Speech Therapy Center

Phonological Activation During Visual Word Recognition in Deaf and Hearing Children

A recent study found deaf children do not use phonological information during word reading.

For more information on this topic and full abstract look at:

http://jslhr.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/53/4/801

Ormel, Ellen., Hermans, Daan., Knoors, Harry., Hendriks, Angelique., Verhoeven, Ludo. (2010). Phonological Activation During Visual Word Recognition in Deaf and Hearing Children. J Speech Lang Hear Res, 53: 801-820.

Cerebral Palsy 101

Cerebral Palsy is a condition that has a major impact on an individual’s life. It not only causes limited body movements and muscular incoordination, but also causes impaired speech. Speech is not affected because of an inability to learn, or acquire language, but because the muscles involved in speech are severely impacted. By strengthening muscles and working on developing muscular coordination, verbal communication can be possible.

What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is a cluster of conditions that affect body movement and muscle coordination. This condition is usually caused by damage of the brain during fetal development or early infancy. Children with this difficulty will not be able to use the muscles in the body in the same way as normally developing children. Some will face difficult challenges when walking, talking, eating, and even playing.
Cerebral Palsy or CP, is not a disease or illness that is contagious, is a difference in development. They are unable to control muscular movements and coordinate body movements correctly. Children with CP will have it throughout their lives; unfortunately, there is no known cure. But through intervention and therapy, they may be apt to live fruitful lives.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to a part of the brain. The cerebellum, basil ganglia, or the motor cortex of the brain may be damaged. These regions are all responsible for muscular and body movements, as well as balance and coordination. Many times it is difficult to tell what caused the damage and if there was anything to prevent it. It could have been a mishap that took place during fetal development or failure of the brain to function properly.
Either bleeding of the brain or oxygen deprivation could be two causal factors for Cerebral Palsy. Many babies that are born prematurely may have undergone one of the two. Another cause might be infection, either maternal or neonatal infection in which the brain is damaged at a very early age.

Four Categories of Cerebral Palsy
There are four categories in which cerebral palsy can be divided into:
•    Spastic- almost 70-80% of individuals have this type of CP, making it the most common. Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy will have one or more groups of muscles with stiff or limited movement. These children will make rigid or “spastic” gestures when switching positions; and even have a difficult time holding onto or letting go of objects. This type of CP can be broken down into 3 separate groups; spastic movement limited to one side of the body, spastic movement to lower extremities, or spastic movement in all four limbs.
•    Ataxic-this type will affect 5-10% of individuals with cerebral palsy. These children will seem to have a shaky nature, as if they are fragile. They have a poor sense of balance, coordination, and depth perception. They walk with a big gap between their legs, making them seem uneasy. One of the most difficult tasks for them is writing or cutting with scissors; the shakiness of their muscles does not allow them to hold a pen or scissor properly. In many cases, these individuals will have a trouble with visual or auditory processing as well.
•    Athetoid/Dyskinetic- about 10% of cases of cerebral palsy are affected by this type. The cerebellum or basil ganglia may be damaged due to the CP. The cerebellum is responsible for body movements and coordination. Walking, sitting, and posture are severely impacted. Individuals with this type of CP will show a series of involuntary movements in the face, arms, and/or torso. One of the biggest problems faced by these individuals is speech. Because of involuntary movements occurring in the tongue and mouth, they will have slurred speech as well as difficulty swallowing. The more stressed the individual is, the worse the symptoms become.
•    Mixed- this type of CP is a combination of all categories. An individual with Mixed Cerebral Palsy will experience spastic muscle movements as well as the involuntary movements of Athetoid CP and the loss of balance, coordination and depth perception of Ataxic.

Treatment for Cerebral Palsy
Speech, Occupational, and Physical therapy are available treatments for Cerebral Palsy. Since every child is different, treatment methods may vary child to child. But since CP is a muscular difficulty, you can count on an exercise program being a big part of intervention. Oral exercises, as well as fine and gross motor exercises as well will be administered to individuals with cerebral palsy.
Treatment may increase or decrease depending on the severity of the case. Some children will see their therapist twice a week while other will see them three or more times. Parents should be a big part of their child’s improvement. At home, they should practice the different exercises their therapist has assigned.

What to Expect During Speech Therapy
A speech language pathologist will practice and improvement the movements of the jaw and tongue muscles during therapy. Such exercises will improve the child’s ability to speak and eat.
Depending on the severity of the case, a therapist may use sign language or an augmentative alternative communication device. If the child is able to speak, then the therapist will focus on improving language and grammar skills; sentence building, learning new works, acquiring clearer speech and become better listeners.

