When the baby is just born, it is very difficult to say exactly how it will develop. Of course, the doctor can immediately say only about physical problems. But if the parents have a non-speaking child at 3 years old, then most often the problem lies not in his state of health, but in the peculiarities of his psychology. Sometimes babies set themselves a barrier that is difficult for them to overcome without the help of an outsider.
In addition to classes with a speech therapist or child psychologist, the mother and father should conduct independent work. Only with an integrated approach can a good result be achieved. Let us consider in more detail the methods of working with non-speaking children and what tips will help parents deal with this problem. It is important to approach this issue correctly and not make mistakes.
What classes usually begin with a specialist
First of all, a speech therapist makes a description of a non-speaking child. To do this, he first talks with the parents of the baby, and then tries to establish contact with him. If a child completely refuses to communicate and prefers to remain silent, then first it is important to form a so-called linguistic mechanism in him. It is also important to develop a need for speech in a small patient. Indeed, very often, kids prefer to demonstrate what they want. For example, a child can point a finger at his mouth, and his parents automatically realize that he is hungry. If they unconsciously follow the offspring of the child, then he elementarily ceases to see the need to use such a useful skill as speech.
In addition, work with non-speaking children implies that the family where the baby is located should have a normal environment that will encourage him to start using the speech apparatus. Therefore, the specialist must conduct a conversation with all family members and the immediate environment.
You may need to talk with a child psychologist. Probably, the baby simply has incorrectly formed social communication skills. Perhaps he is too negatively inclined or thinks that others want to offend him. This often happens if during training parents unwittingly show aggression and wait for too fast results.
Negativism of the child
This is a fairly common problem. If the family has a non-speaking child 3 years old, then perhaps he is incorrectly motivated and generally does not want to start interacting with loved ones through communication. In most situations, such babies are not able to correctly assess and understand what is good and what is bad.
The child must understand that the acquisition of these skills guarantees his success. However, explaining this to your beloved child yourself is very difficult.
Another problem in the development of negativity in a non-speaking child may be related to the fact that everything gets too easy for him. As soon as he looked at some toy in the store, and his parents immediately ran to the cash register to pay for the novelty. In this case, the child understands that he does not need to talk or at least ask for what he wants. Parents seem to read his mind.
Therefore, the main effective technique with non-speaking children is motivation. This is a very effective way to help your beloved child speak.
How does the technique work?
A similar method is used when you need to teach a child to obey his parents. For example, if the mother explains to the baby that if he sat quietly for five seconds and did not make noise, he would get marmalade. Gradually, the waiting time for sweets increases, and very quickly the child automatically understands how to behave, and how not to.
Promotion is a very powerful tool when working with non-speaking children. If the baby says something, it’s important to at least praise him and emphasize that his parents are happy when he says the words. At the same time, it is important to engage with the child and gradually develop social skills in it.
It must be remembered that while the baby does not perceive speech as an adult. He is not able to distinguish separate complexes from the general sound streams. This means that even pronouncing individual phrases causes him great difficulties. Especially when you consider that the child does not understand at all what kind of semantic load they have.
Therefore, the development of non-speaking children should not begin directly with motivation, but with the ability to recognize individual sounds and their combinations.
How to teach your child to understand individual words?
Without the development of this skill, it is impossible to expect noticeable results from a child. Therefore, it is worthwhile to deal with the baby yourself and devote a sufficient amount of time to this.
First of all, it is worth starting with the fact that the child begins to understand that certain objects and actions of people are associated with certain sound signals. Therefore, you need to teach a child the simplest teams. For example, every time he wants to demonstrate something, he must say “show”. If he carries a toy and wants to give it to mom or dad, it is enough to repeat “give”, etc. At the same time, it is recommended to help the baby perform the required action. Gradually, he will begin to compare words and actions. Therefore, the next time he himself will try to utter the necessary words.
Also, classes with non-speaking children should include a set of additional exercises.
Work with pictures
Children have excellent visual memory. Therefore, working with images greatly helps to overcome the barrier and teach the baby to use speech in everyday life.
