They are strategies we use to stimulate and teach language to a child. The use of these strategies is not limited to children with language delay. These can be used even with typically developing children to enhance their vocabulary, using new words in sentences, understanding or framing complex sentences etc..
1. Modeling
What is Modeling?
Modeling means to show or tell. How an adult models or shows a child to open the box, the same way an adult models the word open for the child. ..
How to do it?
Example: A child comes to you with a bottle and indicates to open it. What do you do? Open and give it to the child. Instead what you should do is, don’t directly open the bottle, model the word OPEN by saying and doing the action.
You can use the following sentences:
Should I OPEN it?
You want me to OPEN it?
Lets OPEN the bottle.
This way you have stimulated language and the child got an opportunity to hear what word has to be used when they want the adult to open something. ..
When to use it?
Many such opportunities like these above exist in our daily environment. E.g a child asking for your help to remove the ball stuck under the sofa. They might just point to the ball or drag you to the sofa. What you do is use the words STUCK, REMOVE, HELP, OUT and model.
Additionally PLAY AND READING will give lots of opportunities to MODEL language to the child. ..
Swipe to read what all can be taught using this technique.
2. Self-Talk And Parallel Talk
SELF TALK: This means to talk about what you are doing, thinking, feeling, experiencing.
Parallel talk: means to talk about what your child is doing, thinking to feel, experiencing. In short providing words to their thoughts and actions.
How To Do It?
while you are drying clothes. I am opening the window, the window is open, aaah what cool breeze is coming, I took the t-shirt, I will dry it on the rope. The t-shirt is hanging. .
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PARALLEL TALK: You see your child looking at something they want. Oh I see, you are looking at the flower, you want that flower, you are trying to climb up, you touched the flower, yay, you got it.
Another e.g okay, I can see you are feeling angry, because you are not able to join the blocks. These blocks are too tight, you are trying, you are pushing too hard etc. .
When To Use It?
- During the early years with your infant provide exposure to spoken language, sounds, and words. Also helps them understand their environment.
- During your everyday routine: you don’t need any special material. Just something your child is interested in and meaningful interactions with your child.
- Play: it provides lots of opportunities to use self-talk and provide language stimulation
- Reading: get to provide language more than the here and now. The stimulus broadens.
- experiences: New ones need to be explained to the child to help them adjust and cope better. Talking through it helps.
- second language learning: you can use the above strategies interchangeably in more than one language. It will help your child understand and pick up a second language too.
So these strategies not just help in improving the child’s language in terms of vocabulary and sentences but also help them express their thoughts and feelings in a better way. This in turn improves the reciprocity of communication making them better communication partners. Thereby improving their social participation (playing with friends, taking part in group events).
3. Expansion
What Is It?
It means to add words to your child’s utterances. In literal terms, to expand their utterances. Expansion encourages children to combine words systematically. They learn how words combine to denote different meanings.
How To Do It
Depending on your child’s level the no. of words can be added to form a phrase, simple sentence, or complex ones
e.g
- if your child says ‘go’, you say, ‘car go’. Add one word to your child’s utterance. That added word can be a noun, verb, adjective or preposition.
- child: ‘water’ when they want it,
you: ‘I want water’. Or give me water. - Child: aah while touching cup
You: aah hot, cup is hot.
What Does It Help In?
When your child knows many single words but is unable to progress to string two or three words together.
For typically developing children when they have sufficient words in their vocabulary. When children tend to use only simple sentences, so to help them progress to complex and compound sentence forms.
When To Use It? Every time. Routine
e.g: your child calls you and points out of the window. Says Mumma crow. You say, Mumma ‘see’ crow.
Your child says, tomato cut, you say, Mumma is cutting a tomato.
Routine can also include visits to the market, school pick up, park time, etc.
Play
e.g: ball is stuck under the sofa and your child says ball sofa. You can say yes ball is ‘under’ the sofa. Ball is stuck under the sofa. Again no. Of words to be added depending on child’s level.
Reading
The child points to a dog and says the dog. You can say, yes it’s a big dog. Or the dog is sleeping. Depending on the picture.
4. Recast
What Is It?
To repeat something a child says with more detailed language or the grammatically correct language.
Through this, the child gets exposure to more descriptive language and they learn to use the correct grammar for words and sentences and use the right word order in sentences.
