Creating Voices Therapy

We want our little ones to work to gain our attention and engage with us. Children are developmentally ready to initiate with us from a very early age. While initiation is listed as the last prelinguistic skill, this skill must emerge alongside using gestures to communicate and vocalizing purposefully.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
"A child’s ability to initiate is a major diagnostic factor in determining whether he or she is a late talker or if there’s a larger developmental problem."-Laura Mize. Initiation is often what helps us differentiate between individuals with learning differences or late talkers, as late talkers often intimate interaction with others, just non-verbally. We want to assist all children in taking the lead to get their wants and needs met.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In the slides above we discuss strategies to help your child initiate and truly learn how powerful they are!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Based on Laura Mize- "Teach Me to Talk"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Gestures are so important!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This non-verbal method of communicating is important because it signals that a child understands that he can get their message across to you even if they do not have words, or in combination with words. This is one of the most important places to start when you have a child that may have motor planning difficulties or Childhood Apraxia of Speech! It can also be an indicator of future language development and needs.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Here are some definitions and some ideas on modeling gestures!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It is really important to mention that this is a big red flag. If you notice your child is not using gestures by 15 months you should contact a slp for help! bring up your concerns to your pediatrician. We of course don't want to alarm anyone, but want to educate you to work on getting help for intervention!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀.

We have been guilty, even as a SLPs, to get overly eager and start working on imitation of words right from the beginning. We really need to work on imitation of play and gross body movement FIRST! Did you know that we actually need a child to be imitating our movements before we target word use? Until we have imitation of body movement, WE ARE NOT READY FOR WORDS!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Here we define imitation and go through the different levels of learning imitation. As with all our tasks, we need to find the level where the child is, and come up with our realistic expectation of where to start to work towards. For instance, if a child is not imitating clapping or social games, then we should not expect them to start to imitate words or even sounds!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We hope this is informative and gives you the information needed to help support your child! We know this is a lot to learn, but are so proud of all your efforts to better understand language development for your child!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

🗣We want eto teach our little ones how to be NOISY so that they learn that by using their voice they can gain and direct our attention.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🗣This skill does not mean TALK more, but rather MAKE MORE SOUNDS. Sounds and noises come far before words. The very same vowels and consonants we are modeling in sounds are what words are made up of!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🗣In the slides above we discuss 5 strategies to help you assist your little one in learning to make sounds more purposefully.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🗣Like with all prelinguistic skills, addressing them in REPETITION is crucial! Repeat the same sounds each time you are playing or performing a daily task!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🗣Don't be afraid to get silly and have some FUN! That will captivate your child's attention and create an exciting learning opportunity!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Based on Laura Mize- "Teach Me to Talk"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Children have to understand words BEFORE they can use words to communicate. This understanding of language is known as receptive language. We MUST prioritize a child's ability to understand language in order to assist them in becoming verbal communicators.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In the slides above we talk about skills we are expecting by the time a child is 18 months of age, strategies to address receptive language, and ways to begin building a strong core vocabulary (understanding this vocabulary first, then working on saying the words).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There are so many pieces to receptive language and these skills take time. We want to help you understand the importance of receptive language and assist you in implementing strategies into your daily life!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Based on Laura Mize- "Teach Me to Talk"
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

✨Play is the way children learn. It’s how they interact with other same aged children.
✨It is so important for language development!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Did you know there are different stages of play?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
☝🏻☝🏼☝🏽☝🏾☝🏿Here we have defined play and explained it’s importance! We have given a few tips, too! 👆🏿👆🏾👆🏽👆🏼👆🏻
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you for reading! We are here to help!

So we aren’t going to lie,-this is is a huge skill. We think it’s important for you to know about! It’s also a tough one. It’s really hard to target— even as a therapist! But our job is to educate and help! So here we go-Joint attention is an imperative skill to being able to verbally communicate. It is when shared attention is the shared focus of two individuals on an object. It is when one individual alerts another to an object by means of eye-gazing, pointing or other verbal or non-verbal indications.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It is also really important to support understanding language. Think about it. If you don’t notice that someone is talking to you, or showing you something? Do you listen? Do you grasp what they are saying? Do you have to ask them to repeat?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a condensed IG definition, and parent education post to help teach children about skills needed for words, and how to try to help! We know it is hard! We are here to educate and support! I feel compelled to say I have such a deep love for any child struggling with this, and parent trying to target it! Keep your head up! You are doing all you can and know how! And if you are reading this— know that YOU are amazing and such an advocate for your child!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

These prelinguistic skills are a continuum of development. First, we want them to respond to objects and people, then begin demonstrating reciprocity (turn taking), and then we want children to be able to attend to those things for a longer period of time.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Attention is the gate keeper for every other skill a child will learn, it comes first.”-Laura Mize. Until children’s brains and bodies are regulated or settled enough, they can’t attend. It is not that children won’t pay attention, but rather they often can’t. With that being said we don’t want to attempt to get attention by responding behaviorally, or demanding that they sit down and attend.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Rather we want to use strategies to help:
-busy kids slow down so they are ready to learn and listen
-disengaged kids rev up so they can learn and listen
-kids that are “stuck" learn to move on so they can learn and listen
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Building attention takes time, so be patient and give yourself lots of grace as you work on increasing your little ones attention! You are doing a GREAT job!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Based on Laura Mize- “Teach Me to Talk”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Turn taking is a skill we often think of as later developing, but in actuality we can begin addressing turn taking as soon as babies are responding to us! In order to take turns verbally in conversation, children must master turn taking non-verbally first. In the slides above and IGTV video we discuss why turn taking is important and provide strategies to use to begin creating turn taking opportunities for your child.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is a lot of information, but it is a skill we do not want to miss, as it helps create great play and communication skills!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You are doing an AMAZING job engaging with your child and we hope these tools help and encourage you to keep up the good work and to have FUN!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Based on Laura Mize- “Teach Me to Talk”

