Help with Stuttering. You’re NOT alone!

silhouette for students jumping at sunset

We have all experienced a moment when what you are trying to say just won’t come out. Those episodes of stuttering are typically a blip in time occurring far and few between.  Stuttering is a natural part of development for children between the ages of 2 and 5. When a young child stutters, she/he may repeat certain syllables, words or phrases, prolong them, or making no sound for certain sounds and syllables.  These ‘episodes’ can be attributed to the child having so much to say, but can’t get the information out quickly and don’t want to lose her/his audience or turn to talk. Developmental stuttering my last for a few weeks or several months, and it may be sporadic.  Most children stop stuttering by age 5 without speech-language therapy intervention. However, if these episodes are accompanied with facial or body movements, become worse and more frequent, a speech-language evaluation is suggested for children as young as 3 years of age.

While there is no cure for stuttering, there are effective treatments that can help an individual control his/her speech.  As fluency therapy is a complex marriage of clinical and psychological intervention, It is recommended these treatments and therapies be administered by a speech-language pathologist who has experience or specializes in the area of fluency therapy.  As a child matures, intervention/therapy techniques adjust from learning the techniques for fluent or smooth speech to learning how to best manage dysfluencies given specific situations in the home, peer, work and academic settings.

Middle and high school years are filled with uncertainty and the constant feeling of trying to ‘fit in’.  Anything that makes you ‘different’ isn’t necessarily considered a ‘positive’. For teens who have a fluency disorder or stutter, these years can be a time of significant social struggle and self-doubt.  We take for granted the number of times in any one given day we are required to answer, comment, question or defend ourselves with clarity and ease.

Lakeshore Speech Therapy is fortunate to have Wendi Willmer as part of our staff.  As a Board Certified Specialist in Fluency, Wendi possesses in-depth knowledge on how to treat stuttering in people of all ages. Sensitive to the struggles teens and young adults experience with stuttering, she is offering two six-week small group sessions to help students..  One group is specifically designed for the needs of students in grades 6th thru 8th and another for students in grades 9th thru 12th. While working in a group setting, not only will the students learn new techniques to control stuttering, but practice those skills they do have; all the while creating a network of friends that truly understand what they are going through.  Class sizes are limited and registration is open until Wednesday, September 12, 2018. Find more information at https://www.lakeshorespeech.com/events/.

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

Stan Is Here! Stan Is Here!!

Lakeshore has gone to and fallen in love with the dogs…..Stan in particular! This Fall, we will be offering a reading enrichment program co-taught by Patti Cramer and Stan, the Therapy Dog.

Patti is a graduate of the University Of Dayton.  She received her Masters in Education from Bowling Green State University. Patti has twenty years experience teaching the primary grades (Kg – 3rd grade).  Her passion is teaching Reading and Writing. Patti shared, “I have found that one major roadblock to a student’s success is the lack of confidence in their own abilities. It became my goal to discover a way to bypass that obstruction”.

3 years ago, she found that solution.

After rescuing an amazing dog, Stan, 5 years ago from the county pound, she realized he was the solution. After months of work and practice, Stan passed his Therapy Dog Test and became a Certified Therapy Dog through Therapy Dogs International. Thus, started Stan’s ‘school days’.  

Stan made an immediate impact in the classroom. His presence far exceeded expectations. Not only did he help students overcome their hesitancy to read, he actually inspired students to work extra hard to practice reading special books to Stan. Students, who otherwise feared sharing their new skills, now could not wait to show off for Stan. The growth in all of Patti’s students was amazing, but the growth in her struggling students was most apparent.

Stan motivated Patti’s classroom of First Grade students as well as having a positive effect on ALL students.  Stan spends time in six different self-contained classrooms for students with a variety of special needs. Each and every student looks forward to “Stan time”.

Stan teaches all students a variety of lessons including social/emotional skills, understanding non-verbal communication (ie: basic dog body language), compassion and care for another ( ie: students become responsible for Stan’s dog care), and basic dog training and safety skills.

