Question
How can I respond to a child with speech and language delays?
Answer
As an educator and caregiver, you must be a good listener and observer. Engage infants and toddlers in shared conversations by reading their sounds, gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Give directions using as few simple words as possible in complete sentences. Use everyday activities such as singing songs, reading books, visuals, and dramatic play to encourage language development. Another great example that toddlers and preschoolers enjoy is puppet play. Talk about what you or the child are doing as you are doing it together.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Working with Children with Disabilities: Inclusion Works!, in partnership with Region 9 Head Start Association, presented by Piret Leonetti, EdD.
Continued and its subsidiaries provide professional education authored by qualified Subject Matter Experts for continuing education purposes. These materials are intended for educational purposes and do not constitute medical advice or a substitute for individual clinical judgment. Continued is not a clinical healthcare provider; the licensed professional is solely responsible for ensuring that the application of any techniques or information presented is within their legal scope of practice and jurisdictional requirements.
