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***During the COVID-19 health crisis these handouts ARE allowed to be e-mailed or shared digitally with parents and students through protected sites such as Google Clasroom, Seesaw or Class Dojo. My terms of use does not permit open file-sharing such as posting to a Google Site, Wikispace or Cloud-Sharing application. Whenever possible please include a link to my TPT store when sharing. Thank you for helping to protect my work so I can continue to offer free resources. Also, I have uploaded the file as a whole PDF and also individual PDFs of each handout for easier sharing. If you have any questions about sharing or using these handouts please don't hesitate to ask, thanks!***

These were created to help save paper and copies when sending home practice for speech and language skills. I have included one page for articulation, language, fluency, pragmatics, and communication as well as word lists for articulation sounds. On each page, I have included parent tips or information about the area of communication along with practice ideas/strategies. For the articulation practice, I would recommend attaching one of the word lists with the student's specific speech sound. Also, the communication handout was created for students who use limited language and/or alternative means of communication.

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During the COVID-19 health crisis these handouts ARE allowed to be e-mailed or shared digitally with parents and students through protected sites such as Google Clasroom, Seesaw or Class Dojo. My terms of use does not permit open file-sharing such as posting to a Google Site, Wikispace or Cloud-...

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The use of Self-Talk and Parallel-Talk are fantastic ways to help promote speech and language development during day to day activities. At first, talking aloud about what you or your child are doing may feel silly, embarrassing, or uncomfortable. Rest assured, the more you engage in these strategies, the more natural these strategies will feel.

Engaging your children in face to face interaction helps to build their ability to understand social interaction, speech production, expressive language, and receptive language. How amazing is it, that simply TALKING helps build a solid foundation and encourages strong speech and language skills! Evidence shows that using these two strategies help children of all ages and stages. Children who are non-verbal, delayed in speech and/or language, shy, or learning English in conjunction with their primary language, all benefit from their family members and caregivers using Self-Talk and Parallel-Talk. Not only does using these 2 types of speech and language development strategies provide strong models of language use, these strategies also help build stronger relationships between parents and children. For example, when parents are spending time describing what they are doing, their child is benefiting from parental (or caregiver) attention. No televisions, computers, or tablets- simply one on one quality time full of language rich interactions. Additionally, when these strategies are used with children during times of upset or temper tantrums, children feel more respected and offers them validation of how they are feeling in that moment.

WHAT NEXT???

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Self and Parallel Talk: Maximizing Your Child's Speech and Language Development - Ohana Therapy Clinic LLC

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Aloha! I am so excited to by back on track with Breathe and Repeat! Ohana Therapy Clinic has been very busy this month, working with both adults and pediatric clients.

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This podcast highlights five minutes of today's current event stories.  There are questions after each episode.  It is a very good resource for receptive and expressive language skills at the upper elementary grades and beyond.

https://www.kidnuz.org/

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These pages have a word list for each sound and even blends that you can use for drill or to make flashcards. At the end, there is a quick review of how to make each sound and some simple quick practice ideas.   

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These pages have a word list for each sound and even blends that you can use for drill or to make flashcards. At the end, there is a quick review of how to make each sound and some simple quick practice ideas.   

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It is handy to have word lists at your fingertips for extra articulation practice or for a quick game during therapy.

Click on a letter below to take you to the corresponding FREE list, Google Drive version, free handouts, quick cues, and activities that require NO device or Flashcards! Remember the letters represent a sound.

How to Practice Articulation:

Are you wondering how to use these word lists effectively? Are you still learning what articulation practice is all about? Don't worry, click on articulation practice overview using these word lists.

We can help explain the process with research-based information!

Articulation Materials & Guide

If you need more in-depth materials for speech therapy or for home practice, look no further. Articulation Materials & Guide is an excellent resource for both parents and professionals.

To learn more about it, click the image below.

Bridget is an ASHA certified, practicing speech-language pathologist. She is passionate about providing parents with information on child speech and language development as well as provide functional, easy activities to do at home! Parents have the power to make a real difference. Follow Bridget at Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!

Author of child language development eBook series

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It is handy to have word lists at your fingertips for extra articulation practice or for a quick game during therapy. Click on a letter below to take you to the corresponding FREE list, Google Drive version, free handouts, quick cues, and activities that require NO device or Flashcards!