Stan has become a star and time with him is an incentive in the school to promote good behavior.  Students choose to earn time reading with Stan for being respectful, responsible and safe, . His company provides a safe place when students are having a difficult day and need to cool off or just need a snuggle.

We are thrilled and fortunate that Stan has chosen to bring his talents (and those of Patti) to Lakeshore Speech Therapy.   Patti and Stan work side by side to enrich your child’s reading by practicing reading strategies to improve Accuracy, Fluency and Comprehension. Students in this 4- week program will have direct instruction with Patti, small group time to work on these strategies and of course individual time to read to Stan to show off their skills. Students will read books at their independent level to accomplish these tasks.

This reading enrichment program will be offered in two 4-week session starting September 18th from 4:30 – 5:30pm.  Each session will be limited to 4 students. Our hope it have Stan spend more time caring, working and teaching at Lakeshore Speech Therapy.  Registration for this class will open Friday, August 10th and close September 12th. Find more information at https://www.lakeshorespeech.com/events/

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy

Summer, don’t leave us!

There’s still plenty of Summer left, but it’s getting to be that time of the year when our attention must turn back to the hustle and bustle of the school year.  For those not at that point or past that point, it’s that time of year that there seems to be some sort of switch from the lazy hazy days of Summer to the fast and furious time of Fall.

The types of clothes you are wearing will change, the leaves will change, and your schedule will change.  Much like our blog in June, it’s time to ask a few questions about these changes. Will you focus on a few activities or many? When is your child her/his best – morning? Late afternoon? Early evening? When do you have the most support? From whom? Spouse? Friend? Parent? In-law? How can the change to the Fall be less dramatic? Crock-pot meals? Pre-frozen meals? Assigning chores to everyone? Only you have the answers. However do yourself a favor, ask those questions and give yourself some REAL answers, you’ll be the better and so will everyone around you!

Lakeshore Speech has a number of amazing programs available for children this Fall season.  Ranging in areas of focus from Reading Tutor Groups to Social Skills Groups to Fluency Groups, we have something that your child might need or want to make a smooth start to the school year and the Fall.  Please check-out www.lakeshorespeech.com/events  for a full listing and explanation of our programs.

Lakeshore is also beginning to set up Fall schedules for private therapy.  Please contact Kelly (krigo@lakeshorespeech.com or (440) 471-7190) to arrange a therapy day and time that works best for your family’s schedule.

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

Language in the Sun and Heat!

It’s getting hot out there! It’s a great time to  turn the heat up on your child’s language skills in everything you do.

No need to put down your ice cream cone or even get out of the pool; you have everything you need to enhance your child’s language skills!  Language is everywhere, so working on language skills is always at your fingertips. Whether you are camping, at the pool, at the beach, at the amusement park or coloring with chalk on the sidewalk, working on direction following skills, vocabulary skills, sentence development and articulation skills is a snap!

For your own sanity, set aside a small amount of time (5-10 min) to focus on a specific skill during an activity.  As you become more comfortable incorporating these therapy moments, you can expand on the amount of time. Choose a small part of the larger skill your child is working on in speech therapy (ask your Speech Therapist to help identify these specific skills if you need help). In the time span you have allotted,work with your child on the language skill and when the time has expired, STOP working! Over time, ‘working’ on the skills will become second nature.  Your child won’t even realize she/he has been ‘doing their speech homework’. Here’s a little example to give you a more clear idea.

Location – ice cream stand/shop

Speech Skill – closing lips for the M sound (the larger speech goal is producing words with B, P, and M).

Time allotted: 5 minutes

 

Parent: “Let’s play an ice cream game after 5 licks, you tell me how it tastes.  You say, ‘mmmm’.”

Child (in a perfect world, where ice cream doesn’t drip down arms and onto shoes): licks ice cream 5 times, says ‘mmmm’.

