Family time has changed dramatically since the mobile phone came into use in the 1990s. Families are incredibly busy with school and special classes and sports. And while parents are delivering children to events, cell phones demand attention that previously went to children. In my work as a...
Talking Topics | Encouraging storytelling for families | Booklet
Learning is fun!
Kids learn best when learning is fun! Changing a sound involves focused attention and practice! It can be tedious. It can be very tedious. The best way to get to the new sound is through fun and play! Recently, I’ve added some pre-K children. I use target responses in...
How To Help?
When I spend time with parents, I’m asked how to help. My answer includes asking how much reading aloud is done at home. And I’m asking about reading stories that are beyond the child’s reading level. I ask for a reason. The richer the words a child hears, the richer...
Schedule Appointments!
Everyone is missing family and friends these days. Especially the little people. These little ones are growing up while we are isolating! May I make a suggestion? Schedule appointments with the little folks you miss! Kiddos seem to love it. I’ll explain what is working for me. I made...
Game or Tool?
It's not just Candy Land! It's a great teaching tool!
Good things with remote therapy!
Good things happen with remote therapy! This is the child’s view of remote therapy. Then, mine. Sitting in this chair. In front of a camera. Planning for the ones joining me. Using my bag of therapy tricks, curated over time. Talking. Modeling. Cueing. Showing materials. Creating interactions. Counting...
Remote Therapy
I’m able to offer remote therapy. For years, I’ve maintained an office so I could serve people from all over the Metroplex. While COVID-19 spread around the world, I learned another way of serving. Simply put, therapy has moved from 3-dimensions to 2-dimensions. I’ve learned several platforms: Zoom Pro,...
Keeping Things Fresh
Here's what I use in the Parkinson's Voice groups to keep things fresh.
Use a word you’ve never heard?
Really? Use a word you/ve never heard? Not often, especially for a child. There are three ways for words to enter a child’s brain. Through their eyes. Through their ears. Or through touch. Most children are blessed with vision and hearing … thankfully. Since children cannot read with...
When should I get help for my child’s language?
When should I get help for my child? This is the single question that I am asked most often.
Early Readers
Some children arrive at the kindergarten door knowing how to read. These children are called Early Readers. These little ones read without being formally taught.
Announcement!
Announcement! I’m building my email list! I plan to share ideas about nurturing children, especially in terms of language development and communication. If you’d like to receive messages — in the form of tips, encouragement, and materials like this one — please sign up! There are red opt-in buttons throughout...
Reading Aloud
I’ve been studying reading aloud to children. I’m speaking of reading great books to children … great books above their reading level. WHY READ ALOUD? Children need to be read to on a regular basis. From a wide variety of...
Milestones Matter!
Milestones matter! Our little people need to reach some really important milestones by the time they are 5 years old! We know she should be getting taller and should weigh more. So we measure her length on the changing table and put her on the vegetable scale at the...
Summer is here!
Summer is here! Let’s manage it! The kids are home from school. There’s free time. What to do with that free time? I’m always trying to share ideas that help children and families with language and management. What about having dedicated days like this calendar suggests? I saw several...
Rest and Wonder
Everything
I’m grateful for parents who want the best for their child. That’s the reason I’m asked to become involved with families. When special days roll around, I think of the things children need from parents. Children need to hear “I love you” and “I’m proud of you.” They need...
Involvement is key!
Amazing things happen when a child is involved in learning. Very often, children report to Mom and Dad that therapy is “fun” because “we play so many games”! Ha! What the child interprets as “fun” is actually the “work”. And I do my best to disguise the “work” so...
Whatever you are…
Amazing Things Happen
Amazing things happen when a child is involved in learning. Very often, the children I see report to Mom and Dad that therapy is “fun” because “we play so many games”! Ha! What the child interprets as “fun” is actually the “work”. And I do my best to disguise...
Early Intervention?
Parents ask about early intervention. I’m hoping this illustration explains my consistent answer.
Honoring This One
Honoring this one. My spunky mama, Sarah Killen. At the end of WWII, she boarded a ship for Europe to assist an army general as a US civil servant. Because of the war, she had been away from my dad for 3 1/2 years while he was serving in...
Screen Time
Screen time is a part of modern childhood! Screens are not going away! Parents need guidance and wisdom in controlling screen time. Excessive screen time and kids’ brains are not a healthy combination. Let’s be realistic. You’ve seen it and lived it. There are benefits of screen time. Most children...
A Baby Changes Everything!
A baby DOES change everything! And a baby can also make you wonder what the heck you are doing! Often, parents contact me about their concerns for their little ones … especially when they are under three … especially in terms of language development. I’ve come across two great...
A child learns through play!
A child learns through play. I’d like to share a story with you. Not long ago, I had dinner with my granddaughter. Some waiting was involved. Our visit evolved into a delightful game of tic-tac-toe! A tic-tac-toe board was constructed of dinnerware. Sweetener packets became markers. The Youngest Rule...
Sharing – Add the SPARK Technique to a People Game – Part 2
Continued — By Lauren Lowry Clinical Staff Writer and Hanen SLP People games can be so much more than a few tickles and laughs – they can also provide a wonderful opportunity to encourage your child’s communication skills. You can do this by using the SPARK strategy described in...
Sharing – You Are Your Child’s Best Toy! – Part 1
By Lauren Lowry Clinical Staff Writer and Hanen SLP Did you know that you already have the best toy for language development in your home? You didn’t buy it at a store – actually, it doesn’t cost anything. It’s portable, adaptable, and best of all, it’s tons of fun!...
