Down Syndrome Cork Speech and Language Therapy Service
For those families that are interested in availing of speech and language therapy for their child, please contact the office for details on 021 4300444.
SLT Tip of the Month
Parents often ask for ideas for gifts that will encourage Speech & Language Skill development. The following ideas may be useful:
Birth to three
Books with plastic or cardboard pages and simple pictures. These books are especially useful if they are small in size so your child can manipulate the book. Music is always good for speech and language development. Stacking toys like blocks and cups. Different sizes develop different skills.
Three to six
Books with a simple story. Character books like Bob the Builder or Peppa Pig are recommended if your child has a particular interest in them. Cardboard books are useful at this age to help your child turn the pages and manipulate the book alone. Books with moving parts like flaps encourage exploration of the book.
Pretend play sets like a zoo with animals, a ship with figures or a doll’s house are excellent for developing play and for encouraging naming of the figures and the movements during play.
Paper, crayons, markers, paint for drawing alone or with someone older. So much can be done with drawing and colouring such as taking turns or drawing a person, a face or simple animals.
Seven to twelve
Books again! Your local bookshop is a good source for recommendations.
Board games develop a variety of skills and encourage social skills development. Common board games and simple card games also give children common experiences. Arts and crafts can be more complex with children this age. The internet is a good source for crafts to make using simple materials.
Teen years
Music and film are common interests at this age.
The gift of a shared experience like going out for a walk together or for a meal or a drink at a cafe can be excellent. Take photos of the experience and print them out and make a memory book to help with speech and language development.
Adulthood
A bound journal, a diary for writing in or a photo album makes an excellent gift. This book can be filled with written information or paste in mementos from outings. Photos can be included. Write in a few sentences to talk about who is in the photo, where the photo was taken, what happened as well as what was special about the event.
