How to talk to your child

How You Talk With Your Child Is Important!

by Diann D. Grimm, MA, C.C.C., EdS.

You can use everyday routines and events to help your child learn language Children learn words and the rules for using them by listening to others talk. Then they imitate the language they have heard. Your child is using you as a “model” for correct language Therefore, what you say— and how you say it—is an important influence on your child!

Talk about the here and now.

It helps children understand when you talk about objects, people, and events that can be seen, heard, and touched. So talk about events as they happen. Say “I put the ball in the box” while doing the action. Name objects that the child can see “A doggie! Look at the doggie!” Talk about people around you.” There’s a police officer. She helps us.”

Talk about what is important to your child.

Help your child learn to listen by talking about things that interest the child. If your child is playing with blocks on the floor, it’s a good time to say, “Those are big blocks. This one is red.”

Remember that what is interesting to your child may not be interesting to you. Children are experimenting and learning about the world. Common objects such as pots and pans, boxes, and rocks can be interesting to them.

Talk out loud about what you are doing.

Any time you are with your child is a time for language learning. By putting your thoughts and actions into words, you are teaching your child language Use simple phrases and sentences to describe what you are doing, seeing, and thinking. For example, while making a cake: “I’m putting in the eggs. Now I’m mixing the batter. Going around and around. It needs more flour. I’ll put in a little more”

At times, talk for your child.

Your child is able to think before being able to express those thoughts. You can help by sometimes putting thoughts into words for your

child. By doing this, you give your child words and sentences to remember for future use You may need to guess what your child is thinking at the moment. If your child is playing, you might say: “That’s a big car. Make it go. It goes so fast. There’s a little car. It can go too.”

It helps to talk about what your child is doing or seeing It is also important to put your child’s feelings into words. Your child experiences a wide range of emotions daily. The child may not have words to express these feelings. You can help your child understand emotions by labeling them. For example: “I can see that you are angry. Tommy broke your tape recorder. But now we can fix it.”

Expand your child’s remarks.

Child: “Juice”

Parent: “You want juice”

Child: “Doggie run.”

Rarent: “The doggie runs fast.”

This strategy is called “expansion.” In using expansion, the parent above did not change the child’s meaning. The parent merely made the child’s remark slightly longer. As a result, the child heard a good language model. In addition, the parent did not “correct” the child’s remark or require the child to repeat the expanded remark. The use of expansion is a non-threatening way to model good language for your child.

Add a little more information to your child’s remark.

In addition to expanding your child’s remark, you can build on what your child has already said by adding new information. Your remark can include your child’s original thought plus a new idea. Use simple sentences to add new information. For example:

Child: “Truck there”

Rarent: “”Yes, there’s a big red truck.”

Child: “Doggie bark.”

Parent: “The doggie is barking. He likes to bark and make noise”

Don’t ask your child to repeat what you say.

You only need to provide good language models. %ur child will learn without repeating, and without your “correcting” mistakes. Gradually, your child will learn to say things the way you do—without pressure and at the child’s own pace

Praise your child’s language attempts. Keep talking. And keep learning fun!

Vocabulary

Expand—Build upon what your child said. Add a few words to make a complete sentence or correct expression. Expansion gives your child a model of correct speech. It also shows your child that you have understood the child’s remark.

Modelr-iTb provide an example of good speech or other behavior; to demonstrate a desired verbal response.

Valentine’s Day activities with the kids

These activities below are from wilmington parent magazine.

VALENTINE’S DAY

BY LYNN HARBINSON

Valentine’s Day is a great time for kids to make craft projects for parents and other family members, friends, or teachers. Here’s a selection of crafts that can be made easily by kids of many ages, including small gifts and heart-shaped food ideas, such as pizza, toast, cake and sandwiches.

POTPOURRI DOUGH HEARTS

These scented hearts make great gifts for Valentine’s Day, and can be used .in a draw¬er, or hung up by the ribbon for decoration.

