Playing With Toys!
By Abbey Vielhaber Pick toys without batteries, lights, and sounds. Research shows children communicate less when playing with electronic toys. Find or make toys that your child is interested in and play at their level-some children like to taste toys, some like to put things inside containers, and some like to pretend. Be flexible! Toys…
11 Skills to Master Before Talking
By Lauren Polster, M.S., CCC-SLP Toddlers meet many communication milestones prior to words emerging! The child will… Consistently reacts to things they see, hear, and feel. Responding is the foundation for interacting and communicating. Respond to people when they talk to or play with them. The child enjoys being around other people and responds to them…
10 Ways to Use those Toilet Paper Rolls!
With this Therapy Share we’ll be helping you use your toilet paper and paper towel rolls to spark some language-rich, creative play! Staple 2 tubes together to make binoculars. Attach a string for a strap. Go on a birdwatching/animal watching walk. Cut 3 slits partway up around the tube, squish the cut end together and…
Don’t Get “Board” With Speech
By Abbey Vielhaber Flash cards to practice sounds or concepts can be helpful, but it’s good to have a little fun, too! Try one of these board games to mix up your normal practicing routine! Candy Land: Practice /k/ or /g/ by having them say each time: “My/your turn to pick a card” or “I…
Making Technology Interactive
By Hillary Collins M.S., CCC-SLP Times are a changin’ and technology is here to stay. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that guidelines surrounding media usage are changing as well; the most current AAP guidelines are reported as follows: For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of…
Rainy Day Activities
When the forecast is projecting for rain, rain and more rain, it may seem daunting if you’ve got little ones at home. But no worries- Miss Abbey has shared all of her go-to rainy day activities that she does with her own children at home! .☔️𝐒𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤/ 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞….
Stuttering Recovery Prediction in Children
By Lauren Polster, M.S., CCC-SLP Stuttering Rates Lifetime incidence (how many people have ever stuttered in their life) 5-8% Persistence rate 20% (remainder: spontaneous recovery) Population prevalence (how many people stutter at a given point in time) 1% Factors Associated with Increased Likelihood of Persistence without Treatment Relatives whose stuttering persisted (may be correlation-but more…
SLPs Love Books!
By Susan Dabo, M.S., CCC-SLP Speech-language pathologists love books. I have a lot of books in my office and at home. It was one of my daughter’s favorite activities and still is to this day. Books can be a great way to work on speech/language goals at home. Here are some ways to implement books…
IEP 101: For Parents
By Megan Reed, M.S., CCC-SLP What is an IEP? An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is written for each student who qualifies to receive special education and/or related services (e.g. speech therapy). This is a legal document that details the student’s learning needs, the services the school will provide and how progress will be measured. How…
Make Articulation Practice Fun!
By Hillary Collins, M.S., CF-SLP FIRST THINGS FIRST: What exactly is articulation? Articulation is a fancy way of saying the production of speech sounds. An articulation disorder involves problems making sounds. Sounds can be substituted, left off, added, or changed. These errors may make it hard for people to understand you. A phonological process disorder involves…