Peterson Speech Therapy wishes everyone a peaceful, successful, and prosperous new year! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Frugal Friday- 25 free 4x6 photos

SCORE! Walgreens 25 Free Photos!

 

     Until 12/31/11, 11:59PM, you can order 25 free 4x6 prints from Walgreens using the code "PRINTNOW." You will not be charged shipping if you choose "in store pickup."

     What in the world do free photos have to do with Speech/Language?  You didn't think I would leave you hanging did you? 

1. Memory Game : This will require two sets of 25.  You can always ask your friend or spouse to get a set.  You could even do a small memory game of 12 pairs.  Laminate the pictures, and voila! a memory game.  While playing the game, have your child talk about the pictures they pull.  Maybe your child is working on plurals, actions, pronouns, or sound production?  It's a great, fun way, to work on skills.

2. Communication: Do you have a young one that is not quite using their words?  Sometimes giving children choices using pictures helps them to communicate or make a decision.  You can take pictures of every day objects, food, etc.  Laminate the pictures.  Put a magnet on the back.  Place a couple of the pictures on your fridge, and you have just given your child a way of telling you what they want to eat or drink!  After they begin to point out what they want, you can soon work on having them produce the words.  This is a helpful hint that many of my clients' parents swear by!

3. Picture Schedule: Picture schedules are a fun way to help children and teens with communication needs with transitions.  Take pictures of your child doing daily activities, and some special activities (i.e. swimming, etc). Use a desired sized, magnetic, dry erase board.  Leaving enough space for a photo along side each item, list your daily schedule .  For example: 7:00 Wake up, 7:15 Breakfast, etc.   Cut the pictures to the desired size, and laminate if you wish.  Place magnets on the back of the pictures. Affix an envelope to the bottom of the dry erase board.  You can either have your child place the pictures as you go through the day, or you can put the pictures up prior to starting the day, and they can remove them.  The envelope is storage for all of your pictures.

4. Organizing Toys:   Help your child group their toys into categories.  Take separate pictures of one or a few of the items in each category.  Take the prints, and tape them to an appropriate sized bin for each group of toys.  Write or type the name of the items, and tape near the picture.  There you go!  The toys are organized.  This gives your child the ability to learn categories, organization, reading, and much more.

5. Picture Book: Take pictures of friends and family, type out a label, place in a small photo album, and POOF! a picture book for your child to enjoy.

Enjoy your pictures however you choose to use them!  This is a great deal for prints of holiday madness. I mean fun.

Happy New Year!!!!

Here are links to ideas that will occupy the little one on New Years:

Crafts:

• Let your child be part of the action!  Have them create this Noise maker from familyfun.go.com or this noise maker shaker.
• How about a Time Capsule?
• What would the party be without the Hat and the CONFETTI ???

Recipes:

• Check out the appetizers and treats at familyfun ! Let the kids get messy!

Games:

• Who can pop it? Have each child blow up balloons, tie them off, sit and pop.  Whoever does the most wins.  I used to love this game when I was little!
• Look at this site for a number of New Years Game ideas.

Please share your family's favorite New Year's celebration tips!

Cooking Up Speech!- Candy Cane Chocolate Pretzels

	Cooking Up Speech! *Candy Cane Chocolate Pretzel Rods* Trying to get rid of some candy canes. This treat is easy enough that a toddler can help you. Just prepare for a little mess!	1. Cover cookie sheet with wax paper. 2. Lay another sheet of wax paper on the counter 3. Crush those candy canes!!! -Place candy canes in sealed gallon sized plastic bag - Smash the candy canes with a hammer, mallet or rolling pin 4. Place crushed candy canes on the wax paper on the counter 5. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in a shallow dish. -Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil if too thick - I used one dish of chocolate chips and one dish of white chocolate chips. 6. Dip pretzels in chocolate! You can use a spatula to apply the chocolate. 7. Roll pretzels in crushed candy canes, and sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. 8. When cooled you can drizzle with more chocolate for a marble/striped look. 9. Let chocolate cool and ENJOY!

Normal Disfluency

Over the past few days, my Son has shown signs of disfluency.  I had to kindly remind myself that disfluency can be a normal part of speech and language development.  I thought the following information may be helpful to others:

NORMAL DISFLUENCY vs. STUTTERING

Normal Disfluency:

During the language learning years, between ages 3 and 5, most children go through a period of normal disfluency. This is characterized by hesitations in the flow of speech and whole word repetitions at the beginnings of sentences: e.g., “I, I, I wanna go to the park.”

Most researchers feel that this early disfluency is attributed to burst of language learning during which the child needs a little extra time to formulate ideas into sentences.

The normal disfluent child:

• Does not show any awareness of his or her disfluency.

• Does not demonstrate extraneous non-verbal behavior such as eyeblinks,

head jerks, etc…

• Has fewer than 5 disfluent words per 100 word sample.

How to react:

• Pay attention to your child when he/she is talking.

• Don’t rush. Stop and listen.

• Keep your own speech slow.

• Don’t interrupt or complete sentences.

• Never suggest talking in a different way (e.g. “slow down,” “start over.”)

