Gratefulness & Gratitude

Happy Happy Thanksgiving to all of my amazing kiddos & their wonderful families!! :)  I am so grateful to have all of you in my daily life and to be able to serve and help your children!! I hope that your holiday is full of fun, love, language learning, and laughter. #littleturkies  #gobblegobble

Thanksgiving Buzz Words

Wednesday Word:

Hi friends!! I often give homework for families each week when working on building expressive vocabulary and overall language. One common task is suggesting the family choose at least three "buzz" words/signs/sounds that would be functional throughout the child's daily routine. The can be silly sounds that are familiar to the child and family and often uses, words to comment, label, and/or request, or words/sounds that are related to a particular activity or routine. In addition, for those kiddos who are working on expanding utterances from single words to multi-words, I suggest using and modeling "please", "more", and "want" in addition to the "buzz word". Be sure to model the sign, word, and/or sound no more than three times, and provide 5-10 seconds to allow your child to imitate you. As all of us celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I generated a list of words/signs and sounds that can incorporated during tomorrow's festivities! Good luck, be consistent, & have fun :)

1. thank you
2. eat
3. drink
4. sit
5. up
6. down
7. hungry
8. yay
9. mmmm (yum)
10. all done

http://www.babysignlanguage.com/flash-cards/

Thanksgiving & Language Learning

Tips on Tuesdays:

I have been encouraging families to take advantage of the holiday and create as many opportunities for language learning during this fun holiday. One of my families took the opportunity to use Halloween to create a social story about the "Trick-or-Treating" experience due to this child's difficulty with change, transitions, and new experiences. I have listed a couple of ideas and focus points for social stories below, in addition to websites for templates and examples of social stories. #getcreative

Thanksgiving Social Story ideas:

1. Taking Turns: pictures of people passing food around the table, getting attention by tapping an adult or raising hands when you want to speak, using indoor voices, etc.
2. Fun Foods: discuss and show various foods that may be on the table, it's ok to try different foods or say "no thank you", discuss textures and colors, etc.
3. Thanksgiving visitors: take pictures and discuss who will arrive, who will sleep over, manners, etc.

https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Autism-Speaks-Microsoft-Office-Templates-f8a90293-b8c6-4fd1-b7cf-616b67615bf6

http://www.pinterest.com/momtotwokiddos/social-stories/

Thanksgiving Favorites

Motivational Monday:

Happy Thanksgiving week!! Be sure to stop by the Spik My Language Pinterest board for some of my favorite Thanksgiving crafts and books :) #3days&counting

Communication Fun for Halloween!

Happy October,  Happy Fall, & Happy Halloween!! Please continue to check my Pinterest page (Spik My Language board) for fun Halloween & Fall activities & festive projects to stimulate speech and language skills. I have listed a couple of ideas below to get you started. Enjoy :)

1. Puppet Show: Make puppets out of old, clean socks, or brown paper bags, and use them as imaginary friends and for modeling sounds, words, and phrases. Have fun decorating the puppets, talk about all of the facial features needed, colors of the decorations, textures, sizes, etc.

2. Pumpkin Patch: Visit the local pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins. Discuss weight, size, colors, shapes, etc. Look out for other harvest items as well. Consider making fun foods such as pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie, butternut squash, etc. Have fun collecting and counting pumpkin seeds if you carve them, etc. This activity can also take a multi-sensory approach to learning as you practice gross motor skills while exploring the pumpkin patch and experience textures, smells, fine motor skills, etc.

3. "I Spy Fall": Go on a walk each day. Discuss the weather, look for different colored leaves and count how many you can collect. Identify and label about all of the Halloween decorations in your neighborhood, colors of the lights, count how many people have pumpkins, etc. This activity can also incorporate a multi-sensory approach to learning.

Brush Your Teeth

Thoughts for Thursday:

I recently had a family that was concerned about difficulty during the teeth brushing routine using a vibrating toothbrush. I recommended a vibrating toothbrush, for good oral health & hygiene, as well as "awakening the oral cavity" for speech, language, and oral feeding. I suggested the following methods   and steps that have worked for some of my other families:

1. Singing songs & reading books about brushing teeth

2. Having playtime with the toothbrush to prepare for brushing teeth, rewarding with (stickers, TV/iPad time, etc.) 

3. Allowing the child to touch his preferred toothbrush and allowing them to choose when they would like to touch the less desired one, etc.

