Tiny Tots Speech Pathology Adelaide

Hands up if you can't believe 2023 is almost over! 🙋‍♀️ We'll be taking a short break over Christmas and will be ready and raring to get back into therapy from Wednesday, 3rd January 2024.

Thank you for choosing us to be a part of your journey this year. Your support and feedback are greatly appreciated. It has been a joy to support so many wonderful families this year and celebrate the successes of their tiny ones. We are so blessed at TTSP to love what we do and look forward to more learning and laughter in the New Year! 😊

Mr & Mrs Potato Head can be found in almost every Paediatric Speechies' cupboard and for good reason! This power couple can be used to target an abundance of goals. Here are some popular ways to use this famous duo:

✔️Teaching the pronouns he, she, his, hers, him and her.

✔️Developing play skills

✔️Modelling actions e.g., jumping, walking, talking, hugging, sleeping, eating, washing, brushing teeth etc.

✔️Teaching your child to follow directions by asking them to put certains pieces into the potatoes.

✔️ Practicing turn taking.

✔️ Targeting core vocabulary such as the words, 'help', 'stuck', 'like', 'don't like', 'want', 'in', 'out'.

✔️Teaching body parts and names of accessories.

✔️Teaching the words 'girl' and 'boy'

Let's face it, it can sometimes be hard to make ends meet, let alone find the extra cash to buy your kid/s all the latest gadgets and gizmos! The good news is that you don't need all the money in the world to give them the gift of your presence! Children (like all of us), have a deep, in-built need for connection and companionship. The truth is that your child will learn more language, and countless other skills, from your presence and interaction with them, than they ever will from a toy. Presents are lovely and toys be can great fun, and beneficial but always remember that the biggest gift you can give your child is your quality time!

🤔💭 Wondering how many words your little should be combining? As a general rule, between the ages of 1 & 4 years the number of words your child puts together to communicate should be the same number or more than their age.

To expand your child's vocabulary, model a sentence length that is just one word longer than they can use. For example, if they talk using single words, talk to them using mostly two word phrases. It's so simple and just takes a bit of practice to create a new habit of changing the way you talk to your tot. 😊

The power of play 🙌 This is why Tiny Tots Speech Pathology provides fun, play based therapy for your little one!

🎉 MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎊

Reflecting on the past year, it has been a privilege to get to know and care for the families we support, and a great joy to celebrate every child's progress! We look forward to working with you next year and welcoming more families and their little ones.

🙏 Thank you for supporting our small business, for your lovely feedback, for your referrals, and for every shared and liked social media post ❤️ It means so much and is greatly appreciated.

We love our Spin Again toy by ! This toy is great for modelling verbs, adjectives and exclamatory sounds like "wow!" & "wee!", as well teaching core vocab such as 'on', 'off', 'down', 'stop' and 'go'. It can be used to target goals such as helping your child to request for 'more' and taking turns. It's also a great tool for developing hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.

❤️ We love this quote by Mother Teresa.
At Tiny Tots Speech Pathology, one of the ways we achieve greatness is by acknowledging the strengths that we each bring and working collaboratively with families to help their child to fulfil their potential.

We know that parents and carers are the expert when it comes to knowing their child, plus they do the behind the scenes therapy at home, so it makes sense that they are be a BIG part of the team!

🏀🏈⚽ There's so much fun to be had throwing, rolling, bouncing and kicking a ball. Next time your child is playing with a ball, try commenting about what they are doing rather than leading the interaction. Following your child's lead is one of the best ways that you can help them to learn new words. Ball play teaches an abundance of skills and it's even better if you can get outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine at the same time! 😄 🌄

🤔 Not sure what pronouns your child should be using?

Checkout our quick reference chart to find out what age children learn to use difference pronouns.

This is your reminder that you are a worthy and wonderful parent because you do the best you can to nurture and support your little human to thrive! It has zero to do with their milestones and accomplishments. Zero. Just as your child's value is based on who they are and not what they can or can't do!!

It's no secret that we LOVE bubbles to teach language. They provide lots of opportunities to model words (like those above), and because bubbles are motivating for children, they are a perfect activity to help your child say/sign 'more'! Here's how to use bubbles to work on this goal:

1. Blow some bubbles for your child to enjoy

2. close the bubbles and pause from 10 seconds.

3. Look for body language or vocalisations that your child uses to indicate that they want you to blow more bubbles

4. Respond to their request for more by saying and signing "more bubbles" and quickly blowing more bubbles

5. Repeat these steps for as long as your child shows an interest.

Why do we like to focus on teaching the word 'more'? Because once your child learns to say 'more', it empowers them to request for more in any situation. It can be used be used to ask for more pushes on the swing, more to eat, more tickles, more Play-Doh and so on. 'More' is a frequently used, empowering and versatile word that is important for your child to be able to communicate effectively.

The intentional copying of a gesture/action/sound/expression is referred to as, "imitation". Imitation is a crucial skill that children master before they use words. Therefore, one of your child's communication goals may initially focus on supporting them to develop imitation skills.

