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…

A thematic literacy center is a powerful way to bring learning to life—and when it comes to engaging young learners, few topics capture their imagination quite like animals. In particular, birds offer a rich foundation for integrating fiction and nonfiction texts, building vocabulary, and practicing…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disorder that can impact an individual’s ability to communicate, interact socially, and develop literacy skills. People with ASD may have difficulty understanding the spoken word, producing language, and reading or writing words. Fortunately, there are many strategies…

How do you work with mixed groups in speech and language therapy? Working in groups in speech and language therapy can be challenging. Often the students will not all be on the same level. You may need to work with a classroom group in which…

There is an inter-relationship between, reading, spelling, handwriting, and written expression that needs to be honored when we think about teaching reading. There are multiple areas in the brain that are essential in learning how to read. Our instruction, therefore, needs to be explicit, systematic, cumulative, and multi-sensory.