4. Modeling several people use the toothbrush to prove there is nothing to be afraid of

5. Not forcing the vibrating toothbrush right away, but instead introducing it in phases: tolerating it in the area, next to them, on their body or in their hand, turning it on etc.

Keep Pushing!

Motivational Monday:

Happy Monday! I have recently been visiting several countries, islands, places, etc. throughout the year and have thoroughly enjoyed my trips. I love to learn about different cultures, the different way people live their lives, and learning new languages. I recently vacationed in a country where the primary language is Spanish, and although I speak Spanish, my friend who accompanied me is in the early process of learning the language. My advice to her was that when forced or required to "survive" by trying to put her knowledge of this language to use, she would do what she had to do to get her needs/wants met. I often also share that small piece of advice with my families as well. I advise them to require their children to "work" for their wants and needs whether the child uses sign language, gestures, makes a sound, etc. because allowing the child to cry/tantrum and get what they want, helps no one, especially the child. In addition, it teaches the child that if they cry and scream, mommy/daddy will give in and I get what I want, ultimately making crying an effective way of communicating and leaving parents frustrated and dissatisfied. I also understand and am very empathetic to the fact that it's very hard to hear your child cry and be upset, however, I also remind them that there will be a time where the child will go out into the world (school, daycare, etc.) and need to be somewhat independent regardless of the school and/or program they are enrolled in. So…I challenge all therapists to share this advice with their families, and challenge families to "keep pushing", using models, prompts, cues, etc., requiring the child to use a preferred mode of communication, and to "work" to get their needs/wants met :)

Little Butterflies

Thoughts for Thursday:

I often compare my children, their families, and the wonderful experience of early intervention to the process of a butterfly. When the family first begins the transition into the early intervention program, most of the time they are concerned and looking for every strategy, technique, and professional ideas that will help their child develop in one of five areas (communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive, social emotional).
When my children and their families exit the early intervention process, whether it's to receive services in the public school system, being discharged due to significant progress, and/or they are no longer eligible due to both age and progress, they are ready to fly with all of the foundational skills of development. This one of many reasons I love and encourage early intervention to everyone that will listen. If we can plant a seed and nurture that seed day by day, of course always coaching the families and encouraging carryover, the child is much better off than they were in the cocoon regardless of the type of delay, syndrome, disorder, etc.

#mylittlebutterflies

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Tips on Tuesday:

If you didn't know…July is National Ice Cream Month!! I've listed a few ways to incorporate language into one of my favorite summer pastimes. Feel free to add your own!

                                                                                                                                                              1. Offer two choices using colors or the actual label for the type of ice cream you are offering, in addition to "cup" or "cone", requiring the child to imitate you
2. Discuss all of the various types of ice cream, colors, toppings, etc.
3. Make your own ice cream, discussing all of the ingredients, materials and utensils needed
4. Make comments on the texture, color, and temperature of the ice cream
5. Provide ice cream as a reward for using "please" or another target word/s or multi word utterances throughout the day
6. Practice targeted sounds that may be in error or involve tongue movement such as /l/; make a game and see who can stick their tongue out the most and produce the sounds

Why I LOVE EI & SLP

Thoughts for Thursday:

In honor of Better Hearing & Speech Month, I wanted to give a few reasons why I LOVE being a speech-language pathologist and early intervention. Enjoy and feel free to share yours as well :)

1. Communication is key, and without it you have no power or voice!
2. Early intervention sets the foundation for language learning in the child's natural environment and prepares them for a successful future, academically and otherwise.
3. Community based therapy allows you a bigger picture of the child and their daily lives, surroundings, and routines, therefore providing you with your baseline for therapy, in addition to fun and creative ideas.
4. I absolutely love working so closely with the family/caregivers, as they are the biggest part of their children's lives, and have a significant amount of insight on behaviors, communication patterns, etc.
5. Early intervention requires us to think outside of the box and go "back to the basics". It forces you to use what the child knows and has whether it be a box, tupperware, toys galore, books, photo albums, bubbles, etc.

