Euclid City Schools

Speech and Language

Speech & Language Therapy Services

Speech-Language Therapy Services are provided to students in grades Pre K through 12 who have been identified as having a “Speech or Language Impairment”.  A “Speech or Language Impairment”  (as defined in Whose Idea Is This?) means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

The Speech-Language program in Euclid City Schools is provided in compliance with the federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA’97) and also Ohio’s Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools Serving Children with Disabilities (Effective July 1,2002)

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones

The typical 5-year-old child:

• Understands approximately 2,500 words or more
• Has an expressive vocabulary of approximately 1,000 to 2,000 words or more
• Puts 5-8 words together to form sentences
• Knows her address
• Knows basic shapes and colors
• Understands “same” and “different”
• Can identify a penny, nickel, and dime
• Forms a variety of grammatically correct sentences
• Uses future, present, and past tense verb forms
• Asks questions to obtain information
• Counts 10 objects
• Answers 2-part questions
• Produces consonant sounds with 90% accuracy
• Knows common opposites like “big/little, up/down”
• Knows spatial concepts like “on top, behind, in front”
• Defines objects by their function and can tell what objects are made of
• Pays attention to a story and answers basic questions about it
• Can retell a story or relate an event

Articulation

Articulation refers to the production of individual speech sounds.  An articulation disorder is characterized by the omission, substitution, or distortion of speech sounds.  Current research shows that:

By age 3 years, 90% of children have acquired these speech sounds:

• /m/, /h/, /n/, /w/, /b/, /p/, /d/
• By age 4 years, 90% of children have added these speech sounds to their inventory of sounds:
• /k/, /g/,  /f/, /j/ (as in yes, yellow), and /t/
• By age 6 to 6.5 years, 90% of children have acquired these sounds:
• /ing/, /l/,
• By age 7 to 7.5 years, 90% of children have acquired these sounds:
• /sh/, /th/, /r/,  /s/, /z/Language

Language

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “delayed language is characterized by a marked slowness in the development of the vocabulary and grammar necessary for expressing and understanding thoughts and ideas.

Parents may begin to suspect that their child’s speech or language skills are delayed if the child’s speech is difficult to understand and is noticeably different from that of their peers. Vocabulary and grammar skills may be obviously delayed.  The child may have difficulty understanding language, understanding questions and following directions.

Stuttering/Dysfluency

The term “dysfluency” is used to describe an interruption in the natural flow of speech.  Dysfluencies are involuntary repetitions, prolongations, or blockages of a word or part of a word.  Dysfluencies occur in everyone’s speech from time to time.   The term  “Stuttering “ is used to describe speech that has significantly more dysfluencies than average. 

Related sites on Stuttering:

• Stuttering Foundation of America Homepage
• Celebrities Who Stutter
• National Stuttering Association
• International Stuttering Association
• University of Wisconsin Family Village Stuttering Page 
• Stuttering Homepage
• What is Normal Dysfluency?

Voice

Voice disorders are characterized by inappropriate pitch (too high, too low, never changing, or interrupted by breaks), loudness (too loud or not loud enough), or voice quality (harsh, hoarse, breathy, or nasal).  Voice is a problem when the pitch, loudness or quality calls attention to itself rather than to what the speaker is saying.  It is also a problem when the speaker has pain or discomfort when speaking or singing.

Related sites on Voice Disorders:

• Normal Voice and Voice Disorders in Children
• What are Voice Disorders in Children?
• Talking Tips for a Healthy Voice
• Vocal Nodules in Children
• Voice Disorders - Causes, Symptoms, and Risk Factors

Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development

Birth to 2 Years

• Encourage your baby to make vowel-like sounds such as “ma”, “da” and “ba”.
• Imitate sounds, laughter and facial expressions
• Talk to your child as you bathe, feed and dress her.  Talk about what you are doing, where you are going, and who are to see.
• Identify colors and count objects.
• Use gestures with actual words such as “goodbye”.
• Expand on single words used by your child.
• Read to your child or describe pictures in a book.  Ask “what this?” and encourage naming and pointing to familiar objects in the book.
• Listen to your child when she is talking to you.
• Ask questions to stimulate additional thought and language.
• Praise your child for telling you things.

2 to 4 years

• Use good speech that is clear and simple for your child to model.
• Pair baby talk with adult words.  Repeat what your child says and then build and expand on what was said.
• Help your child classify objects into categories.
• Expand vocabulary.  Name body parts and state what you do with each.  “This is my nose, I smell with it.  I smell flowers, popcorn…”.
• Ask questions that require a choice.
• Sing simple songs and recite nursery rhymes to show patters and rhythm of speech

4 to 6 years

• Encourage your child to use language to express his feelings, ideas and wishes.
• Make sure you have your child’s attention before you speak.
• Acknowledge and praise all attempts to speak.
• Continue to build vocabulary.  Introduce new words and define them.  Use them in a sentence.
• Talk about spatial relationships (first, last, right, left) and opposites.
• Help your child follow 2 and 3 step directions:  “Go to the kitchen and turn off the light”
• Have your child give directions and follow her directions
• Provide a series of clues and have your child guess what you are describing
• Have your child help with making grocery lists:  what is needed, how many is needed, what will be made.  Discuss the size, shape, and weight of the packages.
• Continue reading to your child.  Book length can increase.