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The words chosen for speech therapy can make all the difference between a good therapy program and a great one! This page focuses on speech therapy high-frequency words.

After attending some wonderful continuing education courses and reading up on the research, I have been doing a lot of thinking on word lists for articulation therapy. Many therapists and parents may grab whatever pre-made materials they can find for therapy; however, that is not the best practice.

Current Research

After reading the article, Non-words and Generalization in Children With Phonological Disorders, I thought... of course, therapy needs to include high-frequency words.

Now, I have read other articles that say it isn't necessary to use high-frequency words during therapy. However, I am not sure if these articles looked at the generalization phase of therapy.

, I believe there isn't one approach that works for all children. However, I see a HUGE need for use of high-frequency words in speech therapy when targeting generalization.
* By generalization, I am referring to when a client can say sounds at the word, sentence, or conversation level in therapy but still has errors outside of the therapy room.
Why Use Speech Therapy High Frequency Words

I see the need for use of high-frequency words during the generalization stage of articulation therapy because:

Children hear high-frequency more often during the day since they are high-frequency! So, if they practice these words in therapy and then hear them outside of therapy, it may start to "click" faster.

Children SAY high-frequency word more often during the day since, again, they are high-frequency. Therefore, they may remember the words they practice in therapy and think, "hey...I know how to say that" during conversation.

Parents can implement functional practices much easier when using words they are ALREADY saying.

In the beginning of treatment, I see little difference between using high vs low-frequency words. Clients are learning how to say a sound. They are learning a new motor pattern.

Once clients can say the sound at the word, phrase, or even the sentence level, everyone is feeling good. However, as many clients and therapists know, generalization of progress from the therapy room to the everyday life doesn't magically happen.

Plateau of Progress

I see many children who have been in therapy for years and they are mostly working on generalization.

Learning to say "xylophone" might alright for the teaching phase of therapy, but how often does a child say "xylophone" throughout the day? Maybe never.

However, a child may say "zipper" or "zero." Therapy should focus on these words!

I am disappointed by the amount of materials out there that use high-frequency words. I mean, I can't find ANY good ones (most likely since high-frequency words don't make for cute graphics) so it looks like I will have to make some.

Check out our latest materials here.

We have Cariboo cards, flashcards, dot marker sheets, smashmats, generalization activities and more!

Access Free Word Lists

I created some free word lists for parents and adults using only high-frequency words.

Click the link to take you to the word lists:

Bridget is an ASHA certified, practicing speech-language pathologist. She is passionate about providing parents with information on child speech and language development as well as provide functional, easy activities to do at home! Parents have the power to make a real difference. Follow Bridget at Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!

Author of child language development eBook series

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Speech Therapy Using High Frequency Words - FREE!

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The words chosen for speech therapy can make all the difference between a good therapy program and a great one! This page focuses on speech therapy high-frequency words. After attending some wonderful continuing education courses and reading up on the research, I have been doing a lot of thinking on word lists for articulation therapy.

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This a quick overview for parents so they know what is going on and to brush up on the lingo if they are practicing at home.

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This a quick overview for parents so they know what is going on and to brush up on the lingo if they are practicing at home.

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Speech therapy, more specifically articulation therapy, is intervention provided by a speech-language pathologist to help a person produce the sounds of his/her language correctly.

Everything from therapy techniques to goal writing to cueing techniques to home practice exercises is individualized and differs quite a bit depending on a child's speech disorder evaluation.

It is crucial for SLPs and parents to understand this process thoroughly before beginning any treatment plan.

Overview of Articulation Therapy

Each articulation therapy program USUALLY follows the following protocol:

1. First: Establish a volitional production of a target sound (usually at syllable or word level)

2. Next: Generalize production from syllables to words to phrases and finally to connected speech at the conversational level

3. Last: Maintain progress over time

Detailed Description of Each "Level "

Children usually begin at the syllable level and work up to the connected speech level. Below is a detailed description of each level.
Syllables/Isolation:
First things first, a child has to be able to say the desired sound. The syllable level is usually the first step since all other speech demands are taken away. For example, if you are practicing /b/, start with "ba" or "ab." Once the child can say the sound in syllables, move on to the word level.
Words:
Next, practice saying the target sound within words. To continue our /b/ example, practice "ball," "able," and "tub." It is important to practice saying the sound in the beginning (initial), middle (medial), and final (position) since the tongue, teeth, jaws, lips, and vocal cords have to coordinate and move muscles differently depending on where the sound falls within a word. Once the child can say his/her sound in words, the sentence level is next.
Sentences:
A child needs to practice the sound within sentences. For example, "I see a ball." This stage can be difficult since the brain has to remember how to say the sound while processing all those extra speech and language demands. We are making a good speech habit here!
Conversation:
This is the last step and where home practice is the most crucial. A child MUST say the target sound correctly during a conversation. I recommend short, controlled practices for this one!

