Connection Between Spoken Language and Literacy
The experiences with talking and listening gained during the preschool years prepare children to learn to read and write during the early elementary school years. This means that children who enter school with weaker verbal abilities are much more likely to experience difficulties learning literacy skills than those who do not (Roth, Paul, & Pierotti, … Read more »
Having Fun with Sensory Integration Activities
From the womb into adulthood, our neurological systems are developing and processing an overwhelming amount of sensory information every day. Our system must then interpret this information and make it ready to be tolerated and used for specific purposes. To help with this process, sensory integration activities are a fun and necessary part of development for any child, whether… Read more »
The Skill of Teaching Social Skills
Social skills are the skills we have to get along with other people. Social skills can be as basic as saying hello and good-bye, or smiling and making eye contact with people we know. They can also be more difficult, like the skills we use to negotiate. Some people learn social skills easily and quickly, whereas… Read more »
10 Ways to Help Your Resistant Eater
Eating is a complex multi-sensory process. While eating, we receive information from all our senses simultaneously; vision, touch, smell, taste, sound, proprioception, and balance. Additionally, eating is a complex motor and neurological process using 26 different muscles and six cranial nerves. As children grow and develop, they become better able to process this complex experience… Read more »
Teaching Emotion Words to Children
Children’s abilities to label emotions start developing as early as 2 years of age. Toddlers will first use emotion labels to describe emotions in themselves and then will later learn to reference other people. The number of emotion words understood by children doubles between the ages of 4 and 8 years and then doubles again… Read more »
Simplifying Speech- What Does the Research Say?
We have all heard children use phrases such as “my turn slide,” “doggie go,” or “look car,” but we wouldn’t think that was unusual. As we know children of early language development use simplified speech to communicate. If we heard an adult say those same phrases what would we think? Some would react positively thinking… Read more »
Follow the Leader: Using Reciprocal Imitation to Build Play and Language
Learning to play is a foundational skill in child development. In order to engage with others, children must first demonstrate joint attention. Joint attention is the shared focus of two individuals on an object. This is something you can do with your child at home! When playing with cars, Mr. Potato Head, or other toys… Read more »
Small Communication Changes, Great Results
Children diagnosed with receptive and expressive language delays frequently miss the subtle communication cues in the communication interactions with others. They often need additional support to take notice of those changes in their environment and to expand their communication skills. Supportive adults can offer the assistance these children need by changing our communicative habits. By practicing the… Read more »
Seven Reasons To Include A Sibling In Your Child’s Early Intervention Therapy
If your child is receiving early intervention services, consider including siblings in the process whenever possible. Siblings already act as a child’s model, motivator, play-mate, and best friend. Just as it is vital to include parents in therapy sessions, the same can be applied to siblings of the client. Benefits of including siblings in therapy By including the… Read more »
Turning the Terrible Twos into the Terrific Twos
Many parents of two-year-olds comment about the difficulty of having a two-year-old. The phrase the “Terrible Twos” is frequently used to qualify the feelings of parents about their frustration with their children’s temper tantrums and mood swings. Whether or not a child has special needs, this period of time can be challenging. I suggest that… Read more »
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