This Saturday the 27th is the 15ht annual Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy at Ping Tom Memorial Park. Teams will race long boats decorated with a dragon head. There are other fun activities happening in the park that day too! There is no cost for the event. Check it out!
This months ALLYOU magazine had a great suggestion for a Skype based book club for kids and their friends this summer. Visit I Love Libraries for a list of children’s books to get things going!
The National Summer Reading Association has some great ideas to keep your kids reading this summer. ReadingTipsforParents_2015
As speech and language pathologists it is our job to evaluate your child to determine the need for therapy. But how do you know when your child should be evaluated? Dr. Ann Kummer , speech and language pathologist and child psychologist, Dr. Leslie Rescorla conducted a study to assess children who were considered “late talkers”. Late talkers were children between the ages of 24-31 months. These children were followed until 17 years of age. Results revealed that most children “caught up” by the age of 5 years. However, in comparing these children to a comparison group, the majority of late talkers continued to have significant weakness in language skills. It is recommended that parents monitor their child’s language skills from
During the month of May, carve out some reading time for you and your child. If weekly schedules are hectic, set aside some time on the weekend to read. Create a special reading nook in your home or designate a room for reading, such as your child’s room, a pile of pillows on the floor, etc. Read aloud to your child, too. A read aloud helps engage your child in the novel. You can talk about the characters, the setting, and background information of the story. Take turns reading aloud. For a struggling reader, listen to books on tape to develop a positive association with books. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/us/study-finds-reading-to-children-of-all-ages-grooms-them-to-read-more-on-their-own.html?_r=0
A recent study done by Dr. Nina Kraus at Northwestern University, show a link between the ability to keep a beat and reading skill. Children in the study who were better able to synchronize a beat with the study examiner showed higher pre-reading skills (phonological processing, auditory short term memory and rapid naming) than children who were not able to synchronize the beat. This information may be able to be used to discover children at risk for reading disorder. It may also be able to be used to design treatment approaches!
Everyone Reading Illinois is hosting a seminar for parents of children with reading impairment. This program is designed for parents and will include information on Assistive Technology, Family Dynamics, Teen Panel Discussion, and Neuropsychology Evaluations. https://everyonereadingillinois.org/event/dyslexia-a-conference-for-parents
IEP season is upon us. We all want our meetings to go well but sometimes there can be conflict between parents and schools. The Wrightslaw website has a great pop-up to help with those tricky situations. http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.disputes.popup.htm
Great information coming up for families of persons with disabilities. Check out the Arc’s website for details. http://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-arc-of-illinois-1439129882
Friday February 15th is National No One Eats Alone Day. Sponsored by the Beyond Differences organization, No One Eats Alone Day is designed to make sure everyone feels included and to combat social isolation. Log on to find out how you can sponsor a No One Eats Alone day at your school. http://www.nooneeatsalone.org/welcome/
