6 Useful Exercises For Children With Language Disorders

Children with language disorders should be helped by parents and specialists. Only in this way can the little ones overcome such problems. Do not allow a child close to you to be humiliated or ridiculed because of his or her speech difficulties.

First of all, it is important to mention that, in children, a delay in language development does not imply difficulties in other aspects of its development. 

Just because a child speaks hard does not mean that he is less intelligent or capable than other children his age. In addition, these difficulties may be limited to childhood.

Although it seems hard to believe, it is possible that some teenagers or adults with impeccable verbal expression may have had language disorders when they were young. These difficulties did not hinder their development nor did they affect them at other stages of life.

The most important thing is to know how to help children with language disorders.

Useful exercises for children with language difficulties

1. Cards

First of all, sound cards can help children pronounce each syllable correctly.

• It is best to turn this exercise into a game and reward the child every time he pronounces a syllable correctly.

2. Mirror exercises

Mirror exercises are useful for children who have difficulty pronouncing words and sounds. Looking in the mirror, the little ones see how they have to move their mouths and pronounce the sounds of each word. 

3. Rehearsals

Repeating words several times is one of the most useful exercises for children with language disorders.

• It is important for the little one to repeat the words slowly.
• In this way, the child can listen and recognize each sound separately.

4. Communication

Parents and family members should communicate frequently with children with language disorders. In this way, verbal communication is encouraged, and the child has the opportunity to hear new words, learn them and pronounce them correctly.

5. Encouraging verbal expression

To strengthen young children’s speaking skills, it is good to give them what they ask for only when they use the right word, not when they use gestures to make themselves understood. Thus, the little ones are motivated to use verbal language to get what they want.

6. Reading

Reading is a useful tool in combating language difficulties in children. By reading, little ones can develop their vocabulary.

In addition, by reading, children learn to structure their sentences better and to pronounce difficult words. At the same time, stories, for example, stimulate their creativity and imagination.

How are language disorders diagnosed in children?

One of the biggest difficulties for parents is identifying possible language disorders in their children. In addition, they need to know if it is necessary to seek the help of a specialist.

However, it is important to note that language development has some differences in each child. To identify a language disorder, you need to be guided by the following situations:

• Until 18 months, the child did not say a word, did not indicate certain objects by gestures and did not show any interest or intention to communicate.
• The 18-month-old does not understand simple instructions of up to three words.
• At 2 years old, the child just repeats what he hears, and you don’t understand anything he says.
• At 3 years, the child does not form plurals and does not use pronouns.
• At the age of 4, the child pronounces the consonants incorrectly, makes nasal sounds or does not conjugate the verbs in the speech.

Recommendations for parents of children with language disorders

First of all, any parent should know that a child learns to speak by imitation and by listening to those around him. Therefore, it is important to talk as much as possible with your child. Use language that is as simple and clear as possible.

During breastfeeding, it is important to dedicate a few minutes to verbal communication with the baby. Although it seems hard to believe, this is the ideal time to start learning nonverbal language and imitating sounds and gestures.

At the same time, from the age of six months, parents have to read stories to their children every day. Picture stories are perfect for stimulating language development.

Take advantage of the moments when you bathe the little one or change him to communicate. These situations are ideal for naming various objects, clothing and body parts.

At the same time, a very important thing is that parents and other people around the children never laugh at the mistakes they make in speaking. Mocking can cause severe emotional damage to children with language disorders.