Children with a stutter can do anything they want to and should be encouraged to reach for the stars ✨ and follow their dreams 💭, like every other child! 🎉

Did you know that Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, Emily Blunt and King George V have all experienced living with a stutter?!

Some facts about stuttering:

👥 1 in 100 people have a stutter.

🧠 Stuttering is not a psychological condition or the result of an anxiety disorder, it is related to wiring in the brain.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Research shows that there is a genetic link in at least half of all stuttering cases.

💭 People who stutter are not stupid.

🗣️ It is not helpful to finish someone's sentence if they are stuttering.

🐢 It is not helpful to tell someone with a stutter to breathe or slow down.

👑 The following famous people have experienced living with a stutter, Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, Emily Blunt, King George V.

👄 Stuttering can involve repetitions of sounds, words and phrases, interjections of other sounds such as 'um' and 'ah', prolonging sounds in words and tension when speaking.

👦👧 Around 80% of children with a stutter will recover spontaneously, however there is no way to know who will recover and who will not, therefore early intervention is always recommended.

📚 To follow on from Friday's video, we thought we'd share some characteristics to look for when choosing books for babies and toddlers. The features listed above make books ideal for little learners to enjoy and engage with, whilst acquiring new words in the process ✔️✔️

Some of our other favourite books are:

🐾 'Where's Spot?'
🦁 'Oh Dear'
🐕 'Hairy Maclarey'
🍑 'Each Peach Pear Plum'
🐛 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'
🐖 'Where does pig live?'
🐑 'Where's the Green Sheep?'
👶 'Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes'
🌜 'The Going To Bed Book'
🐻 'That's Not My Teddy'

❓What's your favourite book for young children? Let us know in the comments 👇

Tips when reading Dear Zoo with your tot:

🐘 Use social language to greet the animals

🐪 Use core words like 'open' and 'closed' as your child lifts and shuts the flaps

🦁 Use signs for the animals and key words to emphasise them

🐍 Make the animal sounds as you discover each animal

🦒 Comment on what your child shows and interest in

🐒 Read the words at a slow and steady pace

🐸 Hold the book near your face so you child can see your mouth and facial expressions

🦓 Take it in turns to turn the page (if your child is at that stage) and say "turn the page" each time

🐯 Talk about the characteristics of each animal

🐕 Leave a pause before saying the last word in the repetive lines.

🤔 How many words should my child be saying? This is one of our most frequently asked questions, so we have put together this table to help. When it comes to the answer, it falls within a range. Speech Pathologists will often talk about the "average" referring to what approximately 50% of children can do at a certain age, whereas other sources may give a milestone that tells you what 90% of children can do at that particular age. For example, half of all 18 month oldd will be using 50 words and the majority (90%) will be using at least 10 words.

🧒👧👶If your child is only just meeting the milestone or has not yet reached the milestone, Speech Pathology support can help your child to develop crucial communication skills. Early intervention is always the best approach to make sure that your child is on track to fulfilling their potential and ensures you do not miss out on the optimal learning window in the preschool years.

❓If you have any questions about speech therapy or our services please comment below and we'll get back to you 😊

At Tiny Tots Speech Pathology we can hand on ❤️ say that we LOVE what we do AND will go above and beyond to make sure that you and your child feel supported on your therapy journey by giving you the tools you need to achieve your goals ⚽🥅 .

Kendal is passionate about empowering children to be confident and competent communicators and it makes her ❤️ happy to see the little people she supports graduate from therapy and love life to the full 🎉🎊🏆

Have you worked with us before? Drop a 💙 in the comments and let us know what you or you child most enjoyed about their sessions 😁.

❓Do you ever find yourself so in tune with your child that you know what they want just by the look on their face? You can read them so well that you've got them what they want before they've even uttered a sound? If this sounds like you, keep reading 😁👇

This is something that many parents can relate to, but the downside is that every time you meet your child's need before they have had a chance to express it themselves, you have removed their need to communicate and therefore their motivation to communicate. Afterall, there's no need for your child to ask for more pushes on the swing if you are continually pushing them, and there's no need for them to ask you for more fruit slices if you give them all at once, and there's no motivation for them to request to play with their favourite toy if it is kept right within their reach, and so on and so on.

Here's our advice: Be conscious to create as many opportunities as possible for your child to communicate with you. A great way to start is by implementing the four ideas listed in this post.

🍪 To use a cookie example; next time your child wants another cookie, wait for them to tell you before giving it to them. They may start by just reaching for the biscuit in which case you can say "more biscuit" before giving them another one. This strategy gives your child time to communicate what they want and equips them with the words that they can eventually use themselves.

Tele-health is the term used to describe appointments that happen using video conferencing software like 'Zoom'. These appointments became the norm during the pandemic and have continued to be a popular option for families due to their benefits and convenience.