Parent: “Great!  Now, after 5 licks you tell me again how it tastes.  You say, ‘mmmmmmmm’.”

Child (again in the same perfect world):licks ice cream 5 times, says ‘mmmm’.

5 minutes is up!

Parent: “That was a fun game!  Let’s finish our ice cream.”

There is a high probability that your child will continue the ‘game’ without being prompted.  Chances are high that others, especially siblings, will want to ‘play the game’ too. Now the 5 minutes you had set aside will grow to 10 minutes!

Remember to be kind to yourself!  Don’t try this suggestion when all forces are against you!  Once a day, twice a week, whenever you can sneak in a few extra minutes of practice–it will pay off quickly!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

Sit down, Stay a while!

Summer not only is a time to travel, but a time when others may be traveling and staying with you!  While these visits are important and eagerly anticipated, having Gramma and Papa or Auntie and Uncle staying in with you can really create situations where you and your child may not be at your best.

For some children, upsetting the routine at home can create a rather unsettling feeling that may last for the day, the week, or the month.  Children may ‘express’ these feelings verbally, vocally or physically. Working through daily meltdowns is not a vacation for anyone – parent or visitor.

Proactively planning for visitors, no matter the length of the visit, should not only include cleaning and food prep, but working with your child AND your visitors so everyone can enjoy the time together.

Location….. If you child will be sacrificing their bedroom to Gramma and Papa or Auntie and Uncle you may want to :

  • Weeks ahead of the visit warning your child verbally of the change
  • Having a ‘pretend’ visitor (a nice use of that entirely too large of a stuffed animal living in your attic) stay in your child’s room; giving them the opportunity to sleep in the location they will be sleeping in when the ‘real’ visitor is in town.
  • Have your child help in preparing their room for the visitor
    • let them pick out the color sheets that will be on the bed
    • Make a ‘game’ of hiding toys/games, etc.

Routine…. Without a doubt your child’s routine is going to be ‘off’ while there are visitors in your home.  You may want to consider:

  • Getting the daily routine down on paper (use pictures, words, etc)
  • Reach out to your visitors and share the ‘typical’ daily routine and explain to them the importance of them understanding the routine, not that they will need to follow it minute to minute, but to realize how or why your child might be acting differently (ie: Typically after lunch, your child has rest time, however while visitors are in town, he/she may not get rest time until later in the day – this change MAY result in a meltdown.)
  • Practice changing up the daily routine weeks prior to the visitors arriving.
  • Give ample time for your child to process the ‘change in routine’ (some children will require a warning days prior to a major changes, others manage the change given a moments notice).

Have a Plan…. Life is life, so anticipate there will be a time and place while your visitors are in town when everything is going along well and BOOM your child unexpectedly melts down. You may want to consider:

  • Having an “emergency melt-down kit” at the ready.  A small bag that contains a favorite snack, fidget toys, favorite smells (ie: cinnamon candy, cotton ball with your perfume/colgan, etc), a ‘lovey’ or stuffed animal), etc.  
  • A playlist on a device (probably your phone) with favorite or soothing music
  • Willingness to leave a location until your child is feeling better (ie: go to the restroom, go outside, take a walk away from the area)
  • Talk less, act more – less is more in these instances. When your child is experiencing difficulty managing, having everyone talking to them could actually increase the confusion and escalate the melt-down. Stay calm, talk less, and move quickly to enact the plan may result in a shorter less dramatic event.
  • Let EVERYONE know the plan.  If you do not want or need help to execute the plan – LET EVERYONE KNOW.  Your visitors, while meaning well, may try to help and in doing so create a larger issue.

Enjoy your time together and create memories that last a lifetime!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech

“Are we there yet?”

While Cleveland is a ‘go to’ destination for many people during the Summer months, you may be leaving for a get away of your own.  Whether basking in the sun, sleeping under the stars or reading every historical marker/plaque across the country is your idea of a vacation, it’s easy to weave in a few moments of language enrichment or practice.

