Posts

Showing posts from 2022

A song to go with a great children's book-- The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds

Image

Why is it important to read out loud to children?

Image

Reading Aloud-- A Great Way to Improve Language!

Image
  Jim Trelease has written a great book called The Read-Aloud Handbook .  He published the seventh edition in 2013, and an eighth edition titled Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook  was published in 2019.  In the seventh edition, Jim Trelease tells the story of a boy from Russell, Kentucky, a town with a population of 3645, who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.  People wanted to know what prep course he had taken.  The prep course consisted of the parents reading to their children for 30 minutes a night, event after their sons had learned to read.  This reading aloud experience translated into a love of books, and the home was full of books.   Jim Trelease also talks about an admissions director from Amherst College who says he's never met a student with a high verbal SAT score who wasn't a passionate reader, and nearly all of those students recall being read to.   Jim Trelease points to these numbers:  Children spend 900 hours a year in school and 7800 hours a year outside of

Using Cooking and Baking to Improve Language Skills in Children

Image

Childhood Apraxia of Speech-- some great information! #shorts

Image
#childhoodapraxiaofspeech #apraxia

Why is reading Dr. Seuss books so good for kids? Check out this video for some ideas...

Image

Why are Dr. Seuss books so good for children?

Image
March 2 marked the birthday of Dr. Seuss.  Experts including the faculty of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University talk about the value of Theodore Geisel's books for children.  They talk about how children need to learn to manipulate sounds and have rich experiences with words and language.  The rhymes, rhythms, and made up words in Dr. Seuss books help stimulate something called phonological awareness, which is an important pre-reading skill.   Ann Nealy of Peabody talks about the cleverness behind the made-up words in Dr. Seuss books and Jeanne Wanzek of Peabody talks about how the stories involve problem-solving and critical thinking. Check out these websites for more information: https://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/departments/sped/news/dr_seuss_new_book.php https://www.best-books-for-kids.com/reading-dr-seuss.html#:~:text=Reading%20aloud%20helps%20children%20develop,books%20aloud%20is%20especially%20good.  

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)-- Here are some things to know

Image
This photo is from @pricklypearpediatrictherapy.  Did you know that apraxia of speech may affect as many as one to ten children out of every 1,000?  These children may have difficulty coordinating the movements of the mouth and tongue and may only have a few consonants and vowels in their repertoire.   They may have inconsistent errors in their speech and speak slowly, and they may have voicing errors, vowel errors, and stress pattern errors.  Children with CAS may benefit from early identification and motor approaches such as short, frequent, intense practice sessions.  Motor approaches can also be complemented by linguistic approaches that help children internalize phonological rules.  Sometimes sign language or an electronic communication device can be used when intelligibility is low.  

What are some benefits of bilingualism? Watch to find out more...

Image
I made a little video about some benefits of bilingualism.  Watch to found out more... What languages are you learning?  This week I am brushing up on my Spanish and my ASL.  #bilingualism #languagelearning

Benefits of Bilingualism: it helps the young and the old!

Image
Some benefits of bilingualism from @latina.speechie.  Thank you! And from NPR, https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/29/497943749/6-potential-brain-benefits-of-bilingual-education: Did you know that students in a dual-languge classroom outperformed peers in English reading by a full year?  Learning a second language can even help protect against dementia.   #secondlanguagelearning #bilingualism  

Why is it important to talk to babies? Watch this video for a few ideas...

Image
#talktoyourkids #languagelearning

Talking to Babies-- Why It's Important

Image
From @speech.allisonfors. 🤯 Did you know this? I find this fascinating and know first hand how it can feel silly to talk talk talk to your infant...but it’s critical! Some tips: ➡️Narrate your actions and routines throughout the day. ➡️Read books and sing songs. ➡️Make eye contact and talk to your baby while feeding. And from https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-talk-language#:~:text=Speaking%20to%20your%20baby%20fires,their%20overall%20ability%20to%20learn When you talk to you're baby, you're helping to "fire up" the synapses that help with language. So the more you talk to your child, the more you are helping them form connections with words. It's important to talk to your child, and it's great when you use that high-pitched "sing-song" "baby-talk" voice. Babies attend to that more than they do just plain old talking. 80% of your brain's development happens in the first three years, so earlier is better when it comes to talk

Happy Lunar New Year!

Image
Today marks the Lunar New Year.  This year it's the Year of the Tiger.  It's time to clean house, eat dumplings, and wear red!  One of my favorite memories of celebrating the Lunar New Year was watching the dragon dance-- truly amazing!  #LunarNewYear #ChineseNewYear  

Suggestions for Speech and Language Development-- American Speech Language Hearing Association

 If you haven't been to the American Speech Language Hearing Association at asha.org, you'll be pleased with the wealth of information you can find there.  One great help is the tips at https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/suggestions/.  There you'll find suggestions for helping elementary school-aged children with speech and language development.  Rhyming games, retelling stories, keeping a diary, and looking for spelling patterns are all ideas for helping with speech and language.

The Hanen Centre-- Helpful tips from language experts

 If you have never heard of the Hanen Centre, please check out hanen.org as soon as you can.  There are multiple articles on improving language in young children, a Book Nook with suggestions on utilizing books to improve vocabulary, and workshop information.  

Students with behavior difficulties can improve communication through playing chess

Chess requires children to plan ahead and think about the consequences of their actions.  It's a perfect way for children with behavior disorders to put more thought into the various moves they make, both on the chess board and in life.  Check out this article about a speech language pathologist who plans chess activities for children on her caseload. #chess https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.SCM.26122021.30/full/