For example, tell a child, "we are going to practice /s/ while we play this game. When we speak, we must use our good /s/ sound. "

Goal Writing: Which Sounds To Target

﻿It can be a difficult task to decide which sounds to work on first, next, etc...

Different approaches will be utilized for different children based on the evaluation results, learning styles, and much more!

Developmental Approach: Chose target sounds based on developmental norms for sound acquisition.

Intelligibility Approach: Chose speech sounds that affect intelligibility the most.

Complexity Approach (Gierut, 2007): This is a top-down approach. Start with a later developing sound. Progress generalizes to earlier developing sounds.

Treatment Planning:

Choosing how to move through chosen targets also takes some consideration. Below are common, research-based treatment plans for articulation disorders.

﻿Vertical (Fey 1986): Work on 1-2 sounds until the child reaches mastery (usually 80% at the sentence level). Once mastered, new targets are chosen. Intense/focused practice.

Horizontal (Fey 1986): Multiple sounds are chosen to be targeted at once. All sounds may or may not be worked on during each session. More exposure to all necessary sounds.

Cycles Approach (e.g., Hodson, 2010): A combination of both vertical and horizontal approaches. Child cycles through chosen targets.

Treatment Techniques

Below are different articulation interventions. Many therapists will use a combination of approaches.

Contextual Utilization: Surrounding sounds in a word are used to help elicit a target sound. (McDonald, 1964), (Bernthal et al., 2013), (Bleile, 2002)

Contrast Therapy/Minimal Pairs Minimal pairs are 2 words that differ only by one sound or feature (i.e., back vs rack).

Naturalistic Speech Intelligibility Intervention: Therapy occurs during a natural activity that a child typically plays. There is no direct teaching or cueing. A child's errors are recasted by the SLP (Camarata, 2010).

Auditory Bombardment: Auditory bombardment is a type of speech sound perception training. This involves exposing a child to the target sounds through multiple repetitions across varied contexts.

Identification tasks: This is also a type of speech sound perception training. The child is presented with correct and incorrect productions of the target sound and the child identifies which are correct and incorrect.

Cueing Techniques

ALL therapists will use cues to elicit a correct production. CORRECT use of cueing is essential for a successful therapy program. The goal is to fade these techniques to increase independence and generalization. Below are common cues.

Verbal cues: Cues for placement of articulators (tongue, teeth, lips, voice, jaw)

Visual Cues: Visual cues such as a mirror, modeling from therapist, cue cards/reminders, gestures

Tactile Cues: Tactile cues such as PROMPT or devices to provide feedback on correct tongue placement and coordination such as tongue depressors/spoons/candy.

What To Avoid:

For articulation therapy, there are no quick fixes. I wish there were! It takes work and lots of practice to learn a motor habit.

There are a lot of expensive programs out there that want to sell you tools which promise fast results. If there was a program out there that worked, I WOULD USE IT!!!! So far, the research and personal experience have taught me, the best way to improve articulation is to do what I described above. If things change, I'll let you know.
Avoid:

1. Oral Motor Exercises

2. Tools that move the tongue, jaw, teeth

3. Any quick fixes

Home Practice

There are a lot of FREE and paid options for home practice at Speech Therapy Talk Services. There is something for everyone.

1. Words Lists: The word lists have FREE games ideas, common cues, and a quick tutorial for each sound

2. Free household therapy page gives suggestions on how to target sounds using things found around the house.

3. Watch videos on how to use my favorite therapy toys to target speech goals

4. Check out our Articulation Materials and Guide eBook for a step-by-step guide for each sound, functional games, flashcards, and more!

5. Join us! Become a member for ONLY $5.99 and have instant access to hundreds of pages of materials for each possible sound in English and Spanish and step-by-step guides on how to teach and practice each sound.

