Language Development Resources
When a child has delayed language, it can be overwhelming to figure out what you should do as their parent. Here are some language development resources that may be helpful for your child.
Parent Resources for Language Development
Many people think that speech and language are the same thing but they’re not. Speech refers to how sounds are produced. Language refers to understanding and using words to communicate. If your child has trouble saying sounds or substitutes one sound for another, they may have a speech delay. However, if your child is not talking as much as other kids their age or seems to have trouble understanding questions or following directions, they may have a language delay. Some children can have both speech and language delays but other children can be delayed in one area but not the other.
If you are concerned whether your child might have a language delay, the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) can help. On their website you will find many helpful resources, including developmental charts that can guide your understanding.
If you or your pediatrician suspects a language delay, you may be referred to a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation. It is critical that intervention occurs early and if you have any concerns in this area, please seek out a qualified speech-language pathologist. In the meantime, if your child does have a language delay or you just want to boost your child’s language skills, here are some quick and easy ideas to help increase a child’s oral language.
Language Expansion
Simpe ways to increase language
- When your child says a short word or phrase, model it back but add more descriptive language (e.g., “Yes, you do see a duck, the yellow duck says quack, quack”)
- Caregivers usually know what a child wants before they ask for it but don’t just give it to them. Offer your child a physical choice (between two objects) or a verbal choice, even if you already know what they want. We want them to use their words ALL THE TIME
- Use more descriptive language (telling your child about our world) than directive language (telling your child what to do).
Storybook Activities
Boost language using storybook activities
- Do picture walks: make storybooks more interactive by looking through the pictures and asking “wh”questions about what you see happening and describing what you see
- Pause on the last word of a sentence to let your child say the word when reading familiar books and praise them for their “reading”
- Ask your young child to “read” the story to you even though they aren’t of reading age yet. Add models for longer sentences as they “read” the book
Playtime Activities
Playtime is a great time for language
- Floor time is crucial. When your child is playing, get down on the floor to make yourself available to interact with them on their level
- Follow your child’s lead. Adults tend to be bossy playmates. Let your child lead the interaction and they will be more engaged and responsive to you
- Parallel/Self Talk: Tie language to actions by describing what your child is doing. As they’re playing, describe the actions that they are doing. You can also talk through the things you’re doing when your child is present for your daily routines (cooking, going to the grocery store, etc.)
Best Language Interventions
If you have a preschool or elementary child who is struggling with language, there are a few evidence-based strategies that can really help boost their language. Narrative retell and dialogic book reading are two of the most effective language boosting interventions. One marketed program, called Story Champs is highly effective at improving oral language. It is expensive and while it is really designed for SLPs or schools to utilize, I think if my child were really struggling with oral language and I had the means to do so, I would think about purchasing the program and using it. It’s easy to learn and is greatly beneficial. If we think about how language impacts reading development, it becomes even more critical to help boost oral language skills. The above link from Reading Rockets offers a wealth of information about boosting oral language in kids who are struggling with reading.
Apps/Websites for Language
The best way to foster language development is by talking and reading to children. No app can replace or even come close to human interaction. However, there are some good online resources out there for additional language growth, especially for preschool or school-aged children who need extra support. These websites and apps have been helpful for me in my practice and with my own children. We want the time spent on these devices to be as educational as possible so here are a few possibilities.
Khan Academy Kids is great for reading, but it’s also wonderful for language development. It’s a well-designed app that exposes kids to lots of great language concepts.
Mobile Education Store offers a suite of apps for language development. They are expensive as a whole, but I have found them to be useful with students with delayed language. You might want to consider purchasing one or two that fits your child’s needs best.
The British Council has created a website to aid young English Language Learners. This website is well-designed and chock-full of helpful games and activities to boost language, as well as great reading resources as well.
IXL is worth mentioning as a language app. Lots of schools use this as an intervention, but there are vocabulary and grammar activities on this in addition to math and reading practice, so if your child has access through their school account, it may be a useful resource.
Quia Web is a great resource for fun language games and activities that are available for free. Here are some individual links to some helpful activities on the website.
https://www.quia.com/pages/worldowords.html
https://www.quia.com/pages/sequencingfun.html
Read Write Think is a free collection of educational resources. The website can be a bit overwhelming just due to the sheer volume to materials, but there are resources for all grade levels K-12. Here is one helpful resource from there:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/idioms/
Websites to Support Reading Comprehension
Kids who struggle with language will have more difficulty understanding written language than with understanding oral language. Written language (reading & writing) is a lot more complex and harder to master than conversational language. That’s why a lot of kids with language deficits have a very hard time comprehending texts they read, even if they are good at decoding words. It’s important to remember that reading comprehension is less a skill, and more the result of solid underlying skills, such as strong grammar and vocabulary abilities, background knowledge, self-monitoring and inferencing skills. That’s why involving a speech-language pathologist to build oral language is so important when we see reading comprehension difficulties. However, there are several websites that focus on comprehension that can help provide some additional practice. Unfortunately, none of them provide a free parent account. However it’s worth finding out if your child has access through their school if you want them to have extra practice to improve reading comprehension, especially over the summer.