They say the cutest things!
Today, during an initial evaluation, I asked a 6-year-old a question aimed at checking auditory processing. “Sweet Girl, what color is the small, young, gray pony?” She paused and looked to her right….paused longer and looked to her left….and then paused again. Then, she rolled her eyes! She sighed...
Ready to Launch!
When young ones are ready to launch, there are a multitude of life skills to be mastered. Launching may mean going to college or getting a job. Launching may mean getting an apartment. Regardless, there are many skills involved, all requiring teaching, planning, comprehension, and language. The following list...
Life Skills for Ages 16 to 18
Young people between 16 and 18 have many life skills to master. Many of those skills involve transportation and self care. The time that we have children in our care passes quickly! At this point, the time needs to be spent teaching intentionally so that the needed skills are...
Life Skills for Ages 10 through 15
Life Skills for 10 to 12 year olds are many. By this time, these young people are quite capable. Training is the issue. It can be a very satisfying experience to teach and prepare your child to perform these skills. While there are lists declaring appropriate ages to let...
Life Skills for Ages 6 through 9
As the child matures, responsibility increases. More is expected in terms of self-care, helping at home, and using money including identifying denominations of paper money and coins. These are the life skills grouped for children who are 6 and 7 years old. Make bed without assistance Fold and...
Life Skills for Ages 2, 3, 4, and 5
Often, we wonder if our child’s life skills are on track. There is so much to be learned to prepare a child for living in the world. I recently saw a really helpful guide that covers life skills needed to age 18. I thought these would be helpful to...
Join Your Child at Eye Level
When children are small, joining at their eye level encourages communication and understanding. When you are face to face with a young child, like the lady in this photo, the child is likely to be delighted. There’s such a difference between being eye to eye and having the adult...
Concrete Questions
I ask most children concrete questions the very first time I meet them. When I ask, I’m observing the way the child can explain themselves to a person they have just met. That person would be me! Initially, I ask about things that I am SURE they know about....
Be Specific and Concrete
Be specific and concrete when talking to your child. In other words, avoid vague words such as “stuff” and “thing” and “going to the store”. Instead, give specific names of places and things. Hearing the names of places gives the child much more information. So often, others ask your...
Drawing Can Help Expressive Language
Often, it’s hard for children to explain experiences. Our tendency is to listen but remain confused, thinking we are being kind and polite. What can be more helpful is asking the child to SHOW YOU what they mean. For example, a young one drew this diagram so he could...
Sharing…12 Weeks of Summer Activities
12 Weeks of Simple Activities to Support Kids’ Learning all Summer Long adapted from ASHA Blog by Stacey Glasgow, ASHA associate director of school services Simple activities parents or caregivers can use to help their child — or entire family — build speech, language, and literacy skills all summer!...
Use Lots of Visual Cues
Be aware of events taking place right around you. After a recent storm, there was lots of tree damage. Watching tree experts remove a broken limb from the center of a huge oak tree was a great language opportunity! Whenever a new experience presents itself, use lots of visual...
Limit Auditory Distractions
I recently went to a family reunion in Athens, Texas at the Arboretum. On the site, there were some historic structures like this, a one-room school. Peering in the windows of that school house took me back to a simpler time and made me think of today’s children. All...
Present Options to Expand Expressive Language
Here’s a way to encourage longer verbal responses from your little one. Rather than asking yes/no questions about things a quiet little one may want, present options! For example, use this illustration. Usually when we offer an apple, we extend our hand and ask, “Do you want an...
Teach Time with Pictures
The concept of time is difficult for children because they cannot see time! Consider providing pictures of the day or expectations for the day. You might hang a monthly calendar like this one in a strategic place — like on the refrigerator or wall of your child’s room. Write...
Parenting, Using Signs, and Language
Parents often ask about using signs, wondering if signing will delay speaking and verbal expression. My answer is always: NO! NO! NO! In a single play session, this adorable little one learned to use the sign for “more”. This picture was taken at the end of the session as...
Parenting, Bedtime, and Language
Bedtime is one of the loveliest times to connect with your Young One. There’s such a special opportunity for sharing and teaching and using language. These open-ended questions come to mind: Tell me about your day. What did you like the most today? What happened...
Back-and-forth conversation boosts children’s brain response to language
A landmark 1995 study found that children from higher-income families hear about 30 million more words during their first three years of life than children from lower-income families. This “30-million-word gap” correlates with significant differences in tests of vocabulary, language development, and reading comprehension. Appearing in a February 14,...
The real test of therapy!
How successful are our people when we are NOT THERE? “We really should be successful in our classrooms and clinics as we control almost every variable. The real test of our interventions is how successful they are OUTSIDE of these environments.” — Dr. Peter Gerhardt
Manipulatives can help expressive language!
Recently, one of my students was telling me about an event that he attended. He struggled trying to describe the event with words so we pulled out objects from around my office so he could recreate the scene for me. Manipulatives really helped him describe the event. This image...
Give them the words: narrate!
This lamp gave us a lovely opportunity to develop language. The base is stationary but the layer with the seashells on the edge rotates! This little guy parked his favorite trucks on the moveable layer and reached out with his index finger to spin his trucks. Surely, not what...
Stress or Passion?
Oh, yes! May it always be PASSION!
Look for the Lesson! Wonder by R.J. Palacio
“One mistake does not define you, Julian. Do you understand me? You must simply act better next time!” Great discussion material for elementary aged kiddos and older! And the story is out in a movie. If yours are sensitive about seeing the visual images, I would suggest reading this...