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5 Signs Your Little May Benefit from Speech Therapy

When you’re a parent of a little child, life can be super overwhelming. I know I always felt like I was not doing enough, not paying enough attention, not caring for my children in the best way possible. If you have concerns about your child’s development, that feeling can be even more intense.

When you’re a parent of a little child, life can be super overwhelming. I know I always felt like I was not doing enough, not paying enough attention, not caring for my children in the best way possible. If you have concerns about your child’s development, that feeling can be even more intense.

First of all, there is a WIDE range of development for little ones. It’s really hard to judge what your child should be doing versus another child. Siblings can be so different! Some children love to move, so their motor development clicks along, but they’re not so into communication. Some littles like to chatter away and their interests make their communication come faster.

Speech therapy can help many children. And a good speech therapist can help you determine if your child needs a little more support or is just going along at their own pace. It is important to note that early support can lessen a child’s needs as they get older. Also, early support can help a child lessen their (and their parent’s!) frustration.

Speech therapy for little ones is generally play-based and fun. Most speech pathologists who specialize in littles can share ideas for practicing at home and, most importantly, act as a support for you, the parent.

So, would your little benefit from speech therapy? Read on to learn more.

1) Difficulty with eating

Many people don’t know that speech therapists can help when children are having trouble chewing and swallowing. Sometimes babies nurse or take a bottle well, but later have more difficulty changing over to solid foods. Occupational therapists also address this need. Feeding therapy can help little ones with a range of challenges including “picky” eaters, difficulty with chewing and swallowing, and sensory issues. Some speech pathologists and occupational therapists specialize in this field.

If your child is over a year old and struggles with eating solid foods, such as finger foods like Cheerios, they may benefit from speech or occupational therapy. Speaking to your pediatrician about these concerns is the best way to get started.

2) Rule of Thumb for Language

This is a very general guidepost that may indicate your child may benefit from some speech therapy support. In very broad terms, by one year of age, children are using saying single words to communicate. For example, “Da!” for “Daddy.” By two. children are often using 50-100 words and putting two words together in short phrases, such as “Dada up!” to indicate they want Daddy to pick them up. If your child is not yet doing this by 2, it may be helpful to speak to your pediatrician or reach out to your state’s Early Intervention Program. Again, this is not a hard and fast rule, but getting help earlier is typically helpful to reduce frustration and long-term challenges.

3) Speech Clarity

How easily can your child be understood? By the age of 3, a familiar adult can typically understand about 50% of what a child is saying. By the age of 4, adults can understand 90% or more of what a child is saying. If you are struggling to understand your 3- to 4-year-old, they may benefit from some speech therapy. By teaching them some strategies, speech therapy can greatly reduce their frustration and help your little’s confidence.

For more specific information on how children develop speech sounds, see the Early Speech Sound Development and Common Speech Patterns posts.

4) Foundation Skills

If your toddler or preschooler is having trouble developing foundational skills needed for good communication, they may benefit from some speech therapy support. Foundation skills include: 1) attending to language- Does your child show interest in language, such as adult’s speaking? 2) Eye contact- Does your child look toward you or check in with you when you say their name or when you are speaking to them? 3) Imitation of words- Does your child attempt to imitate your actions or words? 4) Initiating language- Does your child try to get your attention by using their voice?

These skills help build the foundation for good communication as your child gets older and moves into school. If your child is a toddler or preschooler and is not showing solid foundation skills, they may benefit from speech therapy to help develop these skills. For more information on Foundation Skills, see the blog post Building a Solid Foundation.

This handout, Building a Solid Foundation, has some strategies to help to develop some of these skills.

5) Trust Your Gut

This is the MOST important sign. You know your child best. Are you concerned? Is there something you’re worried about? Then reach out to your pediatrician to discuss your concerns. If your child’s doctor is not concerned, there are other options as well. Every state has an Early Intervention Program where your child can typically have an assessment done in your home at no cost. Most Early Intervention Programs will assess and provide therapy for children from Birth to 36 months. If your little is older, you can reach out to your local school system instead. You can also go to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to find a local provider who can provide information, do a communication evaluation and/or provide speech therapy. ASHA is the professional organization for speech language pathologists and audiologists that has resources for families as well on their website. Health insurance can typically be used for speech therapy, but please check with your plan.

Foundation Communication Skills

To build a sound house, you need a solid foundation. Without it, you get sloping floors, cracks in the walls and a crumbling foundation. Communication through life is similar. Without the strong foundation, including the connection that is enhanced by communication, and developing higher level thinking skills, such as problem solving, strong communication is very challenging.

