Category: blog

Echolalia occurs when a child repeats what he/she hears either immediately after hearing the utterance (immediate echolalia) or hours to days after hearing the utterance (delayed echolalia). Echolalia can at times be self-stimulatory. The child may repeat lines from or his favorite movie or even repeat a conversation he/she heard. For example, during dinner time the child may say, “To infinity and beyond!” The child may do this to self-calm or for self-stimulation as the utterance is not related to the situational context; However, echolalia can also be communicative or functional in nature, in which the child repeats something he/she has heard in the past for a specific communicative purpose such as requesting or commenting. For example, when a child sees his/her parent take

Prepare: As the new school year is right around the corner, you can help your child prepare for what to expect. How? Write a social story about your child’s new school schedule. Add pictures that reflect your child’s day at school (riding the bus, eating lunch, going to recess, speech therapy, etc.) Read numerous times before they begin school. If you don’t have materials to make a social story, talk about what to expect at school, who your child might see at school, etc. (Make it positive) Contact and Communicate: Contact the teacher and speech pathologist working with your child this year. If your child’s speech pathologist at school has not yet contacted you, reach out and ask for your child’s

  Dyslexia is one of the most common language-based disabilities that affects approximately 20% of the world’s population. It is the most common cause of reading, writing, and spelling difficulties. Many people have heard of dyslexia, but there are myths and confusion about what it is. Dyslexia is NOT: -Seeing letters or words backwards -Having a low IQ -Caused by poor eyesight or hearing problems -Caused by laziness or lack of effort Dyslexia IS: -A language-based learning disability -Neurological in origin -Difficulty with processing and manipulating

  During the early years (0-5, children learn language naturally through their environment by participating in back and forth interactions with the adults in their lives. Here are ways to encourage language development: Spend time face-to-face: Sit with your child at their level when communicating with them. This encourages eye contact, developing an understanding of facial expressions, and aids in learning how to produce sounds. Simplify what you say: Keep sentences short. For example, instead of saying, “Let’s go outside and play in the pool because it’s a hot day,” you could say, “Let’ go swim. It’s hot!”. Emphasize key words when reading: To highlight the most important informant, use increased volume and intonation. Use repetition: Your child needs to

  Aided Language Stimulation (ALS) is an evidence based strategy for teaching an AAC user about their system and how to use it. ALS provided a visual model for communication using the AAC system. Here are some simple steps to use this strategy: Select an interactive activity or routine that brings joy to your child. For example, your child may love books, music, swinging, or PlayDoh. Provided repeated exposure to words that are meaningful to your child. For example, if your child enjoys swinging you could provide ALS and model words such as ‘push’, ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘stop’ and ‘swing’. While you say the word, model the word on their device as well. Don’t expect your child to use the word

Every May, organizations all over the country join the American Speech-Hearing Association (ASHA) to promote Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM). BHSM’s purpose is to help increase awareness of communication disorders and available treatment options. ● Nearly 1 in 12 (7.7 percent) U.S. children ages 3-17 has had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing in the past 12 months. ● The prevalence of voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorders is highest among children ages 3-6 (11.0 percent), compared to children ages 7-10 (9.3 percent), and children ages 11-17 (4.9 percent).1 ● By the first grade, roughly 5% of children have noticeable speech disorders.2 ● More than 3 million Americans stutter.2 ● 6–8 million Americans have some form

Significant speech and language delays are directly related to developmental or medical issues. Sometimes people make assumptions about speech and language development or think that other factors are the reason for the delays: -Individual developmental variation: While there is variability in acquisition of speech and language milestones, don’t assume that delays in talking are the result of normal developmental differences between children. Research indicates that approximately 40-50% of children who are late to talk (who have typical skills in other areas) do not catch up on their own. While some children learn and use new words faster than others do, if your child is not saying their first words by 15 months, or can say fewer than 50 words by

A study by researchers at the Yale Child Study Center shows that puppets can attract and hold the visual attention of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at rates which are similar to their typically developing peers. The findings suggest that puppets could be a tool to develop more engaging therapies that strengthen social engagement and facilitate learning for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study, published in the Journal Autism Research in 2021, is the first to test anecdotal evidence that children with ASD, like most young children, pay attention to puppets. The researchers created the experiment in collaboration with Cheryl Henson, the daughter of puppeteer Jim Henson and president of the Jim Henson Foundation. Check out a

Check out this great info from ASHA for Better Hearing and Speech Month. Parents often ask about the use of screens with babies and toddlers. Here is some info to help with that decision. Be Tech Wise With Baby

The Mattel Company, famous for the Barbie Doll line, has added more diversity to its doll designs by creating a Barbie representative of the Down Syndrome population, with support from the National Down Syndrome Society. The doll was created to promote acceptance of this population and to celebrate people in the Down Syndrome community. The doll is designed to portray the facial characteristics associated with the genetic disorder in addition to their orthotic needs. The doll’s yellow and blue outfit was purposefully designed to represent the colors associated with Down Syndrome awareness groups and the Barbie’s necklace, with three chevron shapes attached l, is intended to symbolize the three copies of the 21st chromosome  which leads to a Down Syndrome diagnosis.