Speech Pathology Brisbane: Simple Activities that Promote Speech Fluency

"Smooth speech," or speech fluency, is a term used by speech pathology Brisbane experts to describe the smoothness or flow in which sounds, syllables, words, and phrases are joined together. In a nutshell, it is a person's ability to speak smoothly and easily. However, there are certain disorders that can affect fluency in speech. Stammering, stuttering, cluttering, and even mumbling—these are just some of the disorders that can affect how well and how easily a person can enunciate the words he or she is saying.

Speech fluency disorders are common in kids who are just learning to speak. However, this doesn't mean that adults are immune to it. As a matter of fact, there are grownups who exhibit problems with speech fluency, especially when they are trying to explain things or when they are feeling nervous while speaking in public. Fortunately, there are simple ways to correct such problems in both kids and adults, according to experts at speech pathology for children.

For parents of children who stammer and stutter, one of the best ways to improve speech fluency in kids is to be a good role model. Speech pathology Brisbane experts pointed out that most children learn by imitating their parents. As such, parents play a significant role in the speech and language development of their kids.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense for parents like you to model the speech behaviour you would like to see in your child. Experts at providing speech pathology for children said you should pronounce and enunciate words as clearly as possible. Also, you should speak slowly.  By setting examples and exhibiting good speech habits, your child will imitate you and ultimately learn how to speak as clearly as possible.

Have you watched the Academy Award-winning movie "The King's Speech?" If you do, then you probably have seen the scenes where King George (played by Colin Firth) wasn't his usual stuttering self when he was singing. According to speech pathology Brisbane experts, there is a scientific basis for that.

Singing does improve speech fluency in kids and adults because it helps with proper voice utilisation. In addition, it enables a person to learn about using air, his/ her breath, articulation, and proper speed of speech when communicating. So follow the advice of speech pathology Brisbane experts and have a duet with your child. Not only can it help improve the speech fluency of your little angel, singing also helps brighten your day and exercise your vocal chords.

These activities, coupled with the assistance of a speech language pathology practitioner, can definitely help improve the speech fluency of your child. So be sure to follow the tips discussed above and to practise daily so you can assist your kid in overcoming his difficulties with smooth speech.

Child Speech Pathology: Helping Your Kid Develop Good Speech Habits

According to child speech pathology experts, children with speech and/or language difficulties should be immersed in a language-rich environment. One way to do that is for parents to develop correct speech habits at home. Not only can it be helpful for children with particular needs, it can also be quite useful even for kids with no speech or language problems. Here are some simple activities you can add to your daily routine so you can develop good speech habits at home and help encourage your child's speech and language development.

 

If your child is two years old or younger, you can help him learn gestures so by letting him imitate your actions. Speech language pathology practitioners recommend clapping your hands, blowing kisses, and playing peek-a-book with your hands. At this age, it is also a must to introduce your child to spoken language. You can do this by demonstrating to your child the sounds that animals make. For example, when you see a dog, point to the animal and make a "woof" sound so your kid can associate the two things together.

You can also talk about how your day went and the activities you did, like taking a bath, making dinner, or talking a walk. Don't feel silly or embarrassed about having a one-sided conversation with your child because according to child speech pathology experts, this helps expose your child to spoken language.

Meanwhile, when talking to their small children, some parents often use baby talk because they think it is cute. However, experts believe that this can have an adverse effect on the youngsters. So instead of using baby talk, speech language pathology experts insist on using real language when talking to your baby. According to them, the earlier your child hears words spoken and pronounced properly, the earlier he will begin to use them.

In case your child is a toddler, you can teach him simple nursery rhymes or songs that demonstrates patterns of speech. You can also read books with him and encourage him to describe things by pointing out to the pictures on the books you're reading or even at photographs of family members and friends. Child speech pathology practitioners also recommend asking your kid with open-ended questions or those that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no so your child can get to practise putting words together and having a simple conversation with you.

Developing good speech habits at home is one of the best ways to get your child to learn communication skills, according to child speech pathology experts. For this reason, it is very important to create a language-rich environment for your child so you can supplement the therapy he is receiving from a speech pathology Brisbane practice.