Vermont Speech Language Pathology, LLC

A connection between symbolic number knowledge, counting, and sharing . it makes sense!

Sharing Behavior Among Young Children May Be Related to Their Counting Skills - Neuroscience News A young child's counting skills are the single biggest predictor of their ability to participate in fair sharing behaviors. Prompting children to count improves their pro-social sharing behaviors, researchers say.

This is a quick and informative read. Two candidates for a job….or i dare say even a relationship, sitting right next to each other will
undoubtedly be defined by the way they communicate and relate to others . Laura Bonazinga Bouyea

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-raise-emotionally-intelligent-kids/

How to raise emotionally intelligent kids We need to teach children about the importance of connection, heart and compassionate listening and put these things at the center of all our relationships, says author, educator and consultant Lae…

5:1. That will transform criticism into powerful feedback without sacrificing connection.

"John Gottman from the Gottman Institute has done extensive research regarding relationships and what makes them happy.

One of the more interesting findings is about the magic ratio. After examining couples and how they dealt with conflict, it seemed that happy couples for who love lasts show five positive interactions for each negative one.

[...]So, let’s say there is a conflict between a couple where one criticizes the other. Then, to resolve this conflict they can try positive interactions, which for example are showing empathy, apologizing, being affectionate, showing appreciation or interest."

Words and graphic by on Instagram.

If getting your child immunized against Covid-19 is part of your family plan, then check out this free kit! I supported the development of the Social Story contained within and highly recommend creating predictability and understanding as your child embarks on this important part of theirs and others' health.

https://www.vermontfamilynetwork.org/ccfk/

Confident Care for Kids - Vermont Family Network Offering support for all Vermont families of children with special needs.

This is a fascinating read

https://apple.news/A7ay2QSB5QMeLj8U2qcwlog

This 1 word is especially effective when you need to give critical feedback — Fast Company A common scenario in my practice is the leader who’s unhappy with an employee’s performance or a team’s results and is struggling to find the right way to express their discontent. This generally isn’t the leader’s immediate response to a lack of progress or outright failure. My clients ar...

“ An issue for educational reform” . I can think of a laundry list of other “issues” that should be driving educational reform

Researchers Doubt That Certain Mental Disorders Are Disorders At All What if mental disorders like anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder aren’t mental disorders at all?

Play! It’s not just about the fun

How every child can thrive by five "What if I was to tell you that a game of peek-a-boo could change the world?" asks seven-year-old Molly Wright, one of the youngest-ever TED speakers. Breaking down the research-backed ways parents and caregivers can support children's healthy brain development, Wright highlights the benefits of pla...

It’s imperative to ask, what does success, or in this case, relationships and connection look like for you?

https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.FTR2.26042021.46/full/?utm_source=asha&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=picks&utm_content=050421&utm_campaign=ashanow

Reconceptualizing How Autistic Children Bond Socially What if instead of advising autistic children to make friends neurotypical-style, we ask what they want from friendship? A CSD researcher shares what she’s learned.

Only looking at observable behavior (surface behaviors), doesn't tell you anything about what's actually causing the behavior.

You start solving problems when you start diggin'!

Image Description: Title: The “Why of A Behavior”. Two holes with a man digging in each hole: First hole is shallow with subtitle “The old way of thinking”. Underneath are the words “defiant”, “escape”, “avoiding” and “attention seeking”. Second hole is very deep with the subtitle “A necessary paradigm shift” (supported by brain science). Underneath are the words: sensory processing”, “emotional regulation”, “motor challenges”, “learning disabilities”, “trauma”. The function of any behavior is much deep than phrases like attention seeking. This shallow analysis will lead to using rewards and punishments to get compliance. Want to improve behavior? Solve the problem. How do you solve the problem? Dig Deeper. Greg Santucci, Occupational Therapist.

SUMMER COURSE!

Social Emotional Learning: Supporting Foundations of Language, Learning & Social Communication Through Play

SEL has always stood out as an integral part of life, social communication, and learning. The pandemic has further highlighted this need and thrust this dimension into the forefront of research and learning. It’s about time!

