01 Sep 😳 Is your child with Down Syndrome not yet saying words? 🤔Wondering what can you do to encourage your child with Down Syndrome to vocalise?
👧Children with Down syndrome often experience delays in speech and language skills due to a combination of genetic, anatomical, and cognitive factors. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21, and this can affect various aspects of development, including communication skills.
3 key factors contributing to speech and language delays in children with Down syndrome:
1. Children with Down syndrome typically have intellectual disabilities that can impact their ability to process and understand language.
2. Many children with Down syndrome have lower muscle tone and motor skill difficulties. These physical challenges can affect their ability to control the muscles needed for speech and language production.
3. Ear infections and hearing problems are more common in children with Down syndrome. Hearing difficulties can impede their ability to hear and differentiate speech sounds, which are crucial for language development.
Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists 🤓recommend the following strategies to promote speech and language skills in children with Down Syndrome:
1. Using Keyword Signs with each word to help little ones learn to put words for each action they take. For example, signing More, while saying more when teaching a child to request.
2. Turn Taking and Mirroring vocalisations to encourage your little one to copy your sounds. Make sure you copy the sound they make and then introduce to them a new sound, so they can learn to copy your sound.
3. Persistent and consistency is key to ensuring your little one learns to use the same word to request for the same item. For example, they sign and vocalise the word drink every time they want a drink.
If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language skills due to their low muscle tone, ring My Favourite Physio on (02)9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today!
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