Home » Posts tagged 'speech therapy'

Tag Archives: speech therapy

4 Reasons you should choose a licensed speech-language pathologist to see YOUR child!

4 Reasons you should choose a licensed speech-language pathologist to see YOUR child!

  1. We are specially trained. All speech-language pathologists hold a masters degree, which means we have completed years of extra schooling specifically in communication disorders. This means we are uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat a variety of communication disorders.
  2. In addition to our schooling, we also completed over 1,000 hours of therapy time under an already licensed SLP before we could practice on our own. This means we enter the field with a lot of great experiences under our belts!
  3. We are required to be licensed by our state to practice and most of us are also credentialed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). This means we are held to high standards in our knowledge, practice and ethics.
  4. We are required to complete several hours of continuing education every year in order to keep our license and certification. This allows us to keep our knowledge and skills fresh!

If your child is receiving speech therapy, ask the right questions so you have the most qualified person helping them succeed!

 

5 Tips for Halloween for children with communication disorders

happy-halloween Halloween is right around the corner and the excitement level is rising!  Trick-or-Treating is a rite of passage for most children as they grow up.  But, if your child has a communication disorder, it might be a cause of anxiety for him or her.  Here are 5 tips to help make Halloween and Trick-or-Treating less stressful for your child with a communication disorder!

trickortreat

  1.  If your child needs help understanding what trick-or-treating is all about, create a social story or read books about Halloween as the night approaches.  This will allow your child to become familiar with the trick-or-treating routine and with Halloween-related vocabulary and phrases!
  2. If your child has a speech sound disorder and has trouble saying “trick-or-treat” clearly, practice this phrase ahead of time to see if he/she can get a close approximation.  If not, come up with your own unique phrase to use instead of “trick-or-treat!”
  3. If your child has complex communication needs and uses alternative methods of communication, add some Halloween related phrases to his/her communication system!  “trick-or-treat!” “Happy Halloween!” “boo!” or even a cute Halloween joke! “How do you make a Witch itch?”  “You take away the w!”                                                   boardmaker
  4. Help your child really prepare for trick-or-treating by practicing!  Let your child practice knocking on the door and saying trick-or-treat and thank you!
  5. If Trick-or Treating is too much for your child, consider staying home with him/her and handing out candy instead.  This still allows your child to be a part of the Halloween fun without being overwhelmed by everything that comes with trick-or-treating.

 

We hope these tips help your child prepare for and enjoy Halloween!

Summer Speech Therapy

Does your child receive speech therapy at school during the school year but not during the summer?

Are you concerned about them not receiving services for two months?

Are you looking for someone to provide services over the summer?

Call Golden Speech Therapy! 

Summer is a time to enjoy the sun, head to the beach and have some fun!  However, if your child has a speech/language disorder you don’t want them to take any steps back.  Golden Speech Therapy in Plymouth is happy to offer services in a fun, family-centered environment.

Booking an appointment for an evaluation in the next few months can assure that your child is able to begin receiving services before the end of the school year!

Call today to inquire about our services or to book an appointment.

781-603-8529

What did I learn today? How can I use it?

1501766_637096103023336_1081186859_n

I have a sign hanging by the door in my office for my clients to read (if they are able to) on their way out.  It says: “STOP! Think about it….  WHY do I come to speech?  WHAT did I learn today?  HOW can I use it outside of speech?”

The meaning behind this sign is so important.  I try to address these questions with all of my clients.  In order to make progress it is so important for clients to know what they are working on and why it is important.  While it is easier for my older clients to take ownership of their therapy than it is for my younger clients, a key piece to the puzzle is also the caregivers.

As a parent of a child in speech therapy it is so important to be involved.  Being “involved” may mean a variety of different things depending on you, your child and your child’s therapist.  For some families it may be beneficial for the parent to sit in the therapy room for every session.  This will allow the parent to watch the techniques the therapist uses, understand the goals that are being worked on and easily take away strategies to use at home.  For other families, having the parent in the room can be too distracting for the child.  In this case, the parent may instead choose to sit in for one session every month or every other month.  Or, if possible, the parent may watch the therapy through a one-way mirror in an adjoining room.

Whether the parent is in the room or not, it is important for the parent and therapist to have open communication.  In my clinic, I try to take the last 5-10 minutes of my session to talk with the parent.  I inform them about what goals we addressed that day, what activities we completed and what carryover activities can be done at home.  This is also a time for parents to ask any questions they may have.  Parents and therapists should work as a team to have open communication and share ideas/strategies to increase the progress of the child.

If you are a parent of a child in speech therapy (or any other kind of therapy!) I urge you to truly be involved in your child’s therapy.  Think about the words on the sign:

Know WHY your child goes to therapy.

Know WHAT your child is working on in therapy.

Know HOW you can promote the carryover of skills to outside of therapy.

You are your child’s best teacher and advocate!

Summer Speech Fun

I know it’s summer and everyone is enjoying the beautiful (HOT) weather, playing outside and cooling off at the beach!  But, it’s still important to think about speech and language skills during the summer!  Here are some tips to include some work on speech/language skills at the beach!

DSC_0085

  • Give/follow directions while playing “Simon Says” in the water
  • Take a walk along the beach and talk about the shells and sea-life you find
  • Pick up some of the things you find on your walk and use your describing words to talk about them (wet/dry, rough/smooth, hard/soft, color words, etc..)
  • Jump into some imaginary play by while building sand castles
  • Grab a stick and practice writing letters/words in the sand
  • Have a beach scavenger hunt for objects containing your child’s target speech sounds (ex: find all of the things at the beach that start with “k”)
  • Bring your summer reading books and relax on a towel while reading
  • Work on pragmatic/social language while making new friends at the beach

Don’t forget that once you are done with the summer sun and fun, give Golden Speech Therapy a call to set up an evaluation for the fall!

Phonics Studio

Phonics Studio by Grasshopper Apps

Phonics Studio is an awesome app by Grasshopper Apps.  This app presents color picture cards organized into 22 different sound groups.

After you choose your sound and your player, your flashcards will appear!

These cards are great for children who are learning to read and for children with articulation/speech sound disorders!  Swipe through the flash cards to see pictures of words containing the target sound you chose.  The child can attempt to say the word on his/her own or touch the picture to hear a model of the word.  The recording feature allows the child to say the word and listen back to it.

The green arrow and red “x” buttons also allow you or your child to keep track of their success!

I love this app – and my favorite part – it’s FREE!

This app is available on iPod, iPhone and iPad.

If you have a child who is learning to read or has some speech sounds he/she is targeting, I highly recommend you download this app today!

 

If you like this post please share it on Facebook!

Free App!

Toca Boca makes engaging and colorful apps for kids and today the app Toca Band is free in the App Store!

Toca Band has 16 different characters that each have their own sound and rhythm.  Drag the characters to the stage to create your own unique musical sound!

I use this app in therapy as a motivational tool/reward for working hard!

Do you use this app either with your child or in therapy?  Leave a comment to tell me your favorite thing about this app!

Click here to visit the App Store and download this app for free today!