Home › Speech Disorders › Articulation Therapy

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Speech therapy, more specifically articulation therapy, is intervention provided by a speech-language pathologist to help a person produce the sounds of his/her language correctly. Everything from therapy techniques to goal writing to cueing techniques to home practice exercises is individualized and differs quite a bit depending on a child's speech disorder evaluation.

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Free speech therapy ideas using household objects. They are free, easy, fun, and functional!

With these speech therapy ideas, you will learn that working on speech and language development does not have to be expensive or complicated. It does not require any apps, specific toys, or the latest and greatest of anything.

It only requires:

1. Creativity

2. Credible, research-based information on learning and speech therapy techniques

3. You and your child

Below, I showcase common objects found around the house that most people already own. Read our explanation of how they can be used to target any speech or language goal.

Free Speech Therapy Activities

This page is updated frequently...don't miss out!

In order to not miss out on any free speech therapy games, join us for FREE. I will send you games directly to your inbox when they are ready.

Enjoy!

Bridget is an ASHA certified, practicing speech-language pathologist. She is passionate about providing parents with information on child speech and language development as well as provide functional, easy activities to do at home! Parents have the power to make a real difference. Follow Bridget at Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!

Author of child language development eBook series

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Free speech therapy ideas using household objects. They are free, easy, fun, and functional! With these speech therapy ideas, you will learn that working on speech and language development does not have to be expensive or complicated. It does not require any apps, specific toys, or the latest and greatest of anything.

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Each of these "household therapy" ideas has an articulation portion. Just click on a page and explore.

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This site also has several songs for preschoolers.

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This site also has several songs for preschoolers.

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Songs for language development

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Music is such a great resource for teaching new skills and modeling language in a fun and interactive way. I wrote a previous post about my top 10 songs for toddlers, but it was very hard to narrow down the list. So I am doing a second post to include some of my other favorite toddler songs! These songs teach prelinguistic skills (skills needed before a child can even talk) such as imitation of gross and fine motor, cause and effect, turn-taking, and joint attention. Which means even if the child is only doing the actions to the song, that is still a great stepping stone on the road to communication! Songs can also help build vocabulary, encourage verbal imitation, and teach academic skills. I could go on and on about the benefits but let's just get to the list of songs.

1. Itsy Bitsy Spider - There are so many great toddler songs that have actions but this one seems to be a favorite of many young children. Remember that motor imitation is a great stepping stone for communication. So even if your child only imitates the actions in the beginning, that is a great start!

2. Hickory Dickory Dock - Any song based on a nursery rhyme is great because it helps with rhyming and phonemic awareness. I love using a clock prop with this song to also introduce the idea of telling time. This is one of my son's favorite songs!

3. If You're Happy and You Know It - Following directions is a great receptive language skill. This song has tons of opportunities for following directions and gross motor imitation. You can also practice turn-taking by letting different children choose the next action.

4. Grand Old Duke of York - I like to use this song as an interactive lap time song for younger children. It teaches the concepts of "up" and "down" but is also a great way to work on eye contact and joint attention (shared focus between two individuals on an object or event). I have the child sit on my lap facing me and do actions similar to this example.

5. Hokey Pokey - This song is great because it teaches body parts, right vs. left, and coordination. Identifying body parts is a fantastic way of working on receptive language skills.

6. The Animal Sounds Song - I really like this song because it has so many different animal sounds that can be imitated. When kids are first learning language, animal sounds are often some of the easiest words to imitate. So this song is perfect for that. Place some pictures of the animals on popsicle sticks and hold up the different animals throughout the song.

7. Going on a Bear Hunt - Kids love this song! There is something about the rhythmic repetition that is mesmerizing. This song has fun actions, direct verbal imitation, and teaches prepositions such as under, over, and through.

8. Five Little Monkeys - Toddler songs are a great way to teach academic skills such as counting. There are so many counting songs out there. But what toddler can't relate to getting in trouble for jumping on the bed? This is one of my favorite counting songs.

9. Peanut Butter and Jelly - This is a fun song to teach the concept of sequencing. Sequencing is an important skill for following directions and even for combining sounds to make words and constructing sentences.

10. This is the Way We Brush Our Teeth - I love to use songs to help establish routines and deal with difficult transitions. This teeth brushing song has become a staple in our bedtime routine and my son knows to keep brushing until the song is over. If you sing both verses, it is exactly 2 minutes. Perfect for teeth brushing!

