12 Tips for Speech Development for your Special Needs Child

By Susanna Di Castro Horn

I always say to every parent, “All children need to and want to communicate.” 

We, at the Doman International, have always believed that all sounds are speech. Since birth, babies begin to communicate through sounds, and these sounds develop into speech as babies grow. 

Children who are not able to communicate using speech will find other ways to communicate. Parents of these children try their best to understand them as much as they can.

Now, what can I say to parents so they are able better understand their child and consequently improve their language and communication?

Tip #1: Do not ignore your child’s sounds. 

The sounds they make is a way to communicate their needs, feelings and thoughts with you and therefore should not be ignored. Imagine talking to someone but not receiving any acknowledgement. It’s a rather discouraging, unpleasant feeling. You’re child is no different!

Tip #2: LISTEN carefully to your child’s sounds. 

Does your child repeat the same sound when they want water? And another sound when you ask them something like, “Do you want to go out?” or “Would you like to take a bath?” or “Do you want to call Grandma after this last patterning session?”
If  they have the same sound,  it probably means “Yes” (or No). That is a word and if you recognise it as a word, your child will have an easier time communicating with you. Listening carefully to your child is the first step to better understand their sounds and speech. Now they have two words - one for “water” and one for “yes” (or No). This is a big step for you and your child, since earlier YOU didn’t understand any of your child’s words, right?

Tip #3: Do not mimic the sounds they make.

Even if your child does not speak clearly, don’t repeat the sounds they make. For example, if your child is unable to say “water” and just says “wawa”, you shouldn’t repeat “wawa” after they say it. Your child is aware they aren’t saying it correctly! Just acknowledge and say, “OK, I am going to get you some water.” and respond appropriately.
If  they have the same sound,  it probably means “Yes” (or No). That is a word and if you recognize it as a word, your child will have an easier time communicating with you. Now they have two words - one for “water” and one for “yes” (or No). This is a big step for you and your child, since earlier YOU didn’t understand any of your child’s words, right?

Tip #4: Do not ask your child to repeat what you say.

If your child could say it, they would say it. Asking them to “repeat” what you say will only annoy them.

Tip #5: Give a meaning to your child’s sounds.

If they do not have clear words or even sounds they use with meaning, it is certainly helpful for you and your child if you decide a meaning to a particular sound. For example, every time they say, “bababa”, bring them a ball every time they say it. Eventually, they will associate their “bababa” sound with the ball and will deliberately begin to use it only if they want to play with the ball!

Tip #6: Focus on quantity over quality (for a change)! 

The words children say don’t need to be perfect. Perfection will come later when their breathing, coordination, and organization improve as a result of the different Doman Method™ programs they do. The most important thing first is to get them saying MANY words, then the quality of their speech will improve. This is why using the above tips to increase their number of words is so important!

Tip #7: Give your child choices.

For children who have a few words of speech, this is essential to help them with their language AND organization. If you ask your child, “What do you want to do next?” it is almost impossible for them to respond as there are too many options to choose from, especially if the child's thoughts are not organized enough. It is much easier to answer the question, “What do you want to do next, go to grandma or go to the park?” and then repeat “Grandma’s or the park?” - clear and easy!

Tip #8: Be patient and wait for your child to answer.

Give time to your child to process your questions! Responding to a question for many people is intuitive and does seem like an easy thing but it truly involves many steps, no matter how simple the question is.

• The question needs to reach the brain through the auditory pathway. For children who are sensitive to sounds, this process can be difficult for them. 

• Next comes choice. If a child is disorganized, it will take more time to choose an object or activity they want. Children with severe disorganization sometimes say the opposite of what they actually want to say.

• The choice they select needs to be delivered via speech. For this, the child needs to take a deeper, longer breath and coordinate breathing and sound that will come out of their mouth.

Now, this final step requires control of muscles to move their mouth and tongue to finally express their thought.

Tip #9: Songs, rhymes, and short poems are great tools.

These tools consist of patterns and rhythm which make it easier to memorize and make it more fun to reproduce vocally. This in turn takes away the pressure of speaking. This makes it easier for them to learn and say the words if they are exposed to these consistently and frequently. Decide on a song and sing it to your child. Once the child is familiar with the rhythm and words, sing the entire song except for the last word. Get your child to fill in this word. Once your child knows the song, they will definitely sing the last word of the lines if you allow them to fill in the silent space.

Rhymes and poems, like the songs, are fun and easy to memorize. Just like with the song, once your child knows a rhyme, you will start to drop the last word of the last line and wait for your child to either say the word or make a sound or say nothing. This will be your child’s choice.

Tip #10: Teach your child to read.

Teaching your child to read will make it easier for them to understand verbal language. We recommend that you give your child the opportunity to use their auditory pathway as well as their visual pathway to understand language. By doing this, we are expanding their ability to understand language through hearing and vision. Using the Doman Method reading program is optimal for teaching a kid with special needs to read.

Tip #11: Teach your child as many languages as possible.

Children are like sponges. They absorb everything in their environment. Glenn Doman said that children are geniuses when it comes to language. If you live in a house where more than one language is spoken, we absolutely recommend that you consistently speak to your child in those languages. They can understand and intuit language rules and will NOT get confused by them. In the case of children with neurological issues, you can give them the opportunity to choose the word in the language they find easier in that particular moment. For example, if your family speaks German, Italian, Spanish, and English, and your child wants to say grandmother, they can choose between grandma (English), nonna (Italian), abuela (Spanish), and oma (German) depending on what is easiest for your child to say in the moment, as your child does know that each of these words means ‘grandmother’

Tip #12: Have faith!

Believe in your child and their ability to understand and communicate with us and always encourage them.