Did you know that some of our old favorite board games are also great speech therapy tools? Yes, that’s right! You can help improve articulation and speech skills while enjoying quality time with your child. As we finish up Spring Break, (or some of us are just beginning), we are sharing with you some of our favorite classic children’s games that can also be used to teach new speech skills. The games that we have listed provide good opportunities for meaningful language, speech and social learning.
Hint hint…also a great addition to the Easter Basket!
As we celebrate National Autism Awareness month, we’d like to share with you ideas for activities that help support children with autism. Autism is an increasingly more common neurological condition that affects brain development. As such, children diagnosed with autism have more difficulty socializing with others, effectively communicating and responding appropriately to the environment around them. Are there activities that you can do with your child to help encourage effective communication and engagement? Yes, read on!
If your child has autism, you know that it affects each child differently. Children with autism possess a wide variety of skills, strengths, and needs. In addition to individualized therapy, there are simple, everyday activities that parents, teachers and caregivers can do to help support children with autism. We’ve put together a list of materials and fun activities that encourage social skills, and enhance communication for children with autism.
What kinds of activities and games are best? An article in Science Daily, discussed the importance of play in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). “Children with ASD chose to engage in play that provided strong sensory feedback, cause-and-effect results, and repetitive motions,” said Kathy Ralabate Doody, Ph.D., assistant professor of exceptional education at SUNY Buffalo State. Any opportunity to explore colors, shapes, textures and sensory experiences can help stimulate attention and create a sense of fun!
We’ve been discussing Apraxia of Speech in Children this month. If your child is exhibiting any of the characteristics associated with Apraxia of Speech, also known as developmental (DAS) or childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), you will need to make an appointment with a speech language pathologist. Because apraxia of speech is a communication disorder, the most qualified professional to help diagnose and treat your child is an SLP. While your pediatrician may help with other medical issues related to apraxia of speech, speech language pathologists have undergone extensive study and certification to accurately evaluate and treat speech disorders.
What is Apraxia of Speech in Children? With apraxia of speech,a person finds it difficult or impossible to move his or her mouth and tongue to speak. This happens, even though the person has the desire to speak and the mouth and tongue muscles are physically able to form words. Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder, where the child has a problem saying sounds, syllables and words. She knows what she wants to say, but her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words.
Spring has sprung, and what better time to practice those “s” sounds! Did you know that the “s” sound is one of the most mispronounced sounds in the English language? According to Pronunciation Workshop, approximately half of all “s” sounds in English are pronounced as a letter “z” or “th.” For a child with a speech impediment, the “s” sound proves particularly challenging. Common in articulation disorders, a child drops the “s” sound all together such as “and,” instead of “sand”. Or a child may mispronounce the “s” sound at the beginning or end of a word, giving him a lisp.
