Introduction to the sounds

When I first started my speech therapy lessons with my teacher I really wondered what she would teach a 1 yr old child who was soundless and speechless for so long.I was not too sure as to what she planned for me.It was a small group of 3-4 children is various age groups and I honestly doubted her.Little did I realise that it was an introduction to the classes to come.She wanted me to get used to her firm ways and understand her interaction with the children.

She told me about how the child had missed out 1 full year and she had no idea of the things around her.She knows things visually and had no idea of the name of the things.We do things and we think of everything in language.It is the most important part of the human beings.Language development is a very intellectual activity of the brain and all human beings are designed to function with it.It is so important as even to think we need language, to recollect ,to store in a memory we need language and if we don't have language of things around us ,they just seem to happen in front of us and they pass away as the moments go by. We can never describe it to anybody and nobody will understand with out the proper use of language.Also it has a system.we just cannot use words, we need to form grammatically correct sentences for others to understand .So it is important that speech therapy is conducted and it has to be done systematically.
I feel as the child has lost out time , we need to introduce her to the language the moment the hearing aids are put.It is essential the the child should were hearing aids 1st thing in the morning and wear it the entire day and should be removed the last thing at night.The moment the aids are on start to talk about things around you but it also has to be age appropriate.Most audiologist will say talk something interesting or talk lots.The question by most mothers is TALK WHAT?
Well the answer is talk of things around you.I remember talking all the time to my girl of everything around.I would wake her up and say very pleasantly of how the sun was out and it was time to wake up.We would talk about how she slept through the night and then she would freshen up , milk time, potty time and kept nothing in mind but I just used a lot of facial expression and my voice had to have that excitement to excite her to listen to me.I needed to draw her attention and only way of doing it was by talking in a way that would make her interested.We too would listen to a person who talks well with a certain expression and really ignore a person who is just droning off.For the child everything is new and for us it is boring and experienced but once we realise that the child has never felt and seen these things, we can go down to their level and feel the same excitement.Automatically thing will start flowing.We need to excite ourselves and see things from their angle and surely nothing is boring.
Secondly we were introduced to 2 very important words my ma'am.......LISTEN and LOOK. It is so important that the child learns these two words. They help in drawing the child's attention and their reflexes also sharpen up.This a tried and tested experience and I feel I owe a lot of my girl's learning to these 2 words.I would hold her in my arms and show her things.Being close to me I was sure I had her full attention and with my other hand I pointed out at things to associate sound with the action.eg,"Baby look"[ pointing out at an object-she would look there immediately] "look there , a cat is climbing the tree"I would let her soak it in."did you see?O look that cat, it climbing up slowly, up up the tree."the whole time trying to enact out the climbing and using a lot expression and using the appropriate intonation depicting excitement.She would love to listen and get so excited.Or"look baby, look at these flowers,so beautiful."Slowly she and i got so good with this that whenever I point anywhere and say look she leaves everything and looks there.If she did not listen to me I would tell her "Listen, I am talking to you"It takes a while but believe me it really works.I will expand on this more in the next post.

Mindset

Today ma'm was pretty upset as the new moms were not following what she has been telling them for so long.It is sad , as a little firmness in tone does make all the difference in the child's attitude.We learn to pamper our kids so much fearing that they already have a deficiency , so we must not hurt them more.It is true that this attitude really handicaps the child.That firm tone and the sharp tone, the expressions in my voice has made my girl very expressive and has learnt to react accordingly.The child should with the tone and expression and intonation know the meaning and feel of the topic.Slowly he\she learns to understand the words that fill the sentence.
Ma'm by being does never mean hit the child or punish him.It is to show the disapproval.Chlidren react to mom's expressions the most, they want to always please her.It takes a while to get that message across to the child that he has to listen , but once it goes through , the child gets into that mind frame of learning.As a mom I too hated initially to correct the POOR child, hurt her, not to cajole her all the the time, but now I am realising the its benefits. My girl reacts to everything faster and does have a right frame of mind to learn.She realises the importance of my corrections.It takes , to my experience about 1 yr for the child to get the message that mom means business and she follows just about any instruction that I give her.Every body in my family says that she only listens to me , but has anybody made that effort for her to listen to them?It was very difficult for them to be firm.I am her mom, imagine how tough it must have been for me.But today I am happy.I thank my mom for this .She too was a tough mom and so it made me a good and strong person.I got the right values.I love my girl immensely and being firm and a disciplinarian does not make me love her any less.Today because of my strict nature she has reached ahead when she can integrate into normal atmosphere.Because I love her , I am strict with her.A strict teacher in school has the best results from her students.So go ahead if you love your child for his\her sake be firm and ask for results.Push her to perform and never be satisfied with anything less.