Language and reading development at home

Language and reading development at home

by | Dec 4, 2016 | A PRIDE Post, Language & Reading

Research suggests that the amount of interactive language a child is exposed to in the home correlates greatly with the development of verbal expressions and reading skills.  To put your child on the right track for language and reading development, make sure your home is a rich and encouraging language environment.

 

Here is a list of tips and strategies that can be used to promote healthy language and reading development in children:

 

Read together daily for language and reading development

Often parents stop reading to their children once the child learns to read independently.  This is a big mistake.  Parental reading skills are usually more advanced, so they can expose children to higher grammar, vocabulary, images, and ideas in speech.  Be aware when reading to your child that they often may not ask what an unfamiliar word means.  When coming across an unfamiliar word you can ask your child to define it and if necessary provide them with the definition, synonym, antonym or physical enactment of the meaning.


Don’t interrupt or fill in the blanks

Patience is essential for encouraging language development in children.  Give your child time to put their thoughts into words and opportunities to practice.  If simply waiting doesn’t do the trick for a child with word retrieval problems, then prompt them with a ridiculous alternative.  For example, if your child says, “I’m looking for the, uh… um…er…,” you can ask “rhinoceros… leprechaun?”  Usually after a few giggles the child is relaxed enough to find the right word.

 

Spend time each day having your child describe the details of their day or particular topics of interest or ideas

The dinner table tends to be a natural conversation venue for the family to talk and catch up on daily events.  Also, before turning out the lights in bed is another great time to let your child fill you in on the day’s events as well as create conversation and bonding time in a relaxed environment.  If your child speaks very little or has nothing to say, you can provoke them by taking a stance with which you know they’ll disagree.  For instance, if the child loves legos, say, “some people think buying legos for children is a bad idea, because they cost a lot and don’t serve any purpose.  What do you say?”

 

Make sure your child’s skills are constantly challenged and force to grow 

Home is a place where children feel free to take risks with language.  They feel comfortable making mistakes, asking questions and discussing complex topics they would otherwise be afraid to explore.  Continue to build and challenge your child’s vocabulary.  Introduce a new word and offer its definition or use it in context that is easily defined.  For example, “I think I will drive you in the vehicle this morning instead of making you walk to school.”

 

Avoid electronic devices, television, etc.  whenever possible to encourage language and reading development

Research has shown that the encounters that best promote language growth are interactive – back and forth, face-to-face exchanges conducted in a relatively quiet background.  Children that are receiving more noise stimulation than language stimulation will fail to develop the language skills they need to succeed in school or to communicate effectively with their parents, teacher, and peers.


 

Speak in complete sentences and use words with precise meanings

Instead of letting your child hear you say “ where is that thingy,” or where is that whatchamacallit” try to always speak with precision and accuracy. Model the richness of language for your child by adding multiple word meanings and using different words to express the same thought.

 

Try these simple Language and Reading Development Tips at home – and please let us know if they helped.

 

Learn more about the New PRIDE Reading Program

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Karina Richland is the Founder of Pride Learning Centers, located in Los Angeles and Orange County.  Ms. Richland is a reading and learning disability specialist and speaks frequently to parents, teachers, and professionals on learning differences.  You can reach her by email at karina@pridelearningcenter.com or visit the PRIDE Learning Center website at: www.pridelearningcenter.com

 

 

Language & Reading: What’s the Connection?

Language & Reading: What’s the Connection?

by | Aug 29, 2011 | A PRIDE Post, Language & Reading

By: Renée Firby, MSC CCC-SLP

Over the last several years countless families have come to our offices seeking assistance for their children who are struggling academically. The majority of our school-aged clients present with some form of language learning disabilities. These language learning disabilities can directly impair a child’s reading ability. Research supports that one of the best predictors of a child’s success in reading is an individual’s oral language abilities. So you ask, “What’s the connection?”
As infants we begin to learn language. We respond to pleasant voices by smiling, we turn our heads when we hear sound, and we begin to babble. These emergent language skills continue to grow and develop over the first few years of life to more complex unconscious abilities such as storytelling, developing and understanding humor, making judgments as to the appropriateness of content for certain listeners, editing for errors, learning metaphors, similes, antonyms, synonyms, etc. Although many children acquire the most basic and fundamental components of language such as vocabulary, generating a sentence, and grammar, they fail to learn the more complex language skills. Reading requires the ability to unconsciously define words, recognize synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms, identify parts of speech, recognize grammatical errors, recognize multiple meanings, etc. Therefore, reading is a language-based skill as it utilizes all of the same processes of an individual’s complex oral language skills. If an individual is unable to develop complex oral language skills, they are unable to develop the skills necessary to be a successful reader.
Speech and language intervention is an essential component to the achievement of a successful reader for those who are challenged academically! Intensive treatment supports the development of advanced language skills, which in turn support the skills necessary for reading. Jackson Jade Speech & Occupational Therapy customizes treatment programs that are designed to innervate the areas of the brain responsible for language development, which target the fundamental building blocks for reading including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension. Research indicates that stand alone school-based programs are not intensive enough to meet the needs of struggling readers. Children who are enrolled in intensive programs and those who receive early intervention tend to score higher on cognitive and academic achievement measures than those who do not receive intervention or rely on school-age treatment alone.
If your child is struggling with reading there are several things you can do to support their development. In addition to seeking school-based services, enroll them in a reading-based program that uses a multisensory approach and seek a comprehensive language program through a speech language pathologist that specializes in brain based development.

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Renée Firby, MS CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist and executive director of Jackson Jade Speech & Occupational Therapy. Ms. Firby has extensive experience working with medically, educationally, and cognitively challenged individuals. She has provided speech language pathology services to infants through the geriatric populations ranging from the mildest to most severe impairments.
If you have any questions or would like information about scheduling an appointment at Jackson Jade Speech & Occupational Therapy call 888-808-7838 or visit www.jacksonjadesp.com for more information.

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