• Calmly reuse your child’s words in a natural manner, e.g.,

o Child: “He, He, He broke my toy.”

o Parent: “He broke your toy? Where is it? Let’s try to fix that

toy.”

Stuttering:

Most preschool children who stutter do so only temporarily.

 You should be concerned if you notice the following behaviors:

• Child shows awareness of his or her disfluencies (e.g., by refusing to

talk, avoiding certain speaking situations or by telling you that talking is

hard).

• Child demonstrates non-verbal behaviors such as foot tapping, eye

blinks, head jerks.

• Child demonstrates any of the following types of disfluencies for more

than a month:

o Repetitions: e.g. “I want a ba ba ba ba banana” or “uh uh uh uh

I’m hungry.”

o Prolongations: e.g. “mmmmmmommy”

o Blocks: Stopping speech at the beginning of a word and

“exploding” into the next word (e.g. “I want…(pause)…butter.”)

These first three signs - repeating sounds, prolonging sounds or blocking sounds - may occur occasionally in nearly all children. If they begin to occur too frequently in many speaking situations and begin to affect your child’s ability to communicate, you should be concerned.

Stuttering is most often viewed as a learned behavior that can be corrected if caught early enough.

How to react:

• Talk more slowly.

• Use simple language and short sentences.

• Listen patiently so that your child knows it’s OK to take time to talk. Do

not interrupt.

• Avoid commands such as “slow down” or “start over.”

• Take care not to convey subtle disapproval of your child’s speech (e.g.,

frowning, lifted eyebrows).

• As fewer questions of your child. Try commenting on what he or she is

thinking or feeling (e.g., “I bet you want to go outside after lunch.”)

• Seek professional help. Your pediatrician is a good place to start.

(From http://www.allsinc.com/therapy/normal_disfluency_vs.pdf)

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by, Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

by, Eric Carle

Happy 42nd Anniversary!!!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar was published for the first time on 3/20/69.  It is a fantastic book.  Kids love it, and it promotes language.

Below are examples of how The Very Hungry Caterpillar can be used for language:

• The book can easily be signed and read to an infant.  When my Son was under one, he loved looking at the pictures, as well as watching my hands move.
• Counting
• Days of the week
• Categories: food items
• Size
• Sequencing: Metamorphosis of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly (beginning, middle, end)
• Identifying: Request that the child points to specific pictures.  This can begin prior to age 1.
• Labeling: Child will begin to label pictures as the book is repeatedly read.  This may also occur before the age of 1.
• Eventually the caregiver can pause while reading phrases in the book, and the child may "fill-in the blank."
• ...and SO much more!

Books are FUN!!!

(There will be a post on phonemic awareness in the future.)

Physical Activity and Speech/Language Development

My two year old, Son, and I spent went to the Idaho Falls Recreation Center's Open Gym in the morning, and to a community park in the afternoon.  Three cheers for the weather!  Movement helps encourage speech and language at all levels of development.  I have listed examples below.

Slides!

*Caregiver/child can say "up, up, up" as your child climbs the slide's ladder, and "down" as he/she goes down the slide

* Caregiver/child can count the steps as your child goes up.

*Caregiver/child can say, "ready, set, go" to encourage him/her to go down the slide.

*Say, "1,2,3, go"

*Sliding provides a great opportunity for taking turns with other children.  Taking turns is essential in learning how to participate in conversation.

*My Son said "I want more slide,please."

Tunnels

*Some words that can be taught/said with tunnels include: in, out, through, tunnel, crawl...

* This tunnel provided a great opportunity for peek-a-boo.  "Where are you, Mama?"

Balls

* Examples of receptive language/understanding skills that can be taught with balls: colors, size, following directions

*Examples of expressive language skills that can be taught with balls: naming colors, naming size, words like up and down.

*"I want to play basketball, please." How could I resist him!  We enjoyed playing "hoops" for part of our time at the Rec Center.

Steering Wheels

*The list of words are endless, and obviously so much fun:

Car sounds, go, stop, circle, round, fast, slow...

*My Son initiated the tune " The Wheels on the Bus" while 'driving.'

What a fun day!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Pot of Gold Activity

Age Range: 4-10

Objectives: Articulation and language

Materials: 2 pieces of black paper for pot
1 piece of green paper for shamrock
yellow paper for gold coins
pens/crayons for decorations

Articulation instructions: Have child write St. Patrick's Day related words that contain their target sounds.  The child can label each 5 times, and make sentences where appropriate.

Language instructions: Have child write/say words related to St. Patrick's Day.  This can be modified as appropriate.  For example, for the older child, they could make up a story with the words.  The younger child could draw pictures, and describe.

Limerick Activity

Age range: 8+

Objectives: Articulation in sentences.  Articulation in paragraphs. Oral language.

One way to write a basic limerick:

The limerick above has five lines.  Lines 1,2, and 5 have 8 syllables each.  Lines 3 and 4 have 5 syllables each.  Lines 1,2, and 5 rhyme.  Lines 3 and 4 rhyme. 


(I would like to thank my Speech buddies for helping me with the above projects.  I hope you enjoy them as much as they did)