Ruth Byrne, Rutland Speech and Language Therapy Service

Love!!!

Learn With Chatterboxes

Praise is a fantastic way of building self esteem. Here is our guide to making praise POWERFUL 😊💪🌈
Download this and all our resources from https://www.hacw.nhs.uk/childrens-speech-and-language-resources

Quote of the Day

Tune in to BBC Two at 9pm tonight to see Chris Packham’s new two-part series, Inside Our Autistic Minds. Chris joins autistic people from across the UK to help them create short films to reveal to their family and friends about their lived experience of autism.

BBC Two - Inside Our Autistic Minds Chris Packham helps other autistic people reveal what’s going on inside their minds.

Wellbeing Pack | Widgit Symbol Resources Symbol-supported books and activities to support children’s understanding of wellbeing and the importance of self-care

This week’s core word of the week is one of my favs! HELP - it can be used for so many things (zip up my jacket, open this package, turn on the TV, this is too loud, I’m dirty, etc) - and is a really important skill for self advocacy that is used throughout one’s lifetime!

The key with this one is that we don’t want to frustrate kids - so I don’t recommend giving significant wait time to kids that get easily frustrated (sometimes wait time can be short and sometimes it can be long!).

I’ve also seen people “plan” by taking things out of a child’s hands to put it back into a container. Please don’t do this! Some things (like bubbles or wind up toys naturally set up lots of opportunities) but some things don’t work like that, and it’s okay. If it’s natural to have lots of repetitions, I’m all for it- but if it’s not, please don’t take the fun out of things by taking them away.

We’ve got our December calendar up! So many activities going on December, which can be both exciting and stressful 🤪.

Why bother with this?
🌟 Time can be a very abstract concept, but I love doing this to help it all make sense
🌟 Having a visual calendar is such a good way to help everyone in the house understand what is happening and when.
🌟 We all like to know what is happening in our diaries… prepping children for changes to their usual routine can be so helpful for them emotionally, and may help to reduce Christmas overwhelm
🌟 photos/ pictures are easy for most to understand, no matter the language level, so it can be used independently 💪🏼

How to use it:
🌟 Make it with your little ones, mine loved sticking the pictures on the right date!
🌟 Encourage your child to look at it everyday by inviting interest and commenting on it yourself e.g. ‘ooh I wonder what is happening this week/ today!’
🌟 Talk about an event before it happens… where will it be? Who might be there? What might happen?
🌟 Tick off the days/ activities as you go on the countdown to Christmas.

Christmas is a wonderful, but busy time, so do what you can to help your little (and big) ones understand it all 🌲

What a role model, what a platform 👏🏼 💪🏼. Different not less 💥

Get ready to celebrate with our Makaton download of symbols and signs 🕯🎉🎆

Available via The Makaton Library > Free Resources or via the link below: http://ow.ly/hBpi50Lfi8s

Love this SaLT by the Sea … what if the goal was JOY 🤩 ??

We expect so much of our kids with communication needs. To focus and pay attention, sit still and do ‘one more’. We imagine that’s how they’ll learn and make progress. But truth is, kids learn best when they find a meaningful and joyful connection with the person they’re with.

Learning doesn’t have to look serious to be valuable.

Prioritising joy isn’t dodging the ‘important’ stuff of learning. It IS the important stuff.

Get playful, get goofy, allow for the things a child finds fun. I promise good things will grow from that.

14/10/22 is Developmental language disorder (DLD) awareness day. There is a proven link between language difficulties and emotional and mental health. Imagine how frustrated you would be not understanding the language used around you, or being able to say what you wanted to say 🤔 How would this look on you… anger, withdrawal, avoidance, refusal?

Language is critical for establishing social relationships and maintaining emotional well-being. Many people with behavioural and emotional problems have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) that have gone unrecognized. When thinking of people with social, emotional, and health needs, then consider their spoken language too. October 14th 2022. Find out more at RADLD.org

How can you help reduce anxiety for children with during class registration? Here are a few ideas.

