How Can I Teach My Child To Talk?
Speech delays are very common in children with autism spectrum disorder, but children without a diagnosis can also experience delays in speech and language.
Speech and language delays can be caused by a variety of different things, such as a hearing impairment, physical impairments such as an unusually short frenulum or cleft palate, oral-motor problems, autism, developmental speech and language disorders, severe neglect, among others.
Focusing on requests (or mands, in behavior analyst-speak) is a great way to teach your child to begin speaking. Here are 6 things you can do to help encourage your child to talk:
1. Have your child request things they love
Maybe it’s a favorite snack, toy, or activity (like being pushed on the swing). Begin by reinforcing your child's attempts at the new word ("buh" for "ball," "puh" for "push") by immediately giving him the ball, or another push on the swing. Continue to encourage your child to speak more clearly by modeling the word as you deliver on that request ("Ball! Here's the ball!").
2. Don't be a pushover
It may be necessary to be a big meanie and withhold that favorite toy or snack until your child makes an attempt at saying something remotely similar to the word you’re modeling for them. In fact, it’s often a necessary component of teaching your child to talk. And that’s ok. Don’t be a pushover, and instead push your child to get to that next step.
3. Keep them wanting more
If your child is requesting a favorite snack, let's say Cheerios, give him just one or two Os each time he says "Cheerio" (or "Oh," whatever he may be capable of). This will give him plenty of opportunities to practice the word and ensure that he doesn't fill up on Cheerios after the first request or two.
4. Repeat
Do this throughout the day with a variety of different things that your child loves. This will give him plenty of opportunities to practice new words.
5. Make those requests better
Once your child is consistently using single words to request some of his favorite things, begin teaching him to make those requests better by using adjectives. For example, if he says ball, show him a blue ball and a red ball. If he reaches for the red ball, say "red ball," have him attempt to say "red ball," then immediately give him the red ball.
6. Keep a syllable count
As your child begins to request more and more, keep a number of syllables in mind when teaching your child new phrases, then try to up the number of syllables he uses. While your pediatrician may ask you how many words per phrase your child is using, keeping track of syllables is much more reliable. Words can have more or fewer syllables, and the more syllables a word has, the more difficult it will be for your chid to say. Consider the phrases, "Can I have the ball?" (5 syllables) and "Can I have a banana?" (7 syllables). It will be much easier for your child to ask for the ball as opposed to the banana, and their words will likely be easier for others to understand.
Teaching communication skills is a huge component of any ABA program. Before beginning; however, you'll want to rule out any underlying medical conditions such as a hearing impairment or a short frenulum by visiting your child's doctor. If your doctor has ruled out medical conditions and you still have concerns regarding your child's communication skills, schedule an Intake Session to get your child enrolled in our ABA program so that he can quickly learn to communicate effectively (and appropriately).
Tara Montemurro, MA, LBA, BCBA
Tara is an expert teacher and behavior analyst. As a lifelong educator, she is passionate about using ABA therapy to teach toddlers and preschoolers with autism how to be more independent and communicate more effectively, and giving parents strategies to help prevent tantrums at home.