Expressive Language Skills

You need to know how important it is to talk with your child in a ways that encourages good Speech Expression. If you are a good role model, then your child has a better chance of developing age appropriate language skills. As elementary students graduate from one grade level to another, their expressive language skills should be in a constant growth.

Many students with poor expressive language skills will struggle academically in reading and writing.

Key areas to target during the summer months to help your child maintain good expressive skills are:

*Understand what spoken and written language is. Does your child communicate thoughts and ideas in a logical and sequential manner?
*How is spoken and written language expressed in your child's daily routine. Take a trip to the library once a week and use books to encourage expressive language skills.
*Does your child have correct morphology skills (word forms) when writing? (Does your child speak with correct word endings? example: bigg-est, tall-er) to convey the intended meaning of what he/she is trying to say.
*Syntax-Does your child demonstrate adequate word order when writing and speaking?
*Semantics-being able to understand vocabulary. This is important in all subject areas.
*Phonological skills- important for spelling and reading and decoding words.

For more information on Expressive Language skills and speech-language delays visit the website below to find out more.

Enhancing good speech and language skills over the SUMMER break

SUMMER Fun!!!

Since most students who are receiving speech services do not get speech-language therapy during the summer months, it is important for parents to know how to enhance good language and/or articulation skills.

First, you should ask the following questions:  

Do I understand the needs of my child?
What is my child working on in speech-language therapy?
What are my child's goals?
 Did I ask my child's therapist to borrow materials or explained ways to work with my child at home and in other settings?
Each day of the week can be a day that you can target an activity.....

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Find 10 things that go in your bedroom and make a sentence about it.	Arts  & Crafts Cut out pictures from a magazine and think of a word to describe each one.	Play Time! Play toss the bean bags onto pictures and make a sentence about each picture.	Book Worm! Read a book and tell someone about the character.	Action! Use good sentences while you talk about your favorite movie.
Find 10 things that go in your kitchen and make a sentence about it.	Arts & Crafts Use good sentences to describe objects you make out of Play-Doh	Play Time! Play tic tac toe with pictures and describe each picture on your turn.	Book Worm! Read a book and tell someone about the setting.	Action! Use good sentences while you draw a picture.
Find 10 things that go in your bathroom and make a sentence about it.	Arts & Crafts Use sidewalk chalk to draw a treasure map and tell someone how to find the treasure.	Play Time! Play a memory game and when you make a match, use that word in a sentence.	Book Worm! Read a book and tell someone 3 things that happened.	Action! Use good sentences while you talk about your day.