Speech

Welcome to the Mountain Shadows Speech and Language webpage! We have included information and resources that we hope you find useful.
In the Speech department we believe it is very important for our children and ourselves to be able to communicate effectively with others throughout our day, which is why we are so passionate about speech and language. It is important to us that your child is able to express ideas, thoughts, and creativeness through communication. In our classroom we will work on different skill areas:articulation, language, fluency, and voice. If your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) with goals in one or more of these areas, they will be working with us as specified on his/her plan.

We look forward to working with your child this year. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at any time by email or phone.

Go Coyotes!

Language is different from speech.

Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following:

Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following:

Articulation

How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the "r" sound in order to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit").

 

Voice

Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce sound (e.g., the voice can be abused from overuse or misuse and can lead to hoarseness or loss of voice).

 

Fluency

The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency).

When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely (expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder.

When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder.

Adapted from www.asha.org American Speech-Language-Hearing Associatio

2-3 years

What should my child be able to do?

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Understands differences in meaning ("go-stop," "in-on," "big-little," "up-down"). Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on the table"). Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer periods of time	Has a word for almost everything. Uses two- or three- words to talk about and ask for things. Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds. Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time. Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.

What can I do to help?

• Use clear, simple speech that is easy to imitate.
• Show your child that you are interested in what he or she says to you by repeating what he or she has said and expanding on it. For example, if your child says, "pretty flower," you can respond by saying, "Yes, that is a pretty flower. The flower is bright red. It smells good too. Does Sam want to smell the flower?"
• Let your child know that what she or he has to say is important to you by asking him or her to repeat things that you do not completely understand. For example, "I know you want a block. Tell me again which block you want."
• Expand on your child's vocabulary. Introduce new vocabulary through reading books that have a simple sentence on each page.
• Name objects and describe the picture on each page of the book. State synonyms for familiar words (e.g., mommy, woman, lady, grown-up, adult) and use this new vocabulary in sentences to help your child learn it in context.
• Put objects into a bucket and have your child remove one object at a time, saying its name. You repeat what your child says and expand upon it: "That is a comb. Sam combs his hair." Take the objects from the bucket and help your child group them into categories (e.g., clothes, food, drawing tools).
• Cut out pictures from old magazines and make a scrapbook of familiar things. Help your child glue the pictures into the scrapbook. Practice naming the pictures, using gestures and speech to show how you use the items.
• Look at family photos and name the people. Use simple phrases/sentences to describe what is happening in the pictures (e.g., "Sam swims in the pool").
• Write simple appropriate phrases under the pictures. For example, "I can swim," or "Happy birthday to Daddy." Your child will begin to understand that reading is oral language in print.
• Ask your child questions that require a choice, rather than simply a "yes" or "no" answer. For example, rather than asking, "Do you want milk? Do you want water?", ask, "Would you like a glass of milk or water?" Be sure to wait for the answer, and reinforce successful communication: "Thank you for telling mommy what you want. Mommy will get you a glass of milk."
• Continue to sing songs, play finger games ("Where is Thumbkin?"), and tell nursery rhymes ("Hickory Dickory Dock"). These songs and games introduce your child to the rhythm and sounds of language.
• Strengthen your child's language comprehension skills by playing the yes-no game: "Are you a boy?" "Is that a zebra?" "Is your name Joey?"      

3-4 Years

What should my child be able to do?

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Hears you when you call from another room. Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members. Answers simple "who?", "what?", "where?", and "why?" questions.	Talks about activities at school or at friends' homes. People outside of the family usually understand child's speech. Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words. Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.

What can I do to help?

• Cut out pictures from old catalogs. Then make silly pictures by gluing parts of different pictures together in an improbable way. For example, glue a picture of a dog to the inside of a car as if the dog is driving. Help your child explain what is silly about the picture.
• Sort pictures and items into categories, but increase the challenge by asking your child to point out the item that does not belong in a category. For example, a baby does not belong with a dog, cat and mouse. Tell your child that you agree with his or her answer because a baby is not an animal.
• Expand vocabulary and the length of your child' s utterances by reading, singing, talking about what you are doing and where you are going, and saying rhymes.
• Read books that have a simple plot, and talk about the story line with your child. Help your child to retell the story or act it out with props and dress-up clothes. Tell him or her your favorite part of the story and ask for his or her favorite part.
• Look at family pictures, and have your child explain what is happening in each one.
• Work on comprehension skills by asking your child questions. Have him or her try to fool you with his or her own questions. Make this game playful by pretending that you have been fooled by some of his or her really hard questions.
• Expand on social communication and storytelling skills by "acting out" typical scenarios (e.g., cooking food, going to sleep, or going to the doctor) with a dollhouse and its props. Do the same type of role-playing activity when playing dress-up. As always, ask your child to repeat what he or she has said if you do not understand it completely. This shows that what he or she says is important to you.

4-5 Years

What should my child be able to do?

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about them. Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.	Uses sentences that give lots of details ("The biggest peach is mine"). Tells stories that stick to topic. Communicates easily with other children and adults. Says most sounds correctly except a few like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th. Says rhyming words. Names some letters and numbers. Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family.

What can I do to help?

