Vogue, Strike a Pose: The Importance of Modeling (Language!)
This week we are doing something different; we have a guest writer - Laura Klein, who will give us insight on Speech Therapy! For those of you who are unfamiliar, Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults (ASHA).
Laura has been working as a Speech Therapist for more than 4 years with various populations, ranging from pediatrics to adult. Most recently, she has experience working in a specialized school for children with special needs, targeting language development. When working with young children, either typically developing or language delayed, specific strategies can be used to facilitate language development. Here are some tips from my friend and colleague, Laura, to use with your little ones!
Language is broken into two parts - receptive language (understanding information) and expressive language (communicating your wants & needs). Below are some tips for modeling language in order to help your child improve both these areas, and become a better communicator.
It’s all about balance: The donut to my salad, the spin class to my afternoon nap... our days are a constant balancing act. Conversations are no different. In a typical conversation, about 50% of the time we are speaking, while the other half is spent listening. Just as we have this balance as adults, we should encourage the same with our little ones. Constantly asking questions can actually raise your child’s anxiety, and cause a decrease in talking. We want to encourage natural back-and-forth communication even at an early age by adding in comments between our questions. That way, the child will be exposed to more vocabulary and improve their receptive language skills instead of being “quizzed” throughout the day.
Be a broken record: Say it again! And again, and again. The “repeat” button is your best friend. The more you hear a song on replay, the more likely you are to understand the lyrics and eventually sing along. *Cue the soundtrack to Hamilton.* The same is true for speech development. The more often a child hears the word, the more likely they are to say it! Make it functional by targeting words that relate to things you know your child likes, and will come up multiple times during the day, like a favorite toy or snack.
You are what you read: Read, sleep, repeat. Reading books to your little ones, especially repetitive books, is one activity likely to get them talking. Using a highly repetitive story, like Eric Carle’s “Brown Bear” can encourage your child to “fill-in-the-blank” for a familiar phrase. To do this, read the book several times, then pause where the repetitive word would go. If the child doesn’t say the word on their own, repeat the book again and again until they are able to fill in the word themselves. The more models, the more likely they will come up with the word!
Give me, give me more: Extra for guac? Yes please. Sometimes it’s all about the add ons. That’s why, while we want to praise a child for using a gesture or word to communicate, it’s always a good idea to add more. For example, if the child says “dog” you can expand on that by saying “BIG dog” or “dog please.” If the child signs “eat”, you can provide a verbal model “eat” or, “eat cookie.” A good rule of thumb - add 1 to 2 words on to the child’s utterance in order to encourage more language.
Incorporating these tips and “model behavior” into your daily routine will strengthen your child’s receptive and expressive language skills, and help them communicate with more ease.
To learn more, you can always reach out to schedule time with SmplyTherapy
Laura Klein
M.A. CCC-SLP TSSLD
What is Occupational Therapy and When do you need it?
Occupational therapy (OT) teaches people of all ages how to adapt to everyday life.
True of False? - Occupational Therapists help people find jobs.
This is absolutely false.
I’m Kristin, Founder of SmplyTherapy, Welcome to my page and blog. Having been in the field of Occupational Therapy for many years, I’m very aware that there are many people who do not know exactly what Occupational Therapy is. If you’re here, you must be curious if Occupational Therapy is right for you or your loved one. First, I want to take you through some basics about Occupational Therapy.
What is Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy (OT) teaches people of all ages how to adapt to everyday life. According to The American Occupational Therapy Association, Occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability.
Common occupational therapy interventions include:
Helping children with difficulties or behavioral problems to participate fully in school and in social settings
Assisting people who are recovering from injury to regain everyday skills
Providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes
Who are Occupational Therapy Practitioners?
Occupational therapy practitioners (also may be called Occupational Therapists or OTs) are healthcare professionals with a holistic perspective who uses evidence-based practice that is deeply rooted in science and research to promote a patients' functional capability to accomplish their daily routines.
OTs have vast training and understanding of how to treat the whole body by combining neurological principles, anatomical / physiological concepts, and psychological perspectives.
How does Occupational Therapy work?
Typically, Occupational Therapy services will involve:
Individualized evaluation in which a client’s needs are assessed. The evaluation may take place in your home, workplace or a child’s school
Therapy plan and goal setting designed for you (or your children’s) needs and limitations
Customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals
Outcomes evaluation to determine is goals are being met and / or make changes to the customized plan
Who needs Occupational Therapy?
Often times, people simply do not receive the help they need in order to improve their lives because they are not sure what they need.
I speak with many young or first time mothers who may recognize their young children are more fussy than others but do not know where to go to seek help other than their pediatrician. Often, the parents may be referred to an Occupational Therapist who can help to evaluate and get the proper support for their children. Occupational therapy has been known to help children with ADHD, juvenile arthritis, and autism.
However, Occupational Therapy isn’t just for children. Anyone who struggles to do everyday tasks may benefit from it. If you have any of the health issues below, you may consult your doctor and see if occupational therapy can help you:
Arthritis and chronic pain
Stroke
Brain injury
Joint replacement
Spinal cord injury
Low vision
Alzheimer’s disease
Poor balance
Cancer
Diabetes
Multiple sclerosis
Cerebral palsy
Mental health or behavior issues
You can also schedule a consultation with me to see if Occupational Therapy is right for you.