Child with speech delay concerns

[MissBittny]

Hello Everyone,
i am a first year infant/toddler teacher and am looking for advice on how to help a child that may have speech delays. He also does not seem to engage in activities as well as his classmates. Mom is concerned and has appleied for some local programs. My ? is what are some activities or tricks that will help him either in the classroom or on home visits?
Thanks for your time:)

[Boxcar]

How old is this child? Some infants/toddlers do not talk as much as others. Like walking, speech is a milestone that covers a wide range.

Does this child hear well? This is one of the first things to check. Hearing can greatly impact a child's abiltiy to behave, speak, and interact.

Next, look at the child's behaviors. Is the child shy or cautious? Some children take awhile to warm up. Does your room have a set routine, predictable participants present, and calm areas? It is something to consider, however I doubt it is the case in this situation. If the parent is noticing things at home as well, it is not typically an adjustment issue involving a new/differnet enviroment.

Ask yourself if the child gets frustrated due to lack of verbal skills. All children under 2 or 3 have tantrums/bite/hit because they cannot express what they want. However, does this child seem to be struggling to an extra degree? Or is the child just not bothered by his delays?

As for the child's play, does he play alone or does he engage in on-looker play? Both of these are acceptable behaviors for a infant/toddler.

To help the child work on using words, I'd do some things. I'd select several simple phrases to work on. These might be "want", "like", and "play". The child can use these verbs along iwth gestures to begin communicating. Children generally start speaking in one word blurbs and move to telegraph sentances before they can express a full thought. If you choose the words to help teach and use them regularly, the child will begin to mimic you at a basic level. I'd also read and sing to the child as much as I can. The child needs to hear language in different forms and see the usefulness of it. You can't force a child to speak, but you can certainly make him feel motivated to try.

[dangercat]

I would suggest that you look up the standards for where the child should be at for speech. If the child does appear to be behind contacting a speech pathologist or if you have one your local AEA. They can determine better if there is a problem with speech pattern development.