Speech How to: Say "L"

So, "L" is quite a common sound for children to have difficulty with.It's quite common for children to say "y" instead of "L" up until about 4 years old.

Some adults try to get the child to stick out their tongue when they say "L" yet we, as adults don't do that ourselves, so here's the best way to encourage a good position:

Encourage your child to put the tip of their tongue just behind their upper teeth. If they have difficulty working out where that is, you can rub this area with your finger or a toothbrush, so they can feel where it is.

Then, all they have to do is make some voice! Once they have the sound, they can start to practise it by putting it with different vowels:

They can have fun, singing "la la la la" to the tune of "Baa Baa Black Sheep" then "loo loo loo loo" and so on!

Who am I and how will this blog work?!

I just thought I'd introduce myself and let you know how I think this blog will work! My name is Catherine Jackson and I've been a speech and language therapist for over 20 years now - hence the 'wise old owl' title! More importantly though, I am a mum of children who are now teenagers - so a little older than in the photo!

I say more importantly, because as a parent, I get it. I understand the frustration when your child communicates with behaviour rather than words. I understand the worry of your child not talking and wondering if they ever will - my son didn't start to talk until well after his 2nd birthday. In the words of my health visitor at the time "If you weren't a speech and language therapist, I'd refer you to a speech and language therapist."

Now you might think that that makes me not a very good speech and language therapist if my own child didn't start talking early. But all it really shows is that there's a wide variety of what is considered typical development and for some parents (probably the ones reading this blog!) I want you to know, it's not your fault! Some children (in fact research tells us 5-7%) have difficulty with speech, language and communication development no matter how interactive and nurturing you are as a parent. But I'm here to help.

So, this blog is primarily for parents and early years practitioners (EYPs) who have children needing a little support with their speech and language development. I work for the NHS, so I know the reality of how long it takes to see a speech and langauge therapist. Many parents and EYPs are now turning to the internet to work out how to help their children whilst they wait for therapy or to make a decision as to whether referral is appropriate in the first place. I do the same before I turn to any professional -  I do my research, so that I can be informed.

From now on, the titles of my blogs will help you to navigate yourselves to the help you need. I'll make it really clear, by starting the title with words like these:

Speech How To:
Early Language Tips:

Or if I'm just rambling, I'll start it with Opinion:

And I'd really like this to be interactive, so if you would like to ask any questions, go ahead and comment below and I'll make sure my next blog answers it!

I look forward to working with you!

Catherine
Wise Old Owl SLT

Articulation versus Phonological Difficulties

I was working with an older lad last week who couldn’t say his “CH” or “J” sound. These were the only sounds he couldn’t say now which was huge progress for him. If he was under 5 or 6 years old, I might have expected these difficulties as it’s common for children to use “t” or “d” in place of these trickier sounds. That would be called a normal phonological process by a speech and language therapist (SLT) and we would want to give him time to get there by himself.

But he was older than that. Also, he wasn’t using an expected substitution, such as “t” or “d.”

When assessing his sounds using the S.W.I.P.E. I wanted to work out whether his difficulty was due to a phonological delay (e.g. chin is said as “tin,” jelly said as “delly”) or a phonological disorder. A disordered profile means that the sound is substituted using an unexpected sound – one that’s not typical normal phonological development. So, if he said “sin” or “yin” for chin, then I would describe this as more of a disorder than a delay. 

Then I would want to know if he was consistent in his sounds (i.e. always used “s” for “ch”) or inconsistent (i.e. sometimes using “s” other times using “y.”) So, you can see, there’s a lot we are looking out for when we assess, as it impacts on how and if we go ahead with therapy.

But this lad wasn’t using any typical or atypical substitutions. He just had difficulty with the actual production of these two sounds: CH and J. So, it turns out he had an articulation difficulty - he was consistent in that he always uses the same sound, it’s just the sound he uses wasn’t clear. Which meant it was sometimes difficult to understand him.

Frustrating when your name begins with one of those sounds and everyone asks you to repeat yourself every time you say your name.

This meant that this particular lad ticked both boxes for therapy. Firstly, he had an articulation difficulty that was impacting on his intelligibility. Second, he was motivated to improve his speech.

So, in summary, an articulation disorder is a difficulty at a motor/production level.  Children have trouble making the individual speech sounds. Whereas a phonological difficulty is at a phonemic level or "linguistic level" and involves patterns of sound errors. 

Literacy difficulties can occur as a result of both kinds of speech sound difficulties but are more common in phonological disorders. Therefore, I would always advise to get your child assessed if you are concerned. Check out my speech assessment app for parents if you would like to be reassured that your child’s speech is where it should be for their age. But remember, nothing compares with having a full assessment by a speech and language therapist. 

Should I refer my child for speech and language therapy?

 

             

With my Parent and Early Years Practitioner version of my Speech Assessment App only days away from release, it's worth talking about what the app can and can't assess.

The App is designed to help profile the speech sounds of a child and to help a parent or Early Years Practitioner to decide whether further help is required. It is not designed to identify other language and communication difficulties. So, here are some guidelines as to when a parent or early learning and childcare centre should consider referring to speech and language therapy for assessment, support or input.

