Common Sounds Kids Struggle to Pronounce

The development of speech and language skills varies from child to child. However, there are certain age-range milestones that, when not achieved, may possibly imply future speech and speech-learning difficulties.

For instance, according to experts that offer speech therapy for toddlers, at the age of 6 to 12 months, a baby should be able to babble and repeat sounds. By age 1 to 2 years old, they may be able to say the sounds of p and b among others. By the time they're 5, their speech should generally be easy to understand though they may still struggle to pronounce "th" sounds.

In this article, we're rounding up the most common sounds kids may find hard to pronounce.

K.

Most providers offering speech therapy services in Madison NJ, would agree that many youngsters struggle with saying the k sound (as in cake). Often, what they do is replace it with a t sound (as in tate).

L and r.

Even among older children, you may encounter individuals who can't properly pronounce these sounds, especially when they're in the same sentence (as in the lion is roaring). As a substitute, they tend to use a w sound (as in the wion is wawing).

Zh.

This sound is found in many complicated words. For instance, the second g in garage and the s in decision. Even for native English speakers, this is one of the most difficult sounds to learn.

Voiced and voiceless th.

Ask any Speech and language therapist, these sounds are some of the most challenging to learn for children. The voiceless th is the sound used in words like "thumb" and "thank you"; voiced th, in words like the and with. Often, kids use f and v sounds as the respective replacements (as in fumb, fank you, va, and wiv).

Consonant blends.

It's also challenging for children to pronounce consonants used next to each other clearly. For example, instead of saying "stay" or "stop," they will say "say" or "sop."

Multisyllabic words.

In speaking to a few Speech Language Pathologists in NJ, it's common to jumble or shorten words and phrases with too many syllables. For instance, instead of saying "spaghetti," they may say paghetti or pagshetti.

Ways You Can Help

Getting help from a speech pathologist in NJ is one of the best ways to help your child who's struggling to pronounce certain sounds at their age.

Pediatric speech therapy is a specialized form of rehabilitation that helps children recover from speech disorders. Speech therapists assess and help children develop their speaking skills through unique exercises and activities designed to improve their ability to communicate. They also work with parents like you and teachers to ensure that children receive the best treatment plan.

Apart from relying on early interventions from a speech therapy clinic in New Jersey, you can be a role model on how to pronounce sounds properly. Help your kid practice reading at home and be patient about their situation. It's important not to force your child to learn hard phonics sounds. With a professional by your side, be there to guide them until they get better diligently.

Read more ...

How Speech & Occupational Therapy Helps Autistic Kids

For every 35 children you meet in New Jersey, odds say that one child will have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is according to a 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if you’re a parent to a kid with ASD, providing them speech and pediatric occupational therapy in NJ can help make life better for them.

What is ASD

ASD is an umbrella term for lifelong developmental disabilities that affect how a person communicates and relates to others. People with ASD often have difficulty forming relationships and may experience challenges with social communication and repetitive behaviors.

What is Pediatric Speech Therapy

Speech therapy (ST) is a field that focuses on patients who have communication problems. Those who specialize in pediatric speech therapy are trained to work with children who struggle with verbal speach due to physical disabilities, neurological disorders, developmental delays, or other reasons.

From initial evaluation and creating a personalized plan to implementing that plan, the goal of a speech therapist is to improve someone’s ability to communicate — verbally, non-verbally, and in social settings. Some of the skills required to achieve this objective are:

• Strengthening the muscles used in speech

• Making clearer speech sounds

• Modulating tone

• Improving facial expression

• Responding to questions

This is particularly helpful for autistic kids as they immerse themselves in autism social groups in Morris County. Such social groups are designed to help children with ASD engage with their fellow youngsters and gain a better understanding — not just of body language but of emotions as well. It’s also an environment where they can learn how to initiate conversations and empowered to grow in these endeavors.

What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy refers to the holistic treatment that helps people with disabilities achieve their highest level of function. When you allow your autistic child to attend occupational therapy sessions, you’re allowing them to receive professional guidance on how to do daily activities, you and I may take for granted, more successfully.

Pediatric occupational therapy starts with a proper assessment of a patient’s skills. Patients with ASD, the skills they’re being evaluated for include social, cognitive, sensory, motor, and cognitive skills. A pediatric occupational therapist then crafts and rolls out an individual treatment plan. This plan may include several interventions, such as:

• Physical exercises that enhance motor development

• Learning activities that focus on sensory integration

• Strategies that help foster a patient’s emotional growth

• Cognitive behavioral approaches to correct erring behaviors while reinforcing positive ones

• Social groups participation to encourage interaction with peers

How These Therapies Can Help Autistic Kids

Occupational and pediatric speech therapy in Madison NJ plays a vital role in unlocking the full potential of an autistic child. If your little one is suffering from ASD, enrolling them in these therapy sessions can enhance their overall development.

