Speech/Language
 apple imageRCE page                                   Teacher : C. Masek

RAYMOND CENTRAL SPEECH/LANGUAGE PROGRAM

   
    As the Raymond Central Speech-Language Pathologist, I want to share some information with you about communication. The ability to communicate is perhaps the most important skill your child will acquire. Communication skills allow children to make sense of their world, to express themselves, and to learn. If a child has problems with communicating, those problems could affect his or her school work.
    Speech disorders include problems with making sounds correctly, voice quality, and stuttering.
    Language disorders include difficulty in understanding or using language. For example, language disorders may include problems with understanding/identifying certain classes of words, understanding/giving directions, answering/asking question, understanding/using correct grammar, or expressing abstract ideas. Language disorders also can be the inability to use appropriate social language or convey an idea to others.
     By the age of 5, a child should be able to carry on a conversations, hear and understand most speech at home and school, answer simple questions about a story, say most sounds correctly, and speak in a way that sounds like other children.
    Usually, children do not “outgrow” communication disorders. That’s why early identification and treatment are so important. My responsibilities include diagnosing a communication disorder and evaluating its nature and extent. In addition I provide treatment as necessary.

 

Reading to your child is a great way to help your child’s language development. Try these suggestions to help expand vocabulary, organize language, and predict the rest of a story.

Vocabulary
1.  Ask your child to name pictures in the book; talk about words your child does not know.
2.  Build word associations by talking about related words and word categories For example, you can ask about other names for “sofa” (“couch,” “loveseat,” etc.) or ask about other kinds of “furniture.”
3.  Talk about new words that are not in the book. For example, if your are reading a book with the words “rain,” “hail,” and “snow,” you can mention the words “storm” or “weather.”

Organization
1.  Ask your child to retell a story. This can help your child express thoughts in a logical order. Give clues to help with the order of the story. Say, for example, “first...,” “In the middle of the story...,” and the story ends when....”
2.  During some reading time, choose a picture book that has no words. Help your child tell a logical story while looking at the pictures.

Prediction
1.  After reading part of a story, ask your child, “What do you think will happen next?”
Read part of a sentence and have your child fill in the missing word(s). For example, “It was the largest insect in the whole wide .”
2.  Create new stories together. You start a story; your child adds a related part; your add the next part. etc.		 The following home activities are suggested when working with an older child.

1. Use humor. Humor is found throughout conversation and can result in improved listening skills and increased vocabulary. Jokes, puns, riddles, cartoons, and comic strips can be easily found to suit a variety of interest.
2. Share slang. Children enjoy making fun of their parents’ old-fashioned expressions. Explain how an old slang expression was used. Is there a similar term in use today?
3. Complete cooperative projects. Introduce a joint activity or project that involves multiple steps such as cooking or building model airplanes.
Encourage you child to develop a personal journal. A written or audio cassette journal may include activities, thoughts, feelings, or other items of interest.
4. Encourage reading for pleasure. Reading increases and improves vocabulary. Initially, incentives or a reward system may be needed. Some older children still enjoy having their parents read to them.
5. Play board games. Many games have been designed specifically for the older child and help develop thinking skills and problem-solving techniques.
6. Hold mock debates about non-controversial topics. For example, “Is it better to add salt before or after you make popcorn?