Boxing Day!

empty-cardboard-boxes-

Here’s to the success and survival of the big day!  Given the millions of new toys that may now ‘live’ in your home, nothing is quite as exciting for some children as the boxes that once housed those toys. Why is that a thing? Generation after generation have been stymied by the same question.

Who are we to question? Turn those hours of climbing in boxes into therapy opportunities.

Large or small, playing with boxes, or any toys, is a wonderful way to practice shared attention, turn taking, and sharing. These exchanges, for a moment or a while, are so important to developing conversation skills, play skills, and social skills.

Large boxes – let the creativity go wild. Large boxes are ideal for creating a playhouse, cave, tent, or castle. Add a few blankets and pillows and a flashlight and you have the makings of hours of imaginative play.  Not only are these great vessels to take imaginations to the outer limits, these are wonderful oases of quiet. The language opportunities are never ending. Every empty box needs decorations. A few crayons and stickers and a masterpiece is born. Requesting crayon colors or stickers or continuation of the activity are all ways to get a little language practice in with no one being the wiser.

Medium boxes aren’t just for sweaters or shirts anymore. Line the floor with opened boxes and create games of moving in and out of the boxes – lily pad jumping, indoor hopscotch.  These games can incorporate vocabulary and language concepts of in, out, go, stop, more, waiting for your turn, etc. All important skills for developing and practicing language.

Small boxes – the gems of the box family. Tape these closed and use as building blocks – great for individuals with dexterity issues. Build box towers. Up, on top, bottom, more, help, crash, boom, uh-oh – vocabulary and language concepts waiting to be part of the tower construction.  

Once the boxes lose their charm, it’s off to the recycling bin! However,  the opportunity to practice language and social skills will never lose its charm!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.

Simple Holiday Social Skills Practice for Families

christmas

It’s the final countdown until the big day (cue Europe’s 1986 hit song)! The lists have been checked twice, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and all that’s left is the wait… the long wait until we can rip open those gifts!

And when those gifts are torn into, we wait with bated breath, hoping our loved ones not only enjoy the presents, but also remember to say “Thank you”—or at the very least, acknowledge the others in the room.

Nothing derails holiday fun faster than demanding your child say “Thank you” to Auntie dear for footie pajamas, only for them to erupt into a stream of whining excuses about how hot those PJs make their feet.

Give yourself an early gift this year: take a few moments before the festivities begin for some simple holiday social skills practice. Setting clear behavioral expectations ahead of time helps everyone—big or small—know what to expect.

1. Practice Holiday Greetings

For the most part, saying hello is simple. However, given the excitement of the day, gentle reminders go a long way.

  • Roleplay entering the room: Practice walking through the front door and saying “Hi” together.

  • Eye contact alternatives: If direct eye contact is challenging, coach your loved one to look at the person’s chin or forehead instead.

  • Non-verbal greetings: Practice waving, using the ASL sign for “Hi,” or sharing a simple smile.

  • Set clear boundaries: Spell out unexpected behaviors clearly ahead of time (e.g., hiding behind adults or running straight under the table).

2. Offer Alternatives to Hugs and Handshakes

For some children, physical touch can feel overwhelming. Provide your child with comfortable alternatives to hugging:

  • Fist bumps

  • High fives

  • A friendly wave

Pro-Tip for Relatives: If you have family members who might feel hurt without a traditional hug, reach out before the gathering. Briefly explain why physical boundaries are important for your child and tell them how they can support you.

3. Prepare for Gift-Opening Disappointment

Disappointment when opening gifts isn’t unusual, but practicing reactions in advance makes a world of difference:

  • Practice with silly items: Wrap up everyday items like spoons, rocks, or paper towels. Practice unwrapping them, smiling, and saying “Thank you!”

  • Create a secret signal: Make a plan for duplicate gifts. Channel your inner baseball coach and establish a subtle gesture (like tapping your shoulder) that communicates: “I know you already have this. We will exchange it later—just smile and say thank you for now.”

Social Skills Practice Makes Permanent

In all of these scenarios, remember: practice doesn’t make perfect—practice makes permanent.

Through it all, whether behaviors go as expected or not, try to find the joy. Find something to laugh about, and cherish those small moments that fill your heart.

