5 Ways to Provide a good language foundation for your baby

1) Sit down and have a conversation. -  Our lives have become so busy and so full of gadgets and to-do lists and errands to run.  I'm afraid that it has caused us to reduce the attention we give to our babies.  They have no choice but to lay where we lay them and to look at whatever is in the direction their head is facing.  My advice is to put down the ipad or the TV remote or the laptop and put your baby on your lap.  Look at each other in the eyes.  Practice eye contact.  Try to get your baby's attention by making noises and having her turn her head.  Then smile.  This is also establishing turn-taking skills.  Did you know that when you are making noises at your baby that you are teaching them the skill of turn-taking?  They make a noise - then you make a noise, then they make a noise, then you make a noise.  It should sound just like a conversation with different noises and different intonation, except that it's just gibberish.  Gibberish or not - it's still very important!
2) Respond to their vocalizations - More specifically, if you and your baby are in the same room but you're cooking dinner or working on the computer and your baby makes a loud noise, you can probably tell that they are trying to get your attention.  Reward it!  You want to reinforce the concept that they can initiate conversation and that by making noise they are causing you to turn your head and give them attention.  Just take a few second to turn your head towards them.  Smile.  Make a noise back.  Then go back to what you were doing.  Not only is it good for language - it reminds the child that you are there for them and that they are the more important than whatever else you're doing at that moment.
3) Tell them what you're going to do, then do it - Talk to your baby all the time.  Don't worry if they don't understand everything you say.  There is no need to simplify your language at all.  Most of what babies learn is 'incidental' meaning as it happens around them and in an unstructured setting.  You want your child to be able to associate what you are saying with what is going on.  So if you pick up your child and say, "It's time for your bath!" then you get distracted and start folding laundry, they won't learn the association between what you say and what you do.  A great example of this is when parents say, "Night-night" as part of the bedtime routine.  The baby has learned to associate sleep with the words 'Night Night'.  These are the babies who might get very upset if you say 'night-night' to them and they're not tired! :)
4) Nursery Rhymes and Finger Plays - There's a good reason why nursery rhymes have been around for so long.  They are a great way to establish language basics in babies.  Some of the skills you are reinforcing include: turn-taking, joint attention, eye contact, intonation, and vocabulary. It doesn't even matter what you're singing.  Pick a song and sing it to your child.  Help them do actions such as clapping hands and raising them high into the air.  They'll soak it up.  
5) Read to your baby -  It's never too soon to start reading to your baby!  I've mentioned before some of the great benefits of reading.  Big thick board books are great for those chubby little hands to hold and feel.  They will associate reading a book with you and the physical closeness and comfort which will help them enjoy reading as they get older.  Check out this video of my 3 month old niece!  Her daddy is reading to her in Spanish and she is just soaking it up.  

"Is My Child Behind?": 1 to 4 years old

Do you wonder if your toddler is developing normally?  Lots of parents ask me if their child is behind in speech or language, and the answer is never very clear-cut.  I took these charts from the ASHA (American Speech-Language Hearing Association) website asha.org and compiled them into one place for your reference.  Take a look and see if these confirm your concerns or if your child is doing pretty well for their age.  If you're still worried it's a good idea to consult a professional.  In the meantime you can try to implement some language-enhancing strategies.

1 to 2 years

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Points to a few body parts when asked. Follows simple commands and understands simple questions ("Roll the ball," "Kiss the baby," "Where's your shoe?"). Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes. Points to pictures in a book when named.	Says more words every month. Uses some one- or two- word questions ("Where kitty?" "Go bye-bye?" "What's that?"). Puts two words together ("more cookie," "no juice," "mommy book"). Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

2 to 3 years

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Understands differences in meaning ("go-stop," "in-on," "big-little," "up-down"). Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on the table"). Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer periods of time	Has a word for almost everything. Uses two- or three- words to talk about and ask for things. Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds. Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time. Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.

3 to 4 years

Hearing and Understanding	Talking
Hears you when you call from another room. Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members. Answers simple "who?", "what?", "where?", and "why?" questions.	Talks about activities at school or at friends' homes. People outside of the family usually understand child's speech. Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words. Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.

