Sydney speech pathology researchers stress importance of reading to kids

7 January 2015

Researchers from the Kids Talk Lab at the University of Sydney encourage parents to give children books to help develop vital speech, language and communication skills.
Speech pathologist Dr Elise Baker said many parents worry about their children’s speech, but reading together is an easy and effective way to focus on improving speech and language skills.

University of Sydney Speech Pathology School
Study speech language pathology at Sydney Uni

“Reading together gives children the opportunity to hear speech sounds in words, to talk about new words and meanings and to have conversations about ideas, feelings and events—all of which are critical to communication development,” said Dr Baker.
Dr Baker and Dr Natalie Munro from the University of Sydney Speech Pathology School studied book reading interactions between parents and children and found the way parents read with their children was the most important factor influencing the development of speech and language skills.
“It’s not about the quantity of books read, but about the quality of the interaction,” said Dr Munro. “It’s the conversation that happens between the pages of the book that turns book reading into a real learning experience.”
Expert tips on using story time to develop children’s speech and language skills:
1. Spend quality time reading with your children
It takes time to read with your kids. Parents shouldn’t rush through the book from front to back, you need to give children the chance to make comments about what they see and think.
2. Encourage interaction
If your child points to the text, read the word aloud and talk about the letter sounds that make up the word.
3. Stop and summarise
Define any new words that your child may be unfamiliar with and check in to see how much your child understands.
4. Ask good questions
Open-ended questions are a great way to actively engage children. Begin with simple questions like “what’s happening here?” or “what can you see?” and then move onto more challenging ones like “what do you think will happen next?”.
5. Choose books that focus on your kids’ problem areas
If your child is having difficulty pronouncing the “k” sound and says “tar” or “dar” for the word “car,” read loads of books about cars, cows, castles, kings or kangaroos.
“With so many children’s books on the market it can be hard to know what to choose, but the best book is the one that is read together,” said Dr Baker.

University of Sydney Speech Pathology School

In common with other departments at the University of Sydney, the discipline of speech pathology promotes students’ development of generic  communication and teamwork skills, as well as discipline-specific knowledge and skills. The course is designed to promote self-direction and encourages the graduates to have a sense of their own individuality and creativity. The university offers a two-year, graduate-entry Master of Speech Language Pathology program. It is intended for students coming from an undergraduate degree in any field, who wish to gain the requirements to become a speech pathologist.
Program: Master of Speech Language Pathology
Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Semester intake: March each year
Duration: 2 years

Apply to the University of Sydney Speech Pathology School!

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Are you wondering about speech pathology programs in Australia? Contact OzTREKK’s Australian Speech Pathology Schools Admissions Officer Jaime Notman at jaime@oztrekk.com, or phone Sarah toll free at 1-866-698-7355 for more information.

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