Happiest of Holidays!

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

Trick or Treat!

trick or treat

Trick or Treat!  The three most important words in October! When a child experiences a language deficit, creating an environment where there is no pressure of saying ‘Trick or Treat’ is by far the most important part of Halloween!

While practicing saying those magical words is one way to prepare for the big night, there are other options that might be considered.  

Make the words “Trick or Treat” part of the child’s costume. If your child is:

  • a superhero: make a ‘speech bubble’ with the words “Trick or Treat” (like in the cartoons) and attached it to the child’s costume.
  • a cowgirl or cowboy: attach a sign that says “Trick or Treat” on the hat or lasso
  • a robot: make “Trick or Treat” part of the ‘read-out tape’ or monitor (on the child’s tummy) of the robot

Print the words on the palm of white gloves and not only are your child’s hands toasty but they can effectively communicate.

These examples are just the start of the imaginative ways you can design to help a child with a language deficit focus less on the stress of ‘talking on the spot’ and more on effectively communicating.  

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC

How to Celebrate Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Child Apraxia

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is some degree of disrupted speech motor control.In other words,  a child diagnosed with CAS experiences  difficulty rapidly and accurately moving and sequencing  the tongue, lips and palate for the required movements for continuous and intelligible speech production.  While the data on incidents of CAS in children is lacking, the estimates of some sources indicate that CAS is low incidence with perhaps 1 – 10 in 1000 children affected or 3 – 5 % of speech-impaired preschoolers.

What does this look like at home, one the playground, in preschool?

A child with CAS may experience a limited number of vowel sounds, difficulty imitating mouth movements and/or words/sounds, or a variety of errors that may be unusual or idiosyncratic.  Children with CAS may or may not experience receptive language deficits.  Depending on the child, negative behaviors associated with not being understood may also be evident.

What does a parent do?  Where do you go?

An experienced Speech-Language Pathologist in the area of CAS can help navigate families and children through the CAS journey.  As a parent/caregiver, do not feel intimidated asking if your SLP has experience in the area of CAS.  The therapists at Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC. are happy to answer your questions about CAS as well as provide specific therapeutic interventions.

February is CAS awareness month.  If you would like more information, please feel free to ask your Speech-Language Pathologists as well as visit The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America.

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.

Consider Making Your Resolutions for the New Year!

resolutions for New Year

Speech-Language Therapy Resolutions for a New Year

“What’s your resolution this year?” The most frequently asked question from January 1st – 10th of any year.  After about 10 days of asking we are all pretty certain that either a. all resolutions have been broken or b. there were none to begin with.  For 2018 we might consider to resolve ourselves versus struggle to meet unrealistic resolutions.  Resolve ourselves to find the good in all actions and words. Resolve ourselves to be present…present to our children, our partner, our friends, our corner of the world.  Resolve ourselves to laugh more, to smile more, to find the joy, to communicate!

Developing Communication Skills is a Team Resolution

So how does this remotely relate to speech-language therapy?  Good question! Communication is not just made up of one mode of expression – talking. Rather communication is any way we get our message understood – talking, facial gestures, hand gestures, sign-language, AAC devices, etc. ; being understood is what communication is all about.  Speech-language therapy is a means by which we learn how to communicate in a mode that is most effective and efficient.  Speech-language therapy does not happen in a bubble and a Speech-Language Therapist (SLP) cannot make effective change in communication  without the support and team-work of a child’s entire TEAM .  Speech-language therapy is most effective when the entire TEAM is on the same page working towards the same end.   The resolve of the entire TEAM has to be finding, practicing and expecting  a child to communicate in the most effective and efficient mode.  As the main members of the TEAM, parents/caregivers need to communicate with the SLP.  Your SLP wants to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly….what worked, what didn’t work.  Your SLP should be able to clearly explain how to best manage and create an environment for successful communication in a manner that works for the ENTIRE TEAM.  The time spent communicating with your SLP is equally as important as the time she/he spends working with your child.  By resolving ourselves to communicate more effectively, our children not only learn by our example but those around us will as well.

 

Hats off to the start of amazing things in 2018!

 

Yours in Speech,

Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC