Julia Peters Speech and Language Therapy

Maybe there is an even stronger link between music and language than we imagined. I wonder if is this strong evidence that early childhood music lessons have a positive impact on language and literacy skills…

The importance of keeping a beat: Researchers link ability to keep a beat to reading, language skills The findings of a Northwestern University study of more than 100 high school students lend proof to the surprising link between music, rhythmic abilities and language skills.

The things children say...
One of my 5 year old clients saw this photo taken of me and my boys in the summer. He couldn’t quite comprehend how big and grown-up they are, and asked "Are you still their mum?".

Celebrate with me! 🥳 8 years ago I took a huge leap, leaving a secure but rather hectic job in a fantastic school, to set up my own independent practice. Julia Peters Independent Speech and Language Therapy has been quite a journey which I haven’t regretted for one moment and I love having more say in my caseload, and the hours and times I work. The Pandemic threw in a few challenges initially, but it’s meant that online therapy is now very much a part of my toolbox: alongside seeing children face-to-face in 3 schools, I am able to work with children online in 2 other schools. Pictured are some of the moments from the past 8 years which show a small snippet of the variety of my days including speech and language work with children, giving training and attending training and conferences. [not pictured: admin, tax returns, writing emails, planning lessons, printing and laminating resources, keeping up-to-date with research, keeping in touch with other independent SLT’s, drinking copious amounts of coffee]. Here’s to the next 8!

Julia on Instagram: "Celebrate with me! 🥳 8 years ago I took a huge leap, leaving a secure but rather hectic job in a fantastic school, to set up my own independent practice. Julia Peters Independent Speech and Language Therapy has been quite a... 0 Likes, 0 Comments - Julia () on Instagram: "Celebrate with me! 🥳 8 years ago I took a huge leap, leaving a secure but rather hectic job i..."

We used this fantastic resource in a lesson today. We clarified the meaning of each of these words, and both the student and I talked about a time when we felt these emotions. Did you know that children who learn how to understand emotions in themselves and others are better able to regulate their own responses to strong emotions?

This is a good proportion of my adorable caseload😂

This is great. Perhaps we could all have a go? Add your top 3 Positive Personality Qualities in the comments below (then get your kids to identify theirs). I'll start...

Positive personality qualities - could be used for sorting and labelling activities to help support young people in understanding themselves. Please email us if you’d like the PDF.

Part of my job is to encourage children to develop a real interest in words, their meanings and how they are used. How many of HarperCollins' 10 words of the year 2022 do you know already?

1. Carolean (ˌkærəˈliːən) adjective of or relating to Charles III of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or his reign

Word origin: C20: from Latin Carolus Charles + -ean

2. Kyiv (ˈkiːɪf) noun

the capital of Ukraine, on the Dnieper River: university (1834). Pop: 2,941,884 (2015 est).

Derived form: ‘Kyivan adjective, noun

3. lawfare (ˈlɔːˌfɛə) noun

the strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent

Word origin: C20: from law + warfare

4. Partygate (ˈpɑːtɪˌɡeɪt) noun, informal

a political scandal over social gatherings held in British government offices during 2020 and 2021 in defiance of the public health restrictions that prevailed at the time

Word origin: party + -gate

5. permacrisis (ˈpɜːməˌkraɪsɪs) noun, plural -ses (-siːz)

an extended period of instability and insecurity, esp one resulting from a series of catastrophic events

Word origin: C21: from perma- + crisis

6. quiet quitting (ˌkwaɪət ˈkwɪtɪŋ) noun, informal

1 the practice of doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do, esp in order to spend more time on personal activities

2 the practice of doing little or no work while being present at one’s place of employment

Derived form: quiet quitter noun

7. splooting (ˈspluːtɪŋ) noun, slang

the act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs stretched out

Word origin: C21: perhaps altered from splat

8. sportswashing (ˈspɔːtsˌwɒʃɪŋ) noun, informal

the sponsorship or promotion of sporting events in order to enhance a tarnished reputation or distract attention from a controversial activity

9. vibe shift (ˈvaɪb ˌʃɪft) noun, informal

a significant change in a prevailing cultural atmosphere or trend

10. warm bank (ˈwɔːm ˌbæŋk) noun

a heated building where people who cannot afford to heat their own homes may go

TIP OF THE DAY (for teachers):
Students struggling to learn language need 36 repetitions (YES 36!!) of a word to learn it (Storkel et al., 2017). On average this accounts for 2 children in every classroom. Even if most students in the class seem to understand a word, we need to keep repeating the word for those students who need more repetitions to learn it. Ensure they HEAR it, READ it, SAY it, WRITE it.

Feeling sad at the loss of this incredible woman, as I’m sure many of you are too.
There’s some very sound advice in this article on talking to your children about grief and loss.

What a sad day. No matter how you feel about the monarchy; today a family lost their much loved matriarch and many around the world will be mourning the loss of a strong woman who was a constant in turbulent times.

The following days could prove unsettling to children. There will be a sense of collective grief amongst those in the UK (and commonwealth), television and radio programmes will change, there will be constant sombre music and talk of death and funerals. All of this coming at a time of societal change and with children starting or returning to school.

What's the best way to handle this with children? I'm a firm believer in not shielding children from death. I don't think we do them justice in trying to protect them from it. If we don't talk to them about it somebody else will; such as a a friend in the school playground, or they will overhear a conversation. When somebody dies, whether in our close family or someone who played an important role in our life - like the Queen, we should take time to sit and explain to our children what has happened, using simple, child friendly language. Avoid using ambiguous terms such as "passed away", "went to heaven" (conversations about religious and spiritual beliefs can happen later), or "gone to sleep", instead be clear that the Queen has died; actively use the term death.

It's natural for children to ask questions, try to answer them as honestly and accurately as possible, however uncomfortable or inappropriate they may feel to you. It's also natural for them to worry about you, or others close to them dying, here try to reassure them, but again be honest. It is always good to have a few children's books to hand which can help you to explain death to younger children. Children may like to process their feelings and remember the Queen by drawing pictures, or writing about her (this is akin to us as adults writing in a book of condolence).

If you're upset at the news (or it has triggered past grief in you), don't feel that you have to hide your emotions, again it's good for children to see us grieving. Similarly, it is more than appropriate for children to be allowed to watch the funeral on television if they - or you - would like to.

Much love to everyone today, it's going to be a strange, sad and discombobulating period for many (in times that are already tricky).

Image credit: Joel Rouse/ Ministry of DefenceDerivative: nagualdesign - defenceimagery.mod.uk, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65165563

What a great idea!