Discover how speech therapy can make Halloween a treat. Explore how speech therapy can help practice Halloween-themed conversations, boost confidence, and improve social skills.
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As we are all beginning to adjust to teletherapy as well as online or elearning, we thought it best to share some tips to make you and your loved ones time in therapy, albeit significantly different than ever before, more successful.
Keeping in mind the importance of flexibility, creativity, teamwork, trust and practice will ensure your loved ones success with this different approach to speech-language therapy.
More information about the telepractice services offered at Lakeshore Speech can be found at www.lakeshorespeech.com/telepractice or by calling 1-440-417-4190.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC
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
December has arrived and as with every year, it seems as if the calendar speeds up during this festive time. Packing in all the shopping, decorating and taking in the holiday fun can seem overwhelming. The elves at Lakeshore Speech Therapy took a little time to compile a one stop list of events in the Northeast Ohio area that are sensory friendly. These events are not only sensitive to the amount of unnecessary smells, sounds and sights, but often the pace of the event is slowed as well as those ‘working’ the event have been given some information on how to best engage with individuals with special needs.
We hope you are able to take a few moments and enjoy these events with your loved ones.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC
All of the clocks have finally all been changed (except for one, there is always ONE clock in the house that just never quite makes the cut and is never changed), the Halloween decorations have been put away and what is that sound? Silence. The calm before the Holiday Season frenzy.
Take a few seconds of this ‘down time’ to focus on realizing the importance of self-care. Parents and caregivers of individuals with special needs typically do not stop to worry about themselves. Not only is this pattern unfair to your loved ones, but more importantly, it is not fair to Y.O.U.
Consider the five minutes it takes you to read this blog post as the start of your self-care routine. Consider taking this time to make a plan for yourself. Give yourself the opportunity to refill your tank so you can cruise into the Holiday Season ready and rejuvenated.
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC
You’ve planned the costume, you’ve walked the route, you’ve practiced knocking on doors… a few more thoughts to help make your family’s trick or treat evening sweet.
What will you do with all that candy? Once your loved one sees her/his bounty of sweetness, she/he may not want to part with a single piece. Create a plan and share that plan well before that candy is in your house.
Will your family spend the last minutes of Halloween counting and sorting candy? Will there be a huge candy trading event in the middle of your living room? Providing a plan for the evening can make a difference in ending the evening on a sweet note.
Create a ‘buy back’ program if you would prefer your loved ones not have free access to that much candy. Make your program work in a way in which your loved one will receive a certain number of dollars, stars, tokens, etc. when they ‘trade in’ a certain number of pieces of candy. Check with your dentist to see if they are offering a buy back program.
Create a ‘decorate a gingerbread house’ program. Decorate a box with pictures of gingerbread houses. Put candy that could be used to decorate a gingerbread house in the box. You now have everything you need to decorate your holiday gingerbread house.
Create a ‘week long candy plan’. Divide a shoe box into 7 sections. Place one or two pieces of candy in each section. Give your loved one the opportunity to choose the candy in one section every day.
Whatever your plan, share it with your loved ones well before the candy starts pouring in the house. Make it very clear where the candy will be stored and what the plan will be once it is collected. It may feel like you’re taking the fun out of the candy collection, rather you are providing the framework for a fun and enjoyable evening from start to finish!
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
How it is that September is just about over? While we continue to enjoy the final days of warm weather, living in Northeast Ohio, we all know what will be knocking on our door much sooner than later. It always seems like there are so many outdoor activities in the summer months and as soon as the mercury drops below 60, everyone retreats into hibernation mode.
Enjoying the area’s many Fall activities and festivals gives not only the opportunity to spend valuable time together, but the time to practice and experience a variety of language rich activities. These language rich activities are the foundation and play an extremely important role in a child’s language development and maintenance. As a parent/caregiver, you naturally provide these opportunities to practice language skills naturally. This article provides information to not only validate your hard work, but provides information for more or different techniques that can be added to your repertoire.