Materials:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup potpourri

Up to 1/2 cup water

Red food coloring (optional)

Heart cookie cutter

Small nail and pink, red or white satin ribbon.

Instructions:

Mix together flour, salt and potpourri.

Gradually add water until dough holds together. If desired, add a few drops of red food coloring to turn the dough pink. Refrigerate dough to make it easier to work with. Shape or mold into a heart, or cut intoheart shape with cookie cutter.

Tie ribbon into a bow. Push nail into the center of the ribbon, and then push nail into the top of the heart. Air dry.

Recommended for ages 5 and up-with adult supervision.

VALENTINE CANDY CONTAINERS

An easy candy holder to make for Valentines Day. Personalize it with paint markers, then fill it with your recipient’s favorite candy.

Materials:

Fabric covered lid -

Baby food jar and lid, washed, rinsed, and dried Valentine fabric scrap

Low temp glue gun

Pinking shears

Yogurt lid (or similar size)

Pen

Red “Painters” paint markers

Pink “Painters” paint markers

Candy

Painted lid -

Baby food jar and lid, washed, rinsed, and dried

Pink craft paint

Red craft paint

Paintbrush

Red “Painters” paint markers

Pink “Painters” paint markers

Candy Instructions:

Use the paint markers to draw on a few hearts on the side of the jar. You may wish to add a TO/FROM on the jar itself as well. Let dry.

If creating the fabric covered lid, then trace around the yogurt lid on the wrong side of the fabric. Cut out with pinking shears.

Center the fabric, wrong side down, on the middle of the jar lid. Glue in place on the top and in places on the side of the lid.

If creating the painted lid, then paint with pink paint. Let dry. Paint red heart on lid. Let dry.

Fill the jar with Valentine candy.

Fasten the lid on the jar. Give the candy jar to someone special for Valentines Day.

Recommended for ages 5 and above with assistance with the scissors, and adult super¬vision.

Stuttering Shows Irregularities in Brain Setup

This is a recent Article from Scientific American:

Put on a pair of headphones and turn up the volume so that you can’t even hear yourself speak. For those who stutter, this is when the magic happens. Without the ability to hear their own voice, people with this speech impediment no longer stumble over their words—as was recently portrayed in the movie The King’s Speech. This simple trick works because of the unusual way the brain of people who stutter is organized—a neural setup that affects other actions besides speech, according to a new study.

Normal speech requires the brain to control movement of the mouth and vocal chords using the sound of the speaker’s own voice as a guide. This integration of movement and hearing typically happens in the brain’s left hemisphere, in a region of the brain known as the premotor cortex. In those who stutter, however, the process occurs in the right hemisphere—prob­ably because of a slight defect on the left side, according to past brain-imaging studies. Singing requires a similar integration of aural input and motor control, but the processing typically occurs in the right hemi­sphere, which may explain why those who stutter can sing as well as anyone else. (In a related vein, The King’s Speech also mentioned the common belief that people who stutter are often left-handed, but studies have found no such link.)

In the new study, published in the September issue of Cortex, re­searchers found that the unusual neural organization underlying a stutter also includes motor tasks completely unrelated to speech. A group of 30 adults, half of whom stuttered and half of whom did not, tapped a finger in time to a metronome. When the sci­entists interfered with the function of their left hemisphere using trans­cranial magnetic stimulation, a non­invasive technique that temporarily dampens brain activity, nonstutterers found themselves unable to tap in time—but those who stuttered were unaffected. When the researchers interfered with the right hemisphere, the results were reversed: the stut­tering group was impaired, and the nonstutterers were fine.

According to lead author Martin Sommer, a neuroscientist at the University of Göttingen in Germany,the results suggest that the left-hemisphere defect underlying a stutter causes trouble with sensory integra­tion in general, rather than specifically speech-related problems as was his­torically thought. “Like in stroke pa­tients, the right side seems to jump in and compensate,” Sommer ex­plains. But that part of the brain did not evolve to handle those tasks, so problems—such as a stutter—can emerge.

