Milestones in Speech and Language

 

As a parent, I thought of milestones more often when my kids were younger. Things like learning to walk, eat solid foods or their first laugh; those little stepping stones in growth were highly celebrated. Thing is, growth doesn’t stop, no matter how old your child is. Celebrations are at every turn.

Our January and the start of 2013 came with new adventures and possibilities for my children. We have been busy with physical development, in the form of weekly dance and gymnastics classes. As we wait for Spring and Summer to arrive, I always jam pack this month with activities to keep the seasonal blahs at bay.

A little girl posing for a pictureYet, bigger news comes for my 4 year old twins, as they started Pre Kindergarten this month. New for me, I get 4 weekday mornings to myself {we can’t forget a ‘hooray’ for Mommy milestones too!}.

Yet more importantly, the twins will get the help they need for assistance in both speech and language by a therapist whom visits the classroom. Since they started, I see progress each and every day as they master the articulation of words and sounds, each one as highly celebrated as that very first word spoken so long ago.

Yet also, it’s also the start of new friendships made, new songs learned and all the development that goes with a new learning environment. This is evident even when it comes to everyday play with their much loved toys. The ability to communicate more clearly with each other and with friends, I see their imagination and creativity grow along with it. I’m truly thrilled for the twins and the new doors opening for them. This month I celebrate a great new milestone and am eager for the ones to come.

To help the twins while at home, I’m reaching for their ‘old’ alphabet learning toys again, from when they were babies and toddlers. At 4, there are still some letters that they don’t pronounce correctly, and by practicing these once again, helps them. Plus, the cheers from Mom when they pronounce a letter or word correctly, gains so much in self-esteem.

Online, the twins love playing with the Learn ABCs Game on the Fisher-Price website. Any and all articulation practice helps them in their journey, and assists them on reaching that next milestone.

 

 Mommas helping their own kids with speech and language delays, any advice for me?

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I’m apart of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation
with being a Fisher-Price Play Ambassador {#FisherPriceMoms}. The opinions on this blog are my own.

 

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45 Comments

  1. Yay for a little mommy time! 🙂

    As for advice, things like this don’t come with a manual on how to help your child the right way. I remember my sister needing speech therapy when she was younger. She went an hour three days a week after school and on days she didn’t go I remember my mom helping her with her letters and sounding them out. I guess it all depends on the child. I think you’re doing great so far and i’m sure them getting help at school will do wonders for them as well.

  2. Mommy Milestones are the best! My oldest has always had speech therapy too, and I am amazed at the difference it makes for him. They definitely do better with parents that help them at home too!

  3. I’m not sure if you have tried this, but some sounds are easier to say while laying down on their back. The tongue is more relaxed and I have found that some children are more up for “practicing” in this fun way….Good Luck! Hard to believe they will be starting big kid school this fall!

  4. My son (now 11) had three years of speech and occupational therapy due to his sensory issues. The payoff for this early intervention is huge. I can see the results even now in fifth grade. It made a difference in all aspects of his life.

    Three suggestions from me:
    1. Applesauce sucked through a straw can strengthen their mouth muscles. They will think it is fun. Chewing gum is a great tool for the important muscles used during speech…and it acts as a calming action to the sensory system.
    2. Swinging and other exercises to increase their core muscles can actually help their speech development also.
    3. A set of books called “The Out of Synch Child” became a wonderful resource for me. “The Out of Synch Child Has Fun” has some great games and activities to do with all children. Highly recommend!

    1. Great tips, thanks Ann! Funny you should mention core muscles, one of my twins has spent some time in physio in the past and has been diagnosed with low muscle tone. for instance, even at 4yo, she doesn’t have the tummy muscles to sit up herself, without rolling over and using her hands/elbows. On doctors suggestion, she’s been in dance, swimming, gymnastics etc to try and strengthen her muscles, yet so far nothing is helping. Never would have though the two were somehow related…. you have given me a lot to think about, thank you!!!

  5. These are great tips! I watch a 4 yr old boy with some speech issues. He goes to a speech therapist too. One thing I have noticed is that his mom talks pretty quickly (and I know I do too at times) so I have been working on speaking a little bit slower and making sure I speak clearly and use proper grammer. I tend to speak in a relaxed way, dropping end letters (gettin’ instead of getting for example) so I work on correcting that in myself.

    1. Good point! Related, since I have 3 kids and 2 are twins – I’ve noticed that they need to talk fast and loud in order to get their turn in, or before they are interrupted by a sister. I have been working extra hard on urging them to take turns, take their time, not interrupt etc. I think that is helping too.

  6. My 4 year old is now in speach I waited 2 years to get her in and I am glad she is finally getting help. The best thing about it is not so much the on going therapy it’s more the assessment and knowing what she is having issues with and how to deal with those issues. I can’t explain how good I felt when I heard her say her own name. I know I have a long road ahead of me but seeing the progress she is making and how proud of herself she is makes it all worth it!

    1. That makes me so happy Tara, yay!!
      The waiting list for therapy is so long, even for Pre-K – I lucked in and a new school opened up. Given their need {moderate delay} and the fact that they need the help before Kindergarten, we got lucky and got 2 spots. It’s so hard going through the necessary routes for assessment etc, only to be told there’s an extensive waiting list! It’s a common complaint, I know!

