Speech Exercises for Preschoolers

Hi K.,
I'm a speech pathologist. It's hard to give you advice on what to do with these kids if I don't have too much information on them. I can fax you some information on early development and ideas of how to increase language skills. If it's the articulation you're worried about I can send you lists of sounds that should be mastered at certain ages. OR, if you're interested. I could do some screenings at your school. Contact me anytime. K. Aydelotte Speech Pathology (619) 504- 5771. I'll try to answer any questions you have.

K. -

I am the proud mother of a child who has speech problems. He is now almost 8 yrs old and doing great, but has struggled with some of the same things you mentioned since he was really young. The kiddos should be evaluated by a speech therapist so they can begin to get the help they need as soon as possible, the sooner the better. My son started going to speech 'classes' as early as 3 yrs old. They are offered through the county school system for free, and the parents should be able to get a referral from their pediatrician or by calling the local school district to see what they need to do in order to get an evaluation. There are too many 'tricks' for you to be able to teach them, when what they need is a specialist who has all the tools in his/her possession. It is great to see that you are concerned for them but I would tell the parents to get them formally evaluated and then you can get suggestions from the professional as to what you can do to aid them in correcting the speech problems. Best of luck.

J. :)

Dear K.,

You can call the local County Superintendent of Schools office and ask to speak to someone who can give you advice about speech difficulties. They are supposed to be looking for children who have disabilities that need to be addressed, and the younger the better. Or maybe just show up there and get directions at the front desk to see the person who can help you, you may have to make an appointment, but a personal appearance might be more fruitful

If they will cooperate,maybe they will come to see the children at your day care center.

Good work, and good luck, C. N.

I totally agree with Joy. I have had students with speech issues myself and as she points out, it is very involved and requires a lot of specialized knowledge. The parents need to get them in for evaluation and one on one work with a professional therapist. But lucky kids to have such a caring teacher. The best of all possible worlds would be if the parents took them in as suggested and shared some of the recommendations from the speech therapist with you. That way everyone could work together for maximum effect.

Hi K.,
I am a mother of 2 and also work as a case manager for the Early Start Program. As a case manager I work with families of children that have delays in their development, including speech delays. Our program only goes until age 3, but after that parents can go to their local school district for an assessment of their language development. These children sound like they may qualify for articulation work with a speech therapist through their local district. You may suggest parents contact them to request a speech assessment. If they do qualify, they would get services free of charge and you could talk with the therapist for more exercises that you could implement with them yourself.
Good Luck!
J.
PS If you happen to have concerns about children o years to 2.9, they could be assessed by their local Early Start Program through the Regional Centers.

My daughter is 4 with issues pronouncing certain sounds. I found this CD called "Speechercise" and it made a huge difference for her after just a few times listening to it. I haven't even really "worked" the activities with her, just let her enjoy listening to it and trying on her own. I don't know if I can post a link here, but you can find it on the "Twin Sisters" website at www.twinsisters.com (no, I have no affiliation with this group, just passing on a good find). If the direct link works, try http://www.twinsisters.com/onlinecatalog/songsthatteach/p...

Also depending on your locatoin, Scottish rite is a great place for speech thearpy. When my son was 3, I was having a hard time convincing the school district to help but Scottish Rite helped right away!