Blog for Parents

Scissor Activities in Speech

September 12, 2022 No Comments

Are you the type of SLP who is always up for a good craft, or does the idea of “art” make you sweat? Incorporating scissor activities in the speech room can be a way to bridge these two styles. Why work on scissor skills? Child development skills Scissor practice works on several childhood development skills, including bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination and develops hand strength. The two most important to me as an SLP are bilateral coordination and hand strength. Bilateral coordination Bilateral coordination is the ability for our brain to use both sides at once. This not only helps with

Miniature Objects vs. Picture Cards in Articulation Therapy

September 8, 2022 No Comments

Where do you fall in the debate over using miniature objects vs. picture cards in speech sessions? Most SLPs have a definite preference for one. There are a few (like me!) who tend to drift back and forth depending on the child or the target. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using each in articulation based speech therapy sessions. Using miniature objects in speech Speech miniatures are so cute! You see the IG posts, and they look fun and engaging. They really are! But there’s a lot more to it than that. Pros Participation Miniature objects

Expectations for Speech Clarity

September 1, 2022 No Comments

Parents are often confused by speech clarity guidelines especially when it comes to late talkers. If you can’t understand what your child is trying to tell you, isn’t that a clarity issue? Not necessarily. Late talkers are limited with how much language they have which means they struggle to communicate their wants, needs, and feelings. But there are other children who have language skills within expected ranges that are hard to understand because of they way they form their speech sounds. How do speech sounds develop? Many children don’t develop all mature speech sounds in the English language until they’re

Using Books in Speech Therapy

August 25, 2022 No Comments

Speech-language pathologists know using books is one of the BEST ways to build language, but are often quick to assign that task to caregivers. Our graduate school classes are great at telling us the “why” we should do something but tend to be weaker in the “how.” If you don’t get experience working with another therapist who incorporates books into the therapy room, it’s easy to feel a little uncertain as to how to do it. The challenges of using books in speech therapy It takes a looong time. Most story books are long especially if they are designed for

Why Action Words are Important

August 22, 2022 No Comments

The role of verbs in language development The first words children say are almost always labels for common (to them) objects or people. Makes sense, right? It’s easier to attach meaning to a noun especially one that we have a lot of experience or interaction with. As little ones start building their vocabulary, you’ll find they move on to a wider variety of words. Social words/greetings: These are words like “hi” and “bye” and ones that go along with social games like “peek-a-boo” (even if it’s shortened to just the “boo”). Verbs: These begin as labels for actions like “jump”

Feed Me Games for Speech Therapy

August 15, 2022 No Comments

“Feed Me” games for speech therapy are classics because they: are easy to set up engage kids for a long time While they are most often used for articulation trials, they can be used for a wide range of language goals too. Ready to add a “feed me” game to your speech therapy room? Let’s get started! What you need At it’s most basic, you’ll need something that “eats” and food to feed it, but that leaves space for a lot of creativity! As an Amazon affiliate, I may receive a small commission if you purchase products through my links.

What counts as a first word?

August 11, 2022 No Comments

Parents are often surprised (and relieved) at our first meeting when I let them know that a lot of the communication their child is attempting does count as a first word. What counts as a first word? A word is any consistent, and generally unique label, for a specific object, person, action, etc. Here are a few things that count: Exclamations Environmental and animal sounds Signs Vocal approximations Exclamations: These are some of the first words little ones pick up because they are usually said with a lot of emphasis and intonation. These include “uh-oh” and “ow!” Environmental and animal

Ocean Themes in Speech Therapy

July 25, 2022 No Comments

When you think ocean themes in speech therapy are you assuming it’s for those of us who see students in the summer? It’s time to reconsider! Ocean themes cover a wide range of activities which means an even wider range of speech and language goals to target. Related themes or titles: Sea creatures Under the Sea Speech on the Beach Sharks Pirates A visit to the Aquarium Speech rooms love pirate themes in September to tie in with Talk Like a Pirate Day! Books with an Ocean Theme Links to purchase books may contain Amazon affiliate links. I receive a

5 Types of Communication Intents

February 19, 2021 No Comments

Early language is more about communication intents than vocabulary. Let’s take a look at 5 types we see in early language. Requests When little ones need support with language skills, we tend to focus on requests. This is because: They’re usually very motivating They’re naturally reinforcing It’s easier to set up situations that encourage these interactions They make our days more manageable “Late talkers” have more frequent and bigger tantrums because they’re frustrated by their lack of language (aka their ability to tell you what they want). Helping them learn to express their wants and needs can decrease these outbursts.

collage of moms playing with their children

What is your parenting play style?

January 18, 2021 No Comments

We all have different interests and different ways of learning. We can use these to find our parenting play style so we enjoy the activities we do with our kids as much as they do! For a quick, free quiz with suggestions for activities you’ll love, click here. Activities based on parenting style: Creative types love messy, hands-on projects. Try arts and crafts, cooking with kids, and sensory bins! You might also like dramatic play like dress-up and creating performances. Active types are ready to go when it comes to sports and other physical activities. You can try children’s sports

Language and Stages of Play

January 8, 2021 No Comments

What are the stages of play? We often say the goal of talking is that we want our children to be able to communicate their wants and needs to make their lives, and our lives, easier, but that just covers the basics! What we’re really moving towards is their ability to use language to communicate ideas and feelings and develop relationships with others. For children, this happens through play. “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning, but for children, play is serious learning.” Fred Rogers There are many stages of play beginning in

