Helping Children With Their Expression in Speaking
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Frequently Asked Questions About Expression in Speaking
How can I be sure my child has a speaking difficulty?
Is my child's expression just a bad habit?
Will my child's expression improve with age?
What causes difficulty with spoken expression?
Helping Children With Their Expression in Speaking
Before considering ways to assist it is important to understand how complex speaking is. Before your child even begins to utter a sound the following processes are followed:
- An idea is formed from a thought, experience or because of what someone has said
- A response is formed tapping into memory and language systems
- The response has to be organised, considering what details are important and which ones are not and then ordered into a sequence
- The correct words are selected and formed into sentences
- The brain then sends the message to the muscles of the lips mouth and tongue
- Sentences and ideas are kept in memory and concentration systems while your child expresses and checks not just the ideas, but the sentences.
Sound complicated? Yes it certainly is but there is much that can be done to assist children to speak more articulately.
Often children need to learn the foundation skills to speaking and organising their thoughts and then more complex ideas and sentences can flow. The analogy of a strong house foundation applies here, where words, sentences and ideas form the basis for more complex conversations which are the walls and roof of conversation.
Some children can be assisted by simply learning how to manage their words in sentences. Children are shown pictures of situations and presented with certain word types, starting with the easier types and moving up to more difficult examples. They then have to make decisions about the main ideas in the picture and use these different word types to form better sentences.
Other children may be able to form a sentence easily but their ideas jump around. These children can often be helped by showing them in picture form how to group their ideas. This may start with a basic object and animal and they have to describe these using order and sequence.
It is also important to consider other cognitive areas that could be influencing communication skills. Concentration difficulties can underly what appears to be a communication difficulty. Other children have difficulty holding information in their memory systems to be able to remember what they have said or where they are at with completing their sentences.
Process for Assessment and Treatment of Difficulty
with Expression in Speaking
Step 1: You will be asked to complete a history form. This form will ask you as a parent to share your observations related to your child’s expression in speaking and there will be a checklist which will include numerous questions about your child’s abilities in the following areas:
- Ordering thoughts
- Remembering Information
- Concentration
Step 2: During the assessment John will review your child’s history form to discuss what assessment he is proposing. Your child can be a part of this process if appropriate or younger children can relax in the waiting room.
Step 3: After this John will carry out the assessment with your child where he will carefully listen to your child’s speaking and will likely show them pictures designed to test their ability to organise their sentences and ideas. As a part of this process your child’s written expression will likely be checked where appropriate. This is because issues with spoken expression can result in similar issues in writing or difficulty with writing. General areas of learning will also be checked to determine if there are any weaknesses which could account for the difficulties. These include difficulties in the following areas:
- Recent memory for events and ability to follow instructions and comprehend conversation.
- Observations of concentration skills.
Step 4: All results will be discussed and explained with parents and your child where appropriate.
Step 5: A support and treatment plan will be discussed.
Conclusion
Although speaking can appear to be a straightforward process and it is easy to take the skills for granted, it is a highly complicated skill. Speaking requires support from cognitive skills, language, attention and motor skills.
It is essential to build a strong foundation in speaking to support language skills or children’s ideas may not make sense when they are talking. They may struggle to order their ideas and have difficulty organising their sentences.
If you are concerned there is an underlying weakness it is best to begin working on the issue as these issues can then show in other areas of learning and life such as writing and communicating with friends.
John Saunders Children's Learning & Literacy works with children aged between 5 to 18 years.
Office Location
Trading as:
John Saunders
Learning & Literacy
2/554a High St
Prahran, VIC 3181