Cerebral Palsy will be carried on with an individual for the rest of his/her life. But it is not something that will hold them back. With intervention and determination, any person with any difficulty is able to reach their full potential.
I found this blog called “Sammy’s Walk Through Life,” she is a 25-year young lady with cerebral palsy. She writes daily blogs about her experiences with cerebral palsy. I think she is an inspiration because she shows us that although she does have cerebral palsy, and is in a wheel chair, she is not inept. She is proud of who she is and is thankful for everything she has in life. Make sure you read a little about her on: http://sammyswalkthroughlife.blogspot.com/

For more information on Cerebral Palsy, click on the following two links:
http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/
http://www.about-cerebral-palsy.org/definition/index.html

Apraxia 101

The Apraxia Guide: What Every Parent Should Know About Childhood Apraxia

Apraxia is a motor disorder. The child is unable to transfer a speech messages from the brain to the mouth. This disorder can cause a child to be a “late talker” because of his/her inability to coordinate jaw, lip, and tongue movements.  In cases of Apraxia, the child’s speech intelligibility is unrelated to his/her language capacity; in other words, the child most likely understands more than what he/she can actually say. Apraxia is very different from a typical articulation disorder and so is the treatment approach to it.

What is Apraxia?
Apraxia is defined as a decreased ability to coordinate and initiate an imitated motor movement with the use of a body part. Apraxia can occur in the mouth and face, in the arms and legs, and more importantly in the speech muscles including those that are involved in respiration. A child with Apraxia will be able to produce involuntary or reflexive movements in a natural setting, such as waving goodbye, kissing your mother and using sporadic words; however when asked to imitate such movements or word the child will not be able to do so. The difficulty arises when the child is asked to imitate.

Parents will then ask: “Why then does my child not say words sporadically if the definition of Apraxia is limited to repetition and imitation?” This is because speech is learned and perfected through imitation.

It is also possible that a child with Apraxia is imitating words; however, the parent is unable to understand the word that the child is saying. As a result, the parent thinks the child is only making sounds and not using words/language when in actuality the child is developing language using unintelligible versions of words heard in their environment.

Keep in mind that in severe cases of Apraxia, the child may be non-verbal. It is therefore imperative that a speech-language pathologist be consulted in order to determine the correct diagnosis and develop a successful treatment plan for your child.

What is the difference between Oral Apraxia and Verbal Apraxia?
A child with Oral Apraxia will have difficulties using the mouth to initiate nonverbal movements such as, sticking their tongue out, blowing kisses, or making clicking sounds with the tongue.

A child with Verbal Apraxia will have difficulty with speech sounds at all levels (i.e., words, phrases, sentences and conversation). Difficulty can also be found with rhythm and rate of speech as well use of airflow.
Oral and verbal apraxia may also be referred to as Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) in related articles.

Signs of Childhood Apraxia
It is important to note that not all children with Apraxia will experience the same symptoms. If you feel that your child is experiencing any of the following, please feel free to contact our office for further questioning.
•    During infancy, the child does not coo or babble
•    First words such as “mama” and “papa” are delayed
•    They have limited consonants and vowel sounds
•    They do not combine sounds, and when they do, there is a long pause between the two sounds.
•    Problems with feeding
•    Make constant inconsistent sound errors; use /k/ for /p/ and then the next time they use /b/ for /p/.
•    Strangers or unfamiliar listeners cannot understand what the child is saying (this is one of the major red flags; parents may feel the child has no difficulty due to the fact that they are familiar listeners and have become accustomed to the child’s misarticulations, therefore the stranger can better detect the child has a difficulty)

These signs or symptoms can be detrimental to a child’s development. Many children with Apraxia will develop expressive language skills in a delayed fashion due to decreased verbal practice and decreased language stimulation in some cases. These delayed language skills may affect how the child uses language for learning and thus manifest as a learning disorder. This impediment will especially become evident when learning to read, spell, and write. If the child produces sounds wrong, they will not be able to read correctly, and consequently, will not be able to spell or write properly.

The American Speech and Language Association (ASHA) states that because brain signals are “misinterpreted,” some children can experience sensations that others do not, and therefore, this will affect their behavior. It is important to keep in mind that behavioral outbursts are common with rising frustration in children with both Oral and Verbal Apraxia.