If you can any concerns about your child give us a call. Wilmington 910-343-8988 / Elizabethtown 910-862-5104

What college is right for your child?

Is College in Your Child’s Future?

It’s never too early to start thinking about and preparing for your child’s college education. Alas, there is no doubt that the cost of post-secondary education is soaring to heights that will cause the most stout-hearted to despair. But remember, there also is no doubt that the importance of higher education to your child’s future is soaring even higher.

Consider the following:

1. Some 59% of today’s jobs need post-secondary education; more than double the number 35 years ago. Reflecting this, the 2010 unemployment rate for those with only high school diplomas was 10.3% while those with a Bachelor’s degree were at 5.4%.

2.Lifetime earnings for the holder of a Bachelor’s degree is now about 84% greater than that of a high school graduate and growing;

3. College graduates have vastly more career mobility than do high school graduates.

Answering the conundrum of providing your child with the many benefits of a higher education lies both in coping with the financial burden and settling on the higher education option that best suits your teen. The latter is of surpassing importance—success in college ultimately depends upon matching your child’s interests, abilities and aspirations to the offerings of the college.

This month’s article considers college selection. The next two in this series will deal with finances by considering (a) college savings plans and borrowing options and (b) grants and scholarships available for the student’s education. Note: Statistics and cost cited in these articles change both rapidly and generally to the disadvantage of those pursuing higher education.

Throughout the series, particular attention is given to North Carolina where we are favored by one of the best and most cost effective higher education systems in the country.

There are basically four college options available to your teen, each with different graduation ratios, cost burdens; and implications for success in the work-a-day world. The chart below reflects these factors on a national basis.

SCHOOL ATTENDED	COMPLETION RATE	COLLEGE DEBT	DEFAULT RATES	ANNUAL & LIFETIME EARNINGS
High School/ GED	73% nationally 61.2% inNC	0	0	$27K annual SUM lifetime
4 year public	55% in 6 years	$17,700	6% in 2 years	$51 K annuals S2.1M lifetime
4 year private	65% in 6 years	$22,375	4% in 2 years	$51 K annual $2.1M lifetime
4 year profit	22 % in 6 years	$32,653	11.6% in 2 years	Unknown
2 year Comm College	22% in 3 years*	$7,125	10.1% in 2 years	$35K annual S1.6M lifetime
2 year profit	19% in 3 years	$18,783	12.6% in 2 years	Unknown
Masters & PhD	Unknown	Masters-$25,000 PhD-$52,000	Unknown	$62K annual for Masters $88K annual for PhD

“Actual completion rates are undoubtedly better than this because the 22 % overlooks the students who transfer to 4-year schools before getting an Associate’s degree.

The above statistics assuredly lag behind present reality. They do, however, reflect three undeniable truths. First, there is an ever-growing earnings potential as one climbs the educational ladder.

PUBLIC 4-YEAR UNIVERSITIES -THE POPULAR CHOICE

Some 72 % of college bound students nationwide will go to a public university.

 

www.wilmingtonparent.com

Wilmington Parent

| January 2012 | 29

Disorders of Speech and Language

This article below is from a speech and language book we refer to in therapy:

Disorders of Speech and Language

by Leslie S. McColgin

If your child has been scheduled for a speech and language evaluation, the child may have a speech and language disorder or delay. This article will describe some of the types of disorders. When your child has a speech and language evaluation, the evaluator will look for these signs of a particular problem:

1. Disorders of Language Form

A child may fall behind other children in phonological (speech sound) development or understanding and use of grammar. These two problems—phonology and grammar—often occur together, since they are both aspects of language form. Children with these problems frequently omit word endings. They often do not develop forms such as plurals, past tense verbs, complex verb forms, or other grammar forms at the age that most other children da

The child with phonological problems often shows some kind of speech pattern. Some of the most common are omitting the last sound in a word (as in “how” for “house”)> substituting one sound for another (as in “pork” for “fork” or “toup” for “soup”) and omitting one sound from a consonant blend (as in “nake” for “snake”). The evaluator tries to discover the child’s patterns so that therapy can correct the whole pattern, rather than just a few individual sounds that are in error.