May is Better Hearing & Speech Month

May is Better Hearing & Speech Month!! :) As a speech-language pathologist, this month is always super exciting for me, as it allows me to expand my platform and campaign to bring awareness to the significance and impact of communication skills, especially in the early intervention (birth to three) population. I will be posting all month long about speech and language evaluations, warning signs of speech and language delays, seasonal crafts that promote and stimulate language, etc. Let's celebrate!!

We Love to Learn!!

Happy Motivational Monday!! I wanted to give a HUGE pat on the back to another one of my amazing families for making this wonderful investment into the Learning Tower (amazon.com). This tool allows your child the opportunity to be safely by your side and actively involved during daily routines such as doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. all while incorporating language and facilitating imitation skills. In addition, it can be used as a fort (placing a blanket on top), a puppet show (the puppets would appear in the "window frame"), etc. Hopefully this can be an inspiration to all of my other families and providers. As always, please feel free to share any fun devices or tools that are fun and can easily be implemented in the child's natural environment to support their communication and overall development :).

In the Know about Autism

Happy World Autism Day!! Here are some facts about Autism courtesy of www.autismspeaks.org and highlighted my favorite fact :). Find out more about Autism and how to get involved and spread awareness by visiting their website!

1. Autism now affects 1 in 68 children; 1 in 42 boys
2. Boys are five times more likely to have autism than girls
3. Autism greatly varies from person to person (no two people with autism are alike)
4. The rate of autism is steadily growing
5. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder
6. Children with autism do progress – early intervention is key!

April is Autism Awareness Month

Happy Tuesday :)

April is Autism Awareness Month!! All month long I will be posting techniques, facts, strategies, and my experiences with working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) while enrolled in early intervention. Please visit http://www.autism-society.org/get-involved/national-autism-awareness-month/ or http://www.autismspeaks.org/wordpress-tags/autism-awareness-month to get involved and spread awareness!

More Than Play

Happy Friday!! One aspect of the sessions that I always mention and continuously explain and walk parents through is that early intervention promotes learning in the child's natural environment during their daily routines. Although each activity may appear as play to the child (this is always my goal), I encourage parents to create opportunities for speech and language by using some of the following:

1. Providing choices: During mealtime & play time  you can ask "want cereal or fruit?" or "want puzzles or books?"
2. Music: Children love singing and making silly sounds, allow and encourage the child to imitate your string of babbles, silly sounds, gestures, or words. Music is ALWAYS an option.
3. Outside time: This often a favorite for most children and therefore can be used as a strategy to elicit speech and language. Bring bubbles, use playground equipment (specifically the swings) so that it is almost mandatory they ask you for more turns, more bubbles, etc.

Most importantly, it is almost always successful to build on what you know the child knows and vocabulary, sounds, routines, concepts, games, etc. you are certain they understand and know. This will allow the child to continue to feel confident, but also provide families with a baseline to start with!

Down Syndrome Awareness

Happy World Down Syndrome Awareness Day!!

 I am so blessed to be able to serve individuals with Down Syndrome and be apart of this amazing movement throughout my career :)

Visit http://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org and https://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/ to learn how to get involved not just today, but all year long in supporting individuals and their families with Down Syndrome!!

Color Me Spring!!!

Craft Wednesday: I hope these mini projects help to cure some winter blues. I got these ideas from some of the daycares I provide speech and language services for. As usual, speech and language can always be heavily incorporated. Enjoy!

