As a speech pathologist, I have seen all kinds of behaviors in children (and adults).  Some behaviors can be as mild as a simple verbal “no” or as aggressive as a hit, punch, swing or spit. Some kids cry and fall like trees.  Some kids become “bulldozers” as they scoot across the treatment room.  In 1993, I had a kid “roll” down the hallway, past the administration office and end up in the PT gym.

While it’s no secret that children who have difficulty communicating can exhibit behaviors, we as parents and caregivers need to take certain steps so that the child understands their own expectations and boundaries.  Our ultimate goal is for our kids to become effective, functional communicators.

Here are some ways that I manage inappropriate behaviors in children with communication difficulties:

1. Verbally rewarding the GOOD behaviors:  Good behaviors such as sitting in the chair, completing a task, or using a good “inside voice” require immediate rewards.

2. Listening to the child:  Some children with severe speech deficits require more attention from the parent to understand ideas being communicated.   Try to pick out one or two words communicated and expand on this with the child.  This will allow the child to be “heard”.

3. Remain calm and be patient:  Kids feed off of adult reactions. Too often, I have seen parents “argue”  with their child when they become frustrated or upset.

4. Boundaries:  When you place a boundary upon a child, stick to it.  Kids know who’s buttons to push because the parents may allow it.

Don’t be afraid to tell your child, “no”.  Because when we do, it will give added value to your “yes”.

For more information about speech therapy services in Tucson, or if you would like to schedule a consultation, please contact me directly here.

I’m about to share a secret with you all. It’s about speech – sound training, and it’s very important. When working with children who are a little older, around the ages of 6 to 12, I find that “ear training” can evidence more success in changing speech behaviors than addressing just individual sounds.

As we age, speech patterns and speech errors become more difficult to correct. In speech therapy, I start with making sure the child can produce the sound. Then, I drill it! You see, I was trained 20 years ago by experts in the field of speech therapy who always told us that in order to change behavior, you had to change motor planning, and that meant drilling speech sounds. But to make the sound “stick in the child’s head”, the child needed to recognize when it was being produced incorrectly. That’s why I use techniques like minimal pairs in my speech therapy activities. Also, I will repeat or record/playback the child’s speech productions using my secret weapon found on my iPhone. It’s not uncommon to find me working across various 2 and 3 syllable word combinations, while recording the child’s productions so that we can improve awareness to the overall speech intelligibility in phrases, sentences and conversation. It’s not uncommon for a child to look at me with a big smile and say, “I didn’t say that”!

At the Therapy Group of Tucson, people are talking! We strive to make speech therapy fun, effective and rewarding. If you have a question about speech therapy services in Tucson, or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact me here.