ApP LiSt

Today I wanted to share with you an app list that I've been creating.  Many parents ask me what apps they can try for their child so I hope that you find this helpful!  I know I am missing a lot - the world of apps is growing faster than the weeds in my backyard. ..(maybe I'll attack those tomorrow...)
If you know of a great app that is missing from this list, please comment and share with us all!

Phonological Awareness

-          Super Why

-          Dora’s Rhyming Word Adventure

-          ABC Pocket Phonics

-          Read & Write

-          Word Wagon

Phonics

-          Interactive Alphabet

-          Alphabytes

-          Word Wagon HD

-          C is for cow

-          123 Color HD Talking Coloring Book

-          Rock ‘n’ Learn Phonics Easy Reader

-          ABC Pocket Phonics

Reading/Fluency

-          Tumblebooks to Go

-          Alice for iPad

-          Dr. Seuss’ ABC

-          Reading Remedies 

-          eReading Gulliver’s Travels

-          Sight Words List

-          My word wall

-          K12 Timed Reading Practice

-          The Three Little Pigs StoryChimes

-          Jack and the Beanstalk  interative children’s book

--       WordWorld eBook

-          Toy Story Readalong

Reading Comprehension

-          Ithoughts HD

-          Popplet

-          Simplemind

Writing/Sequencing/Storytelling

-          StoryBuilder

-          Speech with Milo: Sequencing

-          Pictello

-          Story Patch

Spelling

-          Simplex spelling

-          Clifford’s BE BIG with words

-          Spelling Bee

-          Miss Spell’s Class

-          Letter Writer Oceans

Social Skills:

-          Conversation Builder

-          iTake Turns

-          ABA Flash Cards and Games: Emotions

-          Model Me for kids

-          Social Skills

-          Stories2Learn

-          iCommunicate

-           

Speech/Articulation:

-          Phonemes

-          Articulate It

-          Articulaton Station

-          ArticPix

-          Pocket SLP

-          Minimal Pairs Academy

-          Match2Say

-          SpeechTrainer3D

-          Smart OralMotor

-          Smarty Speech

-          /r/ intensive

-          All About Sounds

-          Pocket SLP Minimal Pairs

-          R App for Parents

-          Artik Phono

Prepositions:

-         Speech with Milo: Prepositions

            Preposition Remix

Categorizing/Sorting

-          Clean Up: Category Sorting

-          I Learn with Poko: Seasons

-          Name that Category

-          What does not Belong?

-          Let’s Name Things

Puzzles

-          Amazing Shape Puzzle

-          Puzzle Me

-          Magic Puzzles

-          Toddler Puzzle Shapes

Other Fun:

-          Curious George at the Zoo

-          PBS Kids Video

-          My PlayHome Lite

-          Animal Fun

-          House of Learning

-          Animal Memory Match

-          Flower Garden

-          Doodle Buddy

-          Glow Paint

-          Paint Sparkles

-          Uncolor

-          Handy Manny Workshop

-          Thomas & Friends

-          My Coloring Book

-          Pocket Pond

-          iloveFireworks

-      

Summer Activities and Language Suggestions

Hello!  Are you having a fun summer?  Are you taking it easy or are you starting off with a bang, trying to pack in as much fun as you can?  I am having a blast hanging out with my 2 boys.  We are trying to find a good balance between taking it easy together and also doing lots of fun stuff.  I thought I would share with you my list of summer fun activities!  And it wouldn't be a good speech/language blog if I didn't give you some language-enhancing tips!  So here are 5 language skills that can be targeted while enjoying these activities:

1) Vocabulary - Most any activity comes with new vocabulary for a child to learn!  Pick two or three words that may be unfamiliar to them and make a point to use them over and over in different contexts.  Never underestimate the words your child can learn.  For example, on your family hike, point out some plant names.  Discuss trees vs. bushes, talk about the parts of a flower.
2) Sequencing - Most structured activities require that you follow certain steps in a certain order.  Teach your child the words "first, second, then, next, and last" while you make cookies or write letters.  If you're into apps and really want to focus on this concept - check out the Pictello app.
3) Descriptions - I've worked with lots of kids who know plenty of nouns but when it comes to describing them, they would rather not.  :) Discuss words like: sticky, rough, smooth, clean, wet, hot, cold, spicy, sweet, loud, etc.  Make a contest to see how many words you can think of to describe something.
4)  Predicting - An important skill for social language as well as reading.  Ask your child questions about what will happen next: "What is going to happen when I mix these two colors?" or  "What do you think might happen if we didn't put a letter on this stamp?"  or "What if our boat gets really wet?" or "Those two ducks are going for the same piece of bread...what are they going to do?"  Encourage guessing and see if they can start asking you questions in return.
5) Developing Schema - A less-known concept but a very important one for all parents.  'Schema' refers to the child's own database of personal experiences.  It is crucial for reading comprehension, as children need to learn to make personal connections to events or places in books.  If a child encounters a book about fishing, and they just recently went fishing, they will have a much better understanding of what you need to take with you, how to use a fishing pole, and how you have to sit and wait.  Much of those things are not specifically mentioned in books and must then be inferred by the reader.  So basically any activity you do with your child this summer is theoretically helping your child's future reading comprehension abilities.  Good to know, right? :)

So here's my list: I tried to credit the ideas back to the original blogger/website so be sure to check out the links!

-          Swimming

-          Bowling

-          Watergun Fight

-          Water Balloons

-          ScavengerHunt

-           Fishing

-          Fly a Kite

-          Make cookies

-          Read books

-           Go on a picnic

-          Makeplaydough

-          Fingerpainting

-          Go to the zoo

-          Rainbow Volcanoes

-          BalloonTennis

-          Puppet Show for Dad

-          Watercoloring

-          Fun Things with Crayons

-          Write Letters to Family with lots of stickers

-          Geocaching

- Wash the car

-          PopsicleStick Puzzles

-          Giant Bubbles

-          Homemadelava lamps

-          Marshmallows and Toothpicks

-          Bug Hunt (magnifying glass and tube found at Dollar Store)

-          Pillow Fights

-          Run through the sprinklers

-          Paperboats down the river (or even the gutter when it’s full)

-          Archeology Dig (plastic dinosaurs in dirt/sand)

-          MagneticPuzzles

-          CraftStick Letters with Velcro

-          Visit a farm

-          Makeslime

-          Family Hike

- Paper Airplanes

-          FrozenFigures 

-          Learn some new songs with actions

-          Mini Golf

-          Make a Spotting Scope or binoculars

- Edible Bird Nests (and read "Are You My Mother" just because it's so cute)

-          Go to a local splash pad

-          Feed the ducks

-          Play date at the park

-          Get snow cones

-          Cut out pictures from Sunday ads and make a collage

-          Storytime at the library

-  Salt Dough Footprints

- Bike Ride

- Picnic

- Learn some new jokes and teach them to Dad

- Popcorn and Pajama Night

The Ling 6 Sound Test - An Overview

Have you ever heard of the Ling 6 Test?  It's a quick listening test devised by Daniel Ling, who was one of the foremost authorities on teaching children with hearing loss how to listen and speak.  The 6 refers to 6 speech sounds ranging across the speech spectrum, meaning that the frequencies of these sounds span the audiogram from low to high frequencies, 250 Hz to 2000 Hz.

Why is it important?  Well, if you are trying to teach speech to a child with hearing aids or a cochlear implant, you will need to make sure that their amplification device is working properly and that they can hear the sounds in speech.  No point in teaching them speech if they can't hear you, right?  I can't tell you how many times I have done this quick test only to discover that the batteries are dead.  It could even indicate a problem with the mapping of a cochlear implant.   It also provides an opportunity for younger children to practice play audiometry, which is crucial for them to be able to get their hearing aid appropriately adjusted or their cochlear implant properly mapped.

You can expect to be able to do this test in less than a minute after the child is trained.  You will have to start at the detection level - meaning the child simply has to respond that they have heard something, usually by putting a block or bead in a box or a cup each time they hear a sound.  Then as soon as you can, move on to the identification level, by having the child repeat the sound they have heard.  This way you know that not only are they hearing something, but also that they are hearing it accurately.

And now, I'll tell you what the sounds are, in order from lowest frequency to highest.

/m/
/oo/
/ah/
/ee/
/sh/
/s/

Here is a video of me doing the Ling 6 test with my two year old friend:

By the way, he's not looking at me - he's looking at his mom, which is fine as long as mom doesn't have any 'tells' that let him know he should respond.  Which she doesn't.  But you can also place a stuffed animal or poster or something in front of them for them to look at while they are listening.