Kites for Spring:

Key words: fly, kite, stickers, high, up, sky

Materials Needed: 

Construction Paper
Stickers
Markers/Crayons
Hole Puncher
Yarn

Directions:

1. Cut construction into a diamond shape
2. Draw lines that separate the diamond into four
3. Place stickers & color on the kite
4. Place the yarn through the hole

         

Spring Watercolor:

Key words: labeling colors, finger, tap tap tap, counting how many finger marks

Materials Needed: 

Printer/Plain White Paper
Paint

Directions: 

1. Place different color paint on paper plates

2. Have the child dip their fingers in the paint and tap the paper with their finger/s

3. You can also model shapes, letters, etc. and have them imitate you on their own paper as well.

Making A Difference

Thoughts for Thursday:

Maya Angelou said "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." As a speech-language pathologist working in early intervention, I meet numerous families who tell me that I have changed their lives, but more importantly the lives of their children and their communication skills. However, I like to believe that I am the lucky one who gets to work with these amazing children and their families. It's easy to get distracted with progress notes, techniques, guidelines, protocols, etc. I try my best to make my families feel as though we are a team working together to improve and create the best potential for the child's communication skills. Although I am almost always at a full caseload, I place every family as a priority, making one no less important than the other and think "what would I want for my child, or how would I want a provider to treat me if I were in their shoes?" Food for thought…enjoy your day :)

Commenting vs. Probing

Happy Tuesday!! :)

Tuesday Tip: Try commenting and narrating when reading books, going for walks, meal time, folding laundry and various routines and activities ("I see, look at, etc.") instead of asking "what's that?" and "say this". I have observed that this allows children to have the model they need, and be more willing and less pressured to respond on immediate cue when this technique is used. Feel free to share stories or comments regarding more techniques and strategies you use as a provider or a parent/caregiver!

To Make a Choice or Not to Make a Choice?

Tuesday Tip: 

Happy Tuesday!! Allowing your toddler to make a choice can be the beginning of a beautiful communication pattern. I have noted that a majority of my parents desire to have their children request food/beverages, activities, and/or objects. A successful technique and protocol for working on initiating requests include:

1. Provide the child with the verbal cue of "want oatmeal or want fruit?" in conjunction with pointing (visual cue)

2. Allowing time for the child to make a choice and respond (30 seconds)

3. Providing them with the model of "want oatmeal" or "oatmeal please" no more than 3 times (reducing communication frustration), and allowing them to have the desired object or activity following the third model. 

This provides the child with the opportunity to practice requesting, a model of the expected utterance or acceptable word/s, and the feeling that they are allowed to have a choice in some of their daily lives and routines. Hope this quick tip is helpful, please feel free to share strategies and techniques that work for children on your caseload or your child :)

Let's Get Dressed!

Happy Friday!! I was inspired and took a new outlook on the "getting dressed" routine that some of my families often struggle with. For those families and/or providers who are having difficulty finding successful techniques and strategies for the kiddos who do not like getting dressed, try this fun approach in the article listed below. I would suggest playing dress up at a time you do not have anywhere to go and have plenty of time for expanded imaginary play, and then slowly working towards the real deal. Although the article is targeted towards little girls, it can easily be transformed into a game/fun activity for little boys as well. Enjoy & have a wonderful weekend :)


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/26/4-year-old-paper-dresses-fashion-by-mayhem_n_4855545.html

Overextension

Happy Tuesday :). I wanted to share a few of the strategies that have been successful for some of my families. Overextension (using a word broadly; every man is "daddy", every animal is a "dog"), is a typical apart of language acquisition and development, and I have observed that this often happens when my kiddos have not acquired a sufficient vocabulary to be able to use a variety of words or are having difficulty identifying familiar people or objects. I have suggested and modeled  the following strategies listed below and received positive results and feedback when they have tried my recommended techniques. Hopefully some of you all are able to try these with your children. Please remember not every technique works for every child, so trial and error a variety of techniques to see which one works best for your child and their families. Enjoy :)

1. Corrective feedback: Each time they say "mama" for a woman or girl, immediately label "girl, lady, woman"

2. Visual cues: when the child sees a man in a book and says "dada or daddy", show them a picture of daddy, place the picture next to the picture in the book and say "man" and point to the picture of their father and say "daddy". Review photo albums often, making sure to label and distinguish "uncle, man, grandaddy/grandpa, etc." 

3. Modeling: Each time you visit or family members or friends visit, greet them by name/title (uncle, cousin, grandma), so that your child is learning names/titles and vocabulary and identification skills begin to grow.