Enjoying time with family and friends does not necessarily mean you can’t work on your speech-language skills.  If your child is working on articulation, listen for correct production of sounds and use reminders to help correct errors.  If your child is working on language, use these games to practice vocabulary. If your child is working on following directions, these games are perfect for working on those skills (not to mention passing time in what can feel like and endless car ride!).

I Spy…“I spy with my little eye, something blue.” Directions: One person spies something and recites the line, ending in a clue. Everyone else takes turns trying to guess the mystery item.

I’m Going on a Picnic/Trip/Space Adventure….. Directions: The first player says “I’m going on a picnic/trip/space adventure (or whatever interests your child)  and I’m putting in my suitcase…” followed by something that begins with A (apple/air/ape). The second player repeats what the first person said, but adds something that begins with B (“I’m going on a trip and I’m putting in my suitcase and apple and bermuda shorts.”). And so on with C, D, and the rest of the alphabet. If someone forgets an item, he/she is out OR you can allow everyone to chime in to help OR the next person just starts over with A.

Add-on Storytelling…..One person starts a story with only one or two sentences and stops in the middle of the next sentence (“Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess.  The princess lived in a huge…..”). The next person starts their story where the previous person left off (“igloo on a mountain. The princess has long brown hair and her eyes were …..”) You cannot negate or poo-poo another’s idea, you can only build on the story (“on the top of her head.  She was a martian princess from the land of ….”)The stories are sure to start get everyone giggling. An adaptation to this game could be an adult tells the full story and the children add the descriptors/objects/verbs when the adult pauses.

20 Questions …… Directions: One person thinks of something (you may want to determine a category or area to narrow the choices for beginners), and everyone else has only 20 YES/NO questions to ask to try to guess what it is. If someone guesses correctly before the 20th question, that person get to think of an item and ANSWER the yes/no questions. If no one figures it out, the person answering gets to go again.

Category Naming Game…. Directions: The ‘announcer’ (typically a parent) sets a time limit (ie: 60 seconds), that person announces “Name all the pick a category you can think of starting NOW!” The player starts naming all the items in that category.  If the player names an incorrect item, the announcer starts counting down from 10, if the player cannot come up a correct item in the category by the time the announcer gets to 1, it’s the next players turn.

Safe Travels!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech

FREE in the CLE!!!

Free!  That’s correct….FREE!!!! Finding fun and FREE ‘field trips’ for you and your family!  Check out these resources to find a different museum or playground. Let’s not forget local theaters providing free movies or our amazing libraries providing incredible free programs for young and old.  These ‘field trips’ are a great way to introduce new vocabulary, interact with others, practice speech-language skills, and most importantly, spend time TOGETHER! Unplug for a few moments, call a friend or family member, pack a lunch and spend some time exploring all the Cleveland Area has to offer.  

While this may sound like a travel ad, language is built around the events one experiences.  Practicing going out in public places and building on those experiences are a amazing way to build those shared memories and language base. AND because admission is FREE, visiting some of these places is a great way to build up the time for which your child can tolerate a location.  Let’s take the Mondays at the Zoo: Since admission is free, plan on seeing only 1-2 animals, having lunch or a snack and then leave.  The next Monday, plan on visiting the same 1-2 animals and add 1-2 more, have lunch/snack and leave. Repeat.

It’s Fun and It’s Free!  Enjoy your time together! Don’t forget to share with your SLP where you will or did visit.  She or he can easily weave the vocabulary into therapy and/or preview what may occur, vocabulary, etc. Most of all……..have FUN!!!!!

Links for suggestions of FREE events:

Free in the CLE

Cuyahoga Library System

Cleveland Library System

Westlake Porter Public Library

Lakewood Public Library

Rocky River Public Library

Avon Lake Public Library

Summer Movie Express ($1/movie)

Free Outdoor Movies

Free for young and young at heart

15 Free things to do with Kids

 

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy

Summer is HERE!!!

