Speech and Language Development

1. Speech and Language Development Annette Rowland, M.S., CCC-SLP rowlanda@lampasas.k12.tx.us Mindy Weyman, M.S., CCC-SLP weymanm@lampasas.k12.tx.us

2. Language • Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following: • What words mean (e.g., "star" can refer to a bright object in the night sky or a celebrity) • How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly) • How to put words together (e.g., "Peg walked to the new store" rather than "Peg walk store new") • What word combinations are best in what situations ("Would you mind moving your foot?" could quickly change to "Get off my foot, please!" if the first request did not produce results) • When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely (expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder.

3. Speech • Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following: • Articulation: How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the "r" sound in order to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit"). • Fluency: The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency). • When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder.

4. Typical Development • The development of communication skills begins in infancy, before the emergence of the first word. Any speech or language problem is likely to have a significant effect on the child's social and academic skills and behavior. The earlier a child's speech and language problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persist or get worse. Early speech and language intervention can help children be more successful with reading, writing, schoolwork, and interpersonal relationships.

5. 2-3 Years Old • Understands about 50 words and says about 40 words by 24 months • Vocabulary includes prepositions, nouns, verbs, and adjectives • Begins to use pronouns like “you” and “I” • Uses plurals and regular past tense verbs • Answers simple questions • By age 3, uses phrases of at least two to three words • Asks questions, uses a rising intonation • Speech is intelligible to familiar people, may still leave off word endings

6. 3-4 Years Old • Groups objects into categories • Identifies colors • Can describe the use of an object • Has fun with language: enjoys songs, stories, poems, jingles • Can repeat sentences • Talks about feelings and ideas, not just about the world around them • Uses “ing” on verbs • Answers simple hypothetical questions • Speech is mostly intelligible to strangers • Uses consonants in beginning, middle, and end of words

7. 4-5 Years Old • Understands most prepositions • Understands complex questions • Uses some irregular past tense verbs • Describes how to do things • Lists items from a given category • Answers “why” questions • Defines words • Speech is understandable, but may have difficulty with long words (hippopotamus, magazine, caterpillar)

8. 5 Years Old • Understands over 2,000 words • Understands time sequences • Follows 3-direction commands • Understands rhyming • Has conversations with others • Sentences are about 8 words in length • Uses compound or complex sentences • Describes/defines • Can make up a simple story • May have some speech sound errors but is intelligible 95%

9. What can I do to help? • Talk about spatial relationships (first, middle, and last; right and left) and opposites (up and down, big and little). • Offer a description or clues and have your child identify what you are describing. • Work on forming and explaining categories (fruits, furniture, shapes). • Follow your child's directions as she or he explains how to do something. • Give full attention to your child when he or she is speaking, and acknowledge, praise, and encourage him or her afterward. Before you speak to your child, be sure to get his or her undivided attention. Pause after speaking, allowing him or her to respond to what you have said. • Build on your child' s vocabulary. Provide definitions for new words, and use them in context: "This vehicle is riding on the highway. It is a car. A bus is another kind of vehicle. So are a train and an airplane." • Encourage your child to ask for an explanation if he or she does not understand what a word means. • Point out things that are the same or different. Play games incorporating these concepts that he or she will encounter later in the classroom in reading readiness.

10. More helping ideas… • Expand on social communication and narration skills (telling a story) by role-playing. Play house, doctor, and store using dialogue, props, and dress-up clothes. Do the same with a dollhouse and its props, acting out scenarios and making the dolls talk. • Read stories with easy-to-follow plots. Help your child predict what will happen next in the story. Act out the stories, and put on puppet shows of the stories. Have your child draw a picture of a scene from the story, or of a favorite part. You can do the same thing with videos and television shows, as these also have plots. Ask "wh" questions (who, what, when, where, or why) and monitor his or her response. • Expand on your child' s comprehension and expressive language skills by playing "I Spy": "I spy something round on the wall that you use to tell the time." After your child guesses what you have described, have him or her give you clues about something that he or she sees. • Give your child two-step directions (e.g., "Get your coat from the closet and put it on"). Encourage your child to give directions to explain how he or she has done something. For example, ask your child to explain how he made a structure out of Lego blocks. When playing doctor, ask your child to explain what she did to give the baby a checkup. Draw a picture, and write down your child's story as he or she tells it. Your child will soon grasp the power of storytelling and written language. • Have your child help you plan and discuss daily activities. For example, have him or her make a shopping list for the grocery store, or help you plan his or her birthday party. Ask his or her opinion: "What do you think your cousin would like for his birthday? What kind of fruit do we need to buy at the store?"

11. Grade K-2 ideas for teachers and parents • Talk with your child frequently • Read a variety of books; read often and talk with your child about the story • Help your child focus on sound patterns of words such as those found in rhyming games • Have your child retell stories and talk about events of the day • Talk with your child during daily activities; give directions for your child to follow (e.g., making cookies) • Talk about how things are alike and different • Give your child reasons and opportunities to write

12. Later elementary ideas for teachers and parents • Continue to encourage reading; find reading material that is of interest to your child • Encourage your child to form opinions about what he or she hears or reads and relate what is read to experiences • Help your child make connections between what is read and heard at school, at home, and in other daily activities • Talk aloud as you help your child understand and solve problems encountered in reading material • Help your child recognize spelling patterns, such as beginnings and endings of words (e.g., pre- or -ment) • Encourage your child to write letters, keep a diary, or write stories

13. Response to Intervention • Our philosophy…

14. How do you refer to us? • RtI forms will be available on our website • Fully complete the forms • Return completed forms to the speech department at KWE (please mark confidential) • We will make parent contact and begin the screening process. • All screenings require PARENTAL CONSENT which we will obtain.

15. What if the child is NOT in LISD? • The SLP can help you with this! • Parents who have concerns for their pre-school aged children may contact the district for more information, and talk with the SLP regarding any concerns for speech and language development. We are happy to help! • Parents may call the Dept. of Special Services at 512-556-8213 to reach someone who will put them in touch with a speech-language pathologist.

16. To clear things up… • Speech Impairment is… • SPECIAL EDUCATION • Federally mandated • Individual Education Plan (IEP) driven • Required per ARD documentation • IS NOT’s….. • Only about /r/ or /s/ • Optional for students identified as SI • Screenings are NOT evaluations • RtI is NOT SPED placement or long term

17. Cheap and Easy  • Talk About Wall • Books • Manipulatives • Smartboard • Symbolic Borders • Literacy Notebooks • Games • Adapting games for our kids • Don’t always play by the rules 

18. Smartboard Resources • Book Manipulatives • Sequencing • Comprehension • Vocabulary Enrichment • Following Directions • Story Retell • Tumblebooks • Comprehension games

19. Resources we • Kidsknowit.com • Sesamestreet.org • Discoverykids.com • Nickjr.com • Tumblebooks.com • Quia.com • http://comd.usu.edu/htm/research/child-language-research-group • Smartexchange • www.Interventioncentral.org (includes chartdog, which generates trendlines for you, as well as all kinds of RtI helpers – already done FOR YOU!)