Check it out!  My first speech and language therapy video!!

I reviewed a new toy that I bought at www.smartfelttoys.com.  For the month of April it is 20% off in honor of World Autism Awareness Month, use the Promo Code: WAAD. 

Hooray for discounts on specialized SUPER AWESOME toys!!

Today I ran across an magazine article called "Getting a Jump on Learning" (you can read the entire article too by clicking HERE).  The author, Michael L. Robinson, supports the idea of helping preschoolers, ALL preschoolers prepare for kindergarten by gaining the capacity to learn.

These are the main strategies that Robinson suggests:

• First, remember that learning is active, not passive. We don’t receive knowledge: 
  
• we experience it. 
• Second, make learning fun.
• Third, teach your child using all five of his or her senses. 
• Fourth, point out detail and differences in objects. 
• ​Fifth, and perhaps most important, program your child to succeed. 

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Wow, pretty awesome advice.  My background in speech and language totally supports all of these ideas.  Active learning really does help you encode new information better, which leads to better myelination of the nerve pathways, which leads to better retention and retrieval.  Learning through our senses promotes active learning, and also provides language regarding function words and adjectives.  Pointing out details and differences will help give your child a rich vocabulary that he can use when organizing his thoughts and will increase comprehension.  Giving your child opportunities to succeed will help him learn persistence and gain self-confidence.  Try to provide opportunities that challenge your child but are also within his reach.  It is no good failing and failing again, kids need to be able to be successful.

Don't get so stressed about learning letters and numbers that you are missing these kind of learning opportunities.  There is SO much more to learning than rote memorization, sometimes I think parents feel pressure to see their kids perform rather than help them learn.  Relax, have fun, and talk talk talk to that preschooler!

We all know I LOVE using the holidays as a jumping off point for speech and language activities.  They are motivating, use language that is high frequency for that time of year, and they are just plain fun.  This activity is super awesome!!

This year I have been doing a TON of activities using prepositional phrases with kids.  I think I stumbled on THE BEST Halloween activity ever.  So I thought I would share.   
The book "175 Easy-to-Do Halloween Crafts" has this awesome craft idea:


Basically you take a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper, fold it into 16 squares, cut the edges and then fold a house...it is SUPER easy once you have given it a try.  Then you get to let the kids decorate it however they like.  In my world that means I get little clip-art guys (I love the ones found HERE) and have the kids tell me where they belong on the house using prepositional phrases.

For example:
The skeleton goes inside the house, Frankenstein lives on top of the roof, the pumpkin sits beside the door, the witch is flying over the house, etc.  

You can work receptive and expressive skills (following directions, giving directions), you can work sequencing, you can work pronouns, you can work verbs...so many options!  Or you can throw the goals out the window and just decorate and have fun knowing you are providing a language rich experience.  No matter where your child's language skills are they will LOVE this activity.  Give it a try!

My family loves to camp!  We find it a great time to unplug, slow down, and explore.  Turns out those elements make for some great language development opportunities.

Here are some of my favorite things to do while outdoors:

• Discover our senses (name 2 things I can smell, hear, see, taste, touch...)
• Discuss animal habitats and eating habits, "Who might live in this tree?  I see an acorn!  Who might eat an acorn?"
• Play "I Spy" games with a twist..."I spy something that is sweet and sticky!"
• Teach and review new routines (how to make a s'more, start a campfire, tie a knot)
• Compare/contrast leaves, bark, animals, camping food, etc.,
• Practice sorting outdoor things by what they look like, where you found them, what they are for, etc.
• Play "One Small Square" - a game from the "One Small Square" series by Donald M. Silver.  You use a twig to draw a square on the ground about 4 ft. x 4 ft. and then explore inside that square very closely.  The book is fabulous for expanding this activity, here it is on amazon.com 
• Practice following directions!  "Before coming into the tent, take off your shoes!"  "Always walk around the fire pit!"...lots of direction giving happens on our trips.

There are SO MANY fun ways to enjoy a trip to the great outdoors.  What are some of your favorite ideas? 

Here are some ideas to try to help your child talk.  These are great for those 1 year olds who mostly "point and grunt", because as fun as that stage is...it is really not much fun.

Parent Speech:
Use clear simple speech with your child during play routines. The goal is to talk in phrases you want your child to copy – 1 to 2 words.
Example: Instead of saying “Go down the hall and get your shoes” say “Get your shoes”. When getting undressed use short phrases “Shoes off…shirt off…etc.” Try to use grammatically correct phrases, just shorter ones.

Echo-Expansion Modeling:
Add 1 or 2 words to what your child says when you respond back to him or her.
Example: When your child says “up” say “up… you want up”.

​Don’t Anticipate Your Child’s Needs or Wants:
Mom's and dad's are great at knowing what their kids want or need.  BUT mind-reading doesn't give your child a change to use words and ask.  Don’t anticipate your child’s every need or want before they have a chance to make them known to you.
Example: When you know your child wants a drink – instead of just handing them the drink, point and wait to see if they will request it (pointing, signing, or saying “drink”).