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10 MORE Toddler Songs to Help with Language Development - The Organized Mom

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Music is such a great resource for teaching new skills and modeling language in a fun and interactive way. I wrote a previous post about my top 10 songs for toddlers, but it was very hard to narrow down the list. So I am doing a second post to include some of my other favorite toddler songs!

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10 Toddler Songs That Will Help With Speech Development

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10 Toddler Songs That Will Help With Speech Development

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Most toddlers love songs, and singing songs together is a great way to teach new skills. Not only is it fun but it also teaches skills such as gross and fine motor imitation, following directions, body parts, basic concepts, new vocabulary, and the list goes on! The following are some of my favorite toddler songs to sing with toddlers and why they are good for your child.

1 Wheels on the Bus. This song is great because it has fun hand gestures to imitate. Plus, it has so many fun sounds to imitate as well (i.e. swish-swish of the wipers and wah-wah of the babies). Imitation happens in early development and is crucial to language development. Children may start by imitating just the actions to a song and then later the words.

2- I'm a Little Teapot. This is another excellent song that works on imitation as well as rhyming. Rhyming is a skill that helps with phonemic awareness and future reading skills.

3- Do As I'm Doing. I love this song because it helps kids learn how to follow directions. It also teaches concepts such as fast and slow and high and low.

4-Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Learning body parts is a great receptive language skill for young children. This song also helps with coordination. That last part of the song where you point to your "eyes, ears, mouth, and nose" is even tricky for some adults!

5-Old MacDonald Had a Farm. When kids are first learning words, some of the easiest to imitate are animal sounds (i.e. baa, moo, neigh). This song is great for working on easy to imitate sounds and words and learning which animal says which sound.

6-Five Little Ducks. There are tons of different songs that teach children about counting but this is one of my favorites. I also like how it teaches the concept of subtraction.

7-There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. This song is great for teaching young kids about sequencing. Sequencing is putting events, objects, or ideas in a logical order. When singing the song, try pausing to see if the child can fill in the next part of the song.

8-Feelings Song. It is so important for children to understand their own emotions. This song gives names to those emotions and adds actions to help illustrate the emotions. Here is a link to the words and the actions. I couldn't find a video of the song but here is a similar song.

9-Five Little Speckled Frogs. Adding instruments such as a maraca, shaker, or triangle is a fun way to teach cause-and-effect which is a pre-linguistic skill. It also helps with hand-eye coordination, developing a sense of rhythm, and encouraging imaginative play through sound effects. For this song, you can keep the rhythm of the song by shaking a maraca, use cymbals when they splash in the pool, and bells when they say the word "cool". The possibilities are endless!

10-Clean-up Song. Transitions can be hard for little ones and music is a great way to help kids know what is coming next. The Clean-up Song is a perfect way to transition from one activity to another. Also try using a bedtime song to help with the difficult transition of going to bed.

I hope this list was helpful and gave you some ideas of how to use music to encourage language development!

Erica is a speech language pathologist at North Lake Pediatric Speech.

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10 Best Toddler songs for language development

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Most toddlers love songs, and singing songs together is a great way to teach new skills. Not only is it fun but it also teaches skills such as gross and fine motor imitation, following directions, body parts, basic concepts, new vocabulary, and the list goes on!

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Gather items in a bag that represent a particular category. For example, gather  sunscreen, water bottle, flip-flops, sunglasses and put in the mystery bag. As your child pulls out each item, have child name and describe function.  Then, name the category group that all the items go with (i.e. items for summer time).For more ideas, check out this link: https://speechtimefun.com/mysterybagsinspeech/

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Many children and adults on the autism spectrum need help in learning how to act in different types of social situations. They often have the desire to interact with others, but may not know how to engage friends or may be overwhelmed by the idea of new experiences.

Building up social skills with practice can help enhance participation in the community and support outcomes like happiness and friendships. We have compiled social skills tips and information from experts, teachers, and families, along with useful tools to help enhance opportunities to be part of the community.

What Are Social Skills?

Social skills are the rules, customs, and abilities that guide our interactions with other people and the world around us. In general, people tend to "pick up" social skills in the same way they learn language skills: naturally and easily. Over time they build a social "map" of how to in act in situations and with others.

For people with autism it can be harder to learn and build up these skills, forcing them to guess what the social "map" should look like.

