While you may find your four-year-old son’s lisp endearing, chances are a kindergarten admissions interviewer may not.
Below are general articulation / speech-skill questions New York City private school admissions professionals may consider in your pre-kindergartener:
- Is your child’s overall articulation intelligible?
Be aware, it could be difficult for a parent to answer this question. As some parents don’t hear articulation errors in their own children, it would be best to check-in with an unbiased professional such as your child’s teacher, preschool director or pediatrician.
- Are the sounds your child has difficulty pronouncing age-appropriate?
While you may feel your child speaks similarly to his peers, it would best for a speech therapist to make this determination.
- Does your child engage in play with his lips closed? Does he drool or have wet-sounding speech?
- Does your child’s tongue remain primarily behind the lips while speaking, during play, and table-top activities? Does his tongue hang out of his mouth?
Your child has important things to say! Make sure he can say them with clarity. Good luck!
If you have concerns about your child’s articulation skills, it may be beneficial to contact a speech-language therapist. Stephanie Sigal M.A., CCC-SLP provides speech therapy to children in their Upper East Side Manhattan homes. Stephanie can be contacted at sayandplay@yahoo.com.