Rather than subscribing to one approach for meeting the diverse needs of all social beings, this series empowers educators and care providers to support SEL through naturalistic opportunity like play; and provides a framework for integrating more guided approaches to SEL within more structured activities . Please come learn with me!

https://www.castleton.edu/academics/professional-development-continuing-education/the-castleton-center-for-schools/continuing-education-workshops-contract-courses/early-childhood-educators-institute-2021-schedule-course-information/

Early Childhood Educators Institute 2021 Schedule & Course Information This course focusing on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) will engage you with an introduction to supporting language and social relatedness through play, peer mediated interventions, increasing social awareness, perspective-taking and other areas of social learning which facilitates the development o...

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3 Ways to Better Understand Your Emotions Naming them is an important first step.

Gradual release of responsibility is a framework used for many skills- check it out!

“Gradual release of responsibility” is a framework for teaching in which responsibility for a task gradually moves from the teacher to the learner (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983). It is often referred to as "I do, we do, you do." The idea is that first, the teacher models a skill, then the teacher supports the learner in performing the skill, and finally, the learner works independently.

We can apply this framework to AAC. We model, we scaffold and we honor autonomy. We can use this model when teaching particular skills (e.g., communication functions, grammar, operational skills). We may be working at different steps for different skills. We can also use this framework to think about the big picture. Becoming a proficient AAC user is a long-term goal, expect to spend a lot of time modeling and scaffolding for your learner.

Image description:
Bitmoji of white woman with brown hair at the left standing next to a three step staircase. Title reads AAC implementation: I do, you do, we do.
Staircase represents increasing skill and/or independence using gradual release of responsibility.
The bottom step says: I Do: Modeling Without Expectation
Knowledgable others communicate using the AAC learner's system to model language for real reasons within naturally occurring interactions. Modeled language is based on what is happening in the moment and the learner’s interests. Think alouds can be used to provide insight into the process.
An arrow move up to the next step, which reads: We Do: Scaffolding
Knowledgeable others partner with the AAC learner
to support expression of their authentic messages. May include encouragement, feedback, modeling, interpretation, and collaborative problem-solving.
Another arrow moves up to the final step, which reads: I Do: Modeling Without Expectation Knowledgable others communicate using the AAC learner's system to model language for real reasons within naturally occurring interactions. Modeled language is based on what is happening in the moment and the learner’s interests. Think alouds can be used to provide insight into the process.

Great strategies to practice

Whether a shout or a whisper, hearing “NO” can frustrating for parents and make us feel powerless. Oppositionality can come from a variety of root causes and it depends on the age of the child (i.e., it is more common in preschoolers than grade school children). Regardless, there are a few things you can do to diffuse and work your way back to cooperation.

1. LAUGHTER IS OFTEN THE BEST MEDICINE. Responding with playfulness, such a silly face or voice, chasing your child gleefully around the house, or starting a tickle war can be the key to melting your child’s opposition as it decreases cortisol (stress hormones) production and increases oxytocin (a bonding hormone) in the brain.

2. FRAME WHAT YOU WANT AS CHOICES not as a demand. Ensure both choices lead you to what you need completed (we don’t want to give your child the choice to eat dinner or not). Giving your child that small bit of autonomy can go a long way! IE: Bedtime - “What would you rather do first, brush your teeth or put on your pjs”

3. EMPATHY SHOULD ALWAYS BE GIVEN. How is your child feeling that they had a 'no' in them? Before responding to the behavior, respond with empathy and see what your child does. IE: “You’re frustrated because you want to stay up later like your big sister; it doesn’t feel fair.” Once a child feels seen and heard their reactivity will often decrease (although they may need a good cry first, and that’s healthier than an aggressive “no”).

4. TAKE CONTROL IF IT’S A SAFETY ISSUE. Sometimes our children don’t have a choice. If they are hurting a pet or a sibling, and you ask them to stop and you get a “no”, you may need to physically remove them from the situation and then follow-up with a small explanation and empathic statement.

5. PAUSE AND ASK YOURSELF WHY is my child being defiant? It’s a common response when children are in the preschool years as they are practicing being autonomous, Children are also naturally oppositional when they are sick, tired, feeling overwhelmed, or feel disconnected from their attachment figures. We have to ask ourselves, is my child in a frame of mind to give me a yes?

