Each child is a world, and in the matter of speech even more so. There are children who start talking very early, even before they walk. On the other hand, others with 4 or 5 have problems in their oral expression and have problems with pronunciation. As parents we must be attentive to help them develop their language correctly. Today we talk about pronunciation problems in children.
When a child has pronunciation problems, or any other problem, the attitude of the parents (as well as the teachers) greatly influences the result. That is why it is important that we know how to act in these cases, and thus act correctly.
How can I tell if my child has a pronunciation problem?
Pronunciation or diction problems are disorders that occur in the movements of the phonoarticulatory organs. They are organs that intervene in the production of phonemes and sounds. It can be in the jaw, upper teeth, tongue, lips, veil, palate, alveoli or nasal cavity. This causes a difficulty when making sounds.
These problems are very common in children when they want to get their first words out, so it's not a cause for concern. But if the child has already fulfilled 5 years and still has a hard time pronouncing some sounds would be considered to have a pronunciation problems. This can be caused by an auditory disorder, some malformation, otitis, prolonged use of the pacifier, ... a specialist will know how to detect the problem in time, find its origin and find a solution. A speech therapist is the professional who will be in charge of ruling out problems until the cause is found.
These problems don't have to be serious as long as they are treated. Because we are not only talking about a limitation in speech, but also a limitation in communication and in your life in general. So that this is not a complication in your present and future life, We must detect the problem as soon as possible to treat it properly.
What should I do with pronunciation problems in children?
- Talk to your son. You will not be able to know if he has a pronunciation problem or not, if you do not speak. Ask him questions about your interests, his classes, what worries him ... and give him time to answer. Don't speak for him, if you rush him to finish the sentences.
- Do not imitate him. Children can be very funny with their rag tongues, but you don't speak like him. He speaks clearly, concisely and without errors, otherwise he will correct them.
- Don't laugh at him. It is one thing to take iron out of the matter and another to laugh at its difficulty. Why or one of two: you will also be amused and will continue to say it badly, or you will feel bad for not being able to speak correctly. Either option is not a good idea.
- Instead of scolding him say the word well said. It's not about scolding him either, he doesn't do it on purpose. You just have to speak affectionately by saying the word well spoken, instead of with the mistake. Also, do not make him repeat the word well said continuously since this way we will only get him to fixate only on the error and create anxiety for the problem.
- Do the exercises that the speech therapist sends you. According to each case, the professional will give you some articulatory exercises to do at home and thus work on pronunciation. Each case is unique and each child will have different needs.
- Word games. You already know that games are how children learn the most, and also have fun. Any game where there are oral words will be a good way to improve pronunciation such as see-see while we are in the car, read stories to him, wink ... You will have a great time playing together.
Because remember… in order to help them speak well, we have to know how to detect that there is a speech defect in order to ask for professional help.