Category: blog

Do you yearn for your child to be more independent with everyday tasks of living? Teaching your child strategies to further develop their self-management skills will foster independence and help him/her build confidence and responsibility. Here are strategies that will teach your child the importance of managing their tasks, emotions, and time: Modeling Self-Management: Parents can model self-regulation by managing their own tasks, emotions, and time in a consistent manner Following Routines: Establishing routines and expectations helps children understand what is required of them and it creates structure for the child Teaching Problem-Solving: Encouraging children to make decisions and solve problems on their own helps them develop critical thinking skills and independence Practicing: Giving your kids age-appropriate tasks (making a

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used in new and exciting ways that are reaching the average person in a more personal way, now more than ever before. As such, it is not surprising that AI has begun to be used within the practice of speech and language pathology as well. Below are listed just some of the few ways that we will begin to see its use within our field. As practitioners it is our goal to use this technology for efficiency and to assist in accuracy. However, each therapist will have to be mindful that it is not a replacement for sound clinical judgement. Caregivers, clients, and therapists will have to partner together to make use of these new

  The Holiday Season offers our children a lot of wonderful opportunities to experience rich and meaningful language stimulation and even the possibilities of more time as a family to concentrate on spending quality time and engagement. However, for many families who have a child or children with communication challenges, there frequently can be unforeseen challenges as their routines can alter quite dramatically.  This is especially true for a large number of children who often struggle with coexisting executive functioning challenges.    Many children with communication disorders also have overlapping Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD, or may struggle with sensory overload. For these individuals, large crowds, loud sounds, and unfamiliar environments are difficult to manage and are overwhelming. These are

Winter Snowman Craft Materials: Construction paper in winter colors (blue, red, green, orange, black, etc.) Scissors Glue or tape Markers or crayons Cotton balls Small googly eyes Speech Therapy Targets: Articulation: Focus on speech sounds like “s,” “sh,” “ch,” “b,” “p,” and “m” that are common in winter vocabulary (snow, cold, snowman, mittens, boots, ice). Vocabulary: Seasonal vocabulary words (snow, cold, freeze, snowflake, mittens, scarf, hat, snowman, sleet). Sentence Structure: Create simple and complex sentences to describe the snowman (e.g., “The snowman has a red hat” or “The snowman is wearing a blue scarf”). Following Directions: Give step-by-step instructions to assemble the snowman (e.g., “Cut out two circles for the snowman’s body,” “Glue the buttons on the snowman”). How to:

  Does your child have a hard time planning and implementing a project? Sometimes even we, adults, have a hard time knowing how to plan, get started, and execute in an efficient way. From smaller projects, like completing a craft, a school essay, an oral presentation, or even cleaning one’s room — there is so much executive functioning that goes into being able to envision what you want the end result to look like, what the steps are to get there (and predicting how much time each step will take!), and what materials and resources you will need before you even get started! That is why Sarah Ward, a wonderful speech-language pathologist, based in New Jersey, created a great strategy for

  6-12 month+: Piggy Bank: https://a.co/d/cj4IcuR Sorting Shapes: https://a.co/d/c6aO5ej Buckle Toy: https://a.co/d/5bfqGQI Stacking Cups: https://a.co/d/9iDF3NZ Feed the Fish: https://a.co/d/ePFekzO Toddlers/Young: Sequence For Kids: https://a.co/d/5BxINjE Balloon Launcher: https://a.co/d/aZwHCiF Pretend Play Ice Cream: https://a.co/d/gGvhT5b Let’s Go Fishing: https://a.co/d/e8ZS2I2 Dino Launcher: https://a.co/d/6UfnrGD Zingo: https://a.co/d/eM0lS7P Sorting Baskets: https://a.co/d/2gOm1gu Frankie’s Food Truck: https://a.co/d/eTCPotp Elementary Aged: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: https://a.co/d/jjRz4bS Gravity Maze: https://a.co/d/hEl5To5 Kanoodle: https://a.co/d/5BmK1yP Code Names: https://a.co/d/69ieiNp Tetris: https://a.co/d/favJNuD Quick Pucks: https://a.co/d/d8jDnAn Traffic Jam: https://a.co/d/1VXnEf7 Connect Four *Spin: https://a.co/d/947j1Vo Left Center Right: https://a.co/d/caAetAB Teens: The Game of Things: https://a.co/d/21TA4BC What Do You Meme?: https://a.co/d/iJT3nAb Catan: https://a.co/d/fgVl4al Wordle Board Game: https://a.co/d/bmxKjas Mind the Gap: https://a.co/d/bFUG1nZ

    The leaves are falling! What a great time to read The Leaf Thief By Alice Hemming. Our friend squirrel goes on a fun adventure trying to find the leaf thief. Prior to reading the story, take the time to make predictions as to who the leaf thief is. While reading, use story clues to determine if you guessed correctly. This story is great to talk about prediction, story clues, inferencing, characters’ emotions, and sequencing of events.  You can also do a book walk through looking at the pictures or  words that your child might not know. Write the words down and create a picture or sentence association.  This will help your child recall the meaning of the word

Importance of a weekly routine: A weekly routine is crucial for child development as it provides a structured and predictable environment that helps children feel secure and understand what to expect each day. Consistent routines support the development of time management skills, helping children learn to anticipate and prepare for various activities, which fosters independence and confidence. Regular routines also contribute to emotional stability by reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of order. Additionally, routines can improve behavioral regulation by establishing clear expectations and patterns, making transitions smoother and minimizing conflicts. This does not mean that everyday has to look the exact same, that is not realistic.  Although routines might look different day to day, there are some aspects within

To promote better sleep for children, it’s important to create a calm bedtime environment and establish a consistent sleep routine. Use cues and routines to help your kiddos transition smoothly to bedtime. Additionally, allocate time for connection and conversation before sleep to foster a sense of security. Utilize these Donkey Hodie bedtime cards   to create a calm environment with your child before bedtime! Donkey Hodie Bedtime Cards Website: pbskids.org/donkeyhodie Produced By: Fred Rogers Productions

    Self talk is used to narrate your actions. It is a great strategy to increase your child’s exposure to new words. You can model self-talk when completing daily tasks around your baby or toddler. When narrating, think of your five senses (e.g., smell, touch, sight, taste, hearing) For example, if you are driving in the car with your child you can narrate what you are doing (e.g., turning the car on, putting your seatbelt on). You can also describe what you see while driving (e.g., a person crossing the street, the light is red).    Parallel talk is similar to self-talk, the only difference is you are narrating what your child is doing. This helps aid in vocabulary