Have you noticed that your child often breathes through their mouth, rests with their lips apart, or pushes their tongue against their teeth when swallowing? These patterns may be signs of an orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD). Orofacial myofunctional disorders affect how the muscles of the face, lips, tongue, and jaw work together during breathing, swallowing, chewing, and speaking. They can be associated with learned habits, structural differences, and other contributin

What Is Aphasia? Aphasia is a language disorder that can affect a person's ability to speak, understand language, read, and write. It occurs when areas of the brain responsible for language are damaged, often following a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumour (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], n.d.; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [NIDCD], n.d.). Aphasia can affect people in different ways. Some individuals may know

What Is Global Developmental Delay? Children develop at their own pace, but some may take longer than expected to reach important developmental milestones. When a young child experiences significant delays in two or more areas of development, they may be described as having global developmental delay (GDD). Global developmental delay typically refers to children under five years of age who experience delays across multiple developmental areas. Research estimates that GDD affe

Many parents wonder whether learning two languages could delay their child’s speech or language development. If your family speaks one language at home and your child is learning English at daycare or school, you may have questions about how to support their communication skills. The good news is that learning two languages does not cause a speech or language delay. Children can learn more than one language as they grow, and families do not need to stop speaking their home la

If your child has difficulty communicating using spoken words, you may have wondered whether introducing an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device could delay their speech development. The good news is that research does not show that AAC prevents children from developing spoken language. In fact, studies have found that some children develop more spoken language after AAC is introduced (Millar et al., 2006; Schlosser & Wendt, 2008). AAC provides children wit

Have you noticed that your child’s “S” sound sounds slushy, wet, or as though air is escaping from the sides of their mouth? This may be a sign of a lateral lisp, a type of speech sound error that can affect how clearly a child produces certain sounds. A lateral lisp occurs when air escapes over one or both sides of the tongue instead of flowing forward through the centre of the mouth. It most commonly affects the /s/ and /z/ sounds, giving them a distinctive slushy or wet qu

Have you noticed that your child says “thun” instead of “sun” or “thoo” instead of “zoo”? Your child may have a frontal lisp, a speech sound difficulty that affects how /s/ and /z/ are produced. Learning to produce speech sounds takes time, and some children benefit from extra support as their speech develops. In this article, we’ll explain what a frontal lisp is and share two activities you can try at home to support your child’s /s/ and /z/ sounds. If you have concerns abou

Repetition plays an important role in children's speech and language development. When children are learning new words, hearing a word just once may not be enough to understand what it means or how to use it. Hearing words repeated naturally during play, everyday routines, and storytime gives children more opportunities to connect words with their meanings. For parents looking to support their child's communication skills at home, repetition is a simple and effective strategy

Children develop communication skills through everyday interactions with the people around them. Playing with toys, getting dressed, eating a snack, or reading a book can all become opportunities to support speech and language development. Parents and caregivers do not need to set aside hours for structured activities to help their child communicate. Simple strategies, such as following your child’s interests, modelling language, and allowing extra time for a response, can ma

Following directions is an important language skill that helps children participate in everyday activities, learn new skills, and become more independent. Whether your child is getting ready for school, cleaning up toys, playing a game, or following instructions in the classroom, understanding and remembering directions plays an important role in their development. Some children can easily follow simple instructions but find it more difficult to remember directions that invol

Story retelling is an important language skill that helps children develop communication, comprehension, and early literacy skills. Whether your child is retelling a favourite story, describing an episode of a TV show, or sharing what happened at school, these activities help them learn to organize their thoughts and communicate information clearly. At Kurliand Speech Clinic in Vaughan, Ontario, we understand that language development involves more than learning new words. Ch

Children learn language through everyday interactions with the people around them. Listening to others speak, observing how words are used, and having opportunities to communicate all contribute to language development. Everyday activities, such as playing with toys, getting dressed, preparing meals, and reading books, provide valuable opportunities for children to hear and learn new words. Parents and caregivers can support their child’s language development by incorporating

Children develop communication skills at different rates. A late talker is a young child who is developing spoken language more slowly than expected for their age. The term is generally used to describe children under 3 years old who have delayed expressive language development (Fisher, 2017). Parents may wonder whether their toddler is simply developing at their own pace or whether a speech or language delay may be present. Understanding what a late talker is, what signs to

Social pragmatic communication refers to the skills children use to understand and participate in social interactions. These skills include using language appropriately, understanding what others mean, taking turns in conversation, interpreting nonverbal cues, and adjusting communication depending on the situation. Strong social communication skills help children connect with others, express their thoughts and needs, participate in conversations, build relationships, and navi

Have you noticed that your child knows what they want to say but has difficulty getting the words out clearly? If your child has difficulty producing certain sounds or words, especially when trying to say the same word more than once, you may have heard of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a neurological speech sound disorder that affects the brain’s ability to plan and program the precise movements needed for speech. CAS can make it difficult

Have you ever asked your child a simple question like “Who was at school today?”, “Where did you go?”, or “Why are you wearing a jacket?”, only to receive an unexpected answer, or no answer at all? WH-questions are an important part of everyday communication. They include who, what, where, when, why, and how questions. Children use these questions to talk about people, objects, places, events, time, reasons, and experiences. For some children, answering WH-questions can be ch

Have you noticed your child saying “fink” instead of “think,” “wabbit” instead of “rabbit,” or “wun” instead of “run”? If so, you may be wondering whether your child's speech sound development is on track. Learning to produce speech sounds is an important part of childhood speech development. Some sounds are easier for children to learn, while others require more precise and coordinated movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, and other structures involved in speech. Sounds such a

Hearing your child repeat sounds, words, or phrases can be concerning, especially if you are unsure why it is happening. Stuttering is a common speech difference that often begins during the preschool years, while children are developing their speech and language skills. For some children, stuttering is temporary, while for others it may continue over time. If your child is stuttering, understanding what is happening during moments of stuttering can help you know how to suppo

Reading comprehension is about much more than simply reading the words on a page. To understand a story or passage, children need to use language, background knowledge, reasoning, and higher-level thinking skills to make meaning from what they read. One important reading comprehension skill is inferencing. Making an inference means using clues from the text along with what we already know to understand information that the author does not state directly. For example, if a sto

For children who have difficulty communicating using speech alone, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can provide additional ways to express their wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings. AAC can be used alongside spoken language or as an alternative way to communicate. AAC includes a wide range of communication methods. Unaided AAC includes communication methods that do not require equipment, such as gestures, facial expressions, and manual signs. Aided AAC uses e