How can I help my older child's language development?

Imagine for a moment that you are trying to learn a 2nd language.  You are required to learn new vocabulary, grammar, & understand others’ speech like a native.  Sound a little overwhelming?  For a child with a language disorder, learning a 1st language is just as hard for them as learning a 2nd language would be for you.  In order for them to be successful, it takes patience, and frequent & consistent practice.  If your therapist sends home worksheets, do them!  Also make it a priority to regularly do the following tasks with your child.

Older children with language disorders typically need a lot of help with reading comprehension and story telling skills.  You can help improve these areas by consistently reading with your child.  Read both simple picture books and grade-level material.  When reading with your child, do the following to help improve language& literacy skills:

• Ask your child to summarize or retell the story. This can be done at the end of a picture book, or at the end of a chapter in a chapter book.  Help your child correctly sequence the events of the story, teach them to provide necessary background information for the story, help them describe the characters’ actions and feelings, and help them understand cause & effect.
• Explain unfamiliar vocabulary. When your child comes to a word that they don’t know, encourage them to figure out the meaning of the word from the context of the sentence.  If they still struggle, provide the definition of the word and give an example.
• Explain figurative language or “figures of speech.” Children with language disorders have a very difficult time understanding non-literal language.  As your child reads, you will need to explain what various figures of speech mean.  For example, if a character states, “I’m so down in the dumps,” your child may need you to explain that this means the character is sad, and that he is not literally sitting in a dumpster. 
• Encourage your child to make predictions. Periodically stop reading and ask your child to predict what will happen next.  Ask them to explain how they came to that conclusion.  This will help them learn to make inferences based on what they already know.
• . Ask your child to guess what a character is feeling & why the character is feeling that way. Children with language disorders often have a difficult time understanding what other people are thinking and feeling. Helping your child understand what a character is feeling and why will improve their reading comprehension and their social skills.
• Ask your child questions about the story and encourage them to ask you questions as well to help improve comprehension and expressive language.

Children with language disorders often have trouble telling stories.  You can help your child develop this skill by encouraging them to tell stories.  These stories can be either real-life events or make-believe.  Help your child tell these stories in chronological order.  Ask them to tell you what happened first, next, & last.  If there is a conflict in the story, ask them to identify it and provide ideas on how to solve the problem.  Teach your child to provide proper background information so that their stories are easily understood by others.  You can also encourage your child to create their own book by writing and illustrating their story.

Children with language disorders often have a difficult time describing objects.  You can help your child develop this skill by playing I Spy with your child to encourage the use of descriptive words.  Begin with one or two attributes, and then add complexity as your child improves.  For example, you could identify a ball by saying, “I spy something blue.”  Eventually, you could say, “I spy something that is round, and blue, and smooth.  You can roll it and throw it.”  When it is your child’s turn to spy an object, encourage them to use as many descriptive words as possible.

Children with language disorders often have a hard time interpreting non-verbal language, such as gestures, facial expressions, and emotions.  One way to help your child develop this skill is by watching videos.  Pick an age-appropriate movie or TV show that your child enjoys watching.  The show can be either animated or real-life.  Once a character displays some kind of emotion, pause the video and discuss it with your child.  Encourage your child to identify the character’s emotion.  Ask them to explain how they know what the character is feeling.  What does the character’s facial expression and posture tell you about their feelings?  Then, ask your child to predict what they think will happen next based on what they already know.  This activity can be done with nearly any video clip.  If you need inspiration, YouTube is a great resource for short video clips.  As always, make it fun!