Cozy chats about speech, language and learning
Jonathan Haidt “Technology is rewiring childhood mental health.” Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness takes a hard look at the rise of anxiety and depression among young people in the age of smartphones…
Elijah came barreling toward me, his excitement barely contained as he nearly collided with me. With a huge grin plastered across his face, he shouted, “Are you going to take me?” Elijah, a five-year-old kindergartener, is like a lively ping pong ball, bouncing from one…
This summer, our family started a new tradition of weekly dinners, alternating between two homes. It’s been a delightful experience, especially watching our grandchildren interact with each other. The two girls, both one year old, are a joy to observe. What has really caught my…
Understanding and expressing emotions is a crucial part of social communication. For students on the autism spectrum, especially those who crave sensory input, teaching feeling words and how to express emotions can be challenging yet rewarding. A multi-sensory approach can make this learning process more…
Speech and language therapy plays a crucial role in the development of communication skills in children, particularly those with speech and language challenges. However, there’s an often-overlooked aspect of communication that is vital for a child’s overall development: social skills. Incorporating social skills training into…
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to consider the holistic development of children. Social and emotional development is at the center of schools’ focus as schools are realizing that academics only are not enough to ensure a child’s success. Promoting social and emotional…
A potential friend is only a ‘Hello’ away. Paul Liebau One of the first social skills that I love to teach is greetings and student’s names. As a speech and language pathologist I know that although it might seem like a very simple skill when you…
Transitions can be difficult. Whether it is a big transition to a new school year or what we might think of as a simple transition from one activity to the next the transition could be hard. One way we can make the transition less stressful…
The best lesson plans don’t work if you do not have a student’s cooperation. Something that I have found is that by allowing the student some control of a situation you are able to not only garner their attention and focus but the efforts…
Kindergarten speech and language screenings are part of the educational requirement. I typically do these the first week of school giving me a chance to meet each of the new students. The purpose of the screening is to pick up any student that might…