Unique Challenges Of Helping Your Child With Speech Delays While Living Abroad

WRITTEN BY RUSSEL MICHELSON

Helping your child overcome delayed speech is challenging enough when you’re living in a familiar environment. Those problems can become compounded when you move to a foreign location. As the parent, it is up to you to identify potential hurdles and ensure that your child continues getting the help they need. Just as your Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) has likely explained, consistent practice is the key to successful speech therapy. Keeping up with treatment is possibly one of the issues you’re facing in a new place. However, signing your child up for online sessions can help them connect with a familiar face and continue practicing their newly acquired skills.

Considering that your child struggles with speaking at home, exposure to an additional language may add to the difficulty. The child may grow frustrated with the new and unknown terms and words. Don’t let that worry you because research shows that being bilingual or multilingual is good for a young developing mind. Hearing multiple languages isn’t necessarily a problem for many children with speech delays. Trying to learn a new language outside the home, like in school or daycare, could be a welcome boost. The variety of sounds and situations leads, in some cases, to improved cognitive and problem-solving skills.

Kids learn quickly when their parents help with reading, singing, reciting poems, and providing lots of love and positive encouragement. Make the learning experience fun and exciting by getting the entire family to join in the exercise of picking up a new language. Get a friend to guide you through kid-friendly activities like going to the park or buying a sweet treat while demonstrating native pronunciation, diction, and vocabulary. Be open about how tricky language can be for adults. Laugh at your own mistakes to convey that it’s okay to take your time learning new skills. Involve the family in practicing at home and sharing tips they might pick up from social interactions at work or school.

Parents are typically worried about their kids going to school in a new city where most other children speak an entirely different language. Experts suggest that young children are more flexible in adapting to a new environment because they haven’t developed complex social preconceptions like adults. Children are also more receptive to a foreign language since they have yet to form permanent connections between words, sounds, and the context in which they are expressed.

You might find that your kids are more adept at picking up new terms and the local language by interacting with peer groups. Don’t be surprised if a couple of the other kids take your child under their wing to show them around and help them adjust. Impromptu lessons in pronunciation and the correct usage of new words could help your child progress quickly.

holidays, unfamiliar music and songs, and folk tales is more challenging for a child with speech delays. As parents, you can help in the transition process by being more accepting when your child wants to celebrate festivals and holidays they learn about in school. Kids will also likely want to follow local customs, dressing styles, and food habits similar to their friends simply to fit in with their peers. Encourage their interests and follow cues to have cultural experiences that help expand their exposure to words, sentences, and pronunciations.

Practicing as a family helps a child get through hesitation and nervousness. Remember that being unable to speak and understand an additional language can affect anyone’s self-confidence, but it can

hit especially hard for children with speech and language delays. An SLP specializing in your new host country’s language could provide valuable insights for the whole family. Aside from textbook words and phrases, you’ll learn local terminology and slang. When you’re working with your child, don’t overlook this information that can help them settle in the new environment.

Relocating to a foreign country, building a new life, and perhaps, transitioning into a new career is also stressful for the adults in the family. Alongside your kids, you are also re-establishing your identity and a sense of purpose while making friends and learning about the nuances of how your adopted city works. Recognize the signs of anxiety as each family member struggles to cope in whatever role they play. Remember that kids can sense when parents are uneasy and stressed even if they do not openly express their feelings.

Regroup at the end of each day over dinner, share your experiences, the situations you encountered, and how you overcame them. Talk about your feelings and how the transition is tough. This simple exercise helps in more ways than one. Your kids will get an opportunity to talk about the things that scare them. At the same time, they’ll practice their speech skills when recounting their activities all through the day. Most importantly, kids understand that it’s okay to feel nervous in a new place. Help them build their self-esteem, which is a valuable first step in overcoming speech delays.

Adjusting to a new country does not have to be harder for a child with speech delays. Lots of practice and encouragement can smoothen the process for the entire family. However, do understand that coping with a new, unfamiliar environment can be tough for any child. Expect that they may lose some of the progress they’ve made so far. Accept it as a part of the adjustment period, and continue with the speech sessions. Focus on the positives of the relocation and take advantage of the exposure to a new language to improve your child’s skills.