Speech directly related to a child’s screen time

By Peggy Revell on May 31, 2018.

prevell@medicinehatnews.com @MHNprevell

The best laid plans of parents often go awry — and such is often the case when it comes to screen time and children.

“There’s lots of research out there that shows the more screen time, the greater impact it has on (children’s) communication ability,” said Larissa Meyn, a speech-language pathologist with Medicine Hat’s Speech and Language Works.

Citing a study by the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada, Meyn says toddlers exposed to more handheld screen time were more likely to have delayed expressive language skills, and that for every 30-minute increase in daily handheld screen time, there was a 49 per cent increased risk of expressive language delay.

“That’s huge,” she said.

The Canadian Pediatric Society recommend no screen time for children under the age of two, and under one hour per day for children aged two to five.

That’s the ideal. But parenting doesn’t happen in ideal situations.

“Screen time comes in really handy when mom or dad needs to get things done,” said Meyn. “That’s the reality of a parent’s day.”

When it comes to speech development, it’s about trying to meet families where they’re at.

“It’s working with parents to find what works best for them,” she said. “What can you fit into your daily routine? A little bit can really make a huge difference for your child.

For example, if a child’s screen time is during dinner preparation, a parent could take a few minutes throughout meal preparation to just sit down with the child, engage and talk with them about what they’re watching.

“One way to make it the tool for learning good communication skills is to be actively involved with watching or playing,” she said, such as pausing the show to talk about what happened, or having back-and-forth conversations.

“The key is the back-and-forth,” Meyn said, and improving a child’s speech and communication skills in general.

To help with this, Meyn said adults can use “OWL” — Observe, Wait and Listen.

Observe means to give the child your full attention, she said, while “wait” means not just talking to them, but giving them space to respond and start talking with you.

Listening is about hearing what sort of message your child is sending — verbal or non-verbal —and using that as a cue for how to continue with the interaction.

Meyn recommended people visit hanen.org, as it’s a great resource with parent-friendly articles and advice.

“Technology is great,” said Meyn, despite some negatives with it. She and other speech-language pathologists often use it for therapy and as a supplemental tool. Augmentative assistive technology keeps improving as a way for children to improve their communication skills.

“Even this kind of technology has its limitations, and you have to be balanced,” she said. “Interaction is key.”

Today also wraps up Better Hearing and Speech Month, which ran throughout May, and was celebrated by local speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

21
-20

Comments are closed.