From our experience, tele-health sessions work particularly well for:

✓Coaching parents of young children with language delays/disorders

✓ Doing the Lidcombe program for children with a stutter

✓ Providing speech therapy to children who are able to attend to a screen for 30 minutes with short breaks.

Not sure if tele-health is right for you and your child's needs? Give us a call and we'll let you know what we recommend. 📞 0466340040

Children (and adults) learn best when they are interested in something, which is why following your child's lead is so important when helping them to learn new words. Following your child's lead literally means going where they go, doing what they do and adding words to the things that interest them.

⚠️ Resist the urge to direct their play, instead let them decide what they want to do and join them in the fun!

This may look like:

👍Your child points to a flower and you say, "flower"

👍Your child pulls the lid off of a Tupperware container and you say "lid off"

👍Your child wants to put puzzle pieces under a cushion and you say "under the cushion" every time they put a piece under the cushion

Give this a go and see what new words your little one picks up 😁

slplife

It can be easy to get caught up thinking about all the areas you want your child to develop in, rather than being mindful to acknowledge all the little wins that they have had. Ultimately, it's these little victories that add up to success in achieving bigger goals. Today, I encourage you to think about and write down the little wins your child has had over the past month and then celebrate them!! 🎊🎉 Did they vocalise for the first time? Maintain attention for a longer period of time than usual? Perhaps they pointed to something they wanted? Or did they take your hand to show your something of interest? All of these "little" things are important for effective communication.

Our toy of the week this week is.....SQUIGZ!!

If your tiny tot has had the joy of playing with these colourful little suction toys in therapy sessions, then you'll know just how versatile they are.

Do you have goals in:
speech?
language?
fluency?
problem solving?
hand strength?

If so SQUIGZ have you covered! They can be used in SO many ways. A few of our favourite ways to use them are:

👍Teaching location words by sticking them in various locations around the room.
👍Teaching "on", "off" , "push", "pull"
👍Token rewards for smooth speech or speech sound practice
👍Pushing together and pulling apart - facilitating regulation to be in the learning zone, as well as activating muscles and developing strength
👍Building things and modelling language
👍Exploring cause and effect - pulling them apart and saying "pop"!
👍Taking turns at pulling them apart/pushing them together

We also love that they are:

✔️Easy to clean
✔️Safe for little ones to walk with ✔️Can be mouthed
✔️Good quality
✔️Good for independent play

Do you own a set of these little suckers? Let us know in the comments below and tell us how you use then to work on specific goals ⬇️

https://www.facebook.com/409781630790/posts/10159650134295791/

Parenting Many Children Three kids, three Circles, one pair of Hands. How does that work!?

🌟 VISUAL SCHEDULES 🌟

We love to use visual schedules with our little ones because they:

✔️ Prepare a child for the day's events
✔️ Ease anxiety
✔️ Facilitate transitions
✔️ Teach sequences and routines
✔️ Support spoken language
✔️ Assist in teaching language
✔️ Support literacy development
✔️ Provide prompts to talk about what your child did during the day

Do you use a visual schedule with your tiny tot?

👐 SENSORY PLAY 👐

We are big fans of sensory play at Tiny Tots Speech Pathology because it:

🧠 helps the brain to focus, supporting learning and memory.

🧠 is important for brain development

😀 is often motivating

🗣️ provides an opportunity to model lots of language

👌provides an opportunity to develop fine motor skills

🚜 can incorporate various types of play

💦 can help to desensitise children to a variety of textures

🥕can support children to try new foods during food based sensory play

😁 super fun for all ages!

When creating a sensory box for your little one, it's a good idea to include utensils such as spoons and cups. These enable you to model verbs such as 'mixing', 'stirring', 'tapping', 'pouring' etc. Utensils also allow a child to explore new textures without making direct contact using their hands. This can be particularly useful for children with sensory processing differences.

🛒 The next time you are out shopping with your little one, try these tips to expose them to new vocabulary.

You could also:

🛍️ Create a visual shopping list (that contains words and pictures) with your child

🛍️ Involve your child in the shopping process by asking them to find the items pictured on the shopping list.

🛍️ Role play shopping at home

🛍️ Play a game like 'Shopping List' by Orchard games

🛍️ Talk about your shopping trip when you get home

🛍️ Categorise items found at the shops e.g. food, drinks, cleaning products, clothes, games etc. You could do this by using real items, toys or pictures and grouping them together on the floor/table.

So true 🤩

👌🏼
Source: Person Center for Children

✨💡SENSORY CRAFTS💡✨

We made these shakers and sensory bags using some empty containers, rice and simple craft supplies. This is a simple, fun and cheap activity that will help your child to develop a variety of skills including following instructions, learning new words, fine motor skills, tolerating different textures, naming colours and turn taking, to name just a few!

Our goals were to:

🗣️ Model language, especially action words like cutting, sticking, squeezing, pushing, twisting, shaking and tapping

👀 Explore new textures

🌈 Learn about colours

🎶 Sing our favourite songs while shaking our sensory bottles!