Foundations Of Good Speech Are Laid In Early Childhood

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 27, 1 December 1948, Page 3

Foundations Of Good Speech Are Laid In Early Childhood

(By the Department of Health) The foundations of good speech are laid in childhood. Many disorders of speech begin in infancy and toddling days, and are mostly preventable if parents know how to develop good speech in their children. Speech is a .matter of imitation. As the months go by, baby picks up and repeats single words he hears his parents use and he tries to imitate such words. It is most N important to speak clearly and distinctly in front of baby. The movements of muscles, jaws and tongue to shape sounds are many and complicated. Baby takes his own time to develop the correct co-ordina-tion. If parents speak too quickly the child tries to imitate, and the result is often a slurred and imperfect speech. There are particular errors beginning in infancy which are hard to cure later. Lisping and the failure to pronounce “R” correctly are common examples. Never correct directly such errors, or scbld the child. Help him overcome the defect by distinct speech yourself. He will imitate, Direct correction draws the child’s attention to any defect and makes him self-conscious about speech. The very stammer you want to avoid often develops as a result of direct attempts by parents \to correct speech errors. Constant nagging about speech errors may in time : cause stammering. If such a defect shows signs of developing, send the child to a speech clinic if there is one within reasonable distance. Not only will the' child be treated, but parents will be advised how to help in ' overcoming the defect. Any speech clinic will be glad to help with your problems of the child’s speech.