Important Facts about Apraxia
•    The cause of Apraxia is usually unknown but in some rare cases, it can co-occur with some genetic disorders or syndromes, Autism, and/or a brain injury.
•    There is no cure for Apraxia, but it can be managed with the intervention of an SLP, as well as parent support.
•    Apraxia is difficult to detect in ages less than 3 because of decreased cooperation with the evaluation.
•    Although a child with Apraxia will make an incredible progress with therapy, it may be with slow improvement. Every child is different and may progress at different rates.
•    If your child is diagnosed with Apraxia, you should avoid placing communication pressure on the child. Good tools for facilitating communication are singing songs, and reading poems and books.
•    If the Apraxia is severe, other methods of communication can be facilitated, such as Augmentative Alternative Communication and/or sign language. These two alternatives will ease the stress the child undergoes when trying to communicate verbally.
•    Verbal communication does not need to be ruled out, it may be integrated with the alternative means of communication.

Parents should be involved as much as possible in their child’s development and improvement. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is difficult disorder to cope with, and if suffering with this disorder, your child needs all the support he/she can get. They will often times feel frustrated, and isolated from the “typical” world, which is why it is important for you to make them feel welcomed in their environment. Remember that children with Apraxia are not less intelligent, and thus social and/or language exposure should not be limited.

For more information on Apraxia, here are some resourceful websites:

American Speech Language and Hearing Association
http://www.asha.org/

Apraxia Kids
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

Speechville
http://www.speechville.com/

Cristine R. Jimenez
Language Stimulation Specialist
Speech Therapy Center, Inc.

Phonology 101

Let’s Take Articulation to the Next Level: Phonology
Phonology is the term used to describe how the act of articulation is neurologically organized and just like any other brain function is an extremely rule governed human behavior.

Phonology, like articulation, is performed at the unconscious level and is too a highly complex process. It involves learning sounds through imitation, learning rules about how sounds are organized in words, and learning how sounds are affected when combined with other sounds.

Here are some examples of how phonological rules affect sound production at the word level and at the sentence level:

word level
There are sounds in the English language that affect word meaning, represented for the most part as letters in the alphabet, like a /t/.

Depending on where in the word /t/ is placed, it will be produced differently, therefore creating multiple versions of the same sound /t/ in the English language.
In the initial position of words, /t/ has an extra air release called aspiration,
“time”

In the medial position of words, /t/ sounds like a “d”
“letter”

In the final position of words, /t/ is in its original form.
“combat”

sentence level
The following are two sentences that have different word meanings, however due to the way sounds are affected in running speech they sound exactly alike.

Let’s buy some milk at Mat’s Mart.

Let’s buy some books at Mat Smart.

Understanding that the same sound can change meaning depending on where it is placed in a word or sentence, can help you understand the complexity of the phonological rules that the human brain can handle.

What you need to know about Phonology:
This rule-governed process begins at the level of our ears. Sounds are introduced through hearing and organized as we develop in our childhood.  What we hear is then organized at the level of the brain. After organizing and interpreting these sounds, we continuously practice them via the speech process.

Therefore, listening, organizing and practicing are essential aspects of learning these rules. A breakdown in any of these aspects, whether due to a hearing impairment (listening), a processing difficulty (organizing), or a motor impairment of the oral cavity (practicing), can cause what we refer to as a Phonological Disorder.

Troubles with Phonology:
As we mentioned in our last article, it is normal for typically developing children to have trouble articulating certain sounds. During childhood, sounds are slowly beginning to take form. Therefore, there are normal error patterns that will occur in the developing child that help him/her adjust their system when learning all the sounds of their language.
For example, it is normal for a very young child to substitute the sounds /l/ and /r/ with a /w/. They may say “wabbit” instead of “rabbit.”

It is important to note though there are some atypical error patterns or processes and that in some instances children may create their own error patterns. At this point formal treatment by a speech language pathologist is indicated.

At Speech Therapy Center, Inc. we take the position of treating the child as a whole; therefore we will not only address a diagnosis and treat the child we will address factors that may be playing a role in your child’s development; most importantly, his/her ears. Other professionals such as the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor (ENT) or the Audiologist may play in equal role when dealing with a Phonological Disorder.

Phonological Disorder? What is that?
As previously described, a Phonological Disorder is characterized by a breakdown in the rule system for sounds.