The evaluator is also concerned with whether the child’s speech is clear or intelligible How well is the child’s speech understood by others? Often the child’s speech is more understandable to the family than to friends or strangers. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Many people often act as if they understand a young child, even when they don’t. Notice how often your child has to repeat words or phrases when talking with a person outside the family. A child’s speech is described as unintelligible when other people almost always misunderstand the child.

2. Disorders of Language Content

A child who has difficulty understanding words or choosing words to express ideas usually has a content problem. The young toddler who is still not talking is one example. This child may even show the ability to understand words and sentences as well as other children the same age.

But the child is not using words to express meaning. Some children who do talk may substitute one word for another word with a similar meaning, or for a word that sounds similar. They may use vocabulary more typical of a younger child. They may repeat words or syllables. A common problem is found in children who have difficulty understanding or using concept words. These are words that describe:

-Position (such as in, at, under)

-Time (when, first, before, later)

-Quality (big, hot, pretty)

-Quantity (more, some, none, one, two, etc.)

These children often have difficulty with both language form and content, since they are struggling to chose the right words to express their meaning. These children may also be unsuccessful in the area of language use. They may have difficulty understanding questions or conversation directed toward them, and may respond incorrectly or inappropriately.

3. Disorders of Language Use

The child with disordered language use does not use language for the variety of purposes and in the variety of situations available. The child may rely on non-verbal or limited means of communicating A child who is developmentally delayed, physically handicapped, or mentally retarded may not be given as many opportunities to develop language as other children. The family may not expect the child to use words to ask questions or to express thoughts and feelings.

In fact, one of the moat striking features of many language delayed children—not just those with mental retardation—is that they rarely ask questions. In their conversations with adults and other children, they generally answer questions. They do not seem to take turns in a conversation. They let the adults do most of the talking. In contrast, children without language problems show much more balance in answering and asking questions. They are able to take turns in a conversation more easily.

4. Articulation Disorders

Sometimes a child does not make speech sounds correctly due to incorrect placement or movement

of the articulator muscles flips, tongue, velum, pharynx). This may be caused by a physical problem interfering with speech production, such as impaired muscle ability, a short tongue length or cleft palate An oral examination should tell the evaluator if the child’s errors on speech sounds are due to a muscular or structural problem.

The evaluator assesses the strength and use of the muscles in the lips, tongue and jaw, and observes the child’s swallowing pattern. If the child has an immature swallowing pattern, it can interfere with the normal alignment of the teeth. The child might have an overbite (“buck teeth”) or an open bite (a space between the upper and lower front teeth). Children with these problems are sometimes referred to an orthodontist (dentist who straightens teeth).

5. Voice Disorders

The most common voice problem in children is ‘ meal nodules. These are hard calluses that develop on the vocal cords. They cause the child’s voice to be hoarse or sometimes weak and breathy if they are very large. They are sometimes called “screamer’s nodules” since they are caused by vocal abuse such as screaming, talking at the wrong pitch, frequent coughing or throat clearing, or even constant loud talking. This kind of abuse of the vocal cords can also lead to polyps (soft, fluid-filled growths) or contact ulcers (ulcers on the vocal cords).

The child with a voice problem should always be seen by an ear, nose, and throat doctor. Any hoarseness or vocal strain that lasts for more than two weeks should be investigated by an ear, nose, and throat doctor. The ear, nose, and throat doctor may suggest a speech evaluation by a speech and language clinician. The evaluation will consist of:

-Listening to the child talk.Seeing how long the child can make asound (say “ah-h-h-h-h” as long as you can).

-Determining the child’s pitch range andtypical pitch.

-Exploring what kinds of vocal abuse the child is engaging in and how frequently.

