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Why Moo, Baa and La La La Matter (and crash, boom and bam too!)

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I commonly ask the following question when I enter a home for a new evaluation: “What animal sounds does Johnny make?” Or I might ask, “Does he make any car noises or crashing sounds?” Although I know why I ask those types of questions I recently put myself in the parents’ shoes. The parent who most likely doesn’t have a background in speech and language development and might wonder why on earth it matters if Johnny can say “moo” or “vroom”. After all, our goal is real words here, so what purpose does moo or baa (or la la la) have to do with his ability to talk?

 

Environmental sounds, as they are called in the child development world, matter. They are the first sounds that most children produce, long before true words. They are easier to say and offer children the opportunity for practice in producing sounds and combining them into syllables. Environmental sounds (animal sounds, car noises, crashing noises, etc.) are also how little ones let us know early on that they understand associations between objects/animals and the sounds they make. Also, environmental sounds are repetitive which make them easier for little ones to say. “Moo moo”, “neigh neigh”, “baa baa” are all single syllable, repetitive sounds.  Environmental sounds can be learned and practiced through PLAY; you model the sound for the child and they imitate it. Environmental sounds can also be learned and practiced through books.

 

Sometimes I work with kids who make no or very few environmental sounds. Because production of environmental sounds typically precludes word production I make the following suggestions to the family to encourage development of this skill:

 

  1. Work on the skill of imitation. Your child may not be quite ready for verbal imitation so work on imitating gestures instead. For example, if your child doesn’t imiate the “yuck” sound, stick out your tongue while you say it and they may stick their tongue out too. These gestures associated with sounds will bring about the verbal production sooner!
  2. Expose your child to a new experience related to environmental sounds. When a child can visit the cow on the farm or the lion at the zoo it allows them to make the connection between sound and animal more real and the boost in their receptive language results in more verbal expression. Or visit the construction site to hear the loud trucks and diggers, or take a walk outside and listen to the birds.
  3. Read books that have sounds in them that the child can imitate. When you read be silly, exaggerate the sounds, vary your pitch and volume to grab the child’s attention and make them feel more comfortable in attempting to imitate you.
  4. Reward your child’s attempts of saying any and all sounds. Praise, celebrate and recognize their attempts to make car, animal, and all environmental sounds. When they know they were heard and understood, kids feel more empowered to attempt more communication.

 

As I mentioned before, PLAY affords a child the best opportunity to learn what sounds animals, cars and other toys make. But books can also be an important tool in learning early communication skills. Here are some of my favorites for teaching imitative sounds:

 

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So now you know why those silly sounds are SO important.  Fun to say, even more fun to imitate, environmental sounds play a part in your child’s communication development!  Now that you know, you must feel empowered,  so go “moo, baa and la la la” with confidence! 🙂

 

 

 

BIG INSPIRATION IN A tiny PACKAGE- how a little girl with CAS taught me to believe and persevere.

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I received the phone call after recently rejoining the workforce from  maternity leave with my second child.  I remember exactly where I was when the service coordinator called to ask if I would consider joining the team of a  2 year old diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) whose parents are both special educators.  Whoa!  Talk about pressure!  The family was requesting me because of a recommendation they had received from another family I worked with whose son had CAS.  I had recently developed an interest in the speech disorder after serving two other children with suspected CAS.  I took a couple of courses and settled on a therapy kit to address CAS but like they say, “experience is the best teacher” and I wanted some of that.  So I agreed to be Camryn’s speech therapist, anxious to learn more about CAS through my treatment of her.  Although I didn’t know it at the time, Camryn would end up being  MUCH more to me than just experience.

I first met Camryn one Spring evening at her home.  She was a pint-sized toddler full of spunk and cheer.  Our first interactions let me know it was going to be a long road for her.  I explained to her parents that her speech therapy would be more like a marathon than a sprint.  They asked me questions like, “Will she ever talk ‘normal’?“ and “Will this be something she will struggle with for the rest of her life?”.  All valid, good ‘concerned parent’ questions, all of which I could not answer.  And so began my journey with Camryn, me teaching her-her inspiring me!

ASHA (American Speech-Language and Hearing Association) defines Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) as a motor speech disorder where children have difficulty saying sounds, syllables and words in the absence of muscle weakness or paralysis.  The brain has difficulty planning the movements required of the tongue, jaw, lips, etc. needed for speech production.  The child knows what they want to say but are unable to get their mouth to move in a way to produce the words.  These children require frequent, intensive speech therapy to improve and sometimes CAS co-occurs with feeding difficulties and/or cognitive delays/learning difficulties.  There is little data available reporting the prevelance and incidence of CAS however, some sources suggest that 1-10 in 1000 children have the disorder.

When I started with Camryn she could say /s/ and /ah /.  That was it.  Because of her sweet, laid back personality she wasn’t yet experiencing much frustration.  Plus her mom had been very proactive in teaching her sign language, which gave Camryn a way to express her immediate desires.  We started with 2 sessions per week and continued on with this schedule for a few years.  Her improvement was slow and steady with some bursts of progress here and there.  While me being there was important to guide her therapy along, the biggest job was left in the hands of her family.  I stressed to them that her progress would be hugely dependent upon them practicing with her EVERY single day.  Their dedication was obvious when I would come week to week and witness her saying new sounds and syllables with less effort.  Each sound, syllable and word Camryn said was earned.  Repetition, practice, dedication, perseverance and determination were required for her to do something the rest of us take for granted.  Camryn’s challenges were huge.  What I was asking her to do week to week in therapy was extremely difficult but she didn’t give up.  When I think of the challenges Camryn has faced over the years I am ashamed to think how quick I am to give up on much less challenging tasks.  She has never backed down, only risen up.  And her progress and successes are proof of that!

 

It’s been 5 years since I had the pleasure of meeting Camryn and her family. Today she is an aspiring gymnast who attends kindergarten, speaks in 5 word sentences, ask questions and carries on lengthy conversations.  She has inspired me and challenged me beyond my expectations.  She is my success story; my proof that hard work and a positive attitude can only lead to awesome achievements!  Camryn will go far in this world inspiring others to rise up to whatever challenge they may be facing.  I am proud of her, and her family!  And Camryn will forever remain one of the strongest, bravest, FIERCEST girls I know!

 

If you are concerned that your child, or a child you know, may have CAS, contact a speech-language pathologist to request an evaluation.  For more information on the disorder visit:  www.asha.org and www.apraxia-kids.org.