Let’s Talk About How SLPs Support Your Child’s Development
- Evan Hunter Blumenthal
- May 14
- 2 min read
May is National Speech Language Hearing Month - a time to raise awareness about communication differences and the impactful role speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play in helping children thrive.
SLPs are trained professionals who support development across many essential areas - language, social communication, articulation, fluency, and cognitive skills like problem solving and planning. Here’s a closer look at how SLPs can support your child’s growth.
Expressive Language: Helping Your Child Express Their Thoughts Clearly
An SLP can support your child in developing the building blocks of communication, including:
Labeling vocabulary
Using grammar and sentence structure accurately
Expanding phrase length
Describing and comparing/contrasting
Answering questions
Retelling stories
Using a variety of communicative intents (e.g., requesting, commenting, protesting, etc.)
Transferring thoughts into written language
Receptive Language: Understanding the World Around Them
SLPs also help individuals make sense of what they hear by strengthening:
Comprehension of words, phrases, & sentences
Understanding of basic concepts
Vocabulary identification
Story comprehension
Social Communication: Exploring Meaningful Connection
SLPs support social-emotional development by helping their clients:
Participate in identity exploration
Build self-advocacy skills
Identify and express emotions
Build meaningful relationships
Understanding multiple perspectives. When using a neurodiversity affirming approach, it’s important to remember that neurotypical perspectives and neurodivergent perspectives are equally valid. At Blume, we believe that perspective-taking goes both ways because social interaction is a two-way process. Stay tuned for a future blog post that dives deeper into this topic!
Articulation: Increasing Speech Clarity
Whether a child is mispronouncing sounds or speaking quickly, SLPs help increase clarity of communication by addressing:
Misarticulated or omitted sounds
Speech intelligibility
Rate and rhythm of speech
Fluency: Supporting Confident Speech
When individuals experience disruptions in speech flow, SLPs can support their clients by providing strategies for:
Sound/syllable repetitions (e.g., “s-s-s”)
Whole word repetitions (e.g., “my-my-my”)
Interjections (e.g., “the…like…dog”)
Revisions (e.g., “I was- I like the dog”)
Phrase repetitions (e.g., “I want…I want up”)
Managing unexpected pauses or blending or sounds
Speech that sounds rapid/unclear
Executive Functioning: Strengthening Cognitive Skills
SLPs also support cognitive-linguistic skills that are essential for learning and everyday activities, including:
Working memory
Self-monitoring
Problem solving and reasoning
Planning, organization, and time management
Task initiation and completion
AAC: Supporting All Methods of Communication
For kids and teens who are nonspeaking or minimally speaking, SLPs may introduce and support the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Some examples of AAC include: gestures, sign language, picture boards, speech generating devices (SGD), etc. AAC can open doors for individuals to express themselves, build meaningful relationships, and fully participate in their communities.
An SLP’s role in supporting AAC use includes:
Identifying the right AAC tools for a child’s needs
Educating clients and families how to use AAC effectively
Promoting AAC as a valid, empowering communication modality
Supporting language development through AAC use in daily life
From expressive language to executive functioning, our SLPs meet each client where they are with compassion, expertise, and an affirming lens. This National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, we celebrate the transformative impact SLPs have on the lives of kids, teens, and their families.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your child would benefit from speech and language support, reach out to our team at hello@blumekidstherapy.com to learn more!
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