6. Rhythm or Fluency Disorders

Children who have difficulty saying sounds, words, and phrases in a smooth flow may have a fluency disorder. One such disorder is stuttering A child of any age can be brought in for a \speech evaluation if the parents think the child is stuttering. It is true that many children outgrow stuttering. But it is also true that the most effective time to help children with a stuttering problem is in the preschool years.

In the evaluation, the speech and language clinician will want to observe whether the following behaviors occur in the child’s speech:

-Repetitions: The child may repeat a syllable (“bu-bu-butter”), a word (“I-I-I-I want to go”), a phrase or a whole sentence. In general, the more times the child repeats a syllable or word, the more serious the problem is. Similarly, the child who repeats syllables and words is considered to have a more severe problem than a child who only repeats phrases or sentences.

-Prolongations: The child may prolong a sound such as “s” or “f,” as in saying “s-s-s-s-sock.” In general, the longer the prolongation lasts, the more serious the problem is.

-Use of the schwa: Most of us say “uh” while searching for a word or phrase to express our thoughts. The young child learning to talk may also use “uh,” which is called the “schwa” sound. However, if this occurs often, along with repetitions or prolongations, it usually indicates a fluency problem.

-Signs of tension: The evaluator looks for signs of tension in the face or body when the child speaks. The child may blink or squeeze the eyes shut while trying to say a word. The voice of the child may sound tense, indicating tension in the vocal cords.

The evaluator also needs to know if there is a family history of stuttering, since this problem seems to be hereditary in some cases. The evaluator will explore what situations make the child stutter more, and which situations help the child be more fluent. The evaluator will try different activities to get the child to speak fluently. The evaluator will also want to thoroughly evaluate the child’s language skills.

Some stuttering problems seem to be related to delayed vocabulary development. Some language problems, such as a word-finding problem, may make the child sound like a stutterer.

Our Services

Therapy Works offers quality screening, evaluation, and treatment of a variety of disorders. We gladly serve Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and New Hanover Counties.

Our staff treats infants to geriatrics in our outpatient clinic or in your home.

Treating the following diagnosis:

• autism

• articulation disorders

• aphasia

• apraxia

• asperger’s syndrome

• auditory processing disorders

• augmentative-alternative communication

• cerebral palsy

• down’s syndrome

• dysphagia/feeding difficulties

• fluency

• language delays/disorders

• neurological disorders

• oral motor dysfunction

• pervasive developmental disorder

• traumatic brain injuries

• voice disorders

Contact us if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment.

Wilmington: 910-343-8988 / Elizabethtown 910-862-5104

10 Helpful Tips for Parents

1)Read, Read, Read! Choose colorful books with large simple photos or drawings. Talk about
the pictures rather than reading the text.

2) Wait, Wait, Wait! Don’t anticipate our child’s needs. Delay your response to your child’s
pointing, gestures or babbling when he wants things. Pretend you don’t understand what he
wants. Allow enough time for him to process information and find the words that he needs
to say.

3) Self Talk. Talk out-loud about what you are seeing, hearing, doing and feeling when your
child is in earshot, this will help increase receptive language.

4) Parallel Talk. Talk out-loud about what is happening to your child. Describe what he is
doing, seeing, hearing and feeling when he is in earshot.

5) Praise your child. Respond to your child’s speech attempts with non-verbal and verbal
praise. This will encourage his to try and communicate more.

6) Expansion Modeling. Try and add one to two words to what our child says when
responding back to him. For Example: Child says “daddy” and you say “daddy home.”

7) Sing to your child. Children love music! Songs promote vocal play, imitation, attention,
listening and speech. For example: “The Itisy Bitsy Spider,” “Twinkle, Twinkle little star” or
“The Wheels on The Bus.”

8) Use Sign Language. The use of sign language can help bridge the gap between language
and speech. Sign language has been found to encourage language development not hinder
it. It improves IQ by 13 points!

