Talk With Me | Anglophone North School District

Early Language Services

Posted: December 17, 2018

Don't Wait & See - Call "Talk With Me"

All parents look forward to their child's firsts: first steps, first full night of sleep and, of course, their first words.

As with all stages of child development, there is a range during which children develop their skills. So, if your child is not doing everything at every stage, it is not necessarily cause for concern.

However, a wait-and-see approach is not necessarily the best either, especially when early intervention can make a difference.

As a speech-language pathologist with the Talk With Me program, I often tell parents that a child’s language development can be compared to climbing a set of stairs, with a child at the bottom and moving up one step at a time.

Babies start reacting to sound right at birth. At around four to six months, they will start cooing or "talking," followed by babbling at around six to 12 months. You will usually hear your baby’s first words around his or her first birthday.

As your child continues up the steps, you should be seeing him or her using around 50 single words by 18 months. By 24 months, children start to use two-word phrases, such as "Ahdah mama" ("Alldone mama") or "Wawa peas" ("Water please").

The words and sounds of a two-year-old are not necessarily spoken clearly, but that is normal. From two to three years of age, you should be seeing a rapid change in speech and language development, with an increasing vocabulary and use of language. At this stage, you should be wondering, "Where did our child even learn certain words?"

By three years of age, you should understand your child’s speech 75 per cent of the time, and they should be telling you short stories and using three- and four-word phrases ("I goed to the pawk (park)," "Her is awdone (alldone) now"). Their speech may not be completely perfect yet, but that is still OK.

From four to five years of age, children are gaining more and more words, ideas and concepts, and should be able to express themselves with longer and longer sentences in a smooth, clear way. They are talking like mini adults now.

They should understand your questions and directions and their speech should be understood almost all the time by an unfamiliar listener. That is a lot of stairs, in a short time.

Here are a few tips to help your child’s speech and language development:

1) Limit screen time according to the Canadian Pediatric Society’s recommendations. That means no screen time (TV/tablet/phone) for children under two years of age and limited screen time (less than one hour per day) for children between two to five years of age.

We don’t talk much when we look at a screen and the same goes for your child. This is a tough one in this day and age, but children learn how to communicate through active play and engagement with the people and things in their world.

2) Provide lots of verbal input to your child. Talk to them all the time about what you’re doing, what they’re doing, what you’re seeing, hearing, and where you’re going. Talk throughout your day. Talk to them in the language you are most comfortable.

When you talk to your child, wait for them to do or say something in response. Mealtime, bath time, playtime, driving, walking and shopping are all opportunities for your child to learn words.

3) Use books right from birth with your child. Use them to snuggle up and enjoy some time together. Aim to read at least one book every day. Use the library. Don’t feel you have to read the entire book. Look at the pictures and name the items on the page. Even if your child is only interested in one page, that is still a great start and a great way to learn words and ideas.

If at any point your child’s speech and language seems to be "stuck" on a stair, or moves down a stair (regresses), or you have concerns, it is likely time to talk to a professional.

The Speech-Language Pathologists at Talk With Me are ready to answer your questions and can meet with you and your child for a consultation if requested. If you have concerns about your child's communication skills, don't wait and see, call Talk With Me at 1-888-623-6363.

We look forward to working with you and your child to help them take the next "step."

Vocabulary Development 12-36 months

Posted: November 28, 2018

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November Speech and Language Activities

Posted: November 22, 2018

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talk-box-preschool-november-activity-sheet.pdf	680.69 KB

Read with your child right from birth

Posted: October 29, 2018

Reading with your child for at least 15 minutes every day right from birth is one of the best ways to help his language develop and set the stage for school success.

Posted: October 10, 2018

Autumn Activities for Encouraging Speech and Language

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talk-box-preschool-october-activity-sheet.pdf	804.25 KB

Kindergarten Registration 2019

Posted: September 26, 2018

Can you believe it's already time for kindergarten registration? ...

Posted: September 19, 2018

Playdough Recipe

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

food colouring-assorted

saucepan

1 cup flour

Method:

1. Combine water, oil ,salt, cream of tartar, food colouring in saucepan over medium to low heat.

2. Remove from heat and add flour.

3. Stir then knead until smooth.

* To make Pumpkin Spice Playdough simply add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and orange food colouring only!

Note: Cream of tartar will make the playdough last for six months

Always store playdough in airtight containers with lids.

Posted: September 12, 2018

Helping Toddlers Understand Prepositions

A parent recently asked about ways to help her child learn prepositions. Laura Mize, Speech-Language Pathologist from "Teach Me to Talk" gives excellent advice on this topic:

Toddlers first begin to understand prepositions in the context of familiar directions and then say prepositions as single words before they include prepositions in phrases. This last skill occurs by 30 to 33 months. Prepositions to be targeted include: in, out, off, on, up, down, here, and there. Other sources also list under, by, and around by 3.

Remember, a child must first understand these words before she says them. Here's some information for making sure she's on track with understanding new prepositions/location phrases –

Toddlers with typically developing language understand the following prepositions by age 3: in, out, off, on, up, down, here, there, under, by, and around. Lists vary by source.

As in the previous developmental period, teach these words during context while playing using objects to demonstrate the concept. With typically developing children these words are often learned in pairs as “opposites” such as in vs. out, off vs. on, and up vs. down. However, it may be necessary to teach one concept at a time to a child with significant delays to avoid confusion.

Using a favorite character for the child to manipulate is a very effective way to teach prepositions. If a child loves her Elmo doll, use Elmo to teach location words in silly and unexpected situations. Hide Elmo under the pillow. Make Elmo run around the train track. By introducing more creative teaching methods, you’re ensuring that a child pays attention, wants to participate, and increases the likelihood that she’ll remember the new concept and word. You’re also encouraging her to be flexible when she plays and to generalize the word beyond one specific context.

One fun way to target prepositions is to use the child himself to model each concept. Place him in a laundry basket and then take him out. Climb on the couch, and then jump off. The playground is an ideal place to teach prepositions. Go up the ladder and then down the slide.

While you might label and point out examples of prepositions/location words while reading books or using pictures, please don’t rely on this as your primary method of teaching this important word category. At some point, a child’s comprehension might be assessed using pictures, so be sure a child recognizes these concepts in pictures after he masters locations words with real objects.

If you have any questions or concerns, about your child's speech-language development, or would like more suggestions on ways to help expand your child's vocabulary and language skills, call Talk With Me at 623-6363.

Don't Wait and See, "Talk With Me"

Posted: September 10, 2018

Strong preschool language skills are the single best predictor of school success. Intervention is most effective before the age of 3 years. If you have questions or concerns about your child's speech or language development, call the Speech-Language Pathologists at "Talk With Me". ...

The Super Summer Spectacular was a sucess!

Posted: August 24, 2018

Earlier this month, Talk With Me-Restigouche and their partners in the Healthy Child Network held their first Super Summer Spectacular Event. Several families were in attendence and participated in the fun, yet educational activities!