Bumble Bee Speech Therapy

This week is NAIDOC week! NAIDOC 2024: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud, and Proud.

NAIDOC 2024: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud, and Proud.

This NAIDOC Week, we stand with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in igniting the flame of culture and celebrating the unyielding spirit of their communities.

The fire symbolises the enduring strength and vitality of Indigenous cultures, passed down through generations despite the challenges faced.It is a symbol of connection to the land, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As we honour this flame, we kindle the sparks of pride and unity, igniting a renewed commitment to acknowledging, preserving, and sharing the cultural heritage that enriches our nation.

We pledge to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering a society where the wisdom and contributions of Indigenous peoples are fully valued and respected.

Through our collective efforts, we can forge a future where the stories, traditions, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are cherished and celebrated, enriching the fabric of our nation with the oldest living culture in the world.

Image: National NAIDOC logo

Did you know May 18th is National SLP day?! It is!

Tag your favorite SLPs in the comments, or send a quick text/email to let them know you appreciate them!

I am so grateful to all of the SLPs in my life- I have learned so much from many of you, I appreciate your dedication to the people you support, and am so thankful you are here! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

To be equal and fair are not the same thing 👏

NeuroWild 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

A lovely summary about getting the most from Ms Rachels’s videos with our little ones!

We LOVE book reading at Bumble Bee Speech Therapy, and this is a great way to turn your book reading into a conversation. Talking about the pictures you can see on the pages is often so much more fun than just reading through the words.

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY TIP!

Conversations naturally continue when you follow the child’s lead by making interesting comments and asking questions that a child wants to answer. Here’s a tip to keep the conversation going while reading a book.

For more language and literacy tips, visit www.hanen.org/LanguageandLiteracyTips

A great reference point to know when to refer your child for speech therapy!

One of my favourites! Help is a great sign to use with little ones to support your message. Everyone can benefit from Key Word Sign!

Learn a Sign 8
KWS can HELP everyone be included!

What an important reminder! The first words we are listening for might not be quite what we expect 👶

What a fabulous collections of tips from Mrs Speechie P! These are great strategies to use with little ones learning to communicate and interact with others.

Children who lead get the language they need!
Using the OWL strategy makes sure that we are following the lead of our children, by seeing what they are interested in, and giving them time to start the interaction.

TIP TO FOLLOW YOUR CHILD’S LEAD

The first step in Following Your Child’s Lead is to OWL – Observe, Wait and Listen. To observe and listen to your child, you need to stop and wait, without talking. Waiting not only gives you the time you need to notice what your child is interested in, but it also sends your child the message that it’s their turn, making it more likely they will send you a message.

Read more at www.hanen.org/BSHM2022

Modelling helps us to take the pressure off our young children when they are learning to talk. We can give the a demonstration of the words to say without asking them to say it 🗣

Great tips by !

Happy World Voice Day! We use our voices every day in so many different situations. It is so important to know how to look after your voice, especially when it is feeling tired or uncomfortable 🗣

WORLD VOICE DAY | Today is World Voice Day. We use our voices every day when speaking and singing. Our voices are used to express emotions and personality and to show our emotional and physical health. Dysphonia (problems with voice) can impact a person’s quality of life and ability to communicate.

Voice problems can include a hoarse or strained voice, a soft voice or a voice that doesn’t carry well, changes in pitch or a needing to cough/clear the throat after talking. It can also include a tight or uncomfortable sore throat when talking, needing to use extra effort when talking or feelings of a ‘tired voice’ after talking.

It is estimated that around 7-9% of children and 5-6% of adults have a voice problem. Women are more likely to have voice issues than men. People who use their voices regularly as part of their job (e.g. teachers, call centre workers, media presenters and barristers) are at a higher risk of developing a voice disorder with up to 60% experiencing a voice problem at one time. Here are some vocal hygiene strategies you can use to take better care of your voice.

Having difficulty with your voice? Contact your local Speech Pathology department or visit www.SpeechPathologyAustralia.org.au for more information and advice.

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month. These are some great resources to learn more about autism!

This post gives a fascinating insight into why children with autism can have difficulty eating a variety of foods, including fruit 🍓

There are always exceptions, and this will not be the case for all children!

We are so grateful for all the women in our lives! We hope everyone had a fabulous International Women’s Day yesterday.

On International Women’s Day (8 March), with 12,494 female members, Speech Pathology Australia and the speech pathology profession in Australia have never been in better hands.

In 2022, the theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’. This year’s theme is all about recognising and amplifying the important role women and girls around the world play in addressing climate change.

But we all have a responsibility for gender equality, in whatever setting, and for working for a sustainable tomorrow.

Every day is an opportunity for all of us to join voices with family, friends, colleagues and clients, and shout the message that “Women’s rights are human rights!”

A great set of strategies to help boost your young child’s language!

