According to a newsletter published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), early childhood educators suggest staying in the new situation with your child the first few days, for decreasing amounts of time, until he is comfortable with his new environment. Your child will feel more comfortable with you there for…
school
Wise Words About Stupid Standardized Testing
“I asked the district at that point to give me the closest thing they could legally to the FCAT reading and math test, and I took it. That test labelled me as a poor reader, and I have a couple of masters’ degrees, and I’ve been re-elected four times and I teach 39 graduate courses at six universities in this country.” ~John…
The Communication Book
One of the best ways of keeping everyone in the loop is through a “communication book.” It’s the child’s diary, except that there may be half a dozen different contributors If you don’t know what a communication book and you have a child that has a communication impairment, this will be much needed information from…
Don’t Test Ability On A Disability
Testing your child’s ability on their disability is a violation of your child’s civil rights in the United States. You’d think it wouldn’t happen then, but you’d think wrong if you are talking about communication impairments. When speaking in regards to civil rights I like to refer to communication impairments as a verbal disability. A…
5 Ways To Get Free Or Affordable Speech Therapy
Perhaps your child is a late talker without a diagnosis and you are looking for a bit of help. Or perhaps your child was just diagnosed with apraxia and you are searching for a lot of help. Either way navigating how to secure appropriate therapies can be a daunting task. Below are 5 ways to secure…
Children Advocate To Help Fellow Student With Down Syndrome
Far too often we hear about school bullying. Just read this feel good story of how a group of students banded together to fight to keep their friend with Down syndrome in district with them….and won! When an 11-year-old boy with Down syndrome was told he would not be able to attend middle school with…
When Silence Isn’t Golden
After The Late Talker book was published, as a mom was pretty excited when we were asked to write this feature cover article for “Contemporary Pediatrics” which is the trade magazine for hundreds of thousands of pediatric medical professionals nationwide! My one coauthor is a neurodevelopmental pediatrician and I was credited for the “guide for parents” The article…
Speech Therapy Matrix For School Based SLPs
In addition to a diagnosis such as apraxia, dysarthria, phonological impairment etc. it’s important to know the severity level of your child’s diagnosis when seeking appropriate therapy. This matrix was first developed for school based SLPs. Guideline for Speech-Language Eligibility Criteria/Matrix for Schools In addition to a diagnosis such as apraxia, dysarthria, phonological impairment etc….
Research Reasons to Delay Kindergarten
‘Children have a right to be children’ ~Cambridge University-led review which recommends not starting kindergarten until 6 years old When Children Aren’t Ready for Kindergarten John H. Holloway How can schools promote the achievement of children who are old enough to enroll in kindergarten but who are not developmentally ready to succeed? Two approaches that…
Curriculum Resources and Multisensory Approaches for Helping Those With Communication Impairments In Education
“Students Will Rise To the Level of Expectations”~ Stand and Deliver Methods For Teaching Children with Communication Impairments The Association Method The Association Methodis a multisensory, phonetically based, systematic, incremental instructional program for teaching and/or refining oral and written language. Special features are: multisensory teaching which includes the use of auditory, visual, tactile and motor-kinesthetic cues…