The Voice Retreat

School is back in session and we are working on those schedules! We sincerely thank everyone for their flexibility and grace while we sort out all the kinks over the next few weeks. And while we are on the subject of school, if anyone is having difficulty obtaining the necessary supplies for their child and needs help, please text Alyssa (or your providing therapist). We can offer supplies discreetly so your child has everything he/she needs.

PRECURSOR ACTIVITIES CHILDREN SHOULD MASTER BEFORE LEARNING TO WRITE

These fun activities help build strengthen in the hands while increasing dexterity for writing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CADL4xRFYqz/

Hearing loss has been linked to an increased risk of dementia. As part of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, we encourage people of all ages to visit an audiologist. www.hearing.org

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Friday Funnies 🤣🚴‍♂️

SLP Data Collection in Preschool - Speech Room News Data collection in preschool can be difficult. Unlike 10 year olds, therapy with a 3-year-old is likely way more fast paced, often on the floor, and usually play-based. So how do you collect data, keep a 3-year-old at the table, help him activate a dancing Elmo toy, and model on an AAC device at one...

Imitation relates to the *intentional* copying of a gesture, action, sound, etc. by another person.
It is a crucial prelinguistic skill.

✨️ These are the steps children typically move through before using words-
1- imitating actions with objects
2- imitating big body movements (gross motor movements are easier than fine motor movements)
3- imitating small body movements and communicative gestures (like waving)
4- imitating facial expressions
5- imitating symbolic sounds and vocalisations
6- imitating exclamatory words
7- imitating words in verbal routines (these are automatic)
8- imitating single functional words
9- imitating short phrases.

✨️ So. If you're working with a little one who isn't yet using words. Have a look at their other imitation skills...
You might need to step back a bit and work on an earlier imitation skill first, before words.

Info. based on work by Laura Mize.

Also- this rainbow beauty is being added to the Early Language Posters resource SOON 🌈🤩💙

New FREE handout: Let’s Talk About GoTalk … so many different AAC options, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lets-Talk-About-GoTalk-so-many-different-AAC-options-8152489

Did you know? The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) recommends SLP Assistant or Assistant SLP as an abbreviation for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants.

Read more in Communicologist: https://www.txsha.org/blog/how-asha-certification-applies-to-speech-language-pathology-assistants-practicing-in-texas-0

A nonspeaking valedictorian with autism gives her college's commencement speech A computer keyboard "unlocked my mind from its silent cage," Elizabeth Bonker told her fellow graduates. She urged them to serve others, citing Rollins College's most famous alum: Fred Rogers.

IDEAS FOR FLEXIBLE SEATING & ALTERNATIVES FOR THE CLASSROOM

Here are some great seating alternatives for the classroom to keep your kids active and engaged. Also good for motor skills, attention and core muscle.

WOBBLE STOOL: http://amzn.to/2wRptkC (aff)

This is great *updated* info about typical age of acquisition, but it’s just ☝️ thing to consider when determining if a child needs speech therapy. Here are some other things to think about, as well…

1️⃣ How much those errors are impacting overall intelligibility.

2️⃣ How frequently those errors occur in the language they speak.

3️⃣ How relevant the errors are to the child… does their name have that sound?

4️⃣ What type of error they exhibit, if it’s atypical (like backing or a lateral lisp), then we should prioritize intervention.

5️⃣ Are they stimulable for the sound in error? If they are, then that sound is more likely to emerge without intervention (Miccio, Elbert & Forrest, 1999).

What would YOU add to this list?

It's Monday, friends! What are you going to model in play with your kids today?

Modeling is a valuable tool we can use to help children learn language. Great modeling is natural and comes without the expectation to repeat. As I often say to the parents I support, "kids have to hear words to say words." And while this is a gross generalization, it's true. Children need to hear lots of words, hear them repeatedly, and hear them in context.

That's why modeling language during your everyday routines or their favorite activities is so valuable. So be the newscaster of your child's life!

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Bruce Willis’ Diagnosis Puts Aphasia in the Spotlight While aphasia is a newsworthy event in the lives of more than 2 million Americans, it’s not a condition that most people understand unless they had a friend or family member experience it. The difficult news of actor Bruce Willis’s aphasia diagnosis has made international headlines and o...

🗣 Being a parent is H A R D, and there is so much information out there to navigate. Today Babbling Brook Speech and Language Therapy, PLLC and I are talking about prolonged use of pacifiers, bottles, and sippy cups, which can cause more harm than good if used for too long.

🦷: While it may seem unnecessary to take care of the teeth when babies don’t have any yet, promoting proper oral health and dentition can set the stage for facial growth, making sure that there is enough room in the mouth for adult teeth in the future, and for the tongue to assume its necessary resting posture in the palate. Extended use of the pacifier and bottles can lead to poor dentition, such as malocclusions, crooked teeth and tooth decay, improper growth of the jaw, improper positioning of the tongue and more.