How To Do It?
When you repeat your child’s utterance, you can add words depending on what error your child made
You shouldn’t ask your child to stop when they make a mistake. Just repeat the child’s sentence in the correct form. Also do not make your child repeat what you said as it disrupts the flow of communication. You can encourage imitation but do not enforce it.
e.g
CHILD: Car felling down
MOM: Yes, car is falling down
CHILD: Milk hot
MOM: Milk is hot.
CHILD: want ball
MOM: I want the ball.
What Does It Help In?
- Word order is different for Hindi and English language. In English language we say boy is sleeping on the bed. In Hindi we say, boy palang pe so raha hai. So children tend to get confused initially with regards to word order and that can be corrected using recast strategy.
- Children also tend to use incorrect form for verbs. E.g felling for falling. Recast helps in learning the correct forms.
- When children are using incomplete sentences or grammatically incorrect sentences, recast is found to be helpful. E.g making mistakes in gender, omitting is/are after nouns.
- Multilingual children tend to use a combination of Hindi and English in words (Hinglish). And recast helps in learning the correct word in both languages.
- This strategy can be used for both typically developing and delayed language.
5. Imitation
What Is It?
It means to repeat what someone says or does (word or action). Children imitate at different levels starting from actions, sounds, words, and eventually sentences.
How To Do It?
- An adult is just a facilitator here. It’s the child who is an active imitator. However not all children learn that skill on their own.
- Start by helping your child imitate actions and gradually moving on to sounds, words, phrases.
- Follow the child’s lead.
- A child will imitate if they are interested in something. Interest leads to motivation to learn and hence imitate.
e.g a child is interested in playing with balls. So if you teach him to imitate animal sounds, he wouldn’t show interest. But, if you start helping him copy various actions with a ball and gradually adding words like go, up, throw, catch, he is more likely to imitate. - when you say or do something give your child some response time to be able to copy you. A child’s brain needs processing time to be able to understand and respond. (If you try to repeat a word in a new language you’ll understand your brain takes that time too)
- Children imitate even at 2.6 to 3 yrs of age when they are trying to learn to formulate sentences. However they are active communicators and not just imitators.
What Does It Help In?
- Children start imitating actions as young as 8 months of age and sound at 10 months of age. (Refer before the first word series)
- If a child has not started imitation even by 1.6 yrs of age it can be a cause of concern.
- Before imitation children need to understand the words.
- if a child after 2yrs of age is only imitating at one-word level, use this technique to help them progress to phrase level.
- Also helps children in learning to practice sentence formulation skills.
- Also one of the reasons why we should use clear speech (not baby speech) and age level language with kids.
When to do it?
Anytime! Bath time, meal times, park, market, etc refer to previous posts for details.
6. Communicative Temptations
One of the most effective and much needed strategy for language delay in kids. It means to provide children opportunities to communicate or create opportunities for communication.
It gives children an opportunity to use known words for communication.
How To Do It?
1. Do Not Speak On Behalf Of Your Child
If someone asks them a question, even if your child is nonverbal, wait for them to respond.
2. Feign Misunderstanding
If your child points to something, pretend you did not understand or hand over the wrong object
E.g if your child points on the shelf, you knew they want the car, give them the ball instead.
If your child gets a box/container for you to open, pretend they are just giving it to you. Take it from them and wait.
However, do not overdo this or force your child to speak.
3. Do Not Understand Their Needs Beforehand
If you feel your child is thirsty don’t rush with a glass of water to them, you start drinking water in front of them, they will automatically come to you to ask.
If your child is solving a puzzle or shape sorter and is stuck, don’t rush to help, wait and let them ask for help.
4. Make Mistakes
Give them ice cream in to eat in a bowl without a spoon. They will realize what’s missing and ask for it.
Handover the wrong shoes to wear/handover only one. They will ask for the other.
If they want to write, hand over a pencil with broken nib. Gives them oppoo to ask.
5. Offer Choices
If your child points to something they want offer a choice.
Ask do you want a ball or a car?
Providing the words helps children recall and retell.
When the child brings a bottle to you, ask do you want me to open or close.
6. Use Open-Ended Questions
Instead of asking do you want water, do you want to to go outside?
Ask what do you want?
Where do you want to go?
What should I do?
Whom are you looking for? .