Other considerations when conducting the Ling 6 Test:
- Do not let the child see you
- Speak at a normal loudness level
- Vary your distances, start close and go to 3 feet, 6 feet, and 9 feet
- Do not present the sounds in a rhythmical fashion, or else the child will begin to anticipate the sounds and may give you false responses.
- Present them in a mixed order each time
- I recommend that every parent who has a child with hearing aids or a cochlear implant administer this test on a daily basis.  Just make it part of your morning routine.

For fellow speechies:  Do you work with children with hearing loss?  Do you have hearing specialists in your districts? Do you only work with children with hearing loss if they have a speech disorder, like a lisp or something?  Our district has hearing specialists but I always was confused on how their role differed from mine.  We always seemed to be working on the same things. And many of my co-workers didn't realize that I do work on listening and language, not just articulation.  I would love feedback in this area.

Learning Language Through Literature

One of the things I love about being a speech-language pathologist is that I get to teach language.  Lots of people think I just teach kids how to say their /r/ sound.  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy that!  But I also love finding a child with language needs, figuring out what their core difficulties are, and then finding out how I can help them with those challenges.  It's a fun process and each child always presents with unique weaknesses.  On the other hand, I have noticed that many of my kids do struggle in similar areas, namely: synonyms/antonyms, multiple meaning words, describing and defining words, and predicting/inferring.  If you're one of my fellow speechies you are probably picturing some specific kiddos right now.  And if you're a fellow mom, I think you will like using this post to help strengthen those skills in your child, regardless of their language abilities.  I have begun a project I like to call, "Learning Language Through Literature" which I have found really helps these kids with broad language needs. Language is best learned in context.  Granted, there are times when it is appropriate to drill with flashcards.  But I also really like to emphasize the importance of learning and using these skills in the context of a book.   Reading comprehension is one of our greatest goals, right?  So I have selected some books on which to focus for each month of the school year (I'm only up to February).  It is a time in speech when the kids get to relax with me, read a book, look at pictures, ask questions without feeling scared, and show me what they know.  It's more relaxed, natural, and they don't feel the 'pressure' to give me the right answers.  Little do they know that they're still learning a lot! :)  I created a type of data sheet with the questions to ask in a pre and post test fashion.  The questions vary in difficulty, and probably are mostly targeted towards kids from 2nd through 6th grade but of course you can adapt it as you need to.  Here they are!  Enjoy!

September - Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London

October - Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

November - One is a Feast for mouse by Judy Cox

December/January - The Mitten by Jan Brett

February - Love, Splat by Rob Scotton

Book Review: We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

This book is such a classic!  There are so many things to love about it.

One of my favorite elements is its repetitiveness.  Younger children will pick up on the 'chorus' quickly and enjoy reading along with you.  (Great auditory memory activity for children with hearing loss!)  I also love how well it lends itself to reading with rhythm, as if you're marching. A great activity that goes along with this book is having the child make their own drum, and then take it on a bear hunt! The child can work on following directions, (a crucial skill and one I always try to incorporate somehow).  Then hide your child's teddy bear around the yard or inside the house while they recite the 'chorus':

"We're Going on a Bear Hunt

We're going to Catch a Big one!

What a beautiful day!

We're not scared!"

Another great thing about this song is how easy it is to add actions.  If you need ideas, watch Michael Rosen himself act out the book.  It's quite entertaining.  What a character that man is.

ALSO - prepositions!  This book really reinforces the concepts of 'over' and 'under' and 'through', which are sometimes hard to grasp for little ones.  Throw in actions for these too!

Charlotte from Make Do & Friend had this darling idea to help reinforce the vocabulary and make it fun!  I'm dying to try it!

This book is also fun to use to teach descriptions.  "Long, wavy grass" or "deep, cold river" are some phrases from it.  Have your child come up with their own descriptors.  No wrong answers!  Well, that's not necessarily true.  But you know what I mean.

Another reason I like it (also good for kids with hearing loss) is it teaches onomatopoeia.  "Swishy, swashy" or "squelch squerch" are really fun to say!  They reinforce the idea that certain things (like mud and grass) make different sounds and how we sometimes try to imitate that in English.

FUN STUFF!  What other ideas do you have for this book?