How to Raise Compassionate Kids

November 19, 2020 No Comments

Empathy is the ability to take another person’s perspective and imagine how they feel even if we haven’t experienced the same circumstance. It’s a sophisticated skill that needs to be modeled and taught if we’re hoping to raise kind and compassionate kids. These suggestions are designed for children 4-10 years old and can be adapted to accommodate the whole family. Laying a foundation To start raising kind kids, we need to help our children develop a robust vocabulary of emotion words so they can label their own feelings as well as identify those of others. Here are a few words

Dealing with Meddlesome Family Members

November 14, 2020 No Comments

The holidays will look different this year which may make it easier to avoid meddlesome family members or a small group might make it more difficult to hide. In my practice, it wasn’t unusual to receive several phone calls around the holidays from frantic parents who’d been accosted by an extended family member with a negative comment. When you have a little one that’s behind in their development, it’s understandable you’d be anxious and more sensitive to the opinions of others. After all, we want to protect our children and see them thriving and happy. Why is Grandma butting in?

The Case for Expanding Early Language

October 29, 2020 No Comments

Hooray! Your child is beginning to communicate with 1-2 words! Now, how can we start expanding their early language attempts? As exciting as those first words and word combinations are, they have limitations. As parents, we make assumptions about the meaning of what our children are saying, often based on the situation. For example, moms know it’s more likely that “doggy eat” is a comment, but grammatically it sounds more like a command. By using the technique of expanding, we can demonstrate a more mature language structure. “Doggy eat.” “Yes, the doggy is eating.” Key characteristics of expanding are: the

Skills Needed Before They Start Talking

October 26, 2020 No Comments

Babies and toddlers don’t just start talking one day. That first year is filled with critical learning of skills needed before they start talking. For “late talkers,” it’s very likely the delay is a result of a delay in one of these areas. Giving them support here will start them on the path towards developing their first words. Building a Foundation Each of these areas both builds on and overlaps with the other. For these skills to appear, we will assume the child is responsive to their environment and the people within it. Joint attention is when both individuals are

Why is early intervention important?

October 19, 2020 No Comments

We’ve heard family, friends, maybe even pediatricians, say that early intervention is important. But why? Is it that big of a deal to wait six months? When it comes to speech and language skills, waiting six months is not a life or death decision, but it can have a big impact on how big of a mountain you need to scale once you start. Let me explain. We talk a lot about milestones and we should because milestones are exciting! Those are what we add to FB feeds or text to family. It’s what we read in parenting books and

3 Halloween Books and How to Use Them to Build Language Skills

October 12, 2020 No Comments

Halloween is one of my favorite seasons. Once the fall air hits, it means apple and pumpkin picking, pumpkin-flavored everything, leaves changing and getting ready for all things Halloween. As a speech pathologist and mom, I’m always looking for fun and creative ways to incorporate the holidays into my therapy sessions and with my kids. The more fun they are having, the less likely they are to get bored or realize that they are actually engaging in educational activities. Halloween books are one of my go-tos! These seasonal choices can be books about Halloween specifically or it can be about

Learn to Build Children’s Attention Spans

October 5, 2020 No Comments

Did you know you can start building attention span even in preschool? The ability to attend is a critical foundational skill. If a child is unable to attend for a sustained period to a toy or activities, they’ll struggle to build their language or concept understanding. Down the line, lack of attention causes academic and behavior issues in the classroom. And if we are aware that they are behind in developing their attention span, how do we go about building it? 9 Tips for Building Improving Attention Spans Sleep and nutrition Both of these have a huge impact on sustaining

Expectations for Preschool Attention Spans

October 1, 2020 No Comments

There’s so much talk about “attention deficits” even in daycares and early childhood programs. When your preschool child flits from toy to toy, have you wondered if their attention span is something you need to worry about? How long should they be able to focus anyway? EXPECTATIONS FOR PRESCHOOL ATTENTION SPANS At a 12 months, a child will only attend for about a minute at a time. At 18 months, they will have worked up to 2-3 minutes. After that, a rough estimate is that a child will have an attention span that is 2-4 times their chronological age. 2

What is the price of speech therapy?

September 23, 2020 No Comments

One of the first questions families have when a recommendation for an evaluation is made is “what’s the price of speech therapy?” I get it. When you are juggling all the expenses of a young family the idea of adding on a weekly service is a big concern. Here’s how it works. Speech Evaluation vs. Therapy Services Receiving a referral for a speech and language evaluation means your child will be assessed to see their current speech and language level. Once the assessment is complete, then the speech-language pathologist will make recommendations. Your child’s skills might fall within the typical

Blog for Parents

Scissor Activities in Speech

Miniature Objects vs. Picture Cards in Articulation Therapy

Expectations for Speech Clarity

Using Books in Speech Therapy

Why Action Words are Important

Feed Me Games for Speech Therapy

What counts as a first word?

5 Types of Communication Intents

What is your parenting play style?

Dealing with Meddlesome Family Members

The Case for Expanding Early Language

Skills Needed Before They Start Talking

Why is early intervention important?

3 Halloween Books and How to Use Them to Build Language Skills

Learn to Build Children’s Attention Spans

Expectations for Preschool Attention Spans

What is the price of speech therapy?

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SLPs - Get your Tips and Activities Here!

SLPs - Get your Tips and Activities Here!

SLPs - Get your Tips and Activities Here!