5 Best Apps for Building Language and Speech

by Courtenay M. Apps Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Therapy Techniques
Our Five Favorite Apps to Help Build Language and Speech Skills

Apps for Building Language Skills Are An Excellent Addition to Your Tablet or Smart Phone.

How do you find apps for your kids that are not only fun, but provide the necessary tools to build language and speech skills? The first years of a child’s life are the most important part of developing speech, language and cognitive skills. It’s important for parents to create activities to help develop these language skills by providing stimulation and creating opportunities to foster these developing language skills. Downloadable apps are an excellent way to build language skills and engage your child. And, apps make a great Christmas gift!

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Easy At Home Speech Therapy Ideas

by Courtenay M. At Home Ideas Games and Activities Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Parents can conduct at-home speech therapy techniques with their children with easy, everyday activities.

Parents can conduct at-home speech therapy techniques with their children with easy, everyday activities.

For a child with any type of speech delay or language problem, professional speech therapy is an invaluable tool.  Therapy does not have to be limited to visit to a speech therapists office however. There are many options for parents who are looking for a little help in dealing with their child’s speech disorder. Often, professional speech therapists are expensive, not covered by insurance and sometimes just not a feasible option for families living in rural areas. Additionally, if your child is visiting a speech therapist regularly, there are times (such as Summer vacation) where at home therapy can help keep your child progressing. What are some “at home” options for your child?  Do they really work? Many of you are thinking, “I am not a certified speech therapist”, where would I even begin to start?

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What Are Normal Speech Development Milestones and How Do I Know If My Child Is Meeting Them?

What Are Normal Speech Development Milestones and How Do I Know If My Child Is Meeting Them?

by Courtenay M. Language Development Speech Therapy Techniques

When it comes to speech and language development in children, many parents wonder if their child’s language development is “normal”, or if he or she is achieving the recommended speech development milestones when he is supposed to. Speech and language milestones relate to the ability to understand words and sounds, and the ability to use speech and gestures to communicate what they want.

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Toys and Games Designed to Help Increase Vocabulary and Build Language Skills

by Courtenay M. Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Therapy Techniques
Toys Can Be Excellent Building Blocks to Increase Vocabulary

Toys Can Be Excellent Building Blocks to Increase Vocabulary

It’s that time of year again! Everywhere you look is another advertisement for yet another toy that your child MUST have!  Barbie, Play Dough, Nintendo Wii, Lego sets…these are always great gifts that most children will love. But, what about toys that are fun for kids and can help build language skills and increase vocabulary at the same time?  Is that even possible? The answer is yes. But will the kids enjoy these toys? Again, the answer is YES, and you may be surprised that some very famous toys are actually excellent language building blocks.

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Tips for Building Early Language Skills with Your Child

by Courtenay M. Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner School Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques
child reading with mom

Reading with your child is one of the best ways to help build language skills. Source: news.appstate.com

Mama!  Dada!! Like many parents, you have likely been waiting months for your child to finally say a real word!  Sure, the grunts, pointing and babbling sounds are cute, but that moment your child utters her first word is priceless!   Once the first word is spoken however, there is no turning back. What was once a semi-peaceful trip to the grocery store is now filled with endless, “Ball”, “Mama”, “Apple”, “Want Dat”.  Car rides are no longer excuses to escape with Adam Levine.  Instead the sounds of “Stop,” “Go”, “Car”, “Fire Truck” are yelled triumphantly and continuously from the back seat. Are there ways in which parents can start building speech and language skills early?  How early is too early?
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Word-Final Disfluencies: How Can I Help My Child?

by Chris O Language Development Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Word-final Disfluencies

Word-final disfluencies are often classified as forms of stuttering that occur at the ends of words or sentences. However, the treatments for this disfluency type are often more typical of therapies used for other disfluencies and not necessarily stuttering. Image source: busybeespeech.blogspot.com

Uniqueness is a beautiful thing – unless that is it comes to struggling to find a diagnosis and treatment plan for an uncommon speech disorder. Then unique can translate to undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, either one of which can be frustrating and challenging for families. If you’re a parent of a child with word-final disfluency, chances are that at least one time you’ve been told that your child’s speech pattern is unique, but not necessarily something to worry about or for which to seek therapy. Unique can be beautiful, but if you’ve got that feeling in your parental gut about that not-so-normal-stuttering speech pattern, there are steps you can take to help your child. Continue reading →

Reading Aloud – How to Help Kids Succeed

by Chris O Language Development Reading School

 

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud is an important part of communication and it gives kids the opportunities to build many of these valuable skills. Image source: letsgrowspeech.com

Literacy is an intricate process in which many different aspects of communication and language are involved. Visual awareness of letters and sentences, auditory awareness of phonetics and the spoken language, processing skills for language, and skills for transferring what is read into speaking are all parts of the equation. While reading is generally considered a quiet, if not silent, activity, there are numerous benefits to reading aloud.

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Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Travel Games for Little Ones

by Chris O Games and Activities Parents' Corner Reading

So you’re almost set for the drive to Grandma’s house for the holidays, except there is just one problem – the drive to Grandma’s house with bored and fidgety little ones in the backseat. I always find myself remarking to my kids that I never had movies in the backseat or iPods to play while traveling across the country in the back of the station wagon and somehow we managed to survive. While my own kids might have access to those luxuries, it still seems that the best boredom busters while traveling are good (dare I say old-fashioned) travel games.

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How Do I Teach My Child to Read?

by Chris O Games and Activities Language Development Reading School
How do I teach my child to read?

Children learn to read through consistent exposure to various kinds of literature, as well as by engaging in different types of reading strategies like those outlined above. Image source: infographicsmania.com

Reading is a critical component of communication, and age 7 seems to be the magical turning point by which most children learn to read. Children who struggle up until this point – and those who still aren’t reading beyond 7 years of age, don’t necessarily have disabilities that are preventing them from acquiring literacy skills. However, it is valuable for parents to acknowledge the typical milestones for literacy and recognize the warning signs that something more serious than just a delay is preventing their children from reaching reading milestones. If you find yourself asking: How do I teach my child to read?, these following strategies are might give your child the support and extra attention to literacy that is needed. Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Listening Games for Kids

by Chris O Games and Activities Language Development Reading Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques

Can you make a list of 13,000 words you know? This is the average vocabulary for 6 year-olds who are developing communication skills at a typical rate. However, for many children who are struggling with speech and communication skills, that vocabulary list is much shorter. Sue McCandlish, an Education and Speech Pathology professional, developed the model below that outlines how valuable listening is to the overall model of communication. She encourages teachers and parents to engage the “working memory” of children through listening games and activities. So why not get in the holiday mood and try some Thanksgiving listening games for kids? Continue reading →