Parents can help little ones develop their language

Schools will be reopening soon, which means parents will be helping their little ones to learn. Nal’ibali just last week celebrated World Read Aloud Day, a campaign that has been running since 2012.

GCN/the NEWS spoke to a speech therapist and audiologist Katia Ramos Lourenco about reading aloud to children and how parents can assist children if they are struggling with speech and language development.
Lourenco works from Edenvale Hospital and Life Roseacres Hospital in Primrose.

“Reading to your child has several benefits. It can expand their vocabulary and facilities language development. It also helps to build the child’s comprehension skills,” said Lourenco.

She said it’s vital for the development of pre-literacy skills. “It builds association between the spoken and written language, reinforced with pictures. Use your finger as a guide to follow the words in the sentences and refer to the relevant pictures for the part of the story you are telling. Reading with your child teaches them the linguistic skill of narratives and storytelling,” explained Lourenco.

She said there signs parents can look out for if they are concerned about the child’s ability to understand language.

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“These include a child being unable to follow instructions. Often parents will point or gesture out the instruction they are giving to their child. The child then responds to this instruction because they are physically being shown what to do.

“Some children present with behavioural difficulties or they are referred to as ‘naughty’ children. Parents or teachers will complain that the child is not paying attention in class or are distractive.

“This can occur as a result of the child having difficulty understanding speech and language as they lose interest because they cannot follow what is happening in the classroom,” said Lourenco.

Others signs are:

• The child often asks for repetition or clarification.
• The child does not interact with a conversation – they do not make comments or ask further questions on the topic.
• The child is often drifting off or daydreaming.
• The child is not hearing well or finding it difficult to listen.

Lourenco advised that if your child does not have difficulties parents can expose their children to as much language as possible.

“Parents need to talk to and interact with the child as much as possible. This includes responding to your child and attending to your child when they make a sound or call you.

“Talk to your child about everything that they are doing and narrate certain tasks. Children absorb new vocabulary at a fast rate, so exposing them to as many ‘new’ words as possible as well as helping them attach meaning to those words is important,” said Lourenco.

Five tips parents can do to help their children understand a language?

1. Language exposure
2. Attend to your child and interact with your child
3. Socialisation is extremely helpful in language development
4. Nursery rhymes
5. Decrease the amount of screen time and rather play with them or read them a book.

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