🌟It is so important that we make sure a child can respond to people BEFORE we can expect verbal communication. You can work on interaction at any age! It is never too late or too early! If it is difficult, give yourself and your child grace because it can take time!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🗣Here are some definitions, information on red flags, questions to help determine if there is interaction difficulty, and tips and ideas!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💪🏻We are here to help and provide information! Let us know if you have any questions! We know this is a lot of information but it is one of the MOST important skills for communication!

Based on Laura Mize- “Teach Me to Talk”

We are going to be talking about the pre-verbal skills needed for verbal expression over the next 12 days!
✨This skill is applicable to typical developing pre-verbal children (babies) and kids who may have developmental delays.
✨We need this skill to be able to use words
✨Reacting to environment is where everything begins! We use words to talk about items and events that take place around us! .
✨Get items close to the child so that they are more likely to notice- they may not be responding to your pointing or the item when you tell them to, so you need to either take the toy to them or take them to the toy
✨You need to overly animate pointing out items, because if they are not responding to words alone, we need to teach them how to respond (looking, excitement, interest)
✨You need to get down on the floor with them and model how to play/react vs. just putting the toys out for them. For example, you need to model taking puzzle pieces out, or looking for a source of sound such as a music toy-Show them how to respond!
✨We want to say the words “see” and “look” to respond to items/people we see
✨When there is a noise, we want to say “listen” or “did you hear that?”
✨When they are touching an item we are going to say, “How does that feel?” “ohh that’s cold, rough, squishy!”
✨Make sure you pause and give them time to respond!
✨If your child is struggling with this skill, they most likely need some extra processing time.
✨See in the slides some toy ideas which are also listed on our like to know it!
✨Stick with it! Children, especially children with developmental delays need a lot of repetition. They will get it!
❤️These are based on Laura Mizes’s “Teach me to Talk” materials. She is a wonderful SLP and has a YouTube podcast that is great to watch!
http://liketk.it/33Wqp .it

We know we have been MIA! Creating Voices has grown immensely 🤯! We have taken a step back from social media to focus on our top priority- our families, our new therapists, and of course our patients! We are going to post some prelinguistic skills over the next few days and work on introducing you to some new people, updates, and speech, language, and feeding information! Thank you for your support! We hope it’s been a wonderful holiday season! 💙

It's now easier to send Creating Voices Therapy a message.

The luckiest people in the world are Clare’s patients, family, and friends! Happy birthday, Clare! You really are a gem! Hope your day was as special as you! ❤️ love you!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN! There is no better friend, mom, business partner, and therapist in the world!!! You are easy to celebrate!! 💙

Happy Father’s Day!!! You all are amazing and don’t hear it enough 💙 To our patients dads, we are so proud of you! You all are doing such an incredible job advocating for your child and spending time helping them progress and master goals! It is such an honor working with you and your child! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To our dads and husbands, we love you and are so so thankful for you! We are so blessed by all you to for our families and all the support you have provided for us and CV!

Gestures and imitation of gestures usually come before verbalizations. Songs can be a great way to target imitation of gestures. Here are some you may remember from your childhood. If you don’t remember, they are a google away!
🎵 from a language standpoint it’s most beneficial if it is YOU singing vs a video. This allows for the gestures and the back and forth imitation
🎶don’t discontinue if they don’t immediately imitate or act interested
🎤invite the opportunity, don’t expect it and continue to mode
🙏🏻remind yourself that you are doing a great job and every attempt is helpful and provides language enrichment!

Instead of asking "What's this?" try labeling objects and actions and describing the function of them or attributes about them. Put your focus on both of you paying attention to the same thing vs. "testing!" This will take pressure off your child and yourself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When you see your child looking at an object or action in a book simply label or narrate— say, “Dog!” “I see the dog, too!” If your child points to something, try to label it for them, “Monkey!” “Good job finding the monkey!” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Did you know it sometimes can take 3 months for a child to learn a word or show us that they know what something is before they can attempt saying the word? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you catch yourself frequently asking questions throughout play or book reading, asking your child to name things, IT'S OK, just try answering some of your own questions with a statement like "I see a train!" "Choo Choo!"⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You are all doing an amazing job and we are so proud of you!! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Can we get an amen? I think we all could use this reminder from our parents and loved ones... even as adults. We all need compassion! Speaking of... we have been a little MIA— I guess our behavior is communicating things have been bonkers and just trying to balance it all (as we know you all are doing, too)! We often get asked if we do our social media? And we proudly do! Thank you so much for your patience! We appreciate you more than you know! 💛

Inferencing is such an important skill to work on! It is wonderful to work towards empowering children to be able to answer inferencing questions. Here 👆🏻 is a definition and an idea of where to start 📖.

As always— happy playing and reading!