‼️ Here are some other things that research has shown:
-Sucking is appropriate and typical for self-soothing in infants (& for decreasing the risk of SIDS), but prolonged sucking on pacifiers & bottles can place children more at risk for speech differences.
-Prolonged bottle use can lead to nutritional deficits (such as iron deficiency)
-Prolonged pacifier use is also linked to ear infections, and allergies

✅ What can you do instead?
-Start the weaning process early! Set your family up for success by allowing a LONG transition process, this way you don’t have to go cold turkey.
-Open & straw cups can be introduced at 6 months of age. Give a little breastmilk or formula in each every day to get babies accustomed to it. Skip the sippy cups and 360’s as they promote improper drinking patterns.
-Give appropriate mouthing toys such as chewy tubes, grabbers, and tethers. Aim for the ones that can get deeper into the mouth rather than just at the front teeth to help your child practice chewing on the sides of the mouth.
-LEARN! There are a lot of wonderful family-facing resources out there for families to be PROACTIVE!
-Get support! A speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist trained in oral motor and infant feeding can help you navigate this time if you need. Never be afraid to reach out ❤️

🧠 We recognize that some neurodivergent children have strong sensory needs and routines. We encourage parents so work together with professionals to decide what is best for each individual child.

What is your little one’s favorite song? Let’s share below ⬇️

Next up is Music! 🥁 This week, & I have partnered up to bring you tips, tricks, and activities for increasing interaction and attention! Singing to children and using music is SO beneficial when it comes to language development. 🎶

The repetitive patterns within a song & the rhythm of the tune helps little brains to learn concepts & words in a motivating and fun way!

When using music with a little one, try these tips:
-Pressing pause or stopping while you sing. Give the expectant look to set up an opportunity for the child to ask, sign, or give a picture for “more” or “music” OR fill in the blank with a word.
-Use songs with motor movements because motor imitation comes before verbal imitation!
-Bust out or make your own instruments to encourage tap tap on the drum 🥁, shake shake the egg shakers or bells🔔 🥚
-Play songs or sing at different speeds (i.e. SLOWER to allow your child to process the information or FASTER to be silly and catch their attention)
-Make up your own songs about anything & everything throughout the day to create your own verbal routines!

Have you ever heard the phrase “You are your child’s best toy”? It’s true! You are! And there are so many ways to work on attention and interacting with just *YOU* & maybe a few things you probably have📦 💡 🪑

An important part of these games is using an excited intonation 🗣 , exaggerated facial expressions 🤩, AND wait time + expectant look 😲 to see if your child will communicate - with a word, sign, device or picture! And if your child does not fill in that wait time, it’s ok! Model how you want your child to respond (which could mean using a picture or device if that’s how your child communicates!) and give them another opportunity! Repetition is key! 🔑

Some toy-free games to try include:
-Peek A.... Boo! 🙈
-Airplane (Ready, Set ... GO! Up, Up, Up!) ✈️
-Box Boat 🚣‍♀️ (Ready, Set…. Go! Weeeee! Fast! Turn!)
-Lights or Fan Off & On Game (Up, Up, Up… On!)
-Lap Horsey (bounce bounce... Stop!)
-Ready Set Spin (Either in your arms or an office chair!)
-Human elevator (Up, Up, Up, Woah!! Down Down! Go!

If you love these ideas, be sure to watch out for our post tomorrow! I’ve teamed up with this week to bring you tips and tricks for increasing interaction & attention all week long!

ITEMS TO PUT IN YOUR CALM DOWN KIT FOR YOUR CHILD

If you are struggling to find ideas to put in your child's calm down box or kit, here are a few great ones...

https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2016/04/what-to-put-in-a-calm-down-kit-for-kids.html

CDC Milestones Are Intended as Tool, Not Screening, Agency Officials Clarify When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued revised developmental milestones last month, ASHA and its members expressed concerns that they could inhibit services for children 0–3—and that speech-language pathologists were not inv...

6 Stages of Play

https://speechtea.com/

Based on the book “The Monster at the End of This Book,” this new Sesame Street game stars our furry friend Grover! Play to get to the end as Grover tries everything to stop you — because there is a monster at the end of this game! (Grades: PreK-K) https://to.pbs.org/3hEqtkZ

SO MANY DEVELOPMENTAL BENEFITS OF SWINGING

Swinging is not only fun for all children, but it can be calming to children who struggle to regulate and help children who need sensory stimulation for learning!

Dear ASHA Members:

ASHA is in the process of analyzing the recent revisions to the developmental milestones used in the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. initiative. This process includes a comprehensive comparison of the previous vs. new guidelines, as well as a comparison to ASHA-specified milestones. ASHA is also conducting an extensive review of published scientific literature.

ASHA has reached out to CDC, expressing its concern about inconsistencies and urging the agency to utilize the expertise of SLPs when making changes to developmental milestones in speech, language, feeding, and social communication. In general, ASHA is supportive of efforts to help identify children earlier, but the milestones presented to parents must be evidence-based in order for families to make well-informed decisions about their children's care.

ASHA will provide members with an update once its review process is completed and correlating action steps are determined.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
https://on.asha.org/342WAaL