Category: blog

  Its Fall and apple picking is underway.  When gazing down the long rows of trees you will notice signs indicating the vast number of apple types and even apple hybrids there may be in any given orchard, and if you ever decided to make anything with those delicious apples you will notice that different recipes call for different types of apples.  We need to know the type of apples to know how to use it.  Similarly,  speech therapists need to investigate the type of speech sound errors their clients and patients may make in order to best provide the right treatment method.  This may be straightforward and understood at the time of the initial evaluation, may need follow up

Winter is here, holiday activities are mostly over  bringing with it a significant decrease in  feasible “park days” for parents and kids to easily incorporate movement into their busy schedules.  However, movement is essential for healthy development with speech and language development as no exception. In fact, physical activity likely plays a larger role in a child’s development than previously thought. Research suggests that promoting movement and activity in young children can help increase memory, perception, language, attention, emotion and even decision making. When language is combined with movement, learning has been shown to increase 90 percent. Some ideas to consider increasing movement opportunities during these bleak months may include dance party movement breaks, nature walks with scavenger hunts, activities

    I had the opportunity to take a course regarding working through parents’ reactions to a diagnosis of a child with special needs. Just like every child is different from one another, so too is the process parents may have in response to their child’s diagnosis. Some may grieve the diagnosis – whether that be immediately following it or delayed in the weeks and months after.  Some may be familiar with the Kübler-Ross model which describes the grieving process through five different stages including: denial & isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Parents and caregivers may be going through some of these stages. A thing to keep in mind is that their experience with these is not always linear and

  Yes! Children who have language delays have the capacity to learn more than one language, especially when they are very young. Research has shown that bilingualism does NOT cause a language delay or disorder. Some children who are exposed to more than one language may experience a “silent period,” in which they demonstrate limited verbal communication as they spend time observing and listening to the sounds and structures of the second language. The “silent period” can occur from approximately one month to six months, depending on various factors such as the child’s exposure to each language or his/her age; However, it is important to note that the presence of a “silent period” does not indicate a language delay or

    Music can be a fun way to help your child develop their language, motor, and memory skills. The rhythm of the music and the repetition words can not only help them build their vocabulary, it can encourage them to try sounds or words they might not attempt while talking. Most parents probably know the classics like Old McDonald and Itsy Bitsy Spider, so here are a few suggestions of silly songs you can add to your repertoire.  Links are provided just to help you learn the tunes and actions because these are songs you and your child should sing and act out together!   I’m a Little Snowman- sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”, it

Here are 5 common techniques used by speech-language pathologists everywhere, that parents and caregivers can use when practicing with your little ones at home: 1. Give Choices: Instead of asking your child a yes/no question (“Do you want juice?”), ask an either/or question (“Do you want juice or milk?”). This will encourage their use of more vocabulary. 2. Simplify Language: Keep it short, clear and concise. If your child has difficulty comprehending language, this can help with understanding. You can still expand your child’s sentence structure without being too wordy. Instead of, “Do you want to go in the kitchen with me to bake some chocolate chip cookies?” try, “Let’s go bake some cookies!” 3. Wait Time: If you ask

‘Technoference’ refers to the interruption of social interactions by personal technology. An example of this might be if you’ve ever been out with friends at dinner and someone repeatedly checks their phone. This can happen when interacting with children as well. Correlational research suggests that technoference is associated with increases in challenging behaviors for children, relational difficulties for couples and co-parents, and aspects of parent- child attachment. It’s easy to just suggest to parents to “get off your phones” but consider a more compassionate and empathetic viewpoint: in a survey of mothers of children under six (self- reported,) mothers with higher levels of stress engaged in more problematic smartphone use, such as checking notifications. This use was then associated with

Reading aloud aloud to your baby is a fun shared activity— plus it's important for your baby's brain! It encourages your baby to look, point, touch and respond to questions. Your child can develop their language skills through recognizing pictures, copying sounds and learning words. You can start reading books to your baby as early as 3-6 months, or once they are able to focus on items such as a toy or mirror. For very young babies, whose vision is developing, you can start with high-contrast black and white books, like, “Look Look!” by Peter Linenthal or “I Kissed the Baby!” by Mary Murphy. By age 5 months, babies have good color vision and will enjoy bright and colorful pictures.

  With all of the holidays involving meals and food, now is the perfect time to invite your child into the kitchen and have them help with cooking. Cooking provides many opportunities for learning and skill development including: Following directions – model them, practice them, and enjoy the benefits of having their tasty food they made as a direct result of following the recipe. Reading skills – a chance to learn and practice reading about something new and exciting in a fun environment using the recipes and labels. Math and measuring – learning about various units of measurements and fractions, while using measuring cups and spoons to make a recipe. Descriptive language – use vocabulary to describe the different senses of smell,

  Attached are a few resources to learn some early signs with your toddler.  When teaching signs, I always begin teaching the following signs first and then building up from here.  These specific signs can be found on the PDF document attached below: “Hi”, “Bye”, “More”, “Done”, “Me”, “Help”, “Open”, “Eat”, “Stop”, “Play”, “Jump”, “Go”.  I might begin first by choosing 1-2 target signs to focus on in the initial session.  From here, I will consistently model and demonstrate the sign paired with the verbalization of the sign while engaging in play based tasks.  My expressions and motor movements will likely be dramatic and aim to excite and engage the toddler with my actions.  Once I am engaged in a