As parents, we do so much of this without thinking. When you hear your baby cry, you respond to this very primal sound. Your little one learns that they can make things happen and that they can count on you.

In our very busy and distracted world, this can be harder. Sometimes, we feel like we’re in the same room as our little, we’re bonding. With our very little ones, they haven’t developed appropriate eye contact and other skills to request attention in appropriate ways yet. Without us to teach them, we can miss their primeval attempts to connect. Being truly present for a baby is harder than ever these days. As parents, we’re expected to be available to respond to messages from work, friends and family at all times. Social media to check, activities to research, newsfeeds to follow. If we are home with our children- just hanging out- many feel that we’re not really doing anything and should be available.

Being present for our littles is one of the most important responsibilities we have.

Foundation Communication Skills

But what is happening at this time? What “skills” are they developing? Here are a few that should develop naturally through our daily play and interactions with our littles. I find it so cool that so much is going on in their little minds and bodies as we are stacking blocks, looking at a book with them or rolling a ball.

Imitation

Imitation is a key skill to learning new things. There’s actually a learning theory that all learning is done through observation and imitation. (To geek out on that, read this article on Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory) If a child can imitate, they can attempt new skills that they see and hear. Imitating simple motor movements, such as clapping, can lead to the ability to build on these movements and continue learning. The skills then build upon one another. Imitating a wave can lead to your baby initiating communication with another person, leading to more language and social development. Imitating rolling a ball can lead to more social interactions, such as turn taking, but also developing more and more motor skills. (Look out, Lionel Messi!)

Attention

This one seems obvious at first, right? Of course, you have to pay attention to what you are learning to learn it, but it goes a little further than that. Children generally begin to increase their attention over time as they start to form preferences and interests. They can sustain attention a little longer as they begin to build their vocabulary. I remember my Maisie, when she was under a year, loved the Eric Carle book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It was so amazing to see her little eyes start to watch the page and, as I finished reading the line, she would reach to turn to the next page. She started repeating the animal names and sounds at a very early age as her attention increased.

Initiation

When Maisie was reaching out to turn the page in order to hear the next one, she was beginning to show initiation of communication. Our babies sometimes just do this by making a sound and waiting for you to turn. It’s important that they begin to understand that when the initiate, this is a valuable skill. Eventually, those little sounds and gestures begin to shift into simple language, “Ma!” and so forth. It’s so important for children to develop the skill of initiating language so they can get their wants and needs met and, as they grow, begin make comments, begin conversations and so much more.

Eye Contact

Our littles are learning the importance of eye contact and connection. By looking at a person’s face, we can generally tell if that person is listening or is ready for us to communicate. This is part of attention, but goes a little further. It’s a check to see if the person we’re talking to is ready. This happens so rapidly and many small children- not even just babies- are figuring this out.

Anticipation

When we know something is coming, we often want to share that idea with others. This is a great way to create connection with your child. A car door slams and you say, “Is that Granny?” The microwave beeps and you say, “Lunch is ready!” If your child has a regular routine for their day, they will begin to anticipate the next activity and, by modeling consistent language with your child, they will begin to use the words on their own.

Turn Taking

Simple conversational turn taking can start long before meaningful speech develops! Imitating your child’s baby sounds back to them and then letting them have a turn creates a chance for them to start developing the art of turn taking. Littles love the interaction, and this little activity works on so many of the foundation skills for communication- turn taking, attention, imitation, eye contact, initiation! There are so many very basic activities that practice this skill, such as rolling a ball back and forth with your child, taking turns tapping or drumming a toy, taking turns pouring water in the tub. So many preschoolers find turn taking to be challenging skill to learn, so beginning early can contribute to future communication and school success.

Differences

For many children, these foundation communication skills develop early. However, for many other children, these skills are more challenging to develop. By providing time to play and be present with your child, you will find what works for them. If you are concerned about your child’s development, speak to your pediatrician. I also have another blog post, 5 Signs Your Little May Benefit from Speech Therapy that may be helpful.

For a summary, please check out this handout Building a Solid Foundation!

Building Springtime Experiences to Share with Your Little

We all have them- those childhood core memories that help define springtime. It may be a picnic by the lake with your family. Or the crack of a bat at a Little League game. Sometimes it’s more negative- when you were eaten alive by mosquitoes at a campfire. Some of those memories really stick with us and, as parents, we try to give our own kiddos some great ones. When toddlers and preschoolers are so little, the springtime experiences really don’t have to be expensive or hugely dramatic. As I’ve said before, little ones are new here- experiencing so much for the first time. By being intentional, we can give them some really meaningful experiences that stick with them and help us connect with them on their level.

