It's So Nice to be Back!

I do hope that everyone had a memorable summer and is adjusting well to being back to school!  It has been a pleasure seeing first and second graders back to school as well as meeting our new Kindergarten students.  They are here all day and are doing a great job!

I have begun the process of screening incoming students and those who were part of my Speech Improvement Groups last year.  Services will be starting within the next week or two for all students.  If your student is in need of services for RTI, you will receive a letter from me next week explaining the program.  If you do not hear from me, yet feel your child needs to be screened for speech and language concerns, please contact me at any time.

I am anxiously awaiting meeting your children and getting to know them even better as the year progresses!

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  ~Clay P. Bedford

http://www.scribd.com/doc/124937230/Valentine-s-Day-Articulation-Elementary



Valentine's Day Articulation games & worksheets thanks to another Speech Language Pathologist who was kind enough to post all of her hard work!  Enjoy and keep practicing!!  We are having a great year so far and I am so grateful for all the home support the kids are receiving.  It does make a HUGE difference in their success and rate of improvement.

November News

Second quarter has arrived and we are in full swing - although trying to adjust to the short weeks of attendance!  For some, I'm sure things at home are already starting to feel busier than ever, especially since it gets dark so early.  Please be sure to make the time for speech and language practice each day, if you can.  During the holidays, there is so much to talk about and do that the opportunities for social language are much greater.  Talk about things that go together, categories, requesting, greetings, polite ways to interrupt, etc.  Language practice done in the most natural settings has the greatest impact on carryover.  The link below will give you some ideas on how to work on language throughout the busy holiday season.  

http://www.scribd.com/doc/113499503/Language-Homework 

Enjoy and be safe!  

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

October Happenings

Welcome to the beginning of fall and Halloween season!  I cannot express how pleased I am with the students and how well they are already progressing.  Thank you for your continued support at home - it truly makes all the difference in the world.  If you think about it in terms of numbers, it is obvious that at home practice and support is the driving force in speech and language.  I see my students once or twice per week for 15-30 minutes per session and while they may be producing their sounds correctly or using correct grammar in my room, if they leave and aren't supported, think about how MANY hours of incorrect productions they can produce and will need to overcome.  While I am thrilled to work with your children, my main goal is for them to be independent and succeed.  THANK YOU for your dedication at home and support of my work!

I have included some ideas to work on speech and language at home to change your approach and not make it seem so much like "work" (for either the parents or students).  I hope these help and you can always contact me if you would like more!



OCTOBER Speech Homework

And Away We Go......

This week all screenings and referrals have been completed and invitations for the Sound Improvement Groups have been sent home.  If you have received one and not yet turned it in, please do or request a new one if necessary.  Speech services began this week and it has been just wonderful working with your children!  I will also be working with some students not in speech within our RTI program and that will begin on Monday.

I cannot express the importance of working with your child daily on speech homework.  Practice, practice, practice is the key to remediating articulation errors.  Remember that it takes time to learn a new skill, particularly one that will eventually become natural.  Here are some suggestions for working with your child in the home environment:

• Designate a time each day to review production of target sounds.

• Avoid "over-correcting" a child.  It is acceptable to remind your child to use his/her "new sound" without correcting each mispronunciation. 

• Slow your rate of speech to model production of target sounds.

• Use language at an age-appropriate level.

• Avoid interrupting the child's speech to correct production when he/she is in mid-sentence.

• Find time to do quiet things, such as reading a book or going for a walk, and talking about the activity without correcting each sound.

• Find ways to build your child's confidence.  Praise is very important!

• Always listen to what your child says, not how your child talks.

• Be patient and use good eye contact.  Give your child a chance to express himself/herself.

• Talk about your child's speech in a matter-of-fact, reassuring way.

• Make homework time fun.  Play games which require turn-taking.  Before each turn, your child could label a picture or produce a word with the targeted speech sound. 

• Use a variety of resources.  Here is a link to a website which offers speech articulation games:http://www.quia.com/pages/havemorefun.html

If you need any suggestions or would like some creative ideas on practicing with your children at home, please contact me at any time!