  7. My #1 piece of advice? Trust your instincts. My now 7yo had a terrible impediment for years, but had no problems with his comprehension. We took the time to explain our concerns to his pediatrician and teachers, and now he is fine (and actually in the gifted program). My 5yo has problems now with some of her sounds, and we are working with her at home, as her teacher unfortunately does not seem to be able to. Her comprehension skills are fantastic, so I know that she is getting the material, she just has problems verbalizing. Trust your instincts, and if you feel like your littles need extra help, push for it!

  8. My son’s only 3, so I’m not too worried about the delay yet, but so far we’ve just been correcting him every time we have a chance. His cousin has been helping too, she’s exactly the same age and they spend a lot of time together, but she’s months ahead of him in speech. Sometimes he’ll say something and she’ll repeat it back to him exactly as he said it and say “that’s silly” and then he’ll go “no…” and repeat himself until she understands, and you can see him trying to pronounce it right so she understands. Us adults can usually make a guess after the first try, but his cousin can’t.

    1. I’m doing this often as well. Not so much that it becomes frustrating to them, yet I’ll pick out a word here and there, a few times a day and correct/repeat/sound out etc.
      I think it’s helping, yet sometimes it’s always the same words over and over again – time will tell, I guess!

  9. Have been reading thru & it looks like you have gotten lots of good advice
    I had to do this many years ago with my son, it’s a worry but things will turn out all right, just keep up the good work

    1. Thanks Suzie. As you can see I’m visiting this post often, re-reading and trying tips. I’d like to see progress and I know it’ll take time, but also a lot of diligence on my part. A mamas work is never done, right? *sigh*

  10. My son, who is in grade 3 is seeing a speech therapist as he can’t say his R’s correctly nor his SH. We kept thinking he’ll get it. We worked on it with him but we weren’t telling him correctly what he needed to so to say the correct sound. His teacher talked to us and brought in a speech therapist for him during school time. He loves it. With just one session he mastered the SH. Now he’s happily working on his R’s.

    1. Wonderful!!
      We were working on “Ssss’ today, harder for my twins depending on what letter comes after.
      Example, my twins ‘Sophia’ can say her name very clearly. But, Snake? nope.
      Again maybe it’s just repetition, as her name is very commonly said around here right?
      We’e working on it though – thanks for sharing your experience!

  11. My oldest has been in speech therapy since he was 2, and he is 6 now. My 2yr old is now in speech therapy as well. My middle on was talking full sentences at 18 months! LOL

    1. What a difference, right?
      That’s the biggest thing that stood out to me. My daughter, though she has an ‘accent’, spoke in full and complete sentences by 2. The twins? Still problems at 4.5.
      I try not to compare, but sometimes I think the perspective helps you see things differently.

  12. Both my children had speech therapy during their elementary grades. It made a huge difference for them. I expect it will for your kids too. Good luck.

  13. We are having a similar experience with our twin girls. They are only 2 but have a cousin who is only 3 weeks younger than them (who they have been and will continue to be compared to I’m sure by all other family members forever, can you tell I find this annoying lol) and she speaks clearly and in short sentences. Mean while the girls longest phrase is Mama pease! Lol but the state we live in allows for anyone with a child under 3 to apply for speech/language therapy or assistance. We are in he process of doing this now. It’s not Medicaid, you can have private insurance which we do but so far we’ve just filled out the application and are waiting to see if they think this qualified for an interview with someone to come to our home and evaluate them. So we shall see. I’ve just joined your blog and I am really enjoying it!

    1. Hi Liz!
      Thanks for taking the time to comment, and happy to have you visit!
      I always say better safe than sorry, so if the assessment is available and there, take it! As you well know, so many factors influence speech and language, right down to my oldest always talking FOR the twins up until.
      Everything might be just fine, yet I’d say to go for it – you just never know.
      And, at 4.5 and just starting, it’s a little later in the game considering they start Kindergarten in the Fall. I wish I could have started on therapy and the assessments at least a couple years ago…
      Oh well, work with what you have, right? We’re making little bits of progress, which is great.

  14. I had to have a speech therapist when I was in kindergarten. I couldn’t say three, I would always say free! lol! But it did help me out it life! 🙂

  15. Hi Tammi:
    Glad to see your kids are underway with speech therapy. As you well know, parents can drive themselves crazy waiting to hear baby’s first word and then worrying about every language and reading skill in the months and years ahead. I’d like to mail you a copy of Beyond Baby Talk by Kenn Apel, PhD, CCC-SLP and Julie Masterson, PhD, CCC-SLP, which was released by Three Rivers Press this past Octc. It helps take the mystery out of the developmental process, showing simple milestones parents can look for and easy activities to build strong language skills at home and on the go. It was written in collaboration with and copyrighted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). I’m also happy to send you an extra copy for a giveaway for your reaaders, so let me know.

    Thanks,
    Erin Mantz
    PR Manager
    The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

  16. It’s wonderful that you remain focused on their little triumphs, cherishing the moments as they pass rather than letting time blur by. Bravo Mom.

  17. Wow! I too am a mommy of 3! a 3yr old and and 6 month old twins. My twin boy is set to start physical therapy for low muscle tone and will also have a developmental evaluation to see if he will need additional therapy. Your posts and comments will sure help me as i am just starting in all of this 🙂

  18. Hola! I’ve been following your website for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Atascocita Tx!
    Just wanted to mention keep up the good work!

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