9) Ask open-ended questions. You want to encourage your child to use his words and to
avoid answering yes/no questions. For example ask; “What do you want?” as opposed to
“Do you want the ball?”

10) Don’t pressure your child. Communication should be fun and interactive. Don’t ask your
child more than 3 times to answer a question. Children tune out when they feel pressured.

Christmas activities at Therapy Works!

Kids can help make homemade Christmas gift tags for wrapping presents for friends and family. These tags are very simple can be put together quickly and easily.

Decorate your whole home with festive Christmas crafts! Create homemade cards, your own Christmas ornaments, tasty Christmas recipes, or just snuggle up together with printable Christmas activities.

 

 

 

What you’ll need:

Cardstock

Patterned cardstock or old Christmas cards

Gold or white paint pen or black marker

Hole punch

Ribbon

Scissors

Glue stick

How to make it:

Cut simple holiday shapes from patterned paper such as a Christmas tree, snowman shape
or a star. We used the back sides of last year’s Christmas cards (see image).

Glue the shapes to the cardstock, trim cardstock if needed (see image).

Punch a hole in the top of the card.

Loop a piece of ribbon into the hole and tie the ends together (see image).

Use pen to write “TO” and “FROM” on the front of the gift tag.

Tips:

If you would like to make these a little fancier, pipe some glitter glue around the border
of the gift tag and/or around the shape(s).

Save any Christmas cards you get this year and store them for next year’s craft projects.

Paint pens are readily available at craft stores and discount department stores.

What Is Language? What Is Speech?

Below is an article from asah.org about the differences between language and speech.

Kelly’s 4-year-old son, Tommy, has speech and language problems. Friends and family have a hard time understanding what he is saying. He speaks softly, and his sounds are not clear.

Jane had a stroke. She can only speak in one- to two-word sentences and cannot explain what she needs and wants. She also has trouble following simple directions.

Language is different from speech.

Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following:

• What words mean (e.g., “star” can refer to a bright object in the night sky or a celebrity)
• How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly)
• How to put words together (e.g., “Peg walked to the new store” rather than “Peg walk store new”)
• What word combinations are best in what situations (“Would you mind moving your foot?” could quickly change to “Get off my foot, please!” if the first request did not produce results)

Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following:

Articulation

How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the “r” sound in order to say “rabbit” instead of “wabbit”).

Voice

Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce sound (e.g., the voice can be abused from overuse or misuse and can lead to hoarseness or loss of voice).

Fluency

The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency).

When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely (expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder.

When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder.

In our example, Tommy has a speech disorder that makes him hard to understand. If his lips, tongue, and mouth are not moved at the right time, then what he says will not sound right. Children who stutter, and people whose voices sound hoarse or nasal have speech problems as well.

Jane has a receptive and expressive language disorder . She does not have a good understanding of the meaning of words and how and when to use them. Because of this, she has trouble following directions and speaking in long sentences. Many others, including adults with aphasia and children with learning disabilities, have language problems.

Language and speech disorders can exist together or by themselves. The problem can be mild or severe. In any case, a comprehensive evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the first step to improving language and speech problems.

We have highly trained Speech and Language Pathologists that can help. If you have any questions feel free to contact us. Wilmington (910) 343-8988        Elizabethtown (910) 862-5104

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/language_speech/

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES:

Is your child ready for Kindergarten?

Do they:

• Express needs and preferences: 1) with peers, 2) with adults, 3) format: behaviors, gestures, pictures, words, sentences
• Use verbal and nonverbal language to communicate additional functions: 1) negation or refusal, 2) feelings/emotions, 3) comments on activities, 4) telling a story
•  Use past present, and future tenses in sentences? -Consistently re…spond to request for information -Ask questions and make comments related to the topic of discussion- what kinds of questions?
• Use language as a part of pretend play to create and enact roles
• Describe experiences and create or retell simple stories
• Initiate and engage in conversations for several exchanges

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call our office.

Wilmington: (910) 343-8988

Elizabethtown: (910) 862-5104