Providing Visual Support with Pacing Boards All speech-language pathologists have their own “toolbox” of materials and tricks that better support, motivate, and engage their clients. Visual supports are a particular favorite tool. From visual schedules to simple yes/no picture cards, children with speech and language disorders benefit from these visual images when communicating. One of our favorite types of visual
Pronoun Acquisition My child says “me” instead of “I”…how long is this considered age-appropriate? Children typically acquire pronouns in the following order: •Between 12-26 months of age, children will use the pronouns I (to refer the themselves) and it. •Between 27-30 months, children will acquire the pronouns my, me, mine, and you. •Between 31-34 months, children will use your, she,
Language Development It has been long understood that children develop language though play, as children learn through exploring their environment. As Speech Language Pathologists, we use this notion to drive our therapy with many of our children. You may see us with bubbles or cars, eliciting language from gestures to words. Observing a child’s play skills provides insight to a
Does your child say top instead of stop or bock instead of block? Maybe you notice that your child says nana instead of banana or puter instead of computer? Your child may be demonstrating phonological processes, which are patterns that young children use to simplify adult speech. Many children use these processes while their speech and language are developing. Below is a list of different types of phonological processes that your child may be exhibiting. They are
Does your child have a raspy, hoarse voice? Excessive talking, screaming, and yelling are just a few of the behaviors that may lead to hoarseness. Here are some tips for good vocal hygiene! Noisy Environments •Encourage your child to face the person he/she is speaking to •Have your child over articulate rather than speak louder •Encourage your child to get
During the toddler years, children often use patterns of sound errors (also known as Phonological Processes) to simplify adult speech. To learn more about these phonological processes, click here. A process that we see children use very often is known as “fronting”. This occurs when children substitute the /k/ and /g/ sounds with the /t/ and /d/ sounds. The/ k/ and /g/ sounds, also known as
Does your child have difficulty saying a particular sound? Maybe your child has trouble saying more than one sound. Children who have difficulty producing certain sounds will work on improving articulation skills during speech therapy sessions (i.e. they will learn to produce a specific sound or sounds correctly). As a speech-language pathologist, I first evaluate a child’s speech sounds and
Happy New Year! The New Year is a wonderful time of year full of goals and resolutions for the coming year. What are your speech therapy goals for 2019? Here are some speech therapy related New Years resolutions to help kick off 2019! 1. Practice speech therapy at home. We know that life gets busy but speech practice can take as
As many of you know, we love using games in therapy to promote language skills. Games are motivating and don’t feel like “work.” In this post, we’d like to share a few more of our favorite games that are sure to encourage language growth! We hope you have as much fun as we do playing! 1. Heads Up Heads Up
Do you remember the last time you played a game for the first time? You likely had to read the directions, look at all the game pieces, explain the game to your friends, and play a trial round or two. Imagine trying to learn a new game as a child with language deficits! Although simple in nature, some of the
