P-A-C-E Yourself. Or Just Your Speech.

Did your mother ever tell you to pace yourself? My mom certainly did.

I find myself telling my kids to slow down when they are eating, going down the stairs, and even when they are trying to recall something that happened during the day. Often, the race to talk comes from competition for talk time (for those with siblings), competition for a parent's attention or just excitement.

Just in time for the weekend, when we should, as families, be slowing down but are instead sometimes speeding up to get all of the chores, errands, birthday parties and whatever else done.

When it comes to slowing down a child's speech, telling them to "slow down" doesn't often help. Either because their slowed down speech doesn't last of because they don't really understand what they should be slowing down. So I'll share one of my most trusted tools for kids who's goal is to pace themselves. It's easy to make on your own, travel with and model for your kids. It's a pacing board.

Here is a list of the ways I use pacing boards in therapy:

- To pace out sentences such as "I-want-milk-please."
- To help slow down fast talkers. I demonstrate how to slow down their speech with use of a pacing board and let them imitate me.
- To help kids who are omitting sounds or words. A pacing board can help model to them that they need to say every sound in a word.

Here is a picture of a pacing board. I show the kids I treat how to tap a flower for each word or syllable. You can also place a doll on a flower for each word,  drive a car onto the board, or put a cracker. The possibilities are endless.

 

For those of you with Thomas the Tank Engine trains, you can do similar activities with the separate cars. Here's a picture from a parent of a child I treat. She used soft blocks which her daughter squeezed for each sound they were trying to articulate. 

How do you slow down?

Michelle Lachman
Schedule your free consultation today: 1.408.365.4423 / mlachman.speech@gmail.com

Parent Question: My four year old has a lisp. Help!

Parents have a lot of questions when it comes to speech and language development and don't always have a reliable place to get an answer. On this blog, I'll post some of the most common questions I get and ideas on what to do. Send me your questions to mlachman.speech@gmail.com.

Q: I have a four year old boy who's name is Sam. When he says his name or any other word with an 's' in it, he makes the 's' sound as a 'th' sound. So if people ask him his name he says "Tham." I think my son has a lisp. Help!

A: I know lots of parents who have brought up this very concern. In fact, both of my kids did the same thing. My son even stopped at age 5 and then started back up again about six months later.

The type of lisp this parent is describing is called a "frontal lisp" (or interdental lisp). That's when a person has difficulty producing the 's' or 'z' sound because of their tongue placement. The tongue may stick out between the teeth a bit which results in a sound distortion.

In children Sam's age a frontal lisp is considered developmental and speech language therapists may not suggest therapy. Developmental norm data suggests that a frontal lisp may even occur until age 7 or 8. What is important to remember is that a young child with a frontal lisp will not have any difficulty communicating and should not become frustrated. In Sam's case, his parent may not choose to wait until 7 or 8 if the lisp does not eliminate on its own. But only because Sam's name is "Sam" and the sound distortion might eventually become noticeable (and not as cute) to adults and peers.

If Sam still does not outgrow his lisp around age 5 or 6 therapy may be recommended. Here is what I might suggest:

- Therapy once a week (for 1 month) to teach proper placement and train parents in beneficial activities at home for carryover
- 1 therapy session per month for the next 2-3 months to make sure proper placement has carried over and the child is able to make the proper sound independently
- Teach the child to bite down, and blow air through his teeth with a gentle smile
- Teach the child to keep their snake (tongue) in its house (mouth)
- Encourage parents to make activities targeting the sound fun
- Suggest books that focus on the 's' sound like Sid and Sam by Nola Buck and Silly Sally by Audry Wood
- Encourage confident communication

Of note: A lateral lisp may sound similar but occurs when air escapes over the sides of the tongue (not the front of the tongue like a "frontal" lisp). A lateral lisp can sound "wet" and "slushy" due to saliva. This type of lisp is not developmental. Parents should consult with a speech language therapist if their child sound like they have a lateral lisp. Therapy could begin as early as 4 years of age.

Michelle Lachman
Schedule your free consultation today: 1.408.365.4423 / mlachman.speech@gmail.com