I’ve pulled together some of my favorite springtime experiences from my own children and from activities we’ve done in my preschool classroom. I’ve also included some companion books to go along with the experiences because- you know- children’s books are my jam. There are links to Amazon, but the library could be an even better resource.

Butterfly Kit

We are using a kit in our classroom right now and it’s amazing! The children absolutely love watching the caterpillars and seeing them all grow. This is one of the springtime experiences that they talk about all day- to us, to each other, to their families. I love to think that they are building a real core memory and learning so much! Here’s the Butterfly Garden we used. The kit comes with a sealed cup with caterpillars that you can watch as they eat and grow. They make their chrysalis in the cup, then you transfer them to a net container. After about 10-14 days, the butterflies push their way out. Then you can release them outside. Beware: it can also be a lesson in the fragileness of life. We’ve had a few caterpillars not make it, but it’s also another opportunity to talk about life and death in a safe and loving way.

A beautiful book that can support the experience is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This classic book includes simple descriptive language and an explanation of the changes your little will observe. This book is wonderful for toddlers and preschoolers. As your child develops more language, they may appreciate a book with a little more sophisticated vocabulary, such as Fancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser. My own children were big Fancy Nancy fans. Nancy is fancy, but still likes bugs and being outside. This might be a book you kind of skip around, reading the parts that seem more interesting to your child.

Oobleck

Making oobleck was probably my daughter Maisie’s favorite activity. This kid loved a good messy, sensory activity as a toddler. This is definitely an outdoor experience with a little. For any science nerds, oobleck a “non-Newtonian fluid” (part liquid, part solid, all fun). Just mix 1 part water to 1.5 parts cornstarch. You can add some food coloring to make it more interesting, but the color is not necessary. No real rules for this activity once it’s outside. They probably shouldn’t eat it, but it’s corn starch, so not toxic. Put in a low bowl or pan & enjoy!

An oldie but goodie book to go along with this activity is Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess. Published in 1949 (!!), it is a little long, but has a great message about the power of a sincere apology. Also, just crazy rhymes and language, as a classic Dr. Suess. For slightly smaller littles, Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess by Anna Dewdney is a favorite. The mother in the Llama Llama series sets the gold standard for kindness in parenting. It’s all about, well, a mess that needs to be cleaned and a creative way to address the issue.

Grow a Bean Seed in a Bag

My daughter, Kinsley, loved this springtime experience! Put a bean seed in a Ziplock with a damp paper towel and tape to a window that gets sunlight. Bean seeds grow quickly, so within a few days, it will start to sprout- like magic!! Sometimes, the paper towel can get some mold/mildew, so be sure to leave the bag open slightly to allow a little fresh air in. Replant the sprout in a pot with potting soil and you’ll have a full-grown bean plant in a few weeks. This is a pretty simple way to get a cool gardening experience without the commitment of a full garden. It’s also really manageable for a little one to observe and have a real hand in the experience! A great resource with more information on this topic is The Science Kiddo.

Our bean plant that started in a baggie! It’s growing like magic!

So many amazing books out there on the topic of growing and gardening! I had to limit my choices, but there are so many to choose from! Another oldie but a goodie is The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson. This one just warms my heart! A little boy plants a carrot seed and, with wonderful childhood faith, cares for it until the carrot grows. This one is a simple story for all ages. The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is another beautifully illustrated book that follows a seed on its long journey to become a mammoth flower. This one has some really great vocabulary and more details to expand on the concept of plant growth. Another delightful story about an intentional mom and sweet child is Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw. My own children loved Lola books! Lola and her mother plan and plant a garden and share the experience with Lola’s friends. The classic nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, is incorporated into the story, making it even richer with language.

Draw with Chalk

This is another Watson Family classic. My kids spent hours drawing with chalk and their imaginations just went in every direction. Caleb and Ani made obstacle courses with lots of instructions for jumping, spinning and crawling. I traced their bodies on the ground in various positions, and they filled in the features making themselves basketball players, soccer players, princesses. They made scenes with rainbows and hearts. One Christmas, we made a chalk tree and the kids posed around it “decorating” the tree for our holiday card. For some reason, this activity was often calming before or after dinner as the days got longer.

A wonderful companion book for this activity is Katie’s Sunday Afternoon by James Mayhew. In the story, Katie visits a museum and, while Grandma is napping, she enters into some eminent paintings and experiences their worlds. This is such a fun way to encourage those budding imaginations as well as expose them to classic artists and art! James Mayhew has created several Katie stories around various artists and art movements, so there is much to explore if your little is inspired by this book!