Flexibility & Changes

Happy Motivational Monday!! I wanted to share one piece of advice I give every family during our first few visits. I always say…if you want to see change and progress, you have to change your technique and strategy, and be open to change, suggestions, and recommendations. There will be some tears, tantrums, and trying times, however, you can almost guarantee there will be some progress! I hope this encourages families to be open to strategies and techniques your therapist may offer before negating it, and I encourage therapists to share this advice with families and allow them to ponder it instead of being forceful with changes, recommendations and/or suggestions. Have an amazing day and feel free to share positive advice you share with your families!! :)

Questions in Question

Happy Friday!! This week, I have received several new referrals, and I am SUPER excited to begin working with my new kiddies and their families :). I have a few questions that I usually ask when entering the home, regardless of the fact that I have received and reviewed the IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) prior to the visit, as some information may have changed since the initial development. I wanted to share these questions that I think are important to know and are good beginning conversation pieces, to establish common ground on initial visits. As always, I invite and encourage fellow speech-language pathologists and EI providers to share questions they ask as well. Have a fabulous weekend ;)

1. What is the primary language spoken in the home? Are there any other languages spoken in the home?
2. Who currently lives in the home?
3. Is there a consistent schedule/routine? If so, what does their routine/schedule consist of?
4. Do they have any difficulty with oral feeding skills? What utensils are used for oral fixation/comfort and feeding?
5. What are your priorities and/or expectations for your child's overall communication skills?
6. Is the child receiving any other developmental services at the time? If so, what are the concerns in those areas?
7. How does your child currently communicate with you to express wants and needs?
8. Have there been any recent changes in the home that may have affected your child's speech and language skills?
9. What activities does your child enjoy?
10. What activities or routines does your child seem to have difficulty with?

Acts of Love

Happy Thursday!! I know it's late, but I did not have a chance to make any Valentine crafts or recipes that I pinned, due to severe inclement weather last week. However, I wanted to give a round of applause to my families for continuing to provide their children with fun & creative language learning opportunities throughout the week within their daily routines. One of my families was able to make Valentine Rice Krispie Treats using the recipe from the box, red food coloring, and a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Well done!! :)

LOVELY Valentine Crafts & Activities

Happy Monday & Happy Valentine's Week!! I will be pinning Valentine crafts and activities all week and will share one or two crafts that I do with some of families throughout the week, as these crafts can easily implemented into home routines, and there is always an opportunity for language learning i.e. picking red or pink clothing while getting dressed, making heart shaped cookies or pancakes for a snack, etc.) Feel free to visit my Pinterest page (button located to the right) for awesome and fun ideas. Have a LOVELY week :)

Celebrating Diversity & Culture

Happy Wednesday!! As mentioned before, going into the home as a speech-language pathologist who works in early intervention, is one of my favorite components of my daily journey with my kiddos and their families. I am proud and ecstatic to say that I warmly welcomed by all of my families. I was reminded this week that each time I visit, I become apart of their family and this entails acclimating and imbedding myself into their routines and culture. Cultural sensitivity is an absolute necessity when it comes to providing speech & language therapy, but is especially important when entering one's home, as it is their personal space and comfort zone.  Cultural sensitivity includes but is not limited to awareness of customs, beliefs, native language, values, etc. The American Speech-Language Hearing Association provides a checklist of cultural competencies, which I strive hard to abide by, as this is mandatory. In addition, I work diligently to learn about their culture by learning highly motivating and simple words (that are used by the child and or family when speaking to the child) in the native language if used proficiently in the home, exchanging recipes for popular dishes from their countries, making an effort to remember and wishing them happy holidays when they are celebrating, etc. Feel free to share some ways you get involved and express and/or practice cultural sensitivity and celebrate diversity with your families :)

#diversityrocks #culturallysensitiveslps

Go-To Early Intervention Naturalistic Strategies

Happy Wednesday! Listed below are a few naturalistic strategies to consider. These are also strategies that I religiously implement into my sessions, and are super easy for me to teach and model to parents in order to facilitate sufficient carryover. Enjoy!! :)

*Environmental Arrangement:

-observe your environment upon your arrival at the home
-make yourself apart of the routine
-pick an activity, present choices that are highly motivating, and begin to play, interact, and engage the family
-make sure to provide explanations for techniques and strategies you are using, ways to illicit responses,  etc.