Most speech and language therapy departments will accept the following referrals at any age:

• Child is heard to have dysfluent speech (stammering) or if parent reports hearing this 

• Child has difficulty with eating or drinking in terms of chewing and swallowing 

• Child has a hoarse voice or abnormal voice quality 

• Child whose play or social interaction seems inappropriate

They will also accept referrals at particular ages:

At 2:0 if the child has:

• Little pretend play 

• Poor attention 

• Few or no words  

• No apparent comprehension (understanding)

At 3:0 if the child:

• Has poor comprehension of language 

• Only says single words (or learnt phrases) even if their other skills are good (e.g. good comprehension/play/attention) 

• Is unintelligible most of the time to close family, even in context 

• Has limited pretend play 

• Cannot attend for longer than a few minutes

At 4:0 if the child:

• Has evidence of echolalia.  Difficulties with comprehension of language

 • Has no evidence of 5-6 word utterances (although play and comprehension are good) 

• Is unintelligible to family most of the time.  Shows a disordered speech pattern (e.g. omits all initial consonants, vowel abnormalities, use of one consonant sound only)   

At 5:0 if the child:

• Is severely unintelligible even in context.  Any deletions (e.g. boa or oat for boat) 

• Has significant comprehension and/or expressive language difficulties 

• Has difficulties understanding instructions containing several key words or understanding question words (e.g. who, where, when) 

• Is unable to relate to a short sequence of events  

Remember, the information/assessment available in the App is not intended to replace the expertise, judgment or diagnosis by a fully qualified speech and language therapist or other appropriate professional. If you feel your child has other more serious issues which may be affecting his/her speech, please contact your local professionals who will be able to work with you to be sure your child receives the best treatment possible.

The recommendations made by the App are guidelines only and it may be that your child requires speech and language intervention, even when the App has recommended that they do not. Likewise, it cannot be guaranteed that your local speech and language therapy department will accept referral to their service on the basis of the outcome of this App. The App is intended as a means of identifying the issues your child has with their speech sound development and using the information to explore further the options you have. If you disagree with the outcome of the App’s recommendations, do not hesitate to contact your local Speech and Language Therapy Department who will be happy to advise further.

Speech Sound Development Chart

Here is my speech sound development chart that my speech assessment app is based on.

#howtosay 6 Week Challenge to help your child speak more clearly

Really excited to tell you about my #howtosay 6 week challenge to help your child to speak more clearly!
If you are worried about your child's intelligibility, then this programme may be for you. It's probably best if your child is 4 years old already, but if they are a little younger and can sit for 10 minutes or so, they may also benefit - you know your child best!
If your child isn't talking yet or if they have difficulty with their understanding or attention skills this programme won't be for you. And don't forget, this doesn't replace the individual assessment and therapy that your child can receive from a speech and language therapist. But it can certainly help them on their way!
It's completely free, so don't forget to tell your family and friends, so that they can benefit too.

Catherine
(The Wise Old Owl!)

Whoop whoop! I'm a guest blogger at The Mummy School. Read my blog about encouraging baby's language skills here

Lift Off!

So, this is it! I'm really happy to be able to launch the blog of my website. I'm not a techie person at all, so this past year has been a steep learning curve of new vocabulary for me. Literally like learning a new language.
I've been designing a series of speech assessment apps for speech and language therapists, early years practitioner and parents to make your life easier in identifying whether a child has a delay in their speech sound development.
But I've also been gathering all sorts of interesting articles on my social media pages - basically anything to do with early speech and language development.
To celebrate my launch, I have designed a free 6 week challenge called #howtotalk designed to help parents feel confident in helping their children to speak more clearly. So, if you would like to take part, sign up on my facebook page or drop me an email at hello@wiseoldowlslt.com
I look forward to hearing from you! Catherine (The Wise Old Owl!)

Not quite time for the BWC

It's been a beautiful week weather-wise, which is rare at this time of year where I live! It's the kind of autumn that that feels crisp and dry and I don't quite need the Big Winter Coat (BWC) yet. Once the BWC comes out, I pretty much live in him 'til April. I'll greet him like an old friend and I'll resolve to fix his zip so I don't have to step into him from above.
But he's on hold because it's been a beautiful beautiful week. And this makes me smile as it's still light enough that I can grab my kids and dog and go for a walk along the river or into the woods after work.
Did you know it's world smile day today? I hope we've put a smile on peoples' faces today because yesterday evening, we sat on the pebble beach at the river and left little messages with sharpies on pebbles to be found by anyone walking their dog or exploring the river today.
My kids are teenagers now but I'm lucky that they still enjoy coming out for walks with their mum. We've made it a big part of our family life since they were toddlers as we always found it was a great way to start up awesome conversations. So, here are five great ideas to encourage language development whilst walking in Autumn:
1. Collect conkers or fallen leaves and talk about their colours, how they feel, look, smell.
2. Stand under a tree and try to catch the falling leaves
3. Make a stick house for a small animals. My kids spent an hour making a home for a bumblebee once, decorating it with moss, leaves and sticks.
4. Pick blackberries and squish them in your hands to have fun hand-printing (yep, I can suggest that one now I don't have toddlers myself!)
5. Take some felt pens and draw on stones or pebbles and leave them for others to find. Even a smiley face will make someone's day! Plus you might get away with not having to put them in your bag � or am I the only mum who came home with a bag full of stones?