Author: Milestone team

This speech disorder is characterized by the child’s disability to convert thoughts, emotions and needs into words and sentences. A child with an AOS disorder knows what to say but has trouble moving the lips, jaw or tongue in the proper way to say it. At Milestone Therapy Group, we’re passionately driven to helping children affected by Apraxia of Speech (AOS) and other speech disorders through licensed and certified speech therapists with years of successful treatment experience. Here’s a short compilation of facts and practices that will help you understand the problem of Apraxia and take the right steps towards helping your child handle this speech disorder.

The signs

*Different pronunciation of the same word every time

*Shorter words spoken more clearly than longer ones

*Stress on the wrong syllable or word

*Distortion or change in sounds

*Delayed language ability

*Problems with reading, spelling & writing

*Difficulty with fine motor skills

The causes

Apraxia of Speech may have any of the following causes.

Brain injury: It may be the result of neurological conditions such as an injury, stroke or infections.

Genetic disorder: Apraxia may also result due to a genetic disorder, syndrome or metabolic condition.

Ways to help reduce Apraxia in children

*Use Alternative or Augmentative Communication (AAC)

One way to help your child improve consistency of communication is by using gestures, sign language, pictures or even a communication device. Helping your child find more means to communicate will bring down anxiety and frustration and improve the way he or she communicates.

*Turn your questions into comments

When a child finds it hard to speak or communicate, asking too many questions may feel demanding for the child and lead to anxiety and possibly, even a breakdown. One way to tackle this challenge is to turn your question into a comment. For example, instead of asking “What is that?” you could state “That is a dog” or instead of “What color is your shirt?” say “You’re wearing a green shirt today!”.

*Avoid the wrong times to communicate

Do not attempt to make your child communicate when he or she is in a tired or emotional state. At such times, use alternate ways of communication like gesturing to interact with your child, instead of making your child feel forced to speak.

*Get your child in a ready state to learn

You could help your child feel more excited or ready to learn new things by ensuring proper sleep, play and rest routines. Children feel calmer when they get used to routines that they like and so making learning feel like a part of an interesting routine will help your child approach communication with a more open attitude and a less anxious mind.

While the practices stated above may help bring about some degree of change or improvement, you would still need to visit a qualified and experienced speech therapy expert to help your child effectively and permanently overcome the problem of Apraxia of Speech. At Milestone Therapy Group, we came into existence with the sole purpose of helping children with AOS and other types of speech disorders find their path to normal and healthy childhoods. Our family of licensed and certified speech therapists has grown over the years and so has the number of children getting successfully treated under our caring and expert watch. Do feel free to book a consultation with us and let’s get started helping your child take those first steps towards speaking without challenges.

Stuttering is a common problem among young children who’re learning and developing their speech and language abilities. Children with this speech problem find it hard to speak smoothly in any kind of environment. The first signs of stuttering may appear when a child is about 18 – 24 months old and may either stop by the time the child reaches 5 years of age, or continue into adulthood. At Milestone Therapy Group, we’re committed to helping children affected by stuttering through licensed and certified speech therapists with considerable experience in handling a range of speech disabilities. Here’s a short compilation of facts and practices that will help you understand the problem of stuttering and take the right steps towards helping your child overcome this speech disorder.

The signs

*Difficulty saying a word, phrase or sentence

*Prolonging a word or sounds within a word

*Repetition of certain sounds, syllables or words

*Addition of words like ‘um’ in sentences

*Tension in the face or upper body while speaking

*Frequent blinking of eyes

*Lip tremors

*Jerking of head, clenching of the fists

The causes

Stuttering may be caused by any of the following factors:

Family history: A child who has a family member with a stuttering problem is likely to inherit the same abnormality.

Brain variations: Children who stutter may have slight differences in the way their brains function during speech.

Speech motor control abnormalities: Anomalies in speech motor control involving timing, sensory and motor coordination could be a factor too. Brain injury or disorders: Factors like a stroke, traumatic injury or disorders can cause the child’s speech to be slow, have pauses or repeated sounds.

Ways to help reduce your child’s stuttering

*Speak with your child at a slower than normal speed

When you speak slowly, your speech pattern will help your child to learn what a more fluent and smoother way of speaking sounds like. Another benefit is, your child will feel less rushed and realize he/she can take more time to respond which will help him/her be more fluent. 

*Lower the demands on your child

A child with a stuttering problem may feel stressed or anxious on being expected to answer too many questions. In fact, the pressure may actually end up worsening his or her stutter. A better strategy would be to allow your child to speak at his or her own pace. 

*Listen more to your child

Children who stutter feel a whole lot better knowing they have someone who cares and is around to patiently hear what they wish to say. Dedicating quality listening time for your child everyday can help make a significant difference in his or her speech attitude and ability.

*Be on your child’s side 

Children who stutter are sensitive to the comments that they hear, when struggling to get their words right. If you see your child stutter, show that you understand with a “That was a difficult word to say!” kind of comment or perhaps “Don’t worry, let’s try saying that again!” Positive verbal responses from you will impact the way your child deals with his or her speech issue. 

Please note, the above mentioned strategies are commonly recommended practices that may help you lessen the symptoms of stuttering in your child, but these cannot be counted on to deliver the efficacy and results that you could expect with a licensed and certified speech therapist. At Milestone Therapy Group, we came into existence with the sole purpose of helping children with stuttering and other types of speech disorders find their path to normal and healthy childhoods. Our family of licensed and certified speech therapists has grown over the years and so has the number of children getting successfully treated under our caring and expert watch. Do feel free to book a consultation with us and let’s get started helping your child take those first steps towards speaking without difficulties.