Staying One Step Ahead for Effective ModelingIf your child has limited speech and language, you want to get closer to what they are able to do and not speak in long, complex sentences. Your speech model should be one that your child can copy and practice. You want to model what their next response might be.
Below are some descriptions of what your child may say and some possible responses that you could say.
Example:
Child: Your child looks at a desired item (i.e. car).
Parent: You look at the desired item and point (i.e. point at the car), then wait.
Example:
Child: Your child looks at the desired item (i.e. car).
Parent: You look at the desired item (car), point (at the car), and then make a sound (vroom, vroom).
Example:
Child: Your child looks at the desired item (car), points (at the car), and/or makes a sound (vroom, vroom, or beep, beep).
Parent: You respond faster to reward and encourage this better response. Your response is more fun and animated. Look, point, label and pick up the item. Manipulate parts of the car and say vroom, beep, beep or vroom car.
Example:
Child: Your child is babbling single syllables (ee).
Parent: Joyfully repeat the single syllable with varied intonation and lots of repetition (ee, ee or eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee).
Example:
Child: Your child is babbling two repeated syllables (i.e. da da or da dee).
Parent: Joyfully repeat the two syllables (da da; da dee), look at your child, add a word approximation (say the word properly, daddy) and wait.
Example:
Child: Your child is making animal sounds, car sounds or other sound effects.
Parent: Make the same sound adding intensity and labeling or description. It is always okay to repeat things more than once. (Zoom, zooooom, zoom. Fast! Zoom! Zooooom! Zoom! Crash!
Example:
Child: Your child is attempting to say single words (i.e. Jui for Juice).
Parent: Repeat joyfully and with varied intonation. Add a sound effect or another true word.
Child says juice.
Parent says juicy juice, or orange juice, or yummy juice or cold juice.
Example:
Child: Your child is saying two words (i.e. Ed guck).
Parent: If you don’t understand what they are saying pretend your child is talking in a different language and tell them what you think they are saying (i.e. red truck).
Best wishes on expand your child’s speech and language. Have fun and play at their level.