Speaking of Fall activities, please take a moment to research the many different and wonderful opportunities in your area for you and your loved ones to enjoy together. If you are in the Northeast Ohio area here are a few activities to fill your calendar:
Northeast Ohio Family Fun article #1
Northeast Ohio Family Fun article #2
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
It’s almost impossible to believe that August has come and will be leaving in a few days! Time flies when you’re running at land speed records in a million different directions. First day of school pictures have been taken and posted, ‘normal’ routine has started, and “Friday Night Lights” will soon be starting! Those “Friday Night Lights” can help build language as well as social skills more than you have thought.
“Friday Night Lights” harkens memories of high school football, marching band, and hanging out on the bleachers with your friends. Add adulthood and a family and “Friday Night Lights” might not conjure up the same warm feelings as it once had. Running to the restrooms, purchasing way too much from the concession stand and listening to complaints of being bored or the seats are too hard…..ah yes, “Friday Night Lights”. Preparing your family for these evenings can only make those “Lights” shine brighter.
Just like the football team, cheerleaders and marching band, your family ‘team’ needs to practice for the big night as well. How do spectators practice? Read on.
Go to practice games and rehearsals. Chances are the local middle and high school teams and marching bands are practicing daily. Take advantage of these less formal settings to PRACTICE sitting on the bleachers. Take note of any issues related to the bleachers (seats are too hard, sitting up high is scary, being able to see through to the ground is scary) to find the areas that are most comfortable for you and your family. Visit the restrooms. Locate the changing area if needed. Bring your family members in to the restrooms to become familiar with these surrounds so there won’t be any issues when there are larger crowds. Experience the sounds of the practices to decrease being alarmed during a game. The whistles on the field, the marching band playing the fight song, the cheerleaders cheers, all of these sounds are new and can be very upsetting. Help your family anticipate these sounds.
Learn the lingo. If a family member is non-verbal, create signs that have simple messages – Go Team – to get them to be part of the fun. Practice simple messages for family members with limited language – Go! – Fight! – Win! A football game is language rich. Choose one or two words that will have the most meaning and practice at home and at practice games.
Recognizance. Get the low down on your local “Friday Night Lights” game by making it a date night or going alone. Take note of how crowded certain sections of the bleachers become. When the marching band plays (typically there’s a pre-game and of course the half-time show). Where the cheerleaders stand. If there is a mascot. And maybe the most important piece, what is offered at the concession stand. These pieces of information will help you to better plan and anticipate your family’s needs during the game.
Concession stand mania. So much of the game is about the food and rightfully so. Make a plan for how your family will make purchases. Make that plan very clear to everyone to avoid melt-downs at the stadium. Create a snack board of the items at the concession stand (You have this information because you went to the game alone before.). Not only does a snack board provide a visual cue for everyone, put gives non-verbal members of the family a way to communicate their choice without play the ‘yes/no’ or ‘point and cry’ game.
Set a time limit, initially. At the onset of the season, you may need to make it very clear when or how long your family ‘team’ will be attending the event. You want to leave the game on a high note. Setting this parameter may avoid a melt-down when it is time to leave. Give a concrete time that may or may not necessarily be associated with the clock. Because of your recognizance trip, you have the information you need. Give warnings prior to departure time (“After this song, we are leaving.” “When the cheerleaders finish we are walking to the car.”). Expand the amount of time you spend at each game you attend, if only by 10 minutes.
Don’t forget, this is fun! Time together is the biggest victory of all! Enjoy!
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC
Preparation for the start of a new school year is well under way for many. As you may have noticed, the sun is setting a little earlier as we inch our way from summer into fall. Late nights chasing fireflies and roasting s’mores gives way to sports practices, music lessons, and therapy sessions. There are many ways to begin to prepare you and your family for the inevitable change of schedule, none as important as remembering the critical role SLEEP plays in our lives. Young and old, sleep is one of the more overlooked aspects of healthy living.
Please take a moment and read through these two articles not only to understand the role sleep plays for children learning, but some techniques that make help increase your loved ones sleep (as well as your own).
12 Sleep Tips for Kids with Special Needs
Sweet dreams!
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC.
