3 Ways to Inspire Communication Confidence

These activities can supplement a child's speech or language therapy program.

By Nicole Falcone

Ages

5-7

920732910

Stuttering

A child experiences a break (also called disfluency) in her speech, manifested as repetitions of words, syllables, or prolonged sounds. 

  • Try this: During conversation, resist completing your child's phrases or words. Be patient and let her work through a sentence or thought. Then, rather than correct any "broken" words, repeat back to your child what she said. This shows her you are listening carefully and provides a relaxed and correct model of the words.

Frontal Lisps

The most common form of a lisp. In this type, a child pronounces an "s" sound more like a "th" than an "s." 

  • Try this: Games that give you an opportunity to model the "s" sound and your child to practice it back. Play Bingo using words that start with "s." Or use the card game Go Fish with words with "s" sounds instead of numbers. Also check out Super Duper Publications for books and games that work on articulation and phonological skills. 

Auditory Processing or Recepting Language Deficit

A child has trouble processing a conversation or understanding what has been said.

  • Try this: Promote situations where your child must listen and follow directions in order to get a reward. A good option is the game Twister, which requires your child to listen to directions and then translate them into an action. 

Plus:
Stuttering FAQs

Sources: Erika Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of speech and language pathology at Teachers College, Columbia University, and co-worker Georgia Malandraki, Ph.D., assistant professor of speech and language pathology at Teachers College, Columbia University

Photo credit: Thinkstock

Following Directions
Attention and Focus
Self Control
Learning Differences & Special Needs
Listening and Speaking
Age 7
Age 6
Age 5
Communication and Language Development
Language Impairments