• Talk about spatial relationships (first, middle, and last; right and left) and opposites (up and down, big and little).
• Offer a description or clues and have your child identify what you are describing.
• Work on forming and explaining categories (fruits, furniture, shapes).
• Follow your child's directions as she or he explains how to do something.
• Give full attention to your child when he or she is speaking, and acknowledge, praise, and encourage him or her afterward. Before you speak to your child, be sure to get his or her undivided attention. Pause after speaking, allowing him or her to respond to what you have said.
• Build on your child' s vocabulary. Provide definitions for new words, and use them in context: "This vehicle is riding on the highway. It is a car. A bus is another kind of vehicle. So are a train and an airplane."
• Encourage your child to ask for an explanation if he or she does not understand what a word means.
• Point out things that are the same or different. Play games incorporating these concepts that he or she will encounter later in the classroom in reading readiness.
• Sort items into categories. Now try to sort them by pointing out more subtle differences between objects (e.g., rocks that are smooth vs. those that are rough, heavy vs. light, big vs. small). Again, have your child identify the object that does not belong in a given category, but now ask him or her to explain why the item does not belong.
• Expand on social communication and narration skills (telling a story) by role-playing. Play house, doctor, and store using dialogue, props, and dress-up clothes. Do the same with a dollhouse and its props, acting out scenarios and making the dolls talk.
• Read stories with easy-to-follow plots. Help your child predict what will happen next in the story. Act out the stories, and put on puppet shows of the stories. Have your child draw a picture of a scene from the story, or of a favorite part. You can do the same thing with videos and television shows, as these also have plots. Ask "wh" questions (who, what, when, where, or why) and monitor his or her response.
• Expand on your child' s comprehension and expressive language skills by playing "I Spy": "I spy something round on the wall that you use to tell the time." After your child guesses what you have described, have him or her give you clues about something that he or she sees.
• Give your child two-step directions (e.g., "Get your coat from the closet and put it on"). Encourage your child to give directions to explain how he or she has done something. For example, ask your child to explain how he made a structure out of Lego blocks. When playing doctor, ask your child to explain what she did to give the baby a checkup. Draw a picture, and write down your child's story as he or she tells it. Your child will soon grasp the power of storytelling and written language.
• Play age-appropriate board games with your child (e.g., "Candyland" or "Chutes and Ladders").
• Have your child help you plan and discuss daily activities. For example, have him or her make a shopping list for the grocery store, or help you plan his or her birthday party. Ask his or her opinion: "What do you think your cousin would like for his birthday? What kind of fruit do we need to buy at the store?"

Adapted from www.asha.org American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Make Learning Fun

Playing with Blocks

Reading Books

Playing With Dolls

Playing with Dress Up

Playing with Pencils

Playing with Play Doh

Center for Early Learning Literacy 

• By the end of kindergarten your child should be able to do the following:

  Listening

  • Follow 1-2 simple directions in a sequence
  • Listen to and understand age-appropriate stories read aloud
  • Follow a simple conversation

  Speaking

  • Be understood by most people
  • Answer simple "yes/no" questions
  • Answer open-ended questions (e.g., "What did you have for lunch today?")
  • Retell a story or talk about an event
  • Participate appropriately in conversations
  • Show interest in and start conversations                                                                              

  By the end of first grade your child should be able to do the following:

  Listening

  • Remember information
  • Respond to instructions
  • Follow 2-3 step directions in a sequence

  Speaking

  • Be easily understood
  • Answer more complex "yes/no" questions
  • Tell and retell stories and events in a logical order
  • Express ideas with a variety of complete sentences
  • Use most parts of speech (grammar) correctly
  • Ask and respond to "wh" questions (who, what, where, when, why)
  • Stay on topic and take turns in conversation
  • Give directions
  • Start conversations

  By the end of second grade your child should be able to do the following:

  Listening

  • Follow 3-4 oral directions in a sequence
  • Understand direction words (e.g., location, space, and time words)
  • Correctly answer questions about a grade-level story

  Speaking

  • Be easily understood
  • Answer more complex "yes/no" questions
  • Ask and answer "wh" questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why)
  • Use increasingly complex sentence structures
  • Clarify and explain words and ideas
  • Give directions with 3-4 steps
  • Use oral language to inform, to persuade, and to entertain
  • Stay on topic, take turns, and use appropriate eye contact during conversation
  • Open and close conversation appropriately

  By the end of third grade your child should be able to do the following:

  Listening

  • Listen attentively in group situations
  • Understand grade-level material

  Speaking

  • Speak clearly with an appropriate voice
  • Ask and respond to questions
  • Participate in conversations and group discussions
  • Use subject-related vocabulary
  • Stay on topic, use appropriate eye contact, and take turns in conversation
  • Summarize a story accurately
  • Explain what has been learned

  
  By the end of fourth grade your child should be able to do the following:

  Listening

  • Listen to and understand information presented by others
  • Form opinions based on evidence
  • Listen for specific purposes

