News - Small Talk Pediatric Therapy

Is My Child Ready to Start Kindergarten?

With the end of summer coming closer and closer, kindergarten orientations have started we are all getting ready for the school year at Small Talk Pediatric Therapy. The most common question each parent often asks us and themselves is: “Is my child ready to start school?” It is important to understand that school readiness skills and school preparation skills are two different things and both are equally important. School Readiness skills are the key emotional and social skills which each child should possess to help their transition to school. School Preparation skills are the key academic skills which will equip your child for the learning environment at school.

The key school readiness skills that children need to have when they start kindergarten (as shown by research) include: Socialization skills, Friendship, Effective communication techniques, Conflict resolution skills.

If your child possesses these skills, they will be able to: Separate from you without distress, Toilet themselves independently, Take responsibility of their own possessions (lunchbox, backpack, hat.) Be comfortable talking to other adults (parents and grandparents don’t count, e.g. doctor, nurse.) Follow simple instructions and do as they are told, complete tasks with a good attention span and will preserve (to an extent.) Cope with change to normal routine. Initiate play and demonstrate an ability to make their own decisions and choices (not just follow the crowd). Interact with other children (interested in playing with others, share, task turns, wait, invite others to play). Communicate what they like and dislike, speak clearly in full sentences. Your child can be understand by non-family members. Resolve conflict at a basic level (not advanced skills, but an understanding that hitting or hurting others out of frustration is not good). Cope with anger and frustration appropriately. Cope with being told what to do, even if they don’t like it.

If your child is also school prepared (e.g. write their name, hold the pencil correctly, recognize numbers/ shapes etc), of course this will be of great benefit too! A child’s social and emotional competence is the core of school readiness and ensures a smooth transition to school.

If your child is able to do these things, you can be confident that they are ready for school. If your child has difficulties with a few of these things, pick one skill a week and work on this with your child. For parents that have the option to hold their child back, this list may prompt you to think if your child should start school in 2019, or wait another 12 months. If you are in this situation, it is always good to talk to the school, preschool teachers and therapists for their input as well.

If you have concerns about your child’s language or speech skills, now is the time to act! Have a look at our free checklist on our website for speech and language milestones or give us a call for more information- we are happy to help and answer any questions!

Summer Speech Activities

With the summer just around the corner the days are getting longer, kids will soon be out of school, and everyone wants to be outside. But for toddlers receiving speech treatment, the warm weather shouldn’t mean a lapse in between speech sessions and language skills. In fact, the outdoors offers ready made opportunities for play!

Children learn through play as a natural part of their development. Here are some fun things I suggest that parents do to develop and build on their toddlers’ current speech and language skills:

Take a walk with your toddler through your neighborhood, downtown, or local park. Talk about everything you see, such as cars, trees and birds, while using simple language. For example you can say, “Look at the little red car. It’s going fast.” You can also have your toddler identify common objects you name by gesturing or pointing toward that object.
Blow bubbles outside. Have your toddler request “more” or “bubble” to get you to blow more bubbles. If he/she is beginning to put words together have him/her say, “more bubble” or “want more bubble.” He/she can also repeat “pop” or “pop bubble” when popping the bubbles. If pronunciation is an issue, have him/her say “buh” or “buh-buh” for bubbles or “pah” for pop until he can say the word correctly.
Finger paint in the backyard. Name the colors as your toddler paints them. Have him or her recognize colors by showing you specific colors as he/she is painting. Have your toddler verbally name the colors if possible. Draw basic shapes, such as circle, square and triangle as you’re painting with your child. Again, have him or her recognize the shapes by pointing and, if possible, verbally saying their names.
Swim with your toddler at your community pool. Work on receptive language skills (what your child understands) by having him/her perform simple actions on command in the pool such as jump, kick, and run. Target expressive language skills (what your child says) when jumping in and out from the side of the pool by having your toddler repeat words such as “go,” “in” and “out.” Pool time is also a great opportunity to work on identifying basic body parts such as eyes, nose, mouth, feet and hands.

From all of us at Small Talk Pediatric Therapy enjoy the summer!

Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder, meaning it affects a child’s ability to plan the movements needed to say sounds, syllables, and words. Children with CAS have normal muscle strength in their mouths (lips, tongue, palate, etc.), but they have trouble coordinating their muscles in the complex movement patterns needed for speech.

What Does Childhood Apraxia of Speech Look Like?

Limited babbling as a baby
Limited variety of consonant and vowel sounds
Problems combining sounds
Makes different mistakes each time a word is attempted
Understands much more than he or she can say
May appear to be “groping” for sounds
Greater difficulty with longer words and sentences than shorter ones
Does not have a typical “melody” of speech, sounding choppy or monotone.
Difficult to understand May appear to be “groping” for sounds
Greater difficulty with longer words and sentences than shorter ones
Does not have a typical “melody” of speech, sounding choppy or monotone.
Difficult to understand

Treatment

Although CAS is sometimes referred to as a developmental condition, children with CAS do not “grow out” of the disorder without intervention. They require lots of practice, both in therapy and at home, to learn the movement patterns needed to produce easy to understand, intelligible speech. Children with CAS often benefit from a multi-sensory approach to treatment, incorporating touch cues, visual cues (using mirrors or watching another person model the sound or word), and verbal feedback to learn to produce different sounds and combinations. When speech is particularly difficult, children may learn to use signs or other alternative forms of communication (such as pictures or a computer) to support their language development while continuing to work on spoken words. Providing as easier means for children to communicate often reduces their frustration and allows them to progress with their expressive language while waiting for their speech to catch up