*Modeling

-be sure to capture the child's attention, using turn taking, hand over hand, motivating toys/objects & activities
-show the child and parent what you want them to do, allow them to imitate you, and continue to practice throughout the session, providing and fading models when necessary
-provide corrective feedback
-expand on responses; ex: the child makes a word approximation for "bear" you could respond "brown bear", or use other descriptors to increase vocabulary and expand on concept knowledge

*Mand-model

-similar to modeling, however, you are being more insistent about being provided with a response
-provide choices "do you want cereal or fruit?" and model and provide verbal prompts/cues "I want_____" or "______ please"
-be consistent and make sure the child knows your expectations, be sure to explain to the parents how to implement this into their routine, and why it is important for communication skills growth

*Time Delay

-model the sound, word, gesture, phrase,  etc. at least 3 times; be sure to wait for a response
-observe the child and ask yourself, "are they engaged?" and "do they understand?"
-when presenting an item, allow the child to make comments or requests, instead of speaking first

***Coaching***

-provide an opportunity for the parent to demonstrate their usual activity and interactions with their child; ask what they would like to see happen
-demonstrate how to make the behavior and/or communication happen & allow them an opportunity to practice
-give direct instruction and feedback
-brainstorm ideas and plan ahead for various trials/test it out
-explain the behaviors, techniques, etc. and how they directly relate to the speech and language goals
-summarize the session, make measurable and reasonable recommendations for the week
-ask for feedback; "was it helpful to you?, what do you need from me?, if you could change something in the therapy session, what would it be?" etc.
-follow up during the next session and be consistent with practice and instruction

Noteworthy

Happy Monday!! :) I have been so graciously complimented on my therapy notes in the past few months by a couple of my families. I just wanted to do a short post on how I typically format my speech notes and provide a brief explanation of why I feel these items are important to mention. I try my very best to capture a 60 minute session in 15 minutes or less, including as much as possible for the parents to use as a guide for the week, weekend, and/or month until we meet again, for any other provider working with the child, and for parents to share with their medical team, and/or preschool/daycare teachers if ever necessary. As always, feel free to share your speech note formats and explanations. Thank you in advance!

Family Update: All things new :) In this section, I write a short paragraph about any new news regarding the child and their family, life changes, transitions to preschool, new words, new phrases, new signs, new intervention services, etc. I believe it is imperative to capture the family's full dynamic, and factors that may impact the child's overall communication skills.

What Happened?: This section of the note includes the initial greeting (it's important to know how the child reacted and to track progress of them "coming out of their shell", regression, etc.) activities/routines practiced (this makes it easier to imitate throughout the week, especially if this routine is difficult for the child and/or parent) , therapeutic techniques used: modeling, hand over hand, instruction, verbal cues, etc. (this tells the parent how to do what is needed to assist their child in progressing), what the child enjoyed (it's important to follow the child's lead and continue with preferred activities, as this motivates them to communicate and communicate effectively), & explanations given to the parents about questions asked regarding language development, overall development, etc. (a plethora of information is shared throughout the session and this a good reminder for the parents to refer to, versus trying to remeber it all on top of all of the other things they need/have to remember).

Recommendations: This is where I share one specific recommendation and a few therapeutic techniques and strategies to assist with achieving the short term goal/s. Typically it's the same recommendation for a couple of weeks or until I feel and/or the family feels as though their child has grasped or is close to achieving this goal or concept. When parents/caregivers are actively involved, carrying over the recommendations is generally easy to practice, as the techniques have been previously introduced throughout the session. Also, depending on the family update, I may take a step back, and modify the goal if it appears too difficult or too taxing for the child and their family at that time.

Budget Friendly Language & Play!