One of the key contributory factors that make these therapies helpful is the presence of a personalized treatment plan. This plan is made according to your child’s unique needs. But while this plan may comprise various interventions — one thing is a staple: the need for social immersion. It’s an opportunity to put your kid’s skills to the test in a real-life situation while getting authentic support from fellow autistic kids and other people concerned.

Read more ...

Early Intervention Speech Therapy Helps Tremendously

For children with auditory processing disorder, early intervention can help toddlers get on the right track. Parents and other family members often work alongside speech therapy professionals to establish concrete goals for therapy. The early intervention can go a long way toward helping your toddler work through his language processing difficulties and even provide a headstart for them once they reach 1st grade.

How Early Intervention Works

Early intervention helps a child overcome communication difficulties before an official diagnosis is even made, and it also helps children who do have a processing disorder minimize its long-term effects. The child learns communication strategies that aid him in everyday life. Speech therapy for toddlers involves receiving EI services at home or in a classroom setting found at an early education program or at a daycare center.

Wherever the child is most comfortable should be where the language services should be offered and best if it takes place where the child interacts with others on a regular basis. The parents, guardians, care workers, etc., set goals and objectives through focused interactions, and these interactions should occur naturally in the child’s daily life. They often involve speech modeling and communication in a way that encourages the child to participate.

Early Intervention Techniques

It’s important to tailor the intervention to the child’s individual struggles and environment. However, there is quite a bit of flexibility in what works. For example, when you read or play with your toddler, make sure he is engaged with the book, object or toy. He will then be more likely to relate your words to the item, which fosters joint attention skills. You can also encourage sharing and good play habits with the toddler, by pairing an action with a sound and then encouraging the child to mimic that sound. This helps the child practice meaningful exchanges.

Another positive way to encourage verbal interaction is by incorporating words into your toddler’s playtime with you. For example, if he takes a broom and begins sweeping the floor, you can talk about the broom, about how clean the floor is getting, etc. The toddler doesn’t need to respond to your narrations, but he will likely process what you have to say. If your toddler shows interest in something and involves you in his play, listen to his nonverbal communication quest and repeat it back to him verbally. For example, he may pick up a ball and show it to you with enthusiasm. By verbally showing equal enthusiasm, you in effect help him translate his excitement into words.

Speech therapy for toddlers can help them overcome or minimize a communication disorder. With auditory processing disorder treatment, parents, guardians and a speech pathologist in Mercer County can work together to enhance the child’s way of life.

Read more ...

Language Processing Disorder and Apraxia Are Linked

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that affects children. Children with apraxia often are unable to produce the movements of the tongue that relate to speech. When children are diagnosed with CAS, many parents and clinicians focus on just helping a child speak, but it’s important to consider how children process information and comprehend what is being told to them. When a child has difficulty speaking, they might have issues with comprehension. Language processing is the mental operation that is used to understand and remember words, sounds and sentences. It all happens in the head, which makes diagnosing it more difficult. Speaking and understanding are directly linked, which is why children with CAS often experience language processing disorder and need treatment.

Symptoms of Comprehension Issues

Children often learn single words and have a large vocabulary, but they might not be able to understand whole phrase or sentences. You might feel like your child is not paying attention or simply “not trying.” Another common symptom of a comprehension problem is when a child operates more effectively in everyday situations rather than times when there are no clues for context. Your child might know a routine, but may repeatedly ask “Huh?” when in a newer situation. Abstract or complex sentences may not be understood, especially when spoken fast. If you are seeing these types of issues, it’s important to make sure the child has normal hearing. Speech-language pathologists offer auditory processing disorder treatment and speech therapy for apraxia.

Suggestion for Dealing With Language Processing Disorder

When a child has a language processing disorder, you’ll need to work with a speech and language pathologist to provide direct therapy to assist your child. There are things you can do at home to assist your child. Demonstrate that you don’t always understand when people speak to you. Don’t pretend you understand something when you really don’t. Show how to work with another person to fix a communication breakdown. You can also point out speech sounds in words. Make silly sound games or rhyming part of your daily routine. A tongue twister, such as “Sally sells seashells by the seashore,” helps your child understand how some words and sounds are very similar to each other. To help kids with articulation problems, you may need to slow down your own speech when talking to your child to ensure they don’t just “get by.” Teach them to ask someone to slow down when speaking or to re-explain. This way, as they get older, they have the tools they need to perform more effectively.

Read more ...