How to Support Caregivers with Guilt
Caregiver guilt is a typical response when a child has speech and language delays. If you’re an early intervention or preschool speech-language pathologist, understanding where it comes from and how you can support caregivers with guilt will help pave the way for a more successful therapy experience. Guilt from risk factors (genetic or environmental) One of the first tasks when a caregiver arrives at a doctor or other health professional’s office is filling out a medical history form. While we might view this information as neutral or a clue to what type of delay/disorder a child might have, for a
Speech Regressions in Toddlers: Why They Happen and How to Help
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
Data Collection Tips for Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologists
A crucial part of a speech-language pathologist’s work is taking appropriate data. The data provides vital information about a child’s progress and helps guide steps in deciding the next steps for intervention. Though it’s necessary, this is oftentimes a pain point for many SLPs. Follow along in this guide for several data-collection tips to make your life as a pediatric SLP easier! Types of Data You’re likely to find that one type of data collection doesn’t cut it for all your therapy sessions. What works for kids with language goals doesn’t work as well for articulation goals, and so on.
Understanding Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Beginner’s Guide for Parents and SLPs
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
6 Considerations about Making Wise Investments During Your Clinical Fellowship Year
Congrats on becoming an SLP graduate! As you begin your professional journey, you will soon feel the need and desire to begin investing in continuing education courses and therapy resources in order to better your skills, continue learning, and provide the best care for your clients. Before you give all of your time (and money!) to these, stop and review these six considerations for making wise investments during your clinical fellowship year. 6 Considerations about Making Wise Investments as a New SLP Graduate #1 Focus on What You Know Although it will be tempting to try to learn everything that
4 Tried-and-True Strategies for Effective Carryover in Articulation Therapy
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
An Overview of the Minimal Pairs Approach for Speech Sound Intervention
The minimal pairs approach is a popular intervention for treating speech sound disorders. You might have heard your child’s SLP mention this, or maybe you are an SLP who is looking for a refresher about how to implement it with some of your students. Read on for an overview of the minimal pairs approach and learn when it’s most effective and how to implement it in therapy sessions! What is the Minimal Pairs Approach? The minimal pairs approach is one of the oldest interventions used to treat phonological disorders in speech. It’s formally referred to as “Minimal Oppositions”. This approach
SLP Expert Opinion: Milestones vs Averages and Why Developmental Milestones Have Changed
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
5 BEST Tips to Make the Most of Your Summer Off as an SLP
Hooray, it’s almost summer! You’re a hard-working SLP, and you’ve given your all for the past 9+ months of this school year. It’s easy to want to leave it all behind you and run towards summer break, but following these 5 tips will ensure you actually make the most of your summer off as an SLP. You owe it to yourself! Finish well Get ahead Reflect Disconnect Have fun! Make the Most of Your Summer Finish Well Actually finish the year! Finish filing. Throw away those papers you aren’t sure what to do with that you’ve looked at all year
Understanding Pop-Out Words in Speech and What They Mean for My Child
Is there anything more frustrating than hearing a word a couple of times from your child and then IT DISAPPEARS?! Where did it go?! These words are referred to as “pop-out words”. They are a very normal occurrence for little ones whether they’re on track with their speech and language development or a bit behind. Let’s talk more about understanding these pop-out words in speech and what they really mean for your child. More about Pop-Out Words The phrase “pop-out words”, coined by Pam Marshalla, refers to when a child says a word clearly on occasion but doesn’t say the
How to Support Caregivers with Guilt
Caregiver guilt is a typical response when a child has speech and language delays. If you’re an early intervention or preschool speech-language pathologist, understanding where it comes from and how you can support caregivers with guilt will help pave the way for a more successful therapy experience. Guilt from risk factors (genetic or environmental) One of the first tasks when a caregiver arrives at a doctor or other health professional’s office is filling out a medical history form. While we might view this information as neutral or a clue to what type of delay/disorder a child might have, for a
Speech Regressions in Toddlers: Why They Happen and How to Help
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
Data Collection Tips for Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologists
A crucial part of a speech-language pathologist’s work is taking appropriate data. The data provides vital information about a child’s progress and helps guide steps in deciding the next steps for intervention. Though it’s necessary, this is oftentimes a pain point for many SLPs. Follow along in this guide for several data-collection tips to make your life as a pediatric SLP easier! Types of Data You’re likely to find that one type of data collection doesn’t cut it for all your therapy sessions. What works for kids with language goals doesn’t work as well for articulation goals, and so on.
Understanding Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Beginner’s Guide for Parents and SLPs
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
6 Considerations about Making Wise Investments During Your Clinical Fellowship Year
Congrats on becoming an SLP graduate! As you begin your professional journey, you will soon feel the need and desire to begin investing in continuing education courses and therapy resources in order to better your skills, continue learning, and provide the best care for your clients. Before you give all of your time (and money!) to these, stop and review these six considerations for making wise investments during your clinical fellowship year. 6 Considerations about Making Wise Investments as a New SLP Graduate #1 Focus on What You Know Although it will be tempting to try to learn everything that
4 Tried-and-True Strategies for Effective Carryover in Articulation Therapy
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
An Overview of the Minimal Pairs Approach for Speech Sound Intervention
The minimal pairs approach is a popular intervention for treating speech sound disorders. You might have heard your child’s SLP mention this, or maybe you are an SLP who is looking for a refresher about how to implement it with some of your students. Read on for an overview of the minimal pairs approach and learn when it’s most effective and how to implement it in therapy sessions! What is the Minimal Pairs Approach? The minimal pairs approach is one of the oldest interventions used to treat phonological disorders in speech. It’s formally referred to as “Minimal Oppositions”. This approach
SLP Expert Opinion: Milestones vs Averages and Why Developmental Milestones Have Changed
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
5 BEST Tips to Make the Most of Your Summer Off as an SLP
Hooray, it’s almost summer! You’re a hard-working SLP, and you’ve given your all for the past 9+ months of this school year. It’s easy to want to leave it all behind you and run towards summer break, but following these 5 tips will ensure you actually make the most of your summer off as an SLP. You owe it to yourself! Finish well Get ahead Reflect Disconnect Have fun! Make the Most of Your Summer Finish Well Actually finish the year! Finish filing. Throw away those papers you aren’t sure what to do with that you’ve looked at all year
Understanding Pop-Out Words in Speech and What They Mean for My Child
Is there anything more frustrating than hearing a word a couple of times from your child and then IT DISAPPEARS?! Where did it go?! These words are referred to as “pop-out words”. They are a very normal occurrence for little ones whether they’re on track with their speech and language development or a bit behind. Let’s talk more about understanding these pop-out words in speech and what they really mean for your child. More about Pop-Out Words The phrase “pop-out words”, coined by Pam Marshalla, refers to when a child says a word clearly on occasion but doesn’t say the