SF Speech Therapy

"When I was but a young and inexperienced speech therapist, parents sometimes gave me the side eye during our sessions. I would come into their homes, pull out a bunch of toys and start playing. I could hear their gears turning: Why am I investing my time and resources into this therapy when she is just playing? Now that I am old and gray(ing) I know that I need to be more explicit. I haven’t stopped playing young children learn through play but I am better at explaining the why and how. A good speech therapist plays sneakily and teaches parents to do the same..."

Have you ever heard the phrase You are your child’s best toy? It’s true! You are! And there are so many ways to work on attention and interacting with just *Y...OU* & maybe a few things you probably have An important part of these games is using an excited intonation , exaggerated facial expressions , AND wait time + expectant look to see if your child will communicate - with a word, sign, or picture! And if your child does not fill in that wait time, it’s ok! Model how you want your child to respond (which could mean using a picture or device if that’s how your child communicates!) and give them another opportunity! Repetition is key! Check out my stories to see me and @learnwithchatterboxes in action: Bit.ly/igMrsSpeechieP Some toy-free games to try include: -Peek A.... Boo! -Airplane (Ready, Set ... GO! Up, Up, Up!) -Box Boat (Demo will be in stories!) -Lights or Fan Off & On Game (Demo will be in stories!) -Lap Horsey (bounce bounce... Stop!) -Ready Set Spin (Either in your arms or an office chair!) What toyless games do you love?!

The voice I’m hearing aloud can’t pronounce Rs. It can’t pronounce Sh. It kind of sounds a bit garbled, but I hear this strong, self assured voice when I’m reading this simple text and what this told me is the power of your inner voice over that which people might hear through their ears. The only thing that could impede me was myself.

"I think there is a real history of orators who have had to struggle, a type of imposed voicelessness, you know, having that stage at inauguration," says Gorman. "So it's really special for me."

Thank you for this great info graphic, Speech Sisters!

Yesterday Anna.Dee.SLP and I gave you the definition for communication temptations and today we give you some of our favorite (and simple to do!) ones! The k...ey with these is to WAIT- and look at your child expectantly. If the child does not respond, it’s ok- you can model what you would think they would say, and then try again! What would you add?

Let’s face it- increased and excessive screen time these days is inevitable. And no, that does not make you a bad parent, so don’t think that’s what I am saying... or what this post is about. But I do think knowing that means we should be more intentional in our choice of toys and how we play and interact with our kids - because it can make a HUGE difference! Here’s why: See more

Communication is so much more than saying words! Developing a child’s meaningful, intentional communication starts with foundational communication skills like shared attention, turn taking, gestures and play. I love this graphic from Miss Speechie P!

The vocal tract of a 3,000 year old mummy: recreated with a 3-D printer.

Love these tips from Feeding Littles!

Wonderful!! What a great way for children to communicate with each other!

Power words are words that have a lot of value and are highly motivating for your child. These will vary from child to child but there are some favorites I alwa...ys teach. These include go, stop, push, open, me, you, no, yes, help, get, want, come. What are some of your favorite power words? #powerwords #vocabularywords #earlyintervention #toddlerspeech #naplesfl #bonitaspringsfl #esterofl #aplusspeech #corewords #pediatricslp #pedsspeech See more

How do children learn in the first few years of life, and why is it important for their speech and language development? From the California Speech-Language and Hearing Association: This seven-minute video describes the swift progress infants and toddlers make toward acquiring language and identifies easily observable skills that will help parents answer the question, "Is my toddler on track?"

In a new study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Zurich have used evidence from paleoanthropology, speech biomechanics, ethnography, and historical linguistics to determine that, in fact, it is a combination of factorsboth cultural and biologicalthat produces changes in language and has contributed to the diversity of languages that exist today.

Meet the hip-hop signing sensation who is making music more accessible for the deaf community. He’s even interpreted shows for Chance the Rapper. When you prov...ide that type of access, it’s life-changing, says Matt Maxey, the founder of DEAFinitely Dope. https://cnn.it/2T9xNpU Sign up for our newsletter: http://cnn.com/thegoodstuff

Conversational turn taking: it’s adorable AND great for early language development!! Speech pathologists from across the internet are applauding.