Category: blog

While research continuously supports multi-language exposure for children, myths surrounding bilingualism remain. Increased working memory and cognition are among the many benefits of being a multi-language user. Fostering a home environment that includes all spoken languages of the family provides more opportunity for children to engage with their extended family. Speech-language pathologists must help children and families advocate for services that support bilingual intervention. Please visit the article by Farinam Pletka, MS, CCC-SLP in the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s Journal for more information on her experience as a bilingual SLP: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FPLP.26082021.64/full/

  Researchers from the University of Delaware conducted a study in which 48 participants completed a word-learning task in a resting and in an exercise condition. During the resting measure, children were taught the names of novel objects. After a three-minute task, they were tested on their ability to recognize the words. For children who engaged in a three-minute aerobic exercise (swimming,) results showed a 13% increase in ability to recognize vocabulary words compared to other groups. How can this information be helpful for us as speech pathologists? Incorporate some movement into therapy sessions! This can be completed through obstacle courses, jumping or dancing while incorporating vocabulary specific to the activity (e.g., twirl, spin, crawl, etc.) Pruitt, Madison; Morini, Giovanna

While research continuously supports multi-language exposure for children, myths surrounding bilingualism remain. Increased working memory and cognition are among the many benefits of being a multi-language user. Fostering a home environment that includes all spoken languages of the family provides more opportunity for children to engage with their extended family. Speech-language pathologists must help children and families advocate for services that support bilingual intervention. Please visit the article by Farinam Pletka, MS, CCC-SLP in the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s Journal for more information on her experience as a bilingual SLP: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FPLP.26082021.64/full/        

Many students are returning back to the classroom for the first time since the pandemic began! Students are likely experiencing a range of emotions, from excited to fearful. There are many ways you can help your child successfully return to in-person learning. Practice/role play potentially stressful social interactions (introduction to class, meeting a new teacher, reading aloud, speaking in front of the class, etc.) Remain positive! There are a lot of stressors with the return to school, but staying optimistic about the school year will increase their confidence in returning. Reviewing school expectations (raising hand, mask wearing, requesting permission to leave the room, etc.) Review your child’s supports in the classroom and stay connected with your child’s teachers and support

Children with learning differences might have difficulty following directions. Here are 10 tips to help you present information in a way that will help your child to listen to and understand directions: Don’t give directions until you have your child’s attention. You can move into your child’s line of sight, or ask for their visual attention directly. Be close to your child, rather than calling from across the room. Minimize distractions when you are giving instructions. Turn off the tv, or ask your child to put down their toy, book or tablet while you are speaking to them. Using a softer voice and a calm tone may help your child tune into what you are saying. Give age appropriate instructions.

If your child has speech, language or communication needs, starting school or changing to a new classroom/teacher can feel especially stressful. Here are a few strategies that can ease this transition:   Introduce school-related words. Words like cafeteria, auditorium, assembly, recess may be unfamiliar. Come up with a list of school-based words your child might encounter and talk to your child about what they mean. Pictures can help with understanding. Teach them to ask for help. Make sure your child has some useful phrases to ask for help: “I don’t understand”, “Can you repeat that?”, “I need some help”. Role-play some ways to talk to new friends. You can suggest some good phrases they might use to start conversations and

By middle school, the American Speech and Hearing Association reports that students with an IEP tend to have reduced or discontinued supports by high school. Advocacy for middle and high school students to continue receiving their speech and language supports is necessary in order to help prepare students for the post-high school. Teaching skills for post-high school transition success while the student is receiving services is essential for the best outcomes after graduation. For example, emphasizing role playing and problem solving through work place scenarios is recommended to introduce coping skills and guidance on inappropriate responses with co-workers. Self advocacy skills are necessary for success in the workplace and are important when asking for help with completing a task or

As students transition back to in-school or e-learning, appropriately supporting attention can be one of the best ways to facilitate early year learning. It has been said that children with attention challenges don’t just have difficulty paying attention. Rather, they have difficulty controlling their attention. Due to these challenges, an environment for managing must be modeled and made available in different settings.  ADDITUDE Magazine has listed a number of strategies parents and teachers can consider for better facilitating learning in the classroom for children with attention needs.  Consider a seating adjustment; keeping children with attention needs close to the teacher, away from doors, and far from windows is reported to minimize environmental distractions. Sandwich activities; alternating between high interest and non preferred

Children begin to develop skills through imitation in infancy. A research review, Leford & Windsor, 2020, outlines current intervention research for increasing imitation in children with disabilities. The research recommended the following:-Include support and rewards for planned, systematic, and frequent instruction and practice.-Start young and teach imitation to toddlers.-The instruction and practice should be based on functional learning and individualized goals.-Practice and teach imitation activities in different environments such as home, school, out in the community, etc. Here are some examples of imitation activities and games you can play with your child:-Encourage imitation in daily routines such as turning off the lights, filling the dog’s bowls with water and food, and cleaning the kitchen counter.-Play Simon Says or Follow the

What is a “Late Talker”?  This is a toddler who is late to start using words, but has typical development in other areas. These late talking children understand much of what is said to them, have good play skills and interact well socially.  Despite these typical skills, their expressive vocabulary is limited compared to other children their age. How do we decide if your late talking child needs some help?  Here’s what we know: —Certain factors make it more likely that a child will experience ongoing issues. If your Late Talker doesn’t use many sounds or gestures, or has difficulty understanding language,  they are at greater risk of having language delays that persist. —Family history can play a role.  Late