Author: vkotansky

Go Fish! Sorry! Your Turn! These short phrases, for many, bring back memories of sitting around a table with friends and family playing….together….face to face. In a world filled with technology, the ART of playing a board games is becoming more of a skill that needs to be taught vs. a natural occurrence in the life of a child.

Board games are filled with language opportunities: turn taking, waiting, giving positive reinforcement, sequencing, following directions, etc. It is not uncommon for a child to say “We played games.” when asked what they did in speech therapy. Games provide the opportunity to slow language down, practice specific phrase or sounds or vocabulary, and repeat a sequence or direction until over and over again. A child’s eye widen when the ‘game cupboard’ is opened and they are told to pick a game to play in therapy. Time and time again, a Speech Therapist hears, “This game is great! Can we play this again next week?”

While a Speech Therapist weaves specific therapy goals into every minute of the game, parents and caregivers have the same opportunity to practice the important skills of turn taking, cooperation, encouraging another person, being a graceful winner/loser or just feeling like a part of something while playing a board game. Children may argue board games are really BORED games, but deep down, and usually within a few minutes of playing, they quickly realize there is nothing BORING about a BOARD game!

Share your favorite childhood game with your child. Have your child share their new game with his/her Speech Therapist. Enjoy a few hours away from the blue hue of a screen, enjoy the sight of a smiling child discovering a new skill….playing a BOARD game and not for one minute being BORED!

Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

“What’s your resolution this year?” The most frequently asked question from January 1st – 10th of any year.  After about 10 days of asking we are all pretty certain that either a. all resolutions have been broken or b. there were none to begin with.  For 2018 we might consider to resolve ourselves versus struggle to meet unrealistic resolutions.  Resolve ourselves to find the good in all actions and words. Resolve ourselves to be present…present to our children, our partner, our friends, our corner of the world.  Resolve ourselves to laugh more, to smile more, to find the joy, to communicate!

So how does this remotely relate to speech-language therapy?  Good question! Communication is not just made up of one mode of expression – talking. Rather communication is any way we get our message understood – talking, facial gestures, hand gestures, sign-language, AAC devices, etc. ; being understood is what communication is all about.  Speech-language therapy is a means by which we learn how to communicate in a mode that is most effective and efficient.  Speech-language therapy does not happen in a bubble and a Speech-Language Therapist (SLP) cannot make effective change in communication  without the support and team-work of a child’s entire TEAM .  Speech-language therapy is most effective when the entire TEAM is on the same page working towards the same end.   The resolve of the entire TEAM has to be finding, practicing and expecting  a child to communicate in the most effective and efficient mode.  As the main members of the TEAM, parents/caregivers need to communicate with the SLP.  Your SLP wants to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly….what worked, what didn’t work.  Your SLP should be able to clearly explain how to best manage and create an environment for successful communication in a manner that works for the ENTIRE TEAM.  The time spent communicating with your SLP is equally as important as the time she/he spends working with your child.  By resolving ourselves to communicate more effectively, our children not only learn by our example but those around us will as well.

 

Hats off to the start of amazing things in 2018!

 

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

 

October brings all the many colors, smells and sounds of Fall. Using language to describe the world around us becomes ever more important. Help your child expand her or his language.

The routine of the day creates wonderful opportunities to continually work on language development.

 

“The Power of Using Everyday Routines to Promote Young Children’s Language and Social Skills”

 

 

Reading with and to your child is a great opportunity to develop language skills as well as promote literacy skills. Pick up a good book and practice some of these techniques.

School’s started and the lazy days of Summer have ended. Running for activity to activity CAN be a great time to work on speech and language skills. Get some extra practice in while you buzz around town!