School’s OUT …….Summer’s HERE……and within two  seconds, the kids are bored! Nothing says Summer like the sweets sounds of “There’s nothing to do” and “I’m bored” seeming on loop from most children’s mouths.  AND if they are not outright saying it, you know they are thinking it by the glazed look in their eyes when they are offered a suggestion of how to fill the ‘endless’ hours of a day.  

Believe it or not, most children crave schedules and structure.  Seems completely against all that the lazy days of Summer imply, but on the whole, children (and most adults) are more productive and have fewer meltdowns when a schedule is in place.  I have no empirical data to offer on the previous statement, just years of experience at home, in school and in the clinic watching the change in those around when even the simplest schedule is laid out.

Toddlers to Teens to Twenties and older benefit from knowing what’s happening, what is expected and how long it will last. This is not to say every minute of every day of every activity needs to be spelled out, but here are 2 techniques that might be worth a try in mapping out the days of Summer.

The Verbal Set-up: Simple, easy and always with you.  This schedule techniques is used by millions, yet has never been given the credence  it deserves. At breakfast (no tv on, no digital devices, just their little eyes focused on Y.O.U), lay out how the day is going to roll. Chunk the day up because that’s a lot to think about and chances are you will not have had all the necessary cups of coffee yet for maximum functioning ability!

“Good morning, here’s our morning: We are going to finish breakfast. Then change – don’t forget to brush your teeth. We have 2  places we need to go to – the store and the library. First we’re headed to the library – this will be a SHORT visit. We need to run in and get the books I have on hold.  We will not be going to the children’s section, THIS TIME. I will need someone to help carry my library card going in and someone to carry the books – volunteers? Then we are headed to the grocery store.  I will have a list of what we need. This isn’t a LONG visit, we should be able to get what we need and get out quickly. I will need help finding some of the stuff and I know I can count on you all. After the grocery store, we are coming right home.  We will all put the groceries away. Once the groceries are put away you can go outside (or play or whatever they can do at that time).

Pictures Speak Louder than Words: A little more involved, but might be just what is needed. You know the type of pictures your child tunes into most (photos, your artistic renderings, clipart, etc.).  Spend some time gathering these pictures (ie: get the old 35mm camera out use your phone and take pictures of your car, the stores/locations you visit most), print and laminate (easiests cheapest lamination is clear contact paper or packing tape). Start the same way as the ‘Verbal Set-up’, in a calm undistracted situation (typically when eating 😉) and lay out the schedule, again chunking it.

“Good morning, here’s our morning: We are going to finish breakfast. [photo of empty plate (can stand for finishing any meal)] Then change – don’t forget to brush your teeth. [photo of closet or draw with clothes (can stand for change clothes anytime)] We have 2  places we need to go to – the store and the library. [photo of car and specific buildings]. First we’re headed to the library – this will be a SHORT visit.  We need to run in and get the books I have on hold. We will not be going to the children’s section, THIS TIME. I will need someone to help carry my library card going in and someone to carry the books – volunteers? Then we are headed to the grocery store.  I will have a list of what we need. This isn’t a LONG visit, we should be able to get what we need and get out quick. I will need help finding some of the stuff and I know I can count on you all. After the grocery store, we are coming right home. [photo of home] We will all put the groceries away.  Once the groceries are put away you can go outside (or play or whatever they can do at that time). [photo of playroom/outside, etc.].

If you would like more information or need help in getting started using these techniques, ask your Speech Therapist.  If you don’t have one to ask, give Kelly a call at Lakeshore Speech (1-440-471-7190).

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy

The Month of Better Speech and Hearing – May!

In our continued tribute to Better Speech and Hearing Month, it seems only fitting to recognize that Speech-Language Therapists are masters at being flexible in designing individual services for their clients as well as the location for which these services are delivered.  

