Category: blog

Imitation is when someone mimics or copies actions, sounds, facial expressions or words. Before they start to really speak, babies will copy what they see and hear. Imitation is a stepping stone that leads to first words. When used appropriately, imitation will help children associate specific actions or tasks with words. To help your child learn imitation skills, try the following: -get face to face with your baby so you can direct their attention to your mouth/face -you can put an interesting toy by your face to help keep their attention -when you have your baby’s attention, make gestures or sounds and wait to see if they copy -be playful and animated, so your baby really pays attention to you

The benefits of reading to toddlers (over 12 months of age) is well known, but the benefits of reading to infants (birth to 12 months old) is less established. A recent research study conducted at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine showed that infants in families that reported always reading at least seven books per week scored higher on language testing at 9 months of age than infants in families that reported reading less than seven books weekly. The researchers suggest that committing to reading one book each day is an achievable goal for new families to try. They stress the importance of finding ways to educate parents on the impact regular reading can have on their infant’s

  How do children know that they are an important part of a conversation? How can we encourage a child to initiate a conversation? We can Observe, Wait, and Listen (OWL). Observe, Wait, and Listen are important strategies that parents, caregivers, and other communication partners can use to increase engagement, feedback, and allow for a child-lead communication environment.  Observe: During the Observe phase, parents, caregivers, or other communication partners are observing what the child is interested in (e.g., trucks, dinosaurs, slime) and looking for opportunities where the child may communicate. The child might initiate communication independently either through gestures, words, sounds or actions. However, the child might start an activity without stating what they are doing. Through the use of

Giving children choices helps them feel like they have some power and control over what they do. Everyone likes to have choices in what they do. Some caregivers think they need to do all of the planning. They forget that children can and need to make choices too. Here are some times throughout the day when you can offer choices: Food for snack time Clothing items when getting dressed While playing with toys Book reading Bath time toys

PrelinguIstic skills are ways that children communicate without using words. They are good indicators of a child’s readiness to begin talking. Children who demonstrate these abilities appropriately are ready to begin communicating using sounds and words. *Attention abilities: A child’s ability to pay attention to a particular activity or person is relative to his/her age. Between 13 to 24 months a child should gradually develop the ability to sustain their attention for a few minutes to a preferred activity. If a child is unable to pay attention to a toy, they will likely demonstrate difficulty listening to the sounds and words their communication partner is saying in order to repeat them later. *Play Skills: Children learn by playing, so their ability to play appropriately is essential In order to learn to

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