Coldplay increasing accessibility within their shows, including signing, sensory packs and sensory refuges! Love this Coldplay 👏🏼

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChFs4fpo5y4/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Coldplay on Instagram: "We want our concerts to be accessible to everyone, and for everyone to have the best possible experience. Here are a few things we are doing for the rest of the tour. At every show we offer local sign language interpreters... Coldplay shared a post on Instagram: "We want our concerts to be accessible to everyone, and for everyone to have the best possible experience. Here are a few things we are doing for the rest of the tour. At every show we offer local sign language interpreters as well as for our D/deaf and h...

Get early help and sign posting 👇

📢 Free webinars for parents!
Is your child aged 18 months-2.5 years? Are you concerned about their language development? Join one of our free TALK parent webinars for approaches you can put into practice with your child at home. Book your place today:
https://bit.ly/3nLPI8c

Body autonomy is such an important topic to teach our children. Here are 5 learning points for children to help them understand from The Makaton Charity and NSPCC

Talk PANTS with Makaton: Rule 1 Meet Pantosaurus and his friends to learn about the first PANTS rule using Makaton

Representation is key 🙌🏼 yes Barbie more of this please 👏🏼

With the all–new wave of Barbie Fashion Dolls, we are proud to introduce the first Barbie with behind-the-ear hearing aids, giving kids the chance to imagine even more amazing possibilities.

The power of play is shaping what we imagine to be possible – which is why it’s important that kids can play out stories with dolls that reflect themselves and the world around them! 💗

Coming to stores June 2022.

Could a child experiencing mental health problems also have difficulties speaking and understanding language?

Our Talking Point website is here for parents or professionals concerned about a child's language development 👇

https://bit.ly/2JtxLau

Are you interested to know which speech sounds your child should be saying at different ages? See below for a guide average 👍🏻

Updated sound acquisition norms for typically developing kids! Remember this is just ONE piece to consider - if your child has multiple sound errors for their age or is difficult to understand, it’s best to see a SLP!

📷 Graham Speech Therapy, LLC

Free training for EYs practitioners to support speech, language and communication needs 🌟

📢 EY SEND TRAINING IS BACK!
We're pleased to announce *new dates* for our popular EY SEND live training sessions! Early years educators, book your place now! https://bit.ly/3iDEuz0

Free Ramadan download from Makaton 👍🏻

We have a free download available to support Ramadan and Eid celebrations. Head over to The Makaton Library and go to Free Resources. If you are not already signed up you can create a free account via http://ow.ly/Jl5B50HsUWA

In collaboration with Kerry Cawley, Tracy Clark, Julie Hawkins, and Fabio Cawley.

Hand Made Communications Makaton Training

This 👇💔

Speaking of , here is a powerful reflection from one of our Autistic mentees (age 13): 'I feel like people are always telling me the things I need to do to fit in with other kids, but no one tells the other kids the things they can do to make me feel like I belong.'

One of the most meaningful aspects of our Autistic-led mentoring programs is that young people experience a sense of belonging simply by being themselves.

For a deeper dive, please see:
▪ From EisforErin, Social Skills For Everyone (tinyurl.com/56z7fp2v)
▪ Brand new from Pandas online, Autism Acceptance 2022: The Neuro Bears (free storybook: tinyurl.com/2p8j7w3b and video youtu.be/_490q6LaHIY)
▪ From Frontiers for Young Minds, Double Empathy: Why Autistic People Are Often Misunderstood (tinyurl.com/2ptjsdj3)
▪ From Not An Autism Mom, 100ish Inclusive Books on Autism & Neurodiveristy (tinyurl.com/5f2667ec)
▪ Learn more about our work here: https://icannetwork.online/.

[Image description: Blue background with cartoon graphic at the bottom showing a group of young people with their arms linked. White text reads, 'I feel like people are always telling me the things I need to do to fit in with other kids, but no one tells the other kids the things they can do to make me feel like I belong.' I CAN Mentee (Age 13).]

💯 % agree 🙌🏼

All children are "good" children 💙