Ellen’s flexibility was outstanding when she delivered speech services in her client’s home…….which was residence to more than 25 cats…. all of which were “Range Free”. Being ‘range free’ means no rules or expectations. Let that sink in for a moment, you know it did….straight through the carpeting! It’s safe to say, Ellen’s been the cat’s meow for quite some time!

Early in VernaAnn’s career, she would travel to 8 different Amish farms in Lancaster, PA.  Be it that she was ‘English’ these Amish families would not allow her in their homes to deliver speech-language services to their children.  This did not deter VernaAnn from traveling to these farms every week, where she delivered services on the front porches from August to November!!!  Eventually, VernaAnn gained the trust of these families and was welcomed her into their community…. and homes for therapy!

Elizabeth hasn’t had the experience of delivering speech services in a strange place where I worked, however her first job was in a very diverse school in Chicago.  She had a group of 3 boys that focused on social skills. While this seems like a pretty normal occurence for a school speech therapist, the fact that the boys’ native languages were Urdu, Bengali, and Polish made service delivery a little different.  Something is to be said for the universal language of charades!

One would not think that the great outdoors and Speech Therapy are a mix. Gina, however is an expert in this combination.   One summer she would provide therapy services a girl while she was at a day camp in the MetroParks. There was nowhere to sit, so we walked a little way to a picnic table in the middle of a very woodsy area. Suffice it  to say mosquitoes, bees, 90 degree weather, and speech therapy do not mix!

In Mary’s experience-rich career, she has delivered services in a myriad of locations.  None of which are the ideal location you read about in the college textbooks. Mary has delivered speech services under a stairway – no distraction there; in the basement of a century old building next to the boiler – so quiet and acoustically perfect (NOT!); in a parking lot – not that’s what you call fast service; on-line – because, technology  and of course the proverbial “speech closet – which is the smallest place in a school where everyone who enters describes it as ‘cozy’. Rest assured in a shoe box or the Taj Mah Hall Mary’s speech services were delivered with the utmost quality!

Have wheels, will travel!  Speech-therapy knows no vacation.  Ellery has delivered speech services on the open road.  Actually, in the backseat of a 12 hour ride to North Carolina.  You might consider bringing your speech-therapist on vacation, we are pretty sure that being the Aunt of this adorable client might have had a little something to do with Ellery’s dedication.  

Wendi has experienced the ups and downs of delivering speech services…..on a trampoline of course!  Co-treating with a Physical Therapist resulted Wendi’s need for some creative therapy techniques. Wendi gave new meaning to bouncing right along!

No weather or location or animal or language can keep these dedicated women from doing their jobs… delivering amazing speech-language therapy services!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month!

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month.   It’s the time of the year when we in the field like to increase awareness of communication disorders and the role your friendly Speech Therapist or Audiologist plays in providing life changing therapies.  While May is a great time to better understand the field of speech-language pathology and audiology, it also provides us opportunity for us at Lakeshore Speech Therapy to share a little bit more about ourselves.

The team at Lakeshore represents a total of over 100 years of experience in the delivery of speech-language therapeutic intervention.  100 years!!!! Individually this outstanding team is dedicated to improving communication for young and old. But where did they get their start? Where did they begin as college freshman and end as professionals with a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology? Let’s find out:

Ellen Spear holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Marquette University!   Goooooo Golden Eagles!

VernaAnn Kotansky received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the State of University of New York at Geneseo. Gooooooo Knights!

Elizabeth Lazowski received her Master’s degree from  Northwestern University and is a proud Wildcat!

Ellery Martinko is a proud Viking, graduating from Cleveland State University with her Master’s degree.

Mary Yutzy proudly received her Master’s degree from the University of Akron.  Way to go Zips!

Gina Perciavelli  graduated with her Master’s from Ohio University.  Bobcat’s in the house!

Wendi Willmer graduated with her Master’s from Kent State University.  Golden Flashes all the way!

From Eagles to Knights, Wildcats to Vikings, Zips to Bobcats and Flashes, Lakeshore therapists represent their colleges well!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech