “Yes, it’s a cat, it’s a big orange cat”
Wait a few moments and then continue to comment using the correct sound production. “The cat is very fluffy, I
wonder if that cat likes chasing mice like our cat?”
Recasting is most effective when it is;
Immediate
That is, provide 2-3 correct repetitions of the error word as soon as your child has said it incorrectly.
Repeated
That is, make a note of the error word and remember to provide on-going targeted models of the error throughout the week. Often it is useful to make a list of error words on your fridge so that you remember to recast the error word again throughout the week. The more exposure your child has to hearing the correct production the faster they will pick up and use correct grammar themselves.
Encourage clear speech;
Ask your child to repeat unintelligible words slowly.
Ask your child to increase the volume of their voice when speaking.
Ask your child to open their mouth more when they are talking to prevent mumbling long words.
Ask your child to look at you when they are speaking.
Discuss the importance of clear speech with your child.
Don’t pretend to understand:
If your child speaks to you and you don’t understand what they have said, don't pretend to understand or guess. It is ok to say to your child that you don't understand. However, avoid saying “I don't understand you” repeatedly in front of other children.
Don’t bring attention to the child's specific speech errors;
Don’t comment on the individual speech sound errors. Eg if your child says “tat” for ‘cat’ don't say “No that was a /t/ sound you need to remember to say your /c/ sound when you are talking.
If your child is seeing a speech pathologist they will have indentified specific targets for you child. They will assist you to use strategies they have trialled with your child in order not to create confusion.
Recasting works best when it becomes part of your daily interaction with your child. You do not have to set aside any
special time to practice recasting your child’s speech. Learn to make recasting a natural part of conversing with your child.

Recasting for Grammar
How do I recast my child's grammar?
Be positive and natural about providing the recasts. When your child produces an error (eg. Mouses), use a
positive tone of voice to respond and make the sentences natural so that they don’t interrupt the flow of the
conversation.
Speak clearly and with a normal speech rate.
Ensure you have your child’s attention when you provide the correct model.
Use short sentences and remember to target the same word or error from repetitively. Children learn best when they have a number of occasions to hear the correct production.
For example;
If your child points to a picture of two mice and says “Mouses”
You could say “Yes, there are two mice, they are very small mice!”
Wait a few moments and then continue to comment using the correct grammar production “Mice are very fast, I
wonder if all mice like cheese?”
Word finding and Vocabulary
Difficulties with word finding may make it difficult for the child to find the right word when talking. It can result in the ‘tip of the tongue’ phenomenon, using excessive nonspecific language such as, ‘that’, ‘this’, ‘them’ etc, and it may also result in the child talking around the topic producing verbose answers that can confuse the listener in an attempt to “talk about” the word which the child cannot find.
The following strategies are designed to help your child work through their word finding difficulties, organise their
vocabulary, and produce clear and concise utterances.
Provide cues in the correct order to assist you child to work through their word finding difficulty.
If you think that you know the word that you child is stuck on (eg Scissors), you can provide the following cues in the
order presented to help them work through their word finding difficulty.
tell the child that you are going to help them think of the word they are looking for. Eg “I think I know the word you’re looking for, is it…”
Provide a meaning cue eg “something that you can cut with?”
Provide a sound cue “it begins with a sss sound”.
Provide the sentence for the child to complete with both a meaning and sound cue, “We cut the paper with sss…”
If the child is still unable to think of the word you can say the sentence for them and then ask them a question where the answer is the target word, eg. “We cut the paper with the scissors. What do we cut the paper with?”
If you don't know the word that your child is stuck on, you can provide the following cues in the order presented to help them work through their word finding difficulty.
Ask your child if they are stuck on a word, or if they think there is a better word they could use to describe what they are talking about, “You just said ‘that thing’ is there a better word that you could use to name/describe the word you are talking about?”
Ask a function cue eg “What do you do with it?: or “Where do you find it?”
Ask some attribute cues “Is it big or small?” or “What colour is it?”
If the child is able to answer some of the cue questions you may have a better idea of the word that they are
looking for so you can take a guess.
If you are unable to guess correctly tell the student to stop thinking about the word and they may be able to think of the word later.
Introducing a new word;
When introducing new words use lots of repetition, always associating the word with it’s meaning and its
application in context.
Break down the word into syllables for extra emphasis.
Break down compound words into their referents (eg blackboard)
Have your child talk about words related to the new word (eg. Thinking of synonyms)