Social skills development for people with autism involves:

Direct or explicit instruction and "teachable moments" with practice in realistic settings

Focus on timing and attention

Support for enhancing communication and sensory integration

Learning behaviors that predict important social outcomes like friendship and happiness

A way to build up cognitive and language skills

Who Can Teach Social Skills?

There are many social skills to learn, so many different people will teach them in different settings - at home, school, and in the community. A special education teacher, speech pathologist, or other clinician may lead a "social skills group" that combines direct, explicit instruction with opportunities to practice and generalize these skills in more natural environments. This means real life practice with peers! Other professionals that support social skills include:

occupational therapists

behavioral therapists

school psychologists

general education teachers

health and PE teachers

many other direct care staff

Social Skills Groups

Social skills groups offer an opportunity for people with autism of all ages to practice their social skills with each other and/or typical peers on a regular basis. Many groups follow commercially available social skills curricula. A review of five studies on social skills groups by researchers at the University of Utah and the U.C. Davis MIND Institute helped identify what makes an effective social skills group.

Effective Social Skills groups should*:

Provide structure and predictability

Break down abstract social concepts into concrete actions

Simplify language and group children by language level

Work in pairs or groups with cooperation and partnership encouraged

Provide multiple and varied learning opportunities

Foster self-awareness and self-esteem

Provide opportunities for practice so that skills are used beyond the group in real life settings

*Excerpted from Social Skills Interventions: Getting to the Core of Autism developed for the Interactive Autism Network (IAN) by Teresa j. Fodden and Connie Anderson, Ph.D.

A Promising Model

The PEERS program at UCLA, which stands for Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills, is a 16 week-long program that teaches social skills, including tips on dating. Read more about the program:

Tips from Our Community

We asked Autism Speaks families for tips and ideas on social skill building. One mom shared,

My son plays social therapy games at a local social skill group where they let him practice with his peers. He has a chance to ask 'why' certain social skills are important in a safe and supportive space.

Read more social skills improvement ideas from our community here.

Search our Directory to find Social Skills programs in your community.

Using Personalized Teaching Stories

People with autism benefit from having information presented visually, such as a chart, a booklet, or an electronic device. Using personalized teaching stories provides a visual aid for people with autism to know what to expect in different situations and to learn what is expected of them in these situations.

Through pictures and simple language, these stories can make everyday social situations more predictable for people with autism, as well as giving them strategies for navigating these situations more effectively.

Autism Speaks partnered with the University of Washington READI Lab and Microsoft Office to provide this series of personalized templates for parents and therapists to customize to explain social situations to people with autism.

Personalize the templates with your own photos to explain what to expect and how to act in a variety of everyday situations. Personalized Stories:

Open the Doors to Your Community

Participation in the community can be enhanced through improvement in the social skills of people with autism.

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Social Skills and Autism | Autism Speaks

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Many children and adults on the autism spectrum need help in learning how to act in different types of social situations. They often have the desire to interact with others, but may not know how to engage friends or may be overwhelmed by the idea of new experiences.

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Collaborative SLP Teletherapy Resources and Materials

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Books to target speech sounds..check out the list of suggested books on:

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Books to target speech sounds..check out the list of suggested books on:

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Speechsproutstherapy.com

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Tips on doing home therapy while remaining sane.Speech Therapy Home Practice Tips

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Tips on doing home therapy while remaining sane.Speech Therapy Home Practice Tips

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I will discuss speech therapy home practice. What is TOO MUCH? What is TOO LITTLE?

Having a child with a speech and/or language disorder is stressful enough. However, the stress doesn't end there. Parents to get their child an evaluation, review the results, decide on what/where their child will receive services, find a therapist that is the right fit, and THEN support their child's goals at home throughout the week. It's A LOT!

I hope with these tips, I can ease a little stress.

Speech therapy home practice is necessary because 30-60 minutes of therapy per week isn't enough to make fast, significant change for speech/language skills. It isn't. There must be home practice.

However, there can be a fine line between too much or too little home practice. I have seen both!

Parents want the best for their children, but more often than not, they aren't given the correct information.

So here is goes...let's set the record straight once and for all!

What is TOO MUCH Speech Therapy Home Practice?

How do you know if you are doing too much?

Well, look at your children and their responses to you.

Are they avoiding talking?

Are they becoming frustrated?

If you answered "yes," you are doing too much!