Go Fly a Kite

It doesn’t get much more classic springtime experience than flying a kite! We lived near the ocean when my kids were little, so we often had windy springs. This was such an integral part of our springtime adventures. Unfortunately, my youngest, Kinsley, has a core memory of losing her kite when she let go to fix the Velcro on her shoe, so hold tight!!

A simple, lovely companion book for this activity is The Windy Day by Anna Milbourne and Elena Temporin. The book describes wind in a little bit of an educational way and a little bit of a magical way. It’s comforting and fun to see a child with his mother and their springtime experiences with their kite and the wind. Another beautiful story is Blue Sky, Yellow Kite by Janet A. Holmes and Jonathan Bentley. It explores a new friendship centered around a kite flying experience between a boy and girl. This is such an enchanting book that uses illustrations to supplement the storytelling so gracefully. It also talks about kite flying technique a little bit.

Go Enjoy Spring!

I hope you find a few nuggets here that will help you create some core memories with springtime experiences for your little this spring! Please share this post with someone who might find it helpful!

For more suggestions on selecting books, see the GLP Post here!

Fun Ways to Practice Counting with Your Preschooler

Counting is an important part of foundational math skill that children begin developing from a young age. Many toddlers begin counting and kindergarteners are expected to be counting to 20 when they enter school. Counting with your preschooler takes some practice but should be fun!

“Yikes, my kid’s teacher says he’s not counting. I’ll break out the flashcards and the iPad.”

Maybe it’s time for a reset on the more structured thinking about counting.

Embedding counting into play throughout the day is so easy, but we may not think about it as we rush through our days. There are many opportunities to do this that can combine into ways to connect and bond with your little one!

What are they learning?

It’s kind of crazy, but children can usually rote count a while before they can understand what numbers represent. By kindergarten, children are generally expected to rote count up to 20. That’s straight up reciting the numbers in order- they don’t necessarily understand how many 20 is. For our littles, it’s almost like a song. Similar to how they can learn to sing the ABCs long before they understand the concept of letters.

Counting objects and understanding that 1 means one bear and 3 means three bears comes along a little slower. This concept, called 1:1 correspondence, is also learned in toddler and preschool years, but generally starts with the concept of 1 item vs 2 items. Generally speaking, children understand 1 to 5 then they move on to bigger numbers. It’s really cool to watch them learn this concept!

1) Embed it into your day

To begin with, I think we forget how new counting is to our little guys. They’re still new here. At first, it’s great to just expose your little to counting, just counting. They need to hear the numbers throughout their day. Playing counting songs in the car, reciting counting poems as you walk, “1, 2, 3, just you and me!” If you dig into your mental vault, you may remember some silly songs you knew as a child. (Here’s a link to jog your memory.) I’ve pulled together a few favorites to create a Counting Playlist on Spotify.

2) Add a motor activity

For those really busy kids, adding a motor component can be great way to help with focus. For example, on the swing, count as you push. The slow pace of the counting can be rhythmic and calming as well as educational. Counting as you walk up stairs can be a super simple way to stay present and encourage focus as well as learning to count.

My own kids loved the count down on the swings to “BLAST OFF!!” when they would get the biggest push ever.

3) Count while waiting

As an adult, I definitely use this strategy as I’m waiting at a stop light. Waiting is a pretty challenging skill and being able to wait will serve your child well throughout their lives. If your little is starving and you’re finishing up your prep, start counting slowly and clearly. If you’re waiting in line at a store, count to 10. Then count down from 10. Then count really, really fast, then really, really S L O W L Y. By hearing the same numbers in different ways, they will start to remember the patterns. By using some creativity, you can help a child learn patience by modeling patience for them as well as learning to count.

4) Count their favorites

How many legos do we have? Have many babydolls? At first, I wouldn’t even worry about the accuracy. Line up some cars and go. Especially at the beginning, it’s just fun to see some of their favorite items together and show them how to touch each one as they count. If they pretend to count later, even better.

Like the suggestion above, your little will learn other skills with this one as well. They will begin to learn to sort and categorize. Does the garbage truck go with the cars? Should we make a group of just trucks?

5) Count BIG things

To add to the motor movement activities and increase attention, count all the windows in your home. Count all the cabinet doors in the kitchen. Count all the sinks, the beds. These big items can be fun to find. Is there a window in the basement? By moving from room to room, they will be developing their memory as well. We counted all the windows in the kitchen, what’s next?

Final Notes on Counting

As with all skills, there is huge variability in what children can do at certain ages. The most important takeaway is that learning to count should be another way for you to connect with your little one. My biggest priority for any early academics is that children should learn to LOVE learning. If counting is a fun activity that they do with their parent, then it’s a success.

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