Page 128 - Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Bathtime 10

Speech and Language Session Focus

Imitation

To a parent, imita on is o en thought of as copying a body

movement or repea ng a phrase, “Say ______.” However, imita on is

a two‐way street. It is just as important for us to repeat what a child

says as it is for them to repeat what we say. This is their feedback to

know if they have successfully said or did what you asked of them. We
are familiar with all of the speech components involved in saying a

word. Proper volume, resonance (i.e., the use of the nose and the mouth), rhythm, and

intona on (i.e., raising and lowering your voice) all must be present along with the sounds
that make up the word. When all these aspects are present, we say that a child repeated a

word or imitated what we said correctly. Sharing the complexi es of oral speech is very

important for parents to know because they can s ll be working on suppor ng skills like

imita ng sounds or facial movements even though their child may not be speaking yet. This
way, parents and teachers celebrate small triumphs while s ll building a base for

communica on.

Bath me is a great opportunity to prac ce imita on It takes place in an acous cally

confined space and provides one‐on‐one me without other distrac ons. Songs can be used
during this rou ne to provide all the necessary aspects of speech without ge ng too

technical. Moreover, children love music and few things are more mo va onal.

Today’s Plan
Use the bath me rou ne to iden fy a child’s communica ve strengths. Use these as a

base to begin to build speech and to mo vate the parent.

Encourage the parent to:

 Use songs if a child is not speaking. Single sounds or single syllables could be out of
a child’s range for a star ng point.

 Sing or hum with a child during any daily ac vity.

 Use songs that contain linguis c concepts (e.g., “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Head,

Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”). Made‐up songs are great too!
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