Myth busters in speech development – workshop with speech therapist Ms. Tabitha Wolfe

In this article, we would address some common myths and facts about speech and language development in children with autism. This is based on topics covered by Ms. Tabitha Wolfe, Speech Therapist in a workshop organised by Nayi Disha.

Myth- I must ask my child as many questions as this will make them speak

• As parents start working on speech and communication with their children, a common practice that was observed by Ms. Tabitha, was that they asked too many questions.
• Parents often ask “what are you doing?”, “what are you playing with?”etc. This might be an attempt to initiate and engage the child in a conversation. 
• However, this seldom has the desired effect, with the child soon losing interest in the conversation. 
• For the child to engage in a conversation, it needs to be interesting to them. Asking too many questions can be overwhelming as they might often find the questions difficult to answer. 
• According to her, asking random questions often limits the chances for engagement, back and forth interaction and play. 
• Instead, commenting on the child’s play creates more opportunities for the child to develop both language and communication. Creating opportunities for and joining in free play, making it an enjoyable moment has greater chances of engaging the child.
• Here she reminds the importance of the OWL method that stands for Observe, Wait and Learn. It is important to find signs of communication and not only speech, since even non-speaking children can be communicating a lot through their actions. 
• What is needed is an environment which allows for observation and engagement of the child instead of a long list of questions in attempts to develop speech in children.
• To know more about the OWL method, parents can refer to the article: The OWL method to build language skills – workshop with speech therapist Ms. Tabitha Wolfe – Nayi Disha

Be relevant

• Another important aspect is to be relevant to the child’s play. Sometimes, in order to increase the child’s knowledge, parents may ask too many questions or talk about something that is not related to the activity altogether. 
• Ms. Tabitha shares an example to highlight this point, where she has observed parents asking children something unrelated to their play. 
• This might lead to the child being confused or disinterested in the activity, which is counterproductive. Instead, commenting about something that adds to the interest of the child will help us understand the child better, all the while keeping them engaged in the activity effectively.

Expand the vocabulary

• It is important to work on repeating and signing key words including nouns and words. Sticking to single, often used phrases may lead to a limited vocabulary.
• Instead, by constantly working on introducing new words including nouns and action words (verbs), we can help expand the child’s vocabulary. 
• This can also be done using PECs or communication boards, rather than the child being dependent on the adult for different things. 
• Once the child starts using different words, it can be worked upon further by adding a new word to it. For instance if the child uses the word ‘car’ (noun), a new word such as ‘yellow’ (descriptive word or adjective) can be added to it. This helps increase the child’s language and sentence structure as well.
• Using sentences appropriate to the child’s level is key to motivate the child to participate in a conversation meaningfully. The parent’s language should not be too complex. It should have simple phrases suitable to the child.

Myth- I must speak to my child as much as possible to develop their language

• The common belief that talking more to the child will help develop their language is often incorrect.
• Spending quality time with the child to engage them into a back and forth conversation is often found to be more helpful. It is more important to understand the child’s interest, listen to them and interact at their level like repeating key words or simple phrases. 
• For example, if the parent is working next to their child playing, a monologue by the adult about their chores is quite fruitless. 
• Getting down to the child’s level, showing interest or joining them in their play and commenting appropriately will be more helpful for the child to engage, learn to interact and develop a new language.

Myth- If I sign with my child, it will delay the onset of verbalisation

• Research studies have shown that babies that were exposed to sign language with their mothers had much better language skills compared to babies that were only around verbal language stimulus. 
• Therefore, it is a misbelief that signing can in any way deter language skills, rather it acts as a strong support tool for the child to develop a new language.
• This fact is highlighted by Ms. Tabitha in some of the videos from her workshop. They show a child using words as well as visual cues and gestures to communicate effectively.
• As children learn to express themselves even in absence of vocal language, it can reduce frustration. This motivates them to engage in verbal conversation and helps in language development.

Myth- Bilingualism causes language delay

• Given that we live in a multilingual society, this is a common misconception around us. Ms. Tabitha adds that bilingualism or being able to talk in 2 languages does not deter speech or language development. 
• Most children have a language at home –their mother tongue that’s usually different from the commonly spoken language – Hindi or English. 
• Training the child to only and always speak in English can be difficult and has no added benefit.
• In fact, having to teach the child or converse with the child constantly in a language not spoken at home, might often result in the child being isolated as they are unable to engage or converse with their extended family. 
• Studies support that teaching a native language does not hinder, but rather support the development of a second language like English. It also ensures that the child has a larger vocabulary both in English and their native language as well.

By addressing common misconceptions and working on suggested techniques, parents can find new ways to engage and interact with their children, while working on their speech and communication skills.

Other topics that were covered in the workshop involve, What is speech, language and communication? The attention bucket method to build communication skills, The OWL method to build language skills, The importance of visuals in early development, and Commonly asked questions by parents about speech therapy. 

Additionally, do see the video of Ms. Afshan Jabeen, Counselling Psychologist and Dyslexia Therapist, of how to improve communication in children with special needs.

If you have questions about Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or other Intellectual Disabilities, or have concerns about developmental delays in a child, the Nayi Disha team is here to help. For any questions or queries, please contact our FREE Helpline at 844-844-8996. You can call or what’s app us. Our counsellors speak different languages including English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, and Bengali.

Disclaimer: Please note that this video is for information purposes only. Please consult a qualified health practitioner for proper guidance.