Blog for Parents

Blog for Parents

most common speech sound goals

5 of the Most Common Speech Sound Goals & How to Treat Them

January 20, 2025 No Comments

Supporting young students in speech therapy is a rewarding process— but sometimes difficult as well. As an elementary SLP, you’re already familiar with the unique challenges that students face in mastering speech sound disorders. Intelligible speech is important for academic success, relationships with peers, and so much more. Let’s explore five of the most common speech sound goals, how to differentiate instruction for individual needs, and interactive resources you can use to help students reach these goals. What to Know about Speech Sound Disorders Before beginning therapy sessions with your students, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of both

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most common language goals

An SLP’s Guide to Treating 5 of the Most Common Language Goals 

January 7, 2025 No Comments

If you feel like you’re in a Groundhog Day loop, there’s a good reason for it! Many of your students likely come to you with the same language goals, even if they need slightly different approaches. Language delays are found in children with a variety of needs and diagnoses, and it’s likely that you will need to address foundational skills for many students. Let’s dive into some of the most common language goals and identify engaging and effective ways to approach them! What You Need to Know About Language Delays Language delays are often associated with a variety of childhood

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impacts of covid-19 on communication

Impacts of COVID-19 on Communication: Key Factors for Parents & SLPs

December 16, 2024 No Comments

The COVID-19 pandemic left a lasting impact on many parts of life, including children’s speech and language development. Since the lockdown in 2020, there has been a significant increase in children with speech and language delays. For both parents and SLPs, understanding the root causes of these issues and addressing the delays is vital to the success of these children. Let’s consider the impacts of COVID-19 on communication and what can be done to help families and their children! Silent Impact of COVID-19 on Communication Development While physical health concerns were at the forefront of COVID-19, the results were so

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treating phonological processing disorders

Everything You Need to Know to Begin Treating Phonological Processing Disorders 

September 9, 2024 No Comments

Treating phonological processing disorders is a key piece of what you do as a pediatric SLP. It’s important to understand how phonological processing disorders differ from other speech sound disorders, how to get caregivers on board, and how to choose the best treatment approaches to help your clients. You CAN help children develop more intelligible speech and set them up on a path for successful communication all of their lives! Understanding Phonological Processing Disorders Before you begin to educate caregivers about phonological processing disorders (PPDs), it’s important to ensure you have a solid understanding of this type of speech sound

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How to Support Caregivers with Research Strain

September 18, 2023 No Comments

Research strain is a common issue for caregivers navigating a new diagnosis or when they’ve recently become aware of a developmental delay. If you’re an early intervention or preschool speech-language pathologist, recognizing this common issue and learning how to support caregivers with research strain will result in a more successful therapy experience. Researching the causes of developmental delays It’s a natural response for caregivers to search for a cause of a developmental delay or diagnosis especially if the family feels surprised by the information. It’s a way to try and regain some control over a situation that may feel overwhelming

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small boy looking at bubbles

Speech Regressions in Toddlers: Why They Happen and How to Help

August 28, 2023 No Comments

Have you heard the comment, “Contact your pediatrician if you notice a regression in skills?”… Let’s talk about what speech regressions really mean, why they happen, and how to help. What is a Speech Regression? Regression is a decline in skills. This occurs when a child is not performing skills they once were able to.  In regards to speech and language, this might look like a toddler who: stops using words to make requests and now uses jargon or crying has a significant decrease in interaction with other children or adults and seems much more focused on solitary play stops

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SLP working with child with apraxia

Understanding Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Beginner’s Guide for Parents and SLPs

August 14, 2023 No Comments

Maybe you’re familiar with the term “childhood apraxia of speech” or not. Your child may have recently received this diagnosis, or you have a suspecting child on your caseload. Either way, there’s always more to learn about this rare speech disorder! Read on to learn more about what childhood apraxia of speech is, the likelihood of it to occur, telltale signs, and what to expect in an evaluation and therapy in this beginner’s guide to all things childhood apraxia of speech.  What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech? Childhood apraxia of speech (also referred to as CAS) is a neurological motor

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kids working on carryover of their articulation skills

4 Tried-and-True Strategies for Effective Carryover in Articulation Therapy

July 31, 2023 No Comments

Kids often get stuck in therapy. They can make a sound (or sounds) in structured activities but need help to move beyond that. The answer to this dilemma is they are lacking in CARRYOVER. Implementing carryover activities in articulation therapy is essential, and they don’t have to be difficult either!  Try these 4 tried-and-true strategies for effective carryover in your articulation therapy sessions TODAY!  Start Early! First thing’s first– know that you should start addressing carryover skills as soon as possible! By implementing carryover strategies in small chunks over the entire course of a child’s therapy journey, you’re instilling self-confidence

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young child with IFSP playing

IEP and IFSP: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding All Things IEP and IFSP

July 3, 2023 No Comments

IEP and IFSP– these might be acronyms you’ve heard before or they may sound like you need to start singing the ABCs. Either way, lean in and let me teach you all you need to know about these terms and what they mean for you and your child.  What are They? IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. It is an educational document describing the services and accommodations needed for children with disabilities ranging in age from 3 to 21. IFSP stands for Individualized Family Service Plan. An IFSP is used to outline services needed for children with delays from birth

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young child with a walker showing new milestones

SLP Expert Opinion: Milestones vs Averages and Why Developmental Milestones Have Changed

