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A resource library designed to help you better understand speech and language development better so you can support your little one at home
The Speech Dynamic
Is your toddler beginning speech therapy? You may be wondering what to expect. After the initial evaluation (learn about what to expect during the evaluation process here), your Speech Pathologist will give you a full picture of your toddler’s communication skills and let you know if they feel your child would benefit from […]
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Questions and Comments As a Pediatric Speech Pathologist specializing in Early Intervention, one of the tips I offer to parents of Late-Talkers is to is to replace questions with comments. Comments provide opportunities to build upon your child’s interests! In fact, word learning is enhanced when you follow your child’s lead and […]
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You may not be surprised to learn that there is a link between talking to your toddler and later language and vocabulary development. However, did you know there is a link between early parent language and later spatial and math abilities? In a study by Pruden, Levine, and Hottenlcher (2011), researchers followed children […]
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Just listening to child provides a Speech Pathologist with a lot of valuable information regarding their developing speech and language skills. When obtaining a language sample, one of the things we listen for is which morphemes a child is using. What is a Morpheme? A morpheme is a unit of meaning. For […]
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Imagine taking a walk with your toddler. A dog passes by and your curious toddler hesitantly approaches the dog. After his hesitation disappears, he smiles as he pets the happy dog. “Dog,” you say to him. “That’s a nice doggy!” This is the magic of word learning! When your toddler hears the word […]
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Yoga for Speech Therapy I recently completed my 200 hour yoga teacher certification. During my training, I found a lot of overlap between yoga and speech therapy. In this post, I outline five areas of speech and language development that yoga may benefit. They are: social language, early literacy, speech production, language […]
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A comprehensive evaluation is the starting point for speech and language therapy. This is how your Speech Pathologist comes to get a full picture of your child’s communication skills, their strengths and needs, and helps to determine their goals for therapy. In other words, your therapist needs to figure out where your child is […]
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My Toddler Isn’t Talking As a Pediatric Speech Pathologist specializing in early intervention (birth to three), I get a lot of phone calls from concerned parents. Many of them go something like this. “My toddler is not talking. He can say the words, but he chooses not to. He’s just lazy..” Talking is Hard […]
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With the holiday season upon us, gift guides, wish lists, and toy commercials are everywhere! If you have ever surprised your little one with a new toy only to have them show more interest in the box, you know that it’s not about the toy. The definition of play is “an activity for […]
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As a Pediatric Speech Pathologist, one of the number one questions I get is, “How many words should my toddler be saying?” While the number of words a child is using is important, another important factor is the types of words your toddler is using. The Importance of Verbs In a study by Hadley, Rispoli, […]
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A farm of my favorite toys to use in speech therapy! Here are some ways you can use a farm to work on talking with your toddler at home: Imitation: Imitation is the first step on the road to using words. We can encourage imitation by modeling animal sounds. Not only is it […]
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Yes… but only by a little bit Girls tend to reach all of their language milestones first, including the number of words they produce, the number of words they understand, the number of words they combine, sentence complexity, and sentence length. There are different reasons scientists use to explain these […]
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Although biting and hitting are common concerns. Children with speech delays are even more likely to exhibit “behaviors” like biting and hitting because they just don’t have the words to communicate. All behavior is communication. It’s helpful to view behavior through this lens because it helps us find ways to address the underlying cause. In children with […]
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It’s that time of year! Time for pumpkin patches, cooler weather, and new books! Books are such a great way to learn about new things and experiences. Books can also reinforce what your little one is learning about out in the world. For example, if you are planning to go to a pumpkin patch, you […]
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There’s no denying that traveling with a toddler can be tough! Here are a few ideas that might keep your little one entertained while traveling to your next destination! Painter’s Tape: Make a track, shapes, letters, etc. I love all the colors in this set Water Wow Books: So fun and no mess Quiet Books: […]
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As a speech therapist specializing in working with toddlers, books are a go-to activity for me! Here are a few that have become all time favorites over the years: My First Learn to Talk Book: We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a […]
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