The following are characteristics of phonological disorders:

Specific trouble may include the following:
1.    Prolonged use of normally developing phonological processes
a.    For example an older child that continues to substitute /r/ and /l/ with /w/.
2.    Use of atypical phonological processes
a.    An example of an atypical process is Initial Consonant Deletion.  Where the would say “all” for “ball”
3.    Idiosyncratic (self-made) phonological processes

Please Remember: A hearing impairment or recurrent ear infections, affects how speech sounds are heard and thus affect how phonological rules are activated.

Here are some phonological errors that frequently occur:
•    Fronting: pushing sounds made in the back of the mouth like /k/ to a more forward position like /t/
o    Ex: “tool” instead of  “kool”
•    Stopping: stopping the continuous air flow from some sounds like /s/ to make them shorter like /t/
o    Ex: “two” instead of  “Sue”

Here are some atypical occurrences of phonological errors to listen for:
•    Backing: pushing sounds made in the front of the mouth like /t/ to a more back position like /k/
o    Ex: “kool” instead of  “tool”
•    Fricating: continuing the stopped air flow from some sounds like /t/ to make them longer like /s/
o    Ex: “sue” instead of  “two”

Did you notice that the atypical ones are exactly the opposite of the normally occurring ones?

•    Self-made rules can vary widely. They can be anything from making all words begin the “l” sounds, to making all sounds produced with the lips such as “p,” “b,” and “m” into a “t” sound.

What Causes a Phonological Disorder?
We stress that although there are some specifically known medical diagnoses that co-occur with articulation and phonological disorders, some causes are also unknown.

Hearing Impairment at different degrees will automatically co-occur with phonological disorders due to the nature of auditory difficulty. Middle ear infections will very likely make an impact as well.

When concerned that your child may be exhibiting characteristics of an articulation and/or phonological disorder always remember to have his/her hearing examined!

How do we Detect Phonological Disorders?
A child with a phonological disorder will almost always have difficulty being understood by the listener. Although the child may appear to be very talkative; the person listening “cannot understand what they are saying.”

Please use additional tools on our website MySpeechTherapyCenter.com, to help you become familiar with developmental norms for speech development.

The following is a link to our Communication Wellness Quiz. This tool helps parents identify red flags in their children’s communication development.

http://www.myspeechtherapycenter.com/?page_id=401

How to Prevent Phonological Problems:
Although the following are not remedies for phonological disorders, they are good tips for enhancing your child’s articulation development, and avoiding problems in the future.

•    Routinely have your child’s hearing examined.
•    Don’t delay in treating middle ear infections.
•    Speak to your child slowly and clearly.
•    Monitor the noise level in your child’s learning environment.
•    Track your child’s development using tools given by educative websites and/or a local speech language pathologist.

GOOD IDEA: Expose your child to letters and sounds at a very early age, using flash cards, story books, or cooking games such as letter cutters for cookies. There is a strong correlation between literacy and a healthy developing phonological system and vice-versa.

Stay tuned next week for information on Apraxia, an impairment that affects both Articulation and Phonology. We hope that you have enjoyed this information!

All About the ABC’s…

A, B, C, D, E, F, G…the alphabet song is usually the method used to teach children their alphabet. Although the alphabet song does help, it usually causes children to memorize the melody of the song rather than the actual letter. Especially in the L, M, N, O, P part, it sounds more like “elemeno-pee” than the pronunciation of the letters! After a little research, and using my own creativity, I found a few ways that may help you teach your child the alphabet rather than using the traditional ABC song. The alphabet is the foundation of many important skills that your child will develop in the future; without it reading and writing will not be possible.

Knowing the letters is essential, but more important than that, is knowing the sounds of the letters. Reading is usually taught by sounding out the letters and making a word out of the sounds. If a child cannot match the letter A with its corresponding “aaah” sound, then reading is going to be a difficult task. It is important to begin preparing your child for reading at an early age, and exposing him/her to educational resources, it will help them in the long run.  Reading is not easy, and most children will have difficulties with it. Although it is tough, it is very rewarding when they tell you “mommy! Look what I can do” and they recite the entire alphabet, and even more exciting when they read their first word.

Fun & Free Online Games:
Here are some online games that are fun and interactive. I actually played these myself and I found them to be both entertaining and educational.

