Setting a Strong Foundation...Part I

When we begin a physical yoga practice, we start by learning the basics--optimal positioning of our body in various shapes to maintain healthy alignment and support growth toward more complex asana, or physical poses. Targeting speech and language development in young children is similar in that we need to establish some basic building blocks on which more complex language skills can develop. Providing speech therapy through the framework of yoga allows us to address important foundational skills like joint attention, play, turn-taking, breath support, vocabulary, motor speech, executive functions, socialization, and literacy.

Joint Attention. Joint attention refers to shared attention, such as that between a child and a caregiver, on an object or action. In its earliest stages, joint attention may be demonstrated via eye gaze. During play or yoga with your child, look for facial expressions such as smiling, gestures, or vocalizations that indicate the child wants an action to continue.

Play. Play is an important developmental skill and symbolic play (i.e. using objects to stand for other objects) is considered a stepping stone to the more complex symbolic function of language. It also provides opportunities for joint attention, socialization, practicing learned skills and routines, language comprehension, and problem solving. Popular approaches such as DIR Floortime (Developmental, Individual-differences, & Relationship-based models) and Hanen emphasize the benefit of play in early childhood development. Yoga for children can include making shapes based on animals--i.e. Baddha Konasana becomes Butterfly pose and Malasana becomes Frog pose--a great opportunity for a physical manifestation of imagination!

Turn-taking. The development of the skill of turn-taking is important not just for successful social interactions in games, but for the give-and-take of conversational exchanges. In very young children, we may see this type of reciprocity in vocalizing back and forth--i.e. Caregivers mimicking the vocalizations a baby makes and waiting expectantly for the baby to make them again. As children get older, we may see this reciprocity in songs that expect verbal or physical movement interactions with participants (i.e. “Hokey Pokey”).

Breath Support. There is a difference between speech and non-speech breathing. During speech, we use more conscious control and deeper inhales in order to produce a sentence without running out of air, and exert control over air pressure on the exhale to sustain phonation. In yoga, we develop attention to our breath as well as strengthening muscles to support posture for efficient breathing.

Thank you for reading! Check back soon for Part II, where we’ll dive into offering speech therapy through the framework of yoga to target the foundational skills of vocabulary, motor speech, executive functions, socialization, and literacy.

We’d love to hear your feedback! You can reach us at info@soundspeechtherapyandwellness.com

References:

Longtin, Susan E., and Jessica A. Fitzpatrick. Yoga for Speech-Language Development. London, UK and Phildadelphia, PA: Singing Dragon, 2017.