written by Julie A. Milian, Student Clinician, FIU

Language impairment affects many aspects of the person’s life. Communication is essential for learning, social interaction and for the ability to be independent. It is important to consult an SLP in order to understand the reason for your child’s language delay. However, the following are some good activities that will generally stimulate language.

•    Labial sounds /m, p, b/are a good start due to their increase visibility
o    mama, papa, bebe – reduplicate syllable
o    mami, papi, baby – variegated syllables

•    Increase the use of vowel sounds /a,e,i,o,u/ specially when there is an apraxic component
o    aqui, este, igual, otro, uno
o    ant, elephant, in, open, the cow says moo

•    Increase gestures for showing and requesting as a bridge to increase verbal language
o    Showing by pointing things on the environment like ball, book, puzzle, juice, cookie, etc.
o    Requesting by using the index finger to point to the palm of the opposite hand (here/aqui) or by raising a hand to the chest (give me/dame)

•    Greetings hand waving

•    Increase ability to follow directions with single commands as:o    Sit-down
o    Wash hands
o    Clean-up toys
o    Get your shoes

Don’t Forget

Always make eye contact when speaking to your child.

Verbal cues should also be reinforced in addition to hand gestures.