Alphabetical Wack-A-Mole!
This is a fun game to play with your child. It offers good practice of visual and memory skills. It requires the child to not only place the letters in alphabetical order but also to remember the last letter they wacked! Moles pop out of a hole while holding a paper with a letter of the alphabet on it. The goal of the game is to “wack” the moles in alphabetical order.
Below is a link that directly takes you to the game:
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/wam/wam.htm

Alphabet Book Game
This game asks for you to put the alphabet letters in order. This game helps develop visual skills because it requires the child to look for the correct letter that is jumbled up within the books. This game is a little bit trickier, but still a good source for learning.
If you click on the link below, you can play the game:
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/alphabetGame/alphabet.htm

ABC Zoo:
This one is not really a game, but more of an interactive website. Depending on your child’s age, you can choose “infant” or “toddler.” For infants, you can press any key on your keyboard and the letters of the alphabet will pop up and show you an animal that begins with that letter. For toddlers, the website is much more interactive. You can choose to sing the ABC song, as the letters of the alphabet pop up, and then, you can click on the different letters of the alphabet and it will show you an animal that begins with that letter.
Try the link below, to play the game:
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/fun/games/abczoo/default.asp

Other Fun Ways to Learn the ABC’s

ABC Album:
This will develop you child’s creative skills, as well as help them recognize the letters of the alphabet and match them to items.

Here is what you need:
•    A three ring binder
•    Construction Paper (or regular computer paper is fine)
•    Scissors
•    Glue Stick
•    Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils (your choice)
•    Three hole puncher
•    Optional: Magazines

You and your child are going to create an album of the letters of the alphabet with a picture to go along with the letter. On the front side of the paper, have the child write the letter, and on the backside, have them draw a picture of an object, or thing, that starts with that letter. Other ideas: rather than drawing it, you can look for objects in your house that start with the letter, take a picture of it, and then put it on the back of the paper, or you can also look for pictures in a magazine. This is a fun activity for both you and your child, and it will allow you to have some quality time with him/her!

Connect-the-Alphabet:
Remember playing “connect the dots?” Well, in this game, instead of using dots, we’re going to use the letters of the alphabet. Below, I will post a template that you can copy and paste into a word document and print for your child to use. You can make your own as well, just write the letters of the alphabet mixed up in 5 rows, and 6 columns (remember to include all the letters!), and then your child can connect the letters in the proper order. You can also use this with numbers.

A    C     F    U     T

D    B     V    S     O

E    F     R    W    A

H    G    A     Q    X

J     I     P     O     Y

K    L    M    N     Z

I personally love the Fischer Price website, it is very kid friendly, and it is appropriate for infants and toddlers as well. On that website, there are many other fun games and interactive sites, not only regarding reading, but also numbers, shapes, and colors.

I believe all these methods will be helpful in facilitating your child’s learning and understanding of the alphabet. You can always modify these ideas to your child’s needs. Also, you can modify them and use things your child is interested in. Creativity is essential; you can use almost anything to teach your child the alphabet.

Give your child the tools they need to succeed in their education, and begin prepping them early. The ABC’s and 123’s are just the beginning of the long road that lies ahead. And with your help and commitment, that long road may not be as bumpy as it could be.

Cristine R. Jimenez
Language Stimulation Specialist
Speech Therapy Center, Inc.

Articulation 101

Articulation

By definition, articulation is the act of vocal expression.  In other words how we enunciate or the manner in which we produce a speech sound.

Although articulation may seem simple and  is not be something that we do on a conscious level, in actuality it is a complex process where we use the structures and muscles in our mouths to make specialized movements that produce specific sounds or a combination of sounds.

What you need to know about Articulation:

Structures we use to articulate, also known as articulators include: lips, teeth, tongue, roof of the mouth, jaw, and lungs.

We speak when we exhale. So that you may further understand, let’s do a little exercise: Put your hand in front of your mouth, but not touching your lips and make the “b” sound. You can feel a little burst of air hit your fingers. Now, say the word “bee,” once again pay close attention to the thump of air on your fingers.  This is why when we speak for long periods of time we need to catch our breath!

We also use our vocal folds (i.e., vocal cords) to voice when articulating. Put your hand on your throat (i.e. voice box/larynx) and produce the sounds “p” and “b.” Note the vibration in your throat during the production of “b.”

Troubles with Articulation:

It is normal for typically developing children to have trouble articulating certain sounds. All sounds begin to take form slowly as children practice producing them. The most common sounds that are misarticulated at a later age are “s,” “l,” “th,” and “r.”  Although these sounds typically develop later in childhood, some children produce them at an earlier age causing parents to worry if their child is not using these same sounds when compared to their peers.