June 19, 2023 1 Comment

You’re frustrated. Other kids the same age as your child are talking so much more than yours is, but your pediatrician is saying there is nothing to worry about. People are saying the developmental milestones changed recently too. What does all this mean, and what should you do next? Let’s dive right in and answer these questions! The Pediatrician Says Don’t Worry There’s a lot of talk about milestones when you have little ones, but one of the most frequently asked questions I hear is “Why don’t the milestones SLPs talk about match what my child’s pediatrician says?”  This is

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Bubbles for Early Language Development

September 1, 2020 2 Comments

Bubbles and early language are a perfect match. It’s cheap and easy to carry. If you can overlook the periodic spill, it’s nearly perfect. Bubbles lend themselves easily to early language development—i.e. requests/demands (depends on your perspective), joint attention, turn-taking, size concepts, etc. plus early developing speech sounds like “b,” “p,” and “m.” Using bubbles for lip sounds (bilabials) When it comes to speech sounds, let’s talk about what bubbles are (and aren’t) good for: Lip sounds, like b, p and m, are some of the earliest to develop because the movement is a bit more broad and it’s very

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Teaching Classroom Routines at Home

August 10, 2020 No Comments

It’s the procedures at school that often indicate early success—even more than the actual academic skills. Practicing and teaching classroom routines at home can go a long way in classroom success and your child’s confidence since it’s the procedures at school that often indicate early success—even more than the actual academic skills. While these skills are particularly important for our PreK and Kindergarten students who are just starting “real school” a review for little ones in first and even second grade can be beneficial given how long most have been (or will be) out of a formal school setting. Circle

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Teaching Prepositions to Toddlers and Preschooler

May 20, 2020 No Comments

Prepositions are little words with an important responsibility. These are what we use to indicate the location or position of things. They’re words like “in,” “under,” “behind” and “next to.” Some of these develop early, during the toddler years, like “in” and “on.” Others will still be tricky up until our kids enter school; words like “through” and “between.” Because understanding a preposition means understanding the position of one thing in relation to another, I find it particularly helpful to teach these words by moving around, and, to start, I have the child move their own body into different relative

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Do Children Need Playdates?

May 2, 2020 No Comments

We’ve been “safe at home” for nearly two months now. The mandated time apart from friends, extended family, and social activities have been a gift to some and a nearly unbearable burden to others. Some of us will continue to shelter in place. Others are looking at loosening restrictions and wondering if it’s ok to venture out. But do our children really need playdates? For those with little ones at home, there are concerns about Covid19 exposure, but also whether the lack of peer interaction is having a detrimental impact on development. Let’s explore. People are social creatures. Numerous studies

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Differences in Boy’s and Girl’s Communication Skills

April 12, 2020 No Comments

Have you noticed a big difference between boy’s and girl’s communication skills? Have you ever walked into a preschool classroom and had a little girl walk up to you and start chatting in a way that seems well beyond her years? Certainly, way beyond the skills of your own little one? This precocious behavior is both adorable and a bit disconcerting. Is it normal? Grandma would say, “girls develop faster.” They’re right when it comes to communication. The average age for a first word is 7-12 mos. and girls are more likely than boys to fall on the earlier side.

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Social Skills Projects You Can Do at Home

March 27, 2020 2 Comments

Don’t get me wrong, I love nearly everything within my field that comes my way, but my true sweet spot is early language skills and social skills for children of any age. When it comes to working on social skills, I do a lot of super targeted lessons and explicit learning, but I also include long(er)-term or group projects whenever I can. Not only does this give us lots of real world practice in negotiating social skills in real-time, but they also address executive function skills—an area that many children, especially those struggling with social skills need help with. Social

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mom imitating child

Why you should imitate your child

March 2, 2020 No Comments

Should we imitate our child? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  (Oscar Wilde) This is what we were told, but in everyday life it rankled. The sister that copied your fashion choices. The annoying kid that repeated what you said. The smothering friend who wanted to do everything you did. Yet there is tremendous power in being the leader. How often does your little one get to call the shots? Toddlers and preschoolers don’t usually get to give a lot of input in their day—and aside from strategic choices (more on this later), they need the structure we provide

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Is My Child a Late Talker?

January 15, 2020 No Comments

What is a late talker? Like it sounds, a late talker is a child between 18 and 30 months who isn’t meeting expected speech and language milestones. They say fewer than 50 words and aren’t yet combining words, but seem to be on track in other areas of development. Often the parents will mention “he seems to understand what we say, he just doesn’t say anything.” About 15% of two-year olds fall into this category. It’s the type of concern that is often met with, “Don’t worry about it. My son didn’t speak until he was 3.” or “I’d wait

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Teaching Secret Keeping

December 4, 2019 2 Comments

This is the time of year I’m likely to suggest families work on secret-keeping. Does this sound a little inappropriate? Then think of it as keeping “surprises.” The idea behind secrets is pretty sophisticated and kids who struggle with perspective taking are going to have a particularly hard time (and need some specific instruction) in learning this skill. But it’s important! We keep secrets all the time. Sometimes it’s for really fun stuff like birthday presents, an unexpected note and surprise parties. Sometimes it’s for a harmless joke like putting a plastic spider in the fruit bowl. Sometimes it’s to

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Are You Interrogating or Modeling?

November 5, 2019 1 Comment

Fellow SLP, Are You Interrogating or Modeling? It’s a stereotype of movies and books, the mom who won’t stop interrogating their kids with questions. And it’s clear to anyone watching that the incessant interrogation is pushing the kids away whether they’re 10, 20 or 30 years old. And yet… SLPs do the same thing to the little ones in our therapy sessions.  Where? Who? What? Why? When? You feel the pressure of targeting all of the child’s goals and gathering sufficient data, so you inundate them with questions and never truly model the targeted skills. Say… Show me… Do… The

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