As a community based early intervention speech-language pathologist, I am always thinking of various ideas and ways to promote imaginary play and continuous language stimulation for the children I work with in the most natural way possible (using materials/objects in their home).  In addition, I continue to share my ideas and brainstorm with families to compile lists of favorite books, songs, observe play skills, etc. In the list below, you will find some creative play ideas, using materials that are right under your nose at home/in your kiddos' homes, or can be purchased for a small price.

Providers: Try suggesting some of these play ideas to your families. Reiterate that the activities costs little to no money, and will help their child expand on their play skills, while intensely stimulating growth in their communications skills.

Caregivers: Try creating your own game using materials from your home. If you believe, your children will believe and enjoy this, and you may even find them beginning to create their own game using objects you never imagined. Use your imagination, it can be a magical and heavily stimulating language learning experience if you only believe.

1. Music


Imagine this:

Have a concert, clap hands, stomp feet; choose interactive songs that require imitating gestures and or making faces, sing to your baby etc.

Keywords: music, sing, clap hands, wave hands, stomp feet, jump, touch head, tap legs, etc.

Some of my favorite children's music artists include Laurie Berkner & Raffi.

Music is a universal language that can be used with all ages :)

2. Books/Reading

Imagine this:

Photo Album/Book: make a photo album using construction paper and gluing and/or taping pictures of family member, objects in the home, American Sign Language
(ASL) baby signs, favorite toys, categorical items (bathroom toys/objects, clothes, foods, transition times, etc.)

***Pictures can be cut from child friendly/parenting magazines to glue on to construction or printer paper as well.

Sticker books: Have the child place their favorite character stickers, shapes, colors, animals, cars/trains, etc. on paper and staple together, hole punch and tie with yarn to make a book, etc.

Keywords: book, paper, glue, sticker, etc.

3. Boxes  

Imagine this: 

Pretend the box is a car, grocery cart, and/or house: push the box around, place items from around the house into the box, decorate the box with stickers and coloring, place a blanket and pillow in the box, etc.

Keywords: night night, box, vroom, beep, window, house, car, in, out, open, close, etc.

***A family I work with did this, and I commended them for being creative and resourceful, as well as thanked them for allowing me to share their idea

4. Toilet paper rolls/Pringles Container/Biscuit Container


Imagine this:

Binoculars/Telescope: pretend to look outside, play "I Spy", look for items in books, out of the window at home, when driving, etc.

Speaker phone/Telephone: pretend to make a phone call, call upstairs/downstairs and/or around the house to the family pet or family members, use this to make requests, label picture/objects, etc.

Keywords: I see, wow, look, come please, help please, more juice, hi, bye bye, all done, etc.

5. Tupperware 

Imagine this: 
Talk about the various  shapes and sizes of the tupperware, place objects in, out, on top, under, etc.
Keywords: circle, square, big, little, in, out, on top, under, etc.

Pretend to drive with the circular shaped tops or bottoms, making it your steering wheel
Keywords/Sounds: beep beep, car, drive, vroom, fast, slow, go, etc.

Make a train by lining up the tupperware and pushing them like a train
Keywords/Sounds: choo-choo, go, fast, slow, chug-a-chug, track, etc.

Have a concert; bang on the tupperware and sing songs, pretend they're instruments, etc.
Keywords/Sounds: drum, sing, music, bang, boom, la la la, etc.

Play Peek-a-boo: hide behind the tupperware and call the child's name or say "boo" or "I see you"
Keywords: I see you, boo, etc.


Feel free to leave more creative play ideas in the comments section or email me.                               Have a great weekend!!! :)

Organized State of Mind

So…if you don’t know by now, I am a self-proclaimed organization freak. I have provided the chart that I use daily to keep track of all of my visits and clients, as scheduling in early intervention can overwhelm you if you do not plan ahead and maintain organization. I have a pretty consistent schedule each week, however, life happens and it may vary from time to time. I also use a weekly/monthly planner, to write down the child’s name and their scheduled sessions, as well as keeping a caseload sheet (child’s name, address, caregiver phone number, etc.) paperclipped to the inside front flap of my planner. Early intervention providers, please feel free to use this chart or share your own chart. Thank you and have a beautiful day J

Kiddo	IFSP Date	# of Visits	Notes	Frequency	Birthdates