The “r” sound is one of the most difficult sounds to produce, along with the “th” sound, both of which are typically last to develop.

A common error younger children make when articulating words that have “r” sound in them is substituting the “r” for another sound as in the case of the word “rabbit.” The child will most likely say “wabbit.” Just like Elmer Fudd from the Looney Tunes! “Sssh, be vewy, vewy quiet, I am hunting fow wabbits!”

In addition to difficulty with later developing sounds, children usually have trouble pronouncing what is called a cluster, that is, when two consonant sounds are next to each other in a word. Like in the of the word, “star,” the child will most likely say “tar” because it is easier for him/her to say “tar” than “star.”

These errors usually go away with time. As the child matures, so does the strength of his/her articulators as well as increased practice of the sound in question.

Unfortunately, sometimes these misarticulated sounds do persist and then you have what is called an Articulation Disorder.

Articulation Disorder? What is that?

As previously described, an Articulation Disorder is characterized by a persistent misarticulation of sound in the child’s language.

The following are characteristics of articulation disorders.

Here are some occurrences of articulation errors to listen for:

•    Omissions: leaving certain sounds out of words.
o    Ex: “booo” instead of “blue”
•    Substitutions: replacing one sound for another.
o    Ex: using “w” for “r” like in the case of rabbit and wabbit.
•    Distortions: the child tries to produce a sound, but fails and ends up making a completely different sound.
o    Trying to pronounce “w” and a whistle or blowing sound comes out.
•    Additions: adding a sound to a word.
o    Ex: “bloat” for “boat”
•    Deletion: taking a sound out of a word, making it easier to pronounce.
o    Ex: “tar” for “star”

It is important to note that it is normal for children to have these minor, and short-lived errors, but if the problem persists, seek out the help of a professional.

What Causes an Articulation Disorder?

Although there are some specifically known medical causes that co-occur with articulation disorders, some causes are also unknown.

Some disorders such as Downs Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy will automatically co-occur with Articulation disorders due to the nature of muscular difficulty in these medical diagnoses.

When investigating your child’s difficulty, do not forget to check his/her ears!

Hearing is an extremely important aspect of communication. We speak how we hear. Articulation is purely an imitation of sounds heard. If the child has a hearing issue, an articulation disorder may likely result due to the child hearing a distorted version of sounds from the environment. Frequent ear infections in the middle ear (also referred to as Otitis Media) may affect the child’s hearing. So if your child is experiencing frequent ear infections, make sure you get a full hearing evaluation.

How do we Detect Articulation Disorders?

Children with an articulation disorder are not always easy to detect because although in some the problem may be very apparent, in others the problem may be very mild and go unheard.

Please use additional tools on our website MySpeechTherapyCenter.com, to help you become familiar with developmental norms for speech development.

The following is a link to our Communication Wellness Quiz. This tool helps parents identify red flags in their children’s communication development.

http://www.myspeechtherapycenter.com/?page_id=401

How to Prevent Articulation Problems:

Although the following are not remedies for articulation disorders, they are good tips for enhancing your child’s articulation development, and avoiding problems in the future.

•    At the age of one, take the child’s pacifier/bottle away, preventing the child from sucking on his/her thumb as well. The constant pushing of the thumb against the roof of the mouth may cause the roof of the mouth not to develop properly, therefore causing the child to have difficulties pronouncing several sounds.
•    Have your child look in the mirror as he/she talks. Also, let them look at you when you talk. This shows the child the proper way the mouth moves when articulating.
•    This one may cause a little controversy, but it will definitely be fun for your child!  Allow your child to chew gum or foods like jellybeans, and other chewy candy in order to exercise of the muscles of the face and jaw.
•    Drinking fluids through a straw is another good tip, because this too exercises the muscles of the face and jaw.
•    Practice with your child tricky sounds. If you notice your child is having trouble pronouncing certain sounds, have them imitate you saying it.

GOOD IDEA: Make practicing sounds a fun game! Maybe create flashcards with a letter on one side, and ask the child to produce the sound. Every time the child says it correctly, give them a jellybean or even a starburst. Now you are using two tips in one! As the child’s speech sounds improve, you can make it more difficult by adding words to the flashcards.

If you have any questions on this subject, feel free to leave comments with questions or concerns.

Stay tuned next week for more information on Articulation Disorders as well as Phonology, which refers to the complex system of rules in our brain that dictate the way we use these sounds in running speech. We hope that enjoyed this information!