Teaching Toddlers to Speak

Do you have a toddler who seems slow to start to speak? Have you had problems with repeated ear infections or allergies (which can cause fluid in the ears)? Is your household bilingual? Is your slow speaker the youngest of several siblings? All of these can delay speech in an otherwise healthy, non-deaf child.

Most children walk and talk at about 1. If your child is older and still not speaking, start with a complete physical from his/her pediatrician. Specifically ask about fluid in the ears so your doctor gets a good look!

Children need to hear a language for quite a while before they learn to decode it enough to speak it. Children with hearing issues (my daughter had allergies that filled her ears with fluid for months, for example) and multilingual children routinely talk later, and talk less distinctly in either language than those without those issues.

If you have residual fluid in your ears for several months, you hear everything as if it were under water! Children with multiple older siblings also talk later--there is just a lot of interesting activity to hear and process!

Here's how to work with your child:

For diction: Set her on your lap face to face and speak to her distinctly and ask her to repeat. She will see the shape of your mouth and tongue, and she will start to improve. Do this 3 times a day for 5-10 minutes. Several short sessions are much more effective than one longer one.

For motivation: Make her ask for everything she wants or needs. For example, if it's time for snack, wait until she asks before she receives it. As you hand her a cup, don't let go until she says "thank you." Wait and make eye contact while she finishes a thought--don't say the end of the sentence for her or walk away to fulfill the need. Make a reward system where she receives a sticker for each time she answers a question from a visitor.

Try these tips for a few weeks, and your child's speech will improve quickly!