CHECK OUT OUR COMPASSIONATE DISCIPLINE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: https://instituteofchildpsychology.com/product/467846198415631-compassionate-discipline-online/

Kids Sit Right If They Can...

(but crisscross applesauce isn't "right")

It's a cute saying, it rhymes, but actually, "crisscross applesauce" is not a good sitting position. If you want children to pay attention, we need to position them for success!

Getting creative with sitting positions and getting kids involved in the process is a win-win for everyone!

Sorry, applesauce. We love you, too!

Behavior is communication

Communication is inherent in Social Emotional Learning(SEL) They share the same underpinnings

SEL is about a readiness to receive, integrate, learn and exchange.

“Language is a window into human nature” - Pinker

Does communicating feel like your paddling against the current?

When guiding communication we often negate our progress by focusing on strategies and using the ‘just right’ process in place of genuine communication.

All we really need to do is let go and go with the flow.

Does communicating feel like you’re paddling against the current?

When guiding communication we often negate our progress by focusing on strategies and using the ‘just right’ process in place of genuine communication.

All we really need to do is let go and go with the flow.

Get in the ‘Social Emotional Know’

You THINK your BELIEF is true, but you won’t really KNOW until you have a direct experience that confirms your BELIEF. 🤔

Did you know that you can augment your communication (while wearing a facial covering) and/or just your casual conversations by adding mental states?

Mental State Talk
(cognitive = thinking states & affective = feeling states ) especially by caregivers cultivates great capacity for:
- adopting other perspectives
- theorizing about others’ intentions(the purpose underlying communicative acts)
- build flexible thinking
- supports the development of abstract language
- supports reading comprehension
- fosters social emotional development

“ diversity and causality of mental state talk, their acknowledgement of characters’ negative emotions, and talk about children’s cognitions and their own mental states were associated with children’s socially adaptive behaviors.”

Feeling in need of fresh air and uplifting? You should owl. Want to cultivate curiosity, patience, and regulation? Owl. Trying to get your child outside more? Owl. Looking to foster awe, wonder, and a sense of appreciation for nature and Mother Earth? Owl. Are you one of the people affected by newfound pandemic bird neediness? Owl. There are so many reasons I don’t even need to mention Harry. You should owl.

In our son’s 6 years he has spotted over 15 owls. That’s a lot of wonder and awe. 🦉

Winter Activity: How to Go Owling with Kids • RUN WILD MY CHILD Going owling with kids is a fun and memorable outdoor nature activity! Tips for owling and one family's owling experience.

Invented spelling(with a sight word mixed in).....such a cool stage. Love watching this unfold in my little guy!

B-OO-M! Could you make phonics-based Instruction any more attractive?!

“Words learned through the letter-sound instruction elicited neural activity biased toward the left side of the brain, which encompasses visual and language regions. In contrast, words learned via whole-word association showed activity biased toward right hemisphere processing.

McCandliss noted that this strong left hemisphere engagement during early word recognition is a hallmark of skilled readers, and is characteristically lacking in children and adults who are struggling with reading.

In addition, the study’s participants were subsequently able to read new words they had never seen before, as long as they followed the same letter-sound patterns they were taught to focus on. Within a split second, the process of deciphering a new word triggered the left hemisphere processes.”

https://news.stanford.edu/2015/05/28/reading-brain-phonics-052815/?fbclid=IwAR14iKVNlR_k4aCdd-_dDU92AcIKN8tFIwNOkvVOjZDjdswaJPsPKHOPQpE

Stanford brain wave study shows how different teaching methods affect reading development Stanford Professor Bruce McCandliss found that beginning readers who focus on letter-sound relationships, or phonics, increase activity in the area of their brains best wired for reading.

Our attention to & engagement in shared experiences form the foundation for a reciprocal (back & forth) exchange. This ‘communicative dance‘ is what Steven Pinker has suggested reflects “language as a window into our minds.” I like to call it the Social Tango. It’s a deeply connected exchange.