{"id":3049,"date":"2013-03-07T03:46:31","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T03:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=3049"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:28:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:28:20","slug":"speech-therapy-can-bring-siblings-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/speech-therapy-can-bring-siblings-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Speech Therapy to Bring Siblings Together"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_3052\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=3049\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3052\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3052 lazyload\" title=\"Long brothers run a triathalon \" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brothers-cerebral-palsy-triathlon-sports-illustrated-kids__oPt.jpg\" alt=\"Long brothers run a triathalon \" width=\"450\" height=\"691\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brothers-cerebral-palsy-triathlon-sports-illustrated-kids__oPt.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/brothers-cerebral-palsy-triathlon-sports-illustrated-kids__oPt-195x300.jpg 195w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 450px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 450\/691;\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3052\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: sikids.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Maybe by now you\u2019ve seen these brothers, Caden and Connor Long, named Sports Illustrated Kids of the year in 2012. What makes them so special is that sibling bond, even though Caden can\u2019t talk. Caden has cerebral palsy and despite <a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/parents\">speech-therapy,<\/a> struggles to communicate verbally. But what\u2019s a few words between siblings? To Connor and Caden, they have formed a bond in much more than spoken language. They don&#8217;t just bike, run marathons or play soccer. As a team, they complete\u00a0 triathlons together &#8211; with Connor pulling or pushing Caden through each event. While a communication impairment can be a struggle for families, it can also bring them together.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Sports Illustrated Kids 2012 SportsKids of the Year: Conner and Cayden Long (OFFICIAL)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b_Lax4zFFoA?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;playerapiid=ytplayer\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Challenges:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps your child has younger or older siblings. Challenges with communication disorders can be many, and can occur at any age including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Misunderstandings. Siblings can often feel frustrated that their sibling doesn\u2019t understand or communicate clearly.<\/li>\n<li>Jealousy. Though it can be hard to explain, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-disorders-2\/how-to-help-siblings-cope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">siblings of children with special needs can feel a lot of emotions<\/a> and left out with all the therapies, appointments and new special toys their sibling might need for therapy.<\/li>\n<li>Attention. Sharing a parent\u2019s attention can be hard, especially when children with communication needs require extra processing time or more feedback or praise from mom and dad.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But there are many ways to make siblings a part of speech therapy, by using opportunities for language learning, engagement and sibling companionship.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Give a Leadership Role:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Siblings, both older and younger, can all appreciate and feel proud of themselves for being a \u201cleader.\u201d If your other children struggles with any of the above challenges, try framing their role as a \u201cleader\u201d or \u201cteacher\u201d to their sibling and give them responsibilities too. A leader can show their sibling how to play a game first, give their sibling instructions, or model appropriate behavior.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Teach Siblings Alternative Modes of Communication:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For someone like Connor and Caden, nontraditional and augmentative means of communication will be important. While parents and teachers often learn to use pictures, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.signingsavvy.com\/blog\/106\/Teaching+Young+Children+to+Sign\">sign language<\/a> or communication devices, siblings tend to get overlooked. Instead, encourage your children to learn these new methods as well. Show them the sign language your other child is practicing and model the use of picture communication systems they can use as well.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3080\" style=\"width: 411px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/8506981459_a321654639.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3080 lazyload\" title=\"Older sibling reading to younger sibling\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/8506981459_a321654639.jpg\" alt=\"Older sibling reading to younger sibling\" width=\"401\" height=\"500\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/8506981459_a321654639.jpg 401w, https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/8506981459_a321654639-240x300.jpg 240w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 401px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 401\/500;\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3080\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: babble.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/nspt4kids.com\/therapy\/encouraging-siblings-to-help-with-speech-language-practice\/\">Encourage Positive Modes of Communication<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Reward and acknowledge your children\u2019s positive communication style with their sibling. Giving them credit for the small things will add up in the long run. For example, if you notice them giving instructions slowly, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ahaparenting.com\/_blog\/Parenting_Blog\/post\/What_To_Say_Instead_of_Praising\/\">give them positive feedback<\/a> such as, \u00a0\u201cI saw how you repeated your instructions and gave Johnnie lots of time to follow them, he really got it!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Make Language A Family Activity:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Turn Taking: Siblings can be the best therapy for a child with a communication disorder, they are a built in play partner. Try incorporating language-based games that encourage turn taking among siblings. These can be: Simon Says, I Spy, Mother May I? or traditional board games.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Reading: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/5-ipad-apps-for-kids-to-inspire-better-reading-skills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Incorporate reading into your family\u2019s routine<\/a> at bedtime or on a rainy Sunday. Reading is a great activity for siblings to share- one can practice reading, one can turn the pages. Both can listen to mommy or daddy and everyone can relax at once. Reading is a great opportunity to model language, ask questions, make predictions and learn new vocabulary.<\/p>\n    <span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"\">\n    <span class=\"hs-cta-node \" id=\"\">\n        <!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]-->\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/speechbuddy.com\/guides\/home-reinforcement\"  target=\"_blank\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img lazyload\" id=\"\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 655px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 655\/211;border-width:0px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/c78fe25c-44cd-4524-b653-8dbaf50c20f2.png\"  alt=\"Parents' Guide to Reinforcing Speech Therapy at Home\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/a>\n    <\/span>\n    <\/span>\n    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maybe by now you\u2019ve seen these brothers, Caden and Connor Long, named Sports Illustrated Kids of the year in 2012. What makes them so special is that sibling bond, even though Caden can\u2019t talk. Caden has cerebral palsy and despite speech-therapy, struggles to communicate verbally. But what\u2019s a few words between siblings? To Connor and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[102,5],"class_list":["post-3049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speech-therapy-techniques","tag-speech-disorders-affect-family","tag-speech-therapy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3049"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12296,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3049\/revisions\/12296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}