If a non-speaking child at the age of 4 has not yet begun to give sounds the necessary form, then you can help him in an easy playful way. To do this, you need to prepare pictures with his favorite heroes, animals, household items, etc. After that, it is enough to show them and repeat the name of the depicted item in turn.
At first, no reaction follows. But gradually, hearing the same word and seeing a certain image, the child will begin to give signals that he has learned what is drawn in the picture. However, it should be borne in mind that classes with non-speaking children are not suitable for very young children, since until a certain age the baby is not able to distinguish objects well. For example, he will not distinguish a spoon from a toothbrush. Therefore, it is better to choose a list of images carefully, preferably together with a speech therapist. He will tell you which words will be easier for perception and subsequent repetition. Of course, you should not start with complex pictures or photographs.
After that, you can begin to complicate the classes. For example, if there is a picture of a plate, then you should add a spoon. The child will learn to match cards. For example, you should put in front of him an image of a spoon, a plate and a typewriter, and ask the child to choose cards suitable for each other. Of course, before this is to show him the right combination several times.
Visual recognition games
Very often, children who do not want to talk have additional problems. For example, a child may not recognize objects well. In such a situation, games for non-speaking children should be aimed at making the child skillfully sort objects. First, color matching is best. To do this, you need to purchase bright cubes of different shades, but so that there are repeating objects in the kit. After that, you need to add all the cubes by color (red to red, blue to blue, etc.). At the next stage, all the cubes are mixed and again assembled by one of the parents according to color combinations. After several repetitions of such an exercise, you need to ask the baby to distribute the items himself.
When this material is mastered, you can move on to more complex tasks. In the development of speech in non-speaking children, other methods can be used. For example, you should buy a set with objects of different shapes. Or it can be a construction with holes in which you need to install cubes, circles, triangles, etc. Also, objects can differ in size, which will help to learn to distinguish them from each other.
In the process of exercises you need to constantly name objects. For example, “yellow square”, “find another red circle”. The child will not only recognize objects better, but will also remember what they are called. Sooner or later, he himself will want to pronounce their names.
Further classes are complicated. For example, when all the material is conditional, you can proceed with the design.
Starting a speech in non-speaking children from scratch: vocals
This is a very powerful technique that has helped more than one family. For example, if we are talking about an adult who has decided to learn English, then most often he unknowingly remembers some of the words from the songs of foreign artists. When listening to music, one involuntarily wants to sing along and repeat the text of the track, even if it is not clear what this is all about.
Therefore, if a family has a non-speaking child, then you must first pay attention to its individual characteristics. For example, it is easier for some children to pronounce vowel sounds first, while others, on the contrary, start with consonants. After that, you can proceed to the practical, gaming part.
Game exercises for the development of a child's vocal speech
First of all, you need to prepare. The baby should not be distracting. After this, you need to sit in front of a non-speaking child, open your mouth and say “A” in a long way. After this, you need to ask the baby to repeat after the adult. If he also says “A,” then he must be praised.
After that, you can complicate the sounds. When he knows the whole set, it is worth moving on to syllables. For example, “ma-ma”. If the baby does not succeed, then you need to put one of his hands on his throat, and the other on his own. He will feel the vibrations and begin to try to match them.
The development of speech in non-speaking children: tips for parents
Specialists quite often encounter similar problems. In this regard, they have developed a number of recommendations for parents who fear that their beloved children will not want to start interacting with the outside world.
First of all, you need to speak as much as you can yourself. Children are like sponges, so they absorb all the information that they see around. Therefore, you need to explain the child every action. For example, if mom goes to bathe the baby, then she must tell him what they will do, what shampoo they will take, which socks they will choose, etc. At the same time, the voice should be soft, gentle and calm. In the presence of a child, in no case should one swear, and especially shout at himself.
Experts also recommend that parents encourage their child to speak. For example, during a walk say “give us a pen”, “we cross the road” and so on. At the same time, each time passing in the same place, it is worth focusing his attention on the same objects.
To provoke the development of speech in non-speaking children, it is worth using abbreviated names. For example, a car can be called a “bi-bi”, a cat “meow-meow”, etc. Although the trend is today that children need to talk with adults, this does not apply to difficult situations when you need to help a child start talking at first the simplest combinations.
