Never use telegraph language when talking to your child. Expand what they say. The amount of time you spend playing with your child is as important as the quality of that time. It can be a short 10-minute break to stack blocks while using the techniques we've discussed, such as talking in parallel and giving a choice.
This will go a long way in expanding your attention and language skills. Always give your child a good amount of time before they imitate or respond. Your child needs this time to process the information that has been given to him. It may seem like a long time, but it can be helpful to give your child 10 to 15 seconds after asking a question.
There was a time when I decided that my time with him should be spent working on things that would directly affect his speech and I stopped using sign language. He founded the PROMPT Institute with the purpose of treating, training and researching speech production disorders. Many parents think that apraxia of speech is something that can be easily resolved by simply taking their child to therapy twice a week. As a parent, it's important to understand that your child will benefit a lot from the encouragement and guidance you provide after the speech therapy session is over.
He frequently participates in workshops and conferences on apraxia of speech in children and has published research on the effectiveness of CAS treatment. Master this technique yourself and your child is well on their way to mastering speech on their own. Parents can share information with the therapist about the child's personality and preferences that can be used to motivate the child. Therapists and their experience are necessary for parents to clearly know what their child can do, what they cannot do, what the therapy is starting point, what the end point is, and what strategies and methods will help the child from start to finish.
This helps children to make maximum progress towards their speech and language goals and to generalize new skills in their family environment. Therapists often need to gently wake parents up to become aware of habits and practices that they perpetuate that don't help the child. When I was a young doctor with no children, I was eager to assign parents “task sheets” to practice speaking at home with their children. On the other hand, many therapists believe that they are the only ones in a position to improve the child's speech.