Sabotage the Environment:
Mess up routines so your child has to communicate his or her needs.
Example: During mealtime give everyone a spoon but “forget” to give your child a spoon. Wait and see if your child initiates they need something. If they don’t initiate what they need, help them by saying. “What do you need?” or “Are you missing something” or “Uh-oh!” Label the item before you give it to them.

Play “dumb” when your child points to a desired object.
Example: When your child points to the counter for their drink (or another desired object you know they want), say: “What do you want?” (pause) “A spoon?” (pause) “An apple?” (pause) “A drink?” …. “Oh, Drink!”

Self-Talk:
When your child is within hearing range, talk about what you are doing while you do it.
Example: When washing your hands at the sink say “wash hands”, when the phone is ringing say “I hear the phone”.

Parallel Talk:
When playing with your child, describe what your child is doing while they are doing it.
Example: When your child picks up a car – say “pick up car”. When your child drops a block – say “drop block”.

Describe what he is seeing and hearing.
Example: “That’s a ball”, When listening to music say “Music, listen to music”

My advice: take one or two ideas and try them out.  Remember when working with kids the idea is not to frustrate them more, but to model how they could do something differently.  Waiting for them to talk works wonders...demanding that they talk can really backfire.  Try to keep things light and fun and find ways to repeat, repeat, repeat!

Summer is the best time of the year for speech and language therapy!  No school means your kid has more time to play, explore, and learn.  Don't view summer as a chance for your child to take a break from learning.  It is a time where you can jump-start his learning through real-life experiences.

I have some clients who will be entering pre-school and kindergarten next year.  So to help them prepare I have created a systematic approach to teaching the letters and sounds in our alphabet.  I spent hours researching in what order kids developmentally learn their letters, I collaborated with other pre-k teachers and SLPs to get additional input.  Then I sorted the letters into sets with different prominent salient features highlighted for each letter.  Each set varies by place, manner and voice so each letter will stand out on it's own.

I believe in the principle of learning through contrasts (we learn that "s" is different from "b" because it looks different when you say it, it sounds different because one is long and one is short, and one uses voicing and the other does not).

You want to introduce new sets at a rate that matches your child's pace, a good goal might be one set per week.  

Set 1: Mm, Tt, Oo
Set 2: Ss, Aa, Bb
Set 3: Ff, Cc, Ww
Set 4: Xx, Ll, Pp
Set 5: Rr, Hh, Ee
Set 6: Nn, Ii, Kk
Set 7: Uu, Gg, Dd
Set 8: Yy, Qq, Zz
Set 9: Jj, Vv

Pick 2-3 sounds to focus on each day starting with Set 1.  Model both capital and lowercase letters.

Teaching ideas:
hand actions for sounds
sign language or something similar, bounce the short sounds, wave long ones
 
target sound grab bag
fill a basket with things that begin with two sounds from one set, help sort objects by sound
 
draw in sand/rice/flour
in a sand box or just a shallow bowl filled with flour draw the letters with fingers, use good letter formation (ask your child’s pre-k teacher for how she is teaching formation)
 
draw on a chalkboard: wet, dry, try
write letter with a small wet sponge, dry with a small cloth, write with chalk (idea adapted from the Handwriting Without Tears approach)
 
start blending!
short CV or CVC words:  Mom, Tom, Sam, then phrases:  I am Sam, when blending cue your child to “keep his motor running”  the sounds should keep going not be choppy
 
play receptive language games:
print out cards for the letters in your set, turn over and play memory, mix the sounds up, have the child find the sound that you name, etc.
 
use laminated papers or dry erase boards:
write a mix of the target sounds for your set, have the child erase one specific sound

*be sure to teach your child that vowels have two sounds, focus on the short sound for each vowel but always mention that vowels have two sounds.

I have heard it said that "play is a child's work". I think defining play as work (any type of work) makes it sound less fun, less like play. Today I attended a training discussing play that gave it a much more appropriate definition. A better way to describe play is something that is spontaneous, volitional and "timeless".

Play is:  FUN!
The way that children explore their world
The best way for kids to create connections within their brains
Essential for a child's cognitive development

Play is NOT:
Looking at flash-cards
"Drilled" games
Adult directed

*These things can be fun and can be good ways to teach children specific skills BUT they are not what I consider play. Children need quiet time (no TV/radio/computer distractions) set aside each day for them to engage in free-play.

I want to encourage parents to play with their children. Let your child lead the activities, follow what your child seems interested in. Think of ways to expand your child's current knowledge of household objects. Have fun!

What if you get "stuck" in the same play routine or you struggle to think of new ways to play with the toys your children like?
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One great way to overcome these challenges is to write down 10 different games or activities you could do with the tricky toy in advance. Then when you are in the "spontaneous play moment" you will have some ideas in mind so that you don't feel stuck.
For example: My child has a "blankie" that he is always carrying, after wrapping him in it a few times I ran out of ideas...so here is my list

1) Give pull-rides
2) Superhero cape
3) Tug of war
4) Parachute to bounce balls
6) Be ghosts
7) Dress-up (skirts, turbans, hair)
8) Use for a swing
9) Fort/tent
​10) Hot lava on red squares

Feel free to be crazy, think outside the box, whatever, just use your imagination.