How To Talk So Toddlers Listen
Here’s an excerpt from Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual reviewing ways to help late talking toddlers pay attention and listen:
Researchers found that labeling, simply stating an object or an event name, is more effective than any other kind of talking to help a child maintain attention to what he is doing.
Many times adults “mindlessly narrate” when a child is playing offering all kinds of words, or descriptions, or directions that make no sense to a child based on what he’s attending to or his language level. Can’t you hear it now? A non-verbal two-year-old eyes a rubber ball. His therapist begins her diatribe,
“I think you’ve found something you want to play with. What do you think you’ll do with that right now? Are you going to bounce it high up in the air or will you roll it on the floor? Maybe you want to kick it over here to me. Let’s play a game and take turns.”
Do you recognize the problem? Although the SLP is certainly talking about what’s captured the child’s attention, she didn’t label “ball” or use a language-level that’s appropriate for him.
A better way would be to say something like,
“Ball! There’s ball. Wow! Ball! Let’s play ball!”
By using simpler language and repeating your target word, there’s a much greater chance the toddler will actually make the connection between the object and the word.
Many times we overwhelm late talking toddlers with too many words. They walk away looking disinterested or bored when they’re really trying to say, “I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”
Sounds a lot like common sense to me! Laura
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To read the whole article, take a look at Chapter 4, Helping a Child Learn to Attend or Well-Intentioned Ways We Mess It Up in Therapy Session from Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual.
For more information, click here.
Comment by Laura on 10 April 2012:
I accidentally deleted someone’s comment about tongue thrust and the affect on later developing consonant sounds. Sorry! Please repost it! I probably shouldn’t moderate comments when I’m exhausted… Laura
Comment by Melanie on 2 July 2012:
Using PECS with a child with receptive language delays, good idea?
Comment by Mackenzie on 4 September 2012:
Hi Laura,
I have a 28 month old daughter who has been diagnosed with expressive and receptive language delays. She has been working with early intervention for about a month and they have suggested, just as you have, that we imitate her actions and vocalizations. She loves it when we imitate her and is much noisier now
She mainly produces vowel sounds like ah, oo, oh, ow, and uh. She can say the m, b, g and p consanant sounds too. I am curious as to how to help her produce more consanant sounds. She keeps her tongue out of her mouth at rest and her mouth is open often. When we spoke earlier, you said this is a tongue thrust and it will affect how she says words. I have the late talker set and teach me to listen and obey 1 & 2 and she is progressing through the levels in your book. We are working on level 4. Thanks for your help as always!