Discover how a communication board can transform holiday experiences for children with Autism and speech differences. Resources at Lakeshore Speech explores AAC strategies for inclusive celebrations.
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A brand new year is days away, and that means we get a chance to make some new resolutions! This year, let’s think about making some special resolutions for speech therapy.
One resolution could be to practice your speech exercises every day. Turn practice into playing a game. The more you practice, the better you will become!
Use the special words your speech therapist teaches you as much as possible. These words help you talk smoothly, and they make you feel super proud!
Work on speaking slowly and clearly. This way, everyone can understand you when you talk.
Make a resolution to tell more stories or help your child tell more stories. Share your adventures, dreams, and funny moments. It’s a fun way to practice talking.
Ask more questions and join in conversations. Questions help you learn new things, and it’s a cool way to make friends!
Reading out loud is like a speech party! Pick your favorite books and read them to friends, family, or even to a pet. It’s great practice!
Sometimes, it might feel tricky, but you might want to promise to be patient. Stay positive and celebrate even the small wins. Every step is a step forward!
We help each other, and this year, thank your speech buddies. We’re in this together!
Be adventurous and try new speech sounds. It’s like a fun challenge to make your speech even more awesome!
At the end of each month, celebrate the progress you’ve made. Maybe treat yourself to something special. Yay for progress!
So there you go, friends! These speech therapy resolutions are yours for the taking. Let’s make it an amazing year of talking, growing, and reaching new speech goals together. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. We’ll explore how to create a sensory-friendly holiday environment by making thoughtful choices in your decorations.
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The calendar doesn’t lie. How is it we are only 10 days away from Valentine’s Day!? With all the attention on sharing love and kindness on that day (as well as every day), we need to take a moment to pause and take into account the skills that bring people closer are really hard to learn.
Some loved ones pick up on social cues and nuances without issue and others require a very clear explanation. As parents, taking the time to frame acceptable and unacceptable behaviors for your family’s values is crucial. Society dictates a number of ‘unwritten’ rules, which makes learning these skills even more difficult for some. Providing a safe environment to discuss and process these ‘unwritten’ rules is important at every age of development. The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) provide a nice resource for families focused on this area of speech and language.
Your friendly speech-language pathologist would be happy to help you and your family with any questions or concerns you may have related to social communication, social skills, or social pragmatics. Please feel free to give Kelly a call at 440-471-7190 to set up an appointment.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
This message is short and sweet. First and foremost an open apology for seemingly abandoning my post writing these blog message this month. While I wish there was a great explanation, but all I really can say is life definitely gets in the way of the best of intentions!
Second, we at Lakeshore would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to thank each and everyone of our amazing clients and families. You appreciate your trust in us to provide your loved one’s therapeutic services. We are thrilled to have you all as part of our Lakeshore Family.
Lastly, please take a moment to look around to see all the amazing gifts in your world this holiday season. These gifts aren’t wrapped in festive paper with a bow. These gifts are wrapped with your arms and love. Enjoy these gifts this holiday as we will enjoy ours.
Happy Holidays!
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC
Dressing-up, costumes, masks and make-up….some would say these are the best parts of Halloween and others would beg differ significantly. While the stores are filled with the newest versions of costumes, consider making one that best ‘fits’ your loved one. One that ‘fits’ her/his physical body, sensory needs, and emotional needs.
Consider costumes that follow the ‘less is more’ theory. Less different pieces of a costume, more focus on making the pieces ‘scream’ exactly the theme or character of the costume.
Consider costumes that do not have tags or items that will distract your loved one to the point where she/he is unable to focus on walking, the party, etc. While adorable and fun, things like fringe, beads, sparkles, and sequins can create an entirely different issue. In this category lives masks and make-up. While both of these items bring a lot to a costume, please consider staying away from these if you know your loved one will be distracted or upset by these additions.
Consider costumes that can go over the layers of possible winter gear that may or may not be part of your evening. Given the weather, being prepared to add or take away a layer on a moments notice will make the difference on the stress level of the evening.
Consider incorporating the phrase “Trick or Treat” on the costume itself if your loved one is non-verbal or might ‘freeze’ . Somehow, someway, make the words part of the costume – add a simple button to the costume with the words ‘Trick or Treat’.
Consider practicing wearing the costume around the house – remember practice makes permanent. This gives your loved one not only the time to become familiar and comfortable with the costume, but will give you time to troubleshoot potential issues (ie: costume too long and possibly a tripping hazard, costume too tight/loose, etc.).
Prior planning with the costume will prevent unneeded stress and potential unexpected behaviors so you can all enjoy a fun evening being together.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
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 baited breath willing and hoping our loved ones not only enjoy the gifts, but remember to say “Thank you” or at the very least acknowledge the others in the room. Nothing says holiday fun like demanding your child say ‘Thank you’ to Auntie dear for the lovely footie pajamas and your child erupts into a stream of whining crying excuses while he/she will never wear them and how hot those PJs make their feet.
Give yourself an early gift this year, take a few moments and share with your loved ones your expected behaviors during the holidays. Sometimes it just needs to be laid out there for everyone to realize it IS expected and no one, big or small, is exempt.
Greetings – for the most part, this one is pretty easy, HOWEVER, given the excitement of the day, simple reminders are good. Practice walking into a room or through the front door and saying ‘Hi’ with your loved ones. If eye contact isn’t the best, coach your loved one to look at the person’s chin or hair. If your loved one is non-verbal, practice waving or the sign for ‘Hi’ or a simple smile may be just as effective. Hiding behind you is NOT an expected behavior. Running in the door and hiding under the table is NOT an expected behavior. Spell out these unexpected behaviors very clearly.
Hugs, handshakes and the like – for some this is nothing short of a fingernails down a chalkboard moment. Give your loved one alternatives to hugging if that’s NOT the preferred choice of interaction. Fist bumps, high fives, and waving are all expected behaviors everyone can live with. If there are relatives that would be offended if they didn’t get a hug, take a few seconds before the holiday and explain to them why this is difficult. Tell THEM what to expect and WHY you need their support.
Disappointment when opening gifts – this is something not foreign to most of us. Practice expected reactions by opening ‘gifts’ of spoons or rocks or paper towels. Smile and say ‘Thank you’. Smile and say ‘Thank you’. Make a game plan for when a gift is opened that your loved one already owns. Make-up a simple gesture (channel your inner baseball coach) that tells your loved one, “I know you already have that. We will exchange this one and you can get something else. Smile and say Thank you.” . Once you have the gesture established, practice. Wrap up current belongings and practice
In all of these cases, practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent….something that is more applicable for everyone.
And please, through it all, expected or unexpected find the joy. Find something to laugh about. Find those moments that fill your heart.
Happiest of Holidays!
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
