Speech Therapy Surge: Mask Wearing
1. Loss of visual cues: Masks remove the ability to speech read and see facial expressions; both abilities augment communication.
2. Increased difficulty of verbal communication: Speaking and understanding language while wearing a mask can be hard for people with communication problems like aphasia and voice problems.
3. Babies are hard-wired to communicate. From day 1, they are watching their loved ones' faces and mouth movements. They are listening to them talk and making attempts to interact with their parents and caregivers. Babies and young children study faces intently, so the concern about solid masks covering the face is understandable.
4. Masks attenuate sound by three to twelve decibels and also result in low-pass filtering of high-frequency sounds. This can make it more difficult to understand speech and some higher-pitched voices.
Little Ones, Big Feelings: Developmental Tip!
Instead of saying: “Not right now. I can’t play with you all day. I have to take care of the house!” Try Saying: “You’d like to play cars together. That’s so fun, yes! When I finish folding these clothes in 10 minutes, we ca play. Can’t wait!”
St. Patty's Day Fun Crafts!
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