One of my favorite tools to use during speech therapy sessions is the iPad. There are many apps that can emphasize the activities we do during a particular session. However, the majority of the session is spent interacting with the child through good old fashioned play. We play with toys, sing songs, talk, blow bubbles. The list goes on and on.
One thing I find fascinating is how a 2 year old can work a tablet or smartphone. Sometimes I think the toddler can make it work better than I can! It’s also a little disturbing because some children use technology devices more than interacting with parents, other children, friends, etc. Keep in mind that the more time a child interacts with another person the more he or she builds his or her communication skills.
A new survey of U.S. parents commissioned by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) published their results and found significant percentages reporting technology use by children ages 0-8. More than half of the parents surveyed were also concerned with the negative impacts of technology use and its impact on communication as well. You can read more about the survey results here: New ASHA Survey of U.S. Parents: Significant Percentages Report That Very Young Children Are Using Technology.
While technology does have its time and place, try to limit technology use to a few minutes per day. Turn off access to tablets, computers, phones, and televisions, and interact with your little ones. Read to your child, play with your child, talk to your child, go outside and talk a walk with your child. Make it fun and interactive. This is how your young child learns to talk and communicate. Plus you get to spend that important one on one time with your child. They’re only little for a very short time, so enjoy it while you can!
To learn how you can help your toddler talk and communicate faster, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Todders - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.
One thing I find fascinating is how a 2 year old can work a tablet or smartphone. Sometimes I think the toddler can make it work better than I can! It’s also a little disturbing because some children use technology devices more than interacting with parents, other children, friends, etc. Keep in mind that the more time a child interacts with another person the more he or she builds his or her communication skills.
A new survey of U.S. parents commissioned by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) published their results and found significant percentages reporting technology use by children ages 0-8. More than half of the parents surveyed were also concerned with the negative impacts of technology use and its impact on communication as well. You can read more about the survey results here: New ASHA Survey of U.S. Parents: Significant Percentages Report That Very Young Children Are Using Technology.
While technology does have its time and place, try to limit technology use to a few minutes per day. Turn off access to tablets, computers, phones, and televisions, and interact with your little ones. Read to your child, play with your child, talk to your child, go outside and talk a walk with your child. Make it fun and interactive. This is how your young child learns to talk and communicate. Plus you get to spend that important one on one time with your child. They’re only little for a very short time, so enjoy it while you can!
To learn how you can help your toddler talk and communicate faster, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Todders - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.
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