What Is Scaffolding – How To Help Your Child Talk

“Scaffolding” is a word used by Speech Pathologists meaning the support that you give people to help them do a task successfully, particularly talking. In a building, construction has to happen in a particular order.  Scaffolding is used to be able to complete the job. All children need some support to learn to talk well, and we can do this by acknowledging what they say, and modelling a more correct...

My child is talking – what next to work on?

So you have worked really hard with your child and the talking is starting to happen for them.  They are saying words and putting them into short sentences. Your Speech Pathologist will most likely continue to work with you for some time to come.  We know that children with dyspraxia are at high risk for poor listening and remembering, following instructions and, later, literacy difficulties.  Children who are...

Drill works…just make it fun

There is no doubt that drilling over and over again works.  Research has proved it.  Making a child practise their talking really does help. By drill, I simply mean lots of repetition.  You absolutely need to practise whatever your speech pathologist has suggested. There are a few tricks to drilling when children have dyspraxia. Firstly, when children are really struggling with dyspraxia, you CAN attempt to say...

Can the brain fix itself?

Well, yes and no! When I was growing up, it was thought that if brain damage occurred (because brain cells called neurons died) then the damage was permanent because the brain could not heal. However, since at least the mid-20th century therapists have been working to help people with rehabilitation after some kind of brain trauma or damage. So, in effect, they were finding they could ‘repair’ some of...

Can dyspraxia be cured?

This is a good questions, and one that I am often asked. Some therapists say “No, someone with dyspraxia is always dyspraxic”. I actually believe that, in most cases, children with dyspraxia can be taught to talk so well that the dyspraxia is no longer apparent. If this isn’t a cure, then what is? One day recently I was asked this question by a mum who had been told this by another therapist. I...

Talking to children: Break it down – don’t dumb it down!

As a Speech Pathologist, I often see children who are not talking as well or as easily as they need to be for their age. Quite often, when I listen to the way parents are talking to their child, they are trying really hard to give them lots of language. They use full, complex sentences, often at a fairly rapid pace, and ask lots of questions.   And often these children have very good comprehension skills. However,...

Is there a ‘best’ way to talk to my child?

Yes, whether your child has dyspraxia or not, there are ways of talking to your child that will make the most of their potential to learn speech and language. And, especially if your child has dyspraxia it is important to talk to him or her in a way that is going to make it as easy as possible to learn to talk and to understand and remember. Talk to your child as often as possible, but keep your sentences short and...