My name is Tony Richards and when I turned 40 years old I began having unusual health symptoms including a powerful thirst and numbness in my hands. I went to see my doctor and after running tests he determined that I had diabetes. My doctor prescribed medicine for my condition and he also told me to make some lifestyle changes or the diabetes would get worse. I didn't want that to happen so I began researching ways to control diabetes. After implementing these ideas, my condition actually got better and I was able to reduce the amount of medication I was taking. If your doctor has diagnosed you with diabetes, it's very beneficial for you to read my blog so your condition doesn't worsen. I hope that by following this blog, it will help you to control your diabetes too.
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One of the hardest parts of being the parent of a language-delayed child is working opportunities to practice speech therapy into the normal routine. You don't want your child to resent the time spent working on his or her speech skills, so it's important to integrate speech therapy routines into daily life so that it doesn't seem like "work" to your child.
Here are some tips you can use to help your child develop his or her speech and language skills every day.
1. Practice one-word "scripting."
It's frustrating for your child to hear the phrase, "Use your words." Often, children with speech and language delays simply don't have the words to use. Instead, try scripting. Essentially, you start the child out with a sentence that can be answered or completed with a single word and then practice longer phrases together.
For example, your child gestures toward a cookie. You ask, "Do you want a cookie?" If your child responds non-verbally with a nod, you say, "Tell me 'yes.'" When the child complies, you hand your child the cookie and say, "Yes, you can have the cookie. Cookie." Gradually work on encouraging your child to move from saying "yes" to "cookie" to following your script when you say, "Tell me, 'I want a cookie.'"
2. Make words and sounds part of a game.
Your child may have a hard time with certain consonant-vowel combinations or multi-syllable words. However, it's easier to work on those sounds if your child hears the correct way to say the word over and over again. You can build this into your routine by talking your way through every task with your child, a word or two at a time.
For example, when dressing your child, if your child can't quite get the "t" sound in "pants," you can say, "Look, here are your pants. Pants. Let's put on your pants." Coax your child into repeating the word "pants" after you while you put special emphasis on that final "t" sound to make it clearer.
Remember, the more enthusiastic you are about practicing your child's verbal abilities, the more likely your child will embrace that enthusiasm and respond in kind. Make sure that you don't approach the process with tension in your voice, and don't get stressed if it takes a while for your child to catch on. For more information on how to help your language-delayed child, consider speech therapy. A speech therapist can work directly with your child and show you more ways to continue working at home.