Cozy chats about speech, language and learning

Reading

Thanksgiving Language Fun: Songs for Preschool and Special Education

Thanksgiving Language Fun: Songs for Preschool and Special Education

As educators and speech-language pathologists working with preschoolers or learners in special-education settings, we’re always looking for ways to make language growth meaningful, engaging, and relevant. The Thanksgiving season offers just that: a theme children already bring into school, full of imagery, emotion, tradition ……

Bridging Sound and Symbol — One Voice at a Time

Bridging Sound and Symbol — One Voice at a Time

Discover how the Lively Letters multisensory reading program builds sound-symbol awareness, articulation, and confidence for students with speech and language challenges.

Phonological Awareness, Rapid Naming, Verbal Memory in Language Development

Phonological Awareness, Rapid Naming, Verbal Memory in Language Development

Recently, I took the 20Q: Neuroscience Applications for Differential Diagnosis and Intervention in School-Aged Children course on SpeechPathology.com, presented by Dr. Martha S. Burns. The course was a deep dive into how neuroscience informs our work as speech-language pathologists, particularly when diagnosing and intervening with…

Beyond the Screen: Fueling Language, Literacy, and Brain Growth Through Human Connection

Beyond the Screen: Fueling Language, Literacy, and Brain Growth Through Human Connection

One of the greatest misunderstandings in early childhood education is the belief that language development will happen naturally—even when environments are overstimulating, under-connected, and increasingly reliant on technology. But as we’re learning from both practice and science, language doesn’t simply “happen.” It is built, brick…

Unlocking Language Growth Through Storybooks

Unlocking Language Growth Through Storybooks

In my work as a speech-language pathologist, literature is at the heart of everything I do. It’s not just a vehicle for vocabulary—it’s the bridge to listening comprehension, inferencing, narrative structure, receptive and expressive language, and so much more. My therapy units often span several…

Multi-Sensory Strategies for Teaching Sight Words

Multi-Sensory Strategies for Teaching Sight Words

Teaching sight words can be a challenging yet rewarding experience, especially for students who crave sensory experiences and have difficulties remembering these essential building blocks of reading. By engaging multiple senses, we can create a more dynamic and memorable learning experience. Here are some effective,…

Unlock Your Student’s Learning Potential with Story Grammar & Graphic Organizers

Unlock Your Student’s Learning Potential with Story Grammar & Graphic Organizers

Story grammar plays a crucial role in enhancing children’s listening and reading comprehension for several reasons: Incorporating graphic organizers is particularly helpful in this process: Overall, understanding story grammar and using graphic organizers are essential tools in developing children’s listening and reading comprehension skills. They…

Mastering the ABCs: A Journey through Lowercase Letters

Mastering the ABCs: A Journey through Lowercase Letters

Useful information on why lowercase letters are important for literacy development and effective ways to teach and master lower-case-letters

Unlock the Power of Rhyming with Word Families

Unlock the Power of Rhyming with Word Families

Do you want to teach your student, child, or client valuable literacy skills? Rhyming is an important skill for children to learn in order to help them become better readers and writers. It can also be a difficult concept for some children to understand. Learning…

Rhyming is an Important Part of Learning to Read

Rhyming is an Important Part of Learning to Read

Learning to read can be a daunting task for any child. While it may seem like an insurmountable goal, rhyming can be a helpful tool to help your child become a successful reader. Research shows that the ability to recognize and produce rhyming words is…