One of my all time favorites by Speech and Language at Home!

This is definitely a favourite technique! Repeat repeat repeat…. and then wait! This is great for routines in which you say the same phrase every time.

One of my favorite tips for emergent communicators! Model model model (especially in routines!)- then lead in and wait! This strategy is great for all modes of communication- speaking, signing, and AAC!

This strategy also varies by child, some may pick up sooner than others while others may need it modeled many more times. The key is to give lots of exposures and then slowly add in wait time for a child to finish a phrase. If the child doesn’t fill in the phrase, it’s okay, the adult still says it!

This is a great guide to when our kids learn different concepts. Every child is different, but if your child is struggling to learn the concepts expected by their age, it might be a good idea to have an assessment done by a Speech Pathologist!

This is a great tool when counting how many words your little one uses! Spoken words and approximations, but also signs (Auslan in Australia!) count as words that they know!

🧰 Free First Words Workshop!
(details below)

First Words come in all shapes and sizes:

🐄 Symbolic noises
👏 Exclamations
👵🏻 Names of family members and pets
🤟ASL signs
🗨️ Word approximations

The thing we are really looking for is symbolic knowledge- that a consistent combination of phonemes (sounds or the five parameters of ASL) has meaning for them!

Check out my First Words Workshop to learn more!

I'll teach you five actionable tips you can start using today to support your child's language development and help them say more words!

🧰 Link below:
Free First Words Workshop
https://first50words.teachable.com/p/firstwordsworkshop

ID: white tile with pie chart, titled "what counts as a word?"

Bumble Bee Speech Therapy updated their business hours.

A great way to start every interaction with your little one!

🌈 It's all in the set-up!

Set the stage for learning through play!

The PIWI program out of Vanderbilt (Parents Interacting with Infants) outlines how to set the stage for mutually enjoyable interactions with young children.

1. Get on the floor and sit face to face.
2. Have a few toys out that are appropriate to their developmental level.
3. Follow their lead to see how they want to play.
4. Provide support as needed.

Getting down on their level so that they can see our face is SO important for connection, engagement, and building language skills!

⚠️ Are you already doing this or is this new info for you? Tell me in the comments!




ID: photo of a young girl sitting face to face with her mother playing patty cake. Text reads: early language tip: get down on the floor and sit face to face to set the stage for language learning

Some great tips for keeping your voice healthy and safe!

Less pressure and more modelling goes a long way in helping our little ones to talk!

There are so many different words we can share with our little ones during meal times! 🥞🥗🍝

These are also great times to model AAC - Augmentative & Assistive Technology (low tech or high tech)! Thanks Graceful Expression, Speech-Language Pathologist

These are fabulous ideas! Doing the unexpected can prompt our little ones to use their words to fix the problem 🧒

Show your little one the words they need 🧒

📚

Today is International Literacy Day (8 September)! This year’s theme is “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”.

International Literacy Day 2021 is an opportunity to reimagine future literacy teaching and learning, within and beyond the context of the pandemic. Exploring how literacy can contribute to building a solid foundation for a human-centred recovery, with a special focus on the interplay of literacy and digital skills required by non-literate youth and adults. It explores what makes technology-enabled literacy learning inclusive and meaningful to leave no one behind.

As the professionals working with children with communication difficulties, speech pathologists are a key part of any literacy team.

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/literacyday

Early Intervention is so important to help our little ones get on track to start school with the language skills they need! 🏫

As a partner of the National Early Language and Literacy Coalition, Speech Pathology Australia is delighted to co-release Australia’s first national strategy to support children’s language and literacy development.

Over the past three years the Association has worked with 10 coalition partners to develop this important strategy with the aim of ensuring that Australian children start school with the fundamentals in language and literacy to set them up for success, and to reach their full potential as adults.

Right now, about 1 in 5 children are developmentally behind before they even start school. Research shows that children who start school behind never catchup.

Speech Pathology Australia, with the coalition, will urge Commonwealth, state and territory governments to adopt this proposed strategy, to take to the next level and confirm that development of our children’s' language and literacy skills are a national priority.

You can lend your support and get behind the initiative by signing up to the NELLC petition.
http://chng.it/fFBV4JBj

Read the full proposed strategy at www.earlylanguageandliteracy.org.au

EARLY intervention helps kids catch up to their peers! Don’t wait, evaluate 😊

We’ve all probably heard these well-meaning comments that are frequently said to parents. I get it, people want to be supportive- but these comments can actually have a negative impact and prevent parents from seeking evaluations for their children. These comments also insinuate needing support or having delays is bad and should be avoided at all costs- when really we should be supportive of parents getting their child support!

Intervention and evaluations are a GOOD thing. Giving a child a means to communicate from the ages of 1-4 is a GOOD thing. So let’s make it happen! ❤️❤️