  Speaking

  • Use words appropriately in conversation
  • Use language effectively for a variety of purposes
  • Understand some figurative language (e.g., "the forest stretched across…")
  • Participate in group discussions
  • Give accurate directions to others
  • Summarize and restate ideas
  • Organize information for clarity
  • Use subject area information and vocabulary (e.g., social studies) for learning
  • Make effective oral presentations

  By the end of fifth grade your child should be able to do the following:

  Listening

  • Listen and draw conclusions in subject area learning activities

  Speaking

  • Make planned oral presentations appropriate to the audience
  • Maintain eye contact and use gestures, facial expressions, and appropriate voice during group presentations
  • Participate in class discussions across subject areas
  • Summarize main points
  • Report about information gathered in group activities

  Adapted from www.asha.org American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Speech Sound Norms Female

 

Speech Sound Norms Male

An individual may say words clearly and use long, complex sentences with correct grammar, but still have a communication problem - if he or she has not mastered the rules for social language known as pragmatics. Adults may also have difficulty with pragmatics, for example, as a result of a brain injury or stroke.

Pragmatics involve three major communication skills:

These rules may vary across cultures and within cultures. It is important to understand the rules of your communication partner.

AN INDIVIDUAL WITH PRAGMATIC PROBLEMS MAY:

It is not unusual for children to have pragmatic problems in only a few situations. However, if problems in social language use occur often and seem inappropriate considering the child's age, a pragmatic disorder may exist. Pragmatic disorders often coexist with other language problems such as vocabulary development or grammar. Pragmatic problems can lower social acceptance. Peers may avoid having conversations with an individual with a pragmatic disorder.
 

Pragmatic Language Tips

Parents, cargivers, families, and teachers can help individuals use language appropriately in social situations (pragmatics). Some general suggestions to help develop skills in three major pragmatic areas are listed below.

Using Language for Different Purposes

Desired Language Function	Suggested Question or Comment
Comment	"What did you do?" "Tell me about..."
Request	"Tell your friend..." "What do you want?"
Question	"Ask me"

 

Changing Language for Different Listeners or Situations

Conversation and Storytelling Skills

Adapted from www.asha.org American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

• Using language for different purposes, such as
  • greeting (e.g., hello, goodbye)
  • informing (e.g., I'm going to get a cookie)
  • demanding (e.g., Give me a cookie)
  • promising (e.g., I'm going to get you a cookie)
  • requesting (e.g., I would like a cookie, please)
• Changing language according to the needs of a listener or situation, such as
  • talking differently to a baby than to an adult
  • giving background information to an unfamiliar listener
  • speaking differently in a classroom than on a playground
• Following rules for conversations and storytelling, such as
  • taking turns in conversation
  • introducing topics of conversation
  • staying on topic
  • rephrasing when misunderstood
  • how to use verbal and nonverbal signals
  • how close to stand to someone when speaking
  • how to use facial expressions and eye contact
• say inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations
• tell stories in a disorganized way
• have little variety in language use
• Ask questions or make suggestions to use language for different purposes:
• Respond to the intended message rather than correcting the pronunciation or grammar. Be sure to provide an appropriate model in your own speech. For example, if an individual says, "That's how it doesn't go," respond, "You're right. That's not how it goes."
• Take advantage of naturally occurring situations. For example, practice greetings at the beginning of a day, or have the individual ask peers what they want to eat for dinner or request necessary materials to complete a project.
• Role-play conversations. Pretend to talk to different people in different situations. For example, set up a situation (or use one that occurs during the course of a day) in which the individual has to explain the same thing to different people, such as teaching the rules of a game, or how to make a cake. Model how the person should talk to a child versus an adult, or a family member versus a friend of the family.
• Encourage the use of persuasion. For example, ask the person what he or she would say to convince family members or loved ones to let him or her do something. Discuss different ways to present a message:
  • Polite ("Please may I go to the party?") versus impolite ("You better let me go")
  • Indirect ("That music is loud") versus direct ("Turn off the radio")
  • Discuss why some requests would be more persuasive than others
• Comment on the topic of conversation before introducing a new topic. Add related information to encourage talking more about a particular topic.
• Provide visual cues such as pictures, objects, or a story outline to help tell a story in sequence.
• Encourage rephrasing or revising an unclear word or sentence. Provide an appropriate revision by asking, "Did you mean...?"
• Show how nonverbal signals are important to communication. For example, talk about what happens when a facial expression does not match the emotion expressed in a verbal message (e.g., using angry words while smiling).

Quia All Pictures Fun

Great articulation practice for non readers.

https://www.quia.com/pages/allpicturesfun.html

Mommy Speech Therapy

 Great printable pictures. 

http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/?page_id=55

Quia - Speechers class

http://www.quia.com/pages/speechersclass.html

Quia - Tracy Boyd

http://www.quia.com/pages/havemorefun.html

Speaking of Speech - Articulation practice

http://www.speakingofspeech.com/Articulation_Materials.html

Fun Brain

http://www.funbrain.com/index.html

Starfall

http://www.starfall.com/

Speech Calendar for Articulation

Summer Language Calendar 3-6 grades

Preschool and KG Practice

Summer Articulation Practice

Summer Language Practice (updated 2018)

Summer Articulation Packet

How to Produce Sounds