If your child is avoiding answering questions or saying certain sounds in fear of corrective feedback, you are doing too much! You don't want your child avoiding communication for a million reasons! Communication is how we have fun, express ideas, learn, and grow. If your child is avoiding words or sounds, then they aren't getting ANY practice.

If this is your child, look at how you are doing speech therapy home practice.

Is it fun?

Are you giving positive feedback as well as corrective feedback?

Is he/she making progress and feeling good about it?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your home program needs tweaking!

If your child gets mad or frustrated when you do home practice, that is not good! Practice should be fun and rewarding. If your child is mad, then you are doing too much.
Below is a common example that will lead to frustration.
Let's say a child can't say /s/. Let's say a parent corrects this mistake for EVERY /s/ production. This is a lot, especially since /s/ is a common sound in the English language.

The child may be excited to tell a story about school one day, and when she does, her parent stops her and makes her say /s/ correctly for every sentence. This is NOT GOOD! The child may feel hurt that her exciting story isn't being taken seriously and the only thing her parents cares about is speech.
INSTEAD, A Parent Should:

Listen to the story and just be a parent.

Later, the parent could say "let's play I Spy" together and practice /s/. I love playing "I Spy" and you are getting soooo good at saying /s/. I want to hear how good you are!"

What is WRONG Speech Therapy Home Practice?

Not having guidance for a speech therapy home practice from a speech therapist can be dangerous.

Let's review two examples:
1. Let's say your child is learning how to say /s/
During therapy, the therapist is using tactile (touch), visual, and verbal cues to elicit a correct production at the syllable level, "see."

It is important to note that:

This child can't say /s/ in words yet.

This child can't say /s/ without having a therapist guide the muscles using tactile cues.

This child DEFINITELY can't say "/s/" just by repeating a word

Now, this child then goes home and says:

"Mom, I thee a frog."

Mom says "don't say thee, say see."

Well, as we know, this child can't say "see," without tactile cues. Now, his mom is asking him to do something he literally can't do! This causes frustration and even embarrassment. Now, his mom doesn't mean to be upsetting, she wants to help, but she isn't helping the correct way.

Instead of using verbal prompts to practice, she should ask her child's speech therapist how to practice at home. Maybe, they can practice tongue and jaw placement at night in front of a mirror or practice another facilitating sound.
2. A child is working on answering WH questions
To help, a dad asks his daughter

"what did you do at school?"

"who did you play with?"

"where did you sit at lunch?"

These questions are very hard for her. She is working on answering WH questions with a visual right now. So, she might not answer her dad at all because she can't or might just avoid the situation all together.

INSTEAD, the dad s hould practice

Asking questions during bedtime stories when he can help by pointing to pictures to help his daughter answer questions.

Or, if he wants to know about his daughter's day (which we all do!), he can ask questions and then provide a choice of answers such as "who did you play with at school? Jane or Jill (her two closest friends)?

What is TOO LITTLE Speech Therapy Home Practice?

How much practice will depend on the child and his level of independence.
Below are 3 different examples:

1. If a child is just learning how to say a sound and needs a lot of cueing to get a correct production, most likely home practice will be limited to short bursts (a few minutes) a few times a day. Pay attention to frustration levels and make sure you use the same cues the therapist does!

2. If a child is farther along in therapy, more practice is better! If a child can say /f/ with a simple reminder such as "use your good /f/," then practice can be woven in throughout the day in structured activities such as dinner, playtime, etc... The child won't be as frustrated because saying /f/ isn't that hard anymore!

3. If a child is working on vocabulary, there is always TOO LITTLE practice! Exposure to vocabulary through conversation, reading, games, and playing should happen NATURALLY all day long. HOWEVER, don't quiz your child (i.e., what's this?, what does this do?). Instead, model good vocabulary...(i.e., Look at that dog! Dogs bark! Do you like dogs or a different pet?). With those sentences, you expose your child to function and categorization through general conversation.

If you are looking for more speech therapy home practice ideas, check out the members program. It can help! There are lots of functional ideas with lots of tips along the way!

Home › Parenting Tips › Home Practice

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I will discuss speech therapy home practice. What is TOO MUCH? What is TOO LITTLE? Having a child with a speech and/or language disorder is stressful enough. However, the stress doesn't end there.

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Middle School Speech & Language Activities

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Updated with additional Spanish translation

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Updated to include Spanish Translation

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Updated to include Spanish Translation