These are some ideas that can help you to ensure that word meanings are understood and stored appropriately.
(Not all activities will be relevant for all word types)
Discuss the functions of objects;
Eg. If you have animals, clothes, and furniture, then ask your child to put the different items in the correct group.
Ask your child to identify a group name for similar items. Eg if you are doing an activity that involved words such as car, truck, bus, train you can ask your child what group they would belong to (eg transport group because they all help people get from one place to another).
You can also ask your child if they can think of anything else that may go in that category. Eg “Can you think of
something that may belong in the transport group?”
Discuss associations, similarities and differences, synonyms and opposites;
ask your child, “If some things go together like shoes and socks what might go with…?”
Ask your child to think of how two things may be the same and how they may be different. (eg “A giraffe and an
elephant are similar because they both have four legs and can live at the zoo but they are different because an
elephant has a trunk and a giraffe doesn't”.)
Referenced
Stacey Coleman Speech Pathologists. (Adapted from Camarata, S (1995) A rationales for naturalistic speech intelligibility intervention. In M.E. Fey, J.
Windsor, & S. F Warren (Eds), Language Intervention: Preschool through the elementary years (Vol 5, pp. 63-84). Sydney: Paul H. Brookes Publishing company.
Caroline Bowden PhD Speech-Language Pathologist
Australia www.slpsite.com– cbowen@ihug.com.au
Simplifying Questions
When your child does not answer your questions or follow instructions correctly, it is important that you immediately
simplify what you asked or said. Using one or more of the following techniques will give support to your child and
encourage a longer conversation. If you answer for your child without simplifying the question, it is difficult for them to learn for
themselves.
It is important that you give them another chance to answer the question.
Your child may not answer a question, or follow requests correctly because;
They don't understand what you are talking about→so you need to simplify to give them more clues.
They don't know how to tell you what they know→so you need to simplify the question so they can answer it
themselves.
Easier questions to answer: What, Where, Who?
Harder questions to answer: When, Why, How?
Simplification Techniques
Waiting
Eg.
Adult: “pick up”
Child: grabs at anything in reach.
Adult: “Wait, listen to me, pick up the ____”
Focus Attention
Eg.
Adult: “Go to the sink and get your soap”.
Child: Goes to the sink and looks, or grabs anything.
Adult: “Do you remember what I asked for? Listening, I’ll tell you again. Go….”
Repeat the request/question
Eg.
Adult: “Put the cushion on the chair next to the table”.
Child: Child puts cushion on the table.
Adult: “That’s on the table. Put the cushion on the chair next to the table.”

Rephrase the request/question
Eg.
Adult: “Lift up the box”.
Child: Does nothing.
Adult: “Pick up the box with your hands”.
What you can do if you have concerns about your Child's Speech
If you have a concern about your child's speech there are several options you can take.
You can contact;
GP
Paediatrician
Kindergarten or Pre-Primary teacher
A referral can then be made if required.
Be sure to give the referee as much information as possible about your child's abilities– the more information given, the
easier it is for the Speech Pathologist to determine what your child's needs are. Once the referral has been sent, you will receive confirmation of the referral and information about what happens next.
West Coast Speech and Language Team– Referring to Speech pathology
Adapted from ‘Indicators for Speech Pathology’ Southwell Child Development Centre

Gemma Beale PP teacher Woodvale P.S #