Speech therapists also recommend that children sing lullabies before bedtime. At this moment, parts of the brain are activated that are well absorbed and remember information, even if the child is already sleeping soundly. At the same time, you should not change the repertoire every time. It’s better to choose one song and constantly sing it. Sooner or later, the baby will try to repeat what he has heard repeatedly.
At the same time, experts recommend not overloading the child so as not to cause him to be rejected by speech. Therefore, after classes with adults, he should rest for some time, and only then go to the computer or watch TV.
No matter how small the baby may be, in no case should one speak in his presence that he is behind in development or that something is wrong with him. Even by the intonation of the voice of adults, he can understand everything wrong and decide that they are unhappy or “wrong”. This will only aggravate the situation and form new complexes in Chad.
If on the playground someone talks about this problem in the presence of the baby, you need to clarify that he is doing well, just one child starts talking a year and the other 4, but this does not affect either the love of parents or his further life. The kid in no case should not feel like everyone else.
Also, doctors categorically forbid irritation. If the baby does not start talking, this does not mean that he is harming. Therefore, you do not need to show him your discontent. This can lead to the fact that it will be even more difficult for him to master the necessary skills.
Features of a speech therapist with non-speaking kids
Of course, with the appearance of such problems, it is worth first contacting a specialist. The speech therapist has experience in making contact with such kids. A doctor can achieve great results, but only if parents will participate in the education of the child.
If at the specialist’s appointment there are non-speaking children, speech therapy sessions begin with the fact that the kids get used to the new person. The speech therapist's task is to become a friend for a small patient, whom he will perceive as an equal. It is important that the doctor is not too persistent. If he immediately begins to require the child to pronounce words, then he will only become more self-enclosed. Therefore, it is best if the speech therapist applies a gaming technique. The child will be more comfortable if there are soft toys next to him. With greater willingness, he will begin to speak with a teddy bear or doll.
When contact is established, the doctor proceeds to practical exercises. He is trying to develop a baby's understanding of speech. For example, he asks a small patient to show a nose or give a pen.
Classes are very effective, during which the speech therapist encourages the child to speak through the use of the so-called orienting reflex. For example, he asks him “What is it there?”, And then shows the kid an interesting toy or picture. Various clamshell books work very well in this situation. The child is always interested in what will appear if you turn the page. At such moments, he involuntarily can joyfully exclaim a word.
Great importance is also given to the development of motor skills. It has long been established that if the kids practice in finger gymnastics and develop limbs, then the assimilation of associated material also occurs faster. Doctors also focus on the care of small patients. There are often situations when the child simply does not concentrate and is easily distracted, so it is much more difficult for him to start talking or perform other tasks.
Additionally, the doctor is working on the development of the so-called sensory base. This is just the understanding of the colors and shapes of objects. As a rule, in the arsenal of a speech therapist there are a huge number of toys that contribute to the fact that the baby quickly learns to compare certain objects.
Features of non-speaking kids
Specialists pay attention to the fact that it is difficult to identify future problems with the development of speech in a child, but it is still worth paying attention to some features. For example, such children are often too impulsive. Their mood can change very often, and sometimes it does not depend on what is happening around. At the same time, the kids do not at all listen to what adults say. They are naughty and constantly distracted.
Sometimes problems with the development of speech arise against the background of general intellectual underdevelopment. In this case, the child needs a more serious approach, since we are talking about physiological problems. But more often the problems are caused by the emotional and psychological component.
It is important to understand that the older the child becomes, the more difficult it will be to interest him in certain activities. For example, children 3 years of age better absorb material, and four-year-old babies begin to become locked in themselves faster. Therefore, it is important to start classes as early as possible.
Finally
If the child has not yet begun to speak, do not panic ahead of time. Some children absorb the initial information longer, but then quickly catch up and even overtake their peers. It is important to constantly engage with your child, talk to him and not behave aggressively. If the child does not feel safe, then he will be closed from the world. When the baby is too quiet, it’s worth finding out why this is happening and solve the problem. Perhaps someone offended him in the kindergarten or on the playground. But in any case, it is worth consulting with a specialist in these matters.