Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – A Healthy Sleep Schedule for Back to School

Image Courtesy of familycircle.com

Summer is often filled with sunny days playing outside and late nights catching fireflies or staying up until sunset (or later). But as fall approaches it is time to get the kids back onto a healthy sleep schedule so they can make the most of their school days. A good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can help provide for your child for so many reasons, including that it lets your child have a stronger memory. However, if you’re like many parents, this transition from a summer sleeping to school sleeping schedule isn’t always as easy as declaring an earlier bedtime. Continue reading →

Communication Milestones for the Early Elementary Years

by Chris O Language Development School

Image Courtesy of developingcourses.com

The other day here at the Speech Buddies Blog we reviewed the communication milestones for preschoolers and kindergarteners. While it is true that the first five years of a child’s life are a time of tremendous brain growth and development, it doesn’t mean that the communication milestones for the early elementary years are any less important. In fact, these years mark times of increased independent learning and reliance on the communication skills developed by the time your child is ready for first grade. But what are the milestones in the early elementary years that kids should develop to prepare them for middle school and beyond?

It’s important to review what makes up “communication” as a general set of skills and tools. The three main parts are the voice, speech, and the language (including written, spoken, singing, and more). The combination of these areas, along with articulation, voice, and fluency, form your child’s set of communication milestones. Continue reading →

Are you ready for Back to School? Speech Buddies announces “Be Ready!”

by Courtenay M. Parents' Corner School

Speech Buddies is excited to announce “Be Ready,” a free seven-week information campaign designed to help parents start the school year well-informed about speech and communication issues that their children may face. Below is our schedule of topics and resources throughout the months of August and September. During this time, we invite you to:

Continue reading →

5 Easy and Healthy School Lunch Recipes

by Chris O Parents' Corner School

Image Courtesy of lafujimama.com

Before you know it the school bell will be ringing, and that means you’ll be sending your kids off with lunchbox in tow. If you’re looking for easy and healthy school lunch recipes, try these 5 kid-tested and mother-and-budget approved ideas. They can be made ahead of time, transport easily in your child’s lunchbox or bag, and won’t be traded for something “better” with the other kids at the table! Continue reading →

Developmental Milestones: Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

by Chris O Language Development Reading School

Image Courtesy of wells-school.com

Preparing for kindergarten is about more than getting that first pair of gym shoes or new box of crayons. There are several communication developmental milestones that preschoolers and those kids entering kindergarten should reach in order to make those early education years as smooth as possible. Communication is comprised of three general tools:

Voice – the actual vocal sounds made when air moves from the lungs
Speech – talking by using coordination between muscles, the jaws, lips, and other parts of the oral region
Language – a common set of rules that let you express your ideas and feelings, and that can occur through writing, sign language, singing, speech, and non-verbal communication Continue reading →

Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Battling Back to School Anxiety

by Chris O Individualized Education Program (IEP) Parents' Corner School

Image Courtesy of littlebrownandcompany.tumblr.com

Every year as summer draws to a close and backpacks are dusted off and filled with new notebooks, there are many anxious students and parents preparing for the new school year. If someone in your home is experiencing back to school anxiety and worries, there are several steps you can take to ease those fears and make the most of the new year. Continue reading →

Will My Child Outgrow His Speech Impediment?

by Chris O Language Development Pronunciation & Lisps School Speech Disorders Speech Therapist

Image Courtesy of slc.cambridgeshire.nhs.uk

Walking, talking, and learning to read are just some of the major milestones that parents look forward to watching their children achieve. Sometimes, however, children show signs of struggle in any of these areas and parents are left worrying and wondering if it is just a phase or something more. If your child appears to struggle with communication, you might be one of many parents who wonder: Will my child outgrow his speech impediment? Continue reading →

Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Is Your Child an Auditory Learner?

by Chris O Language Development Parents' Corner School

Image Courtesy of impartmagazine.com

If you picture a room full of rambunctious 2^nd graders, you might not expect them to all be “good listeners”. Listening is a skill that is not always easy for some to acquire, but if your child is an auditory learner it might just be how he or she learns best. There are three main types of learning styles that are commonly recognized – visual learners, kinesthetic learners, and auditory learners. Of these three, auditory learners account for the smallest group. Continue reading →

Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Is Your Child a Visual Learner?

by Chris O Parents' Corner School

Image Courtesy of inkhouse.net

Have you ever noticed that your child seems to remember with great detail things he has seen, but easily forgets someone’s name? A visual learner (also known as visual/spatial learner) will often excel in tasks that involve pictures, artwork, charts, and graphs. For those who are visual/spatial learners, seeing is believing. Continue reading →

What Is RTI? Finding Ways to Help Every Child

by Chris O Individualized Education Program (IEP) School

Image Courtesy of teachingwhatworks.blogspot.com

The line between disabilities and differences can be subtle, and if your child is struggling in school you might be wondering on which side of the line your child stands. A new approach to helping parents and teachers make this determination is RTI – or Response to Intervention.

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