Shared Post: Targeting Communication Skills over the Holidays!

I came across this post today and love the author's practical suggestions for incorporating purposeful language enrichment in your family's daily lives this busy holiday season.  Enjoy!

10 Ways to Target Speech and Language During Christmas.

~Ms. Matyasse

Speech and Language Blogs I Love

I had a great meeting this morning with the mother of a sweet kindergarten student I work with and she asked if I had any favorite speech and language blogs...while there are many blogs that I enjoy perusing for ideas I hadn't ever written a comprehensive list to share when asked.  Being asked for such a list was just the motivation I needed to get in gear and quickly write this up!

The internet can be a fabulous resource...I use it daily to look up treatment suggestions for students I work with.  However, at times I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the beautiful Pinterest boards and blog posts with great, creative ideas for speech/language therapy activities.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is just fine to not have what I feel like are the cutest or most creative games and that sticking with the basics with things like playing a simple game with a tried-and-true deck of articulation cards can be sufficient with proper interaction and instruction!

While I sincerely love to write and have high hopes to one day make more time for blogging...that time is not now and I am instead content to use this space for a few speech/language suggestions here and there as well as to share links to what I believe are helpful resources.

That said...here are some links to a few great speech and language blogs:

1.  Mommy Speech Therapy:  This is one of my favorite blogs!  It is well-written with great advice and suggestions both for practicing SLPs and parents.  The author says,  'The reason I named this blog “Mommy Speech Therapy” is because as parents we have the greatest impact on our children’s language development. No one can make a bigger difference than you!  My goal is to share some tips and techniques I have learned over the years in working with my clients and my own kids, and hopefully give you the information you need to be successful in helping your little ones become the very best communicators they can be."  Beautiful!!

2.   Speech Room News:  This blog has some outstanding posts, including app reviews and some free downloadable activities!

3.  Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton:  This is an awesome blog written by a professional who works with individuals who are deaf/hard of hearing using an auditory verbal (spoken language) approach.  While the blog is written for parents and professionals working with this population, many of the speech and language activities are great for targeting these skills in students who are not deaf/hard of hearing as well.

 4.  Speaking of Speech:  This author shares a plethora of wisdom, from activity suggestions to how to organize materials.  Recent posts include information about stuttering in preschoolers.

5.  Playing with Words 365:  I just LOVE this blog!  The author provides practical suggestions for working speech and language targets into everyday routines.

A simple quick Google search for "speech and language blogs" will show you that my little list is barely scratching the surface of what's available out there on our lovely World Wide Web.  Hopefully, though, my weeding-through process and providing you with these five blogs as a starting place will provide you with some useful resources as you build your own arsenal of materials and suggestions...whether you are a fellow SLP or a parent of littles!

Have a wonderful day :),

~Ms. Matyasse

Here is a Great Book for Targeting Social Skills!

Sometimes working on pragmatic language (social skills) can be tricky and frustrating...for students and educators.  Today a stellar ISU graduate student I have the privilege of working with introduced me to a great book:  Social Rules for Kids: The Top 100 Social Rules Kids Need to Succeed by Susan Diamond.  (Quick aside:  one of the BEST parts of working at Metcalf is having the opportunity to learn from my undergraduate and graduate students as they work with me!)

After glancing through a few lessons, I immediately ordered the electronic version on my iPad and I must say...I'm in LOVE with this book!

Topics discussed range from "Using a Friendly Greeting" to "Be Both a Listener and a Speaker" to "Be Calm if I Give an Incorrect Answer" to "Try to Ignore Others' Annoying Behavior" to "Be Funny but Not Too Silly" and "Say it Right with Voice Tone."

There are a wide range of topics and skill levels that can be targeted using this book.  Already, I have shared it with some teachers for use with a 4th grade student (in particular the "Be Funny but Not Too Silly topic) and with our PreK teacher (in particular the "Using a Friendly Greeting" topic).  I plan to use the lessons in the book to target skills and to shape discussions with a variety of students.

Pragmatic language can be difficult to effectively target in an effective and sensitive manner and this book does a great job of discussing topics in a child-friendly and appropriate way.  We know that it is crucial for students to have good pragmatic skills so that they are able to effectively communicate with their teachers, peers and families and so that they are able to make and maintain meaningful friendships throughout their lives. This book looks to be a wonderful tool to increase pragmatic skills across a variety of situations and relationships.

I hope you enjoy this book.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have suggestions for other great resources targeting social skills/pragmatic language, questions about this book or these skills, or any other discussion points!

Have a wonderful day,

Ms. Matyasse

Welcome Back Wildcats!

I am in disbelief regarding the whole thing...but the 2014-2015 school year is officially upon us!  Here at Thomas Metcalf Laboratory School, all of us teachers are very excited for an outstanding school year.  Our classrooms are (mostly!) clean and we are (mostly!) all prepped for our Wildcats!

Tonight is Metcalf Move In, where our students and parents have the opportunity to meet teachers, find desks/lockers, bring in school supplies, and see old and new friends.  Classes start next Monday and I can't wait to get reacquainted with all of the students who come to speech/language therapy!

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer...I certainly did!  I stayed busy, but had a lot of fun too.  I spent a lot of quality time at Easter Seals in Bloomington where I also work as a pediatric speech-language pathologist and provide therapy services both at the Easter Seals center and in some families' homes.

In addition to doing a lot of yoga, swimming, biking and running here in Bloomington-Normal, I had a great time hanging out in Knoxville, Tennessee and in the Wisconsin Dells with my Revolution 3 Triathlon teammates completing some triathlons!

Riding my bike in a triathlon in the Wisconsin Dells!

I spent some time in the Quad Cities with my family.  I love spending time with my family, especially my 20-month-old niece Macy Jo.

My sister, brother, niece Macy and me at the zoo in the Quad Cities this summer.

I closed out the summer with a visit to Michigan with my significant other, Clint.  We had a great time going on some adventures (like stand-up paddle boarding and geocaching!) and taking time to relax as well.

Checking out beautiful Lake Michigan!

I can't wait to hear about the summer adventures each of my students had, whether they were here in Bloomington-Normal or elsewhere!

Stay tuned for more right here throughout the year....speech/language news, ideas for practicing new skills at home, and articles/research you may find interesting.  As always, contact me with questions or concerns regarding speech/language therapy services here at Metcalf by e-mailing me at rlbrunn(at)ilstu.edu

Happy New School Year to you all!

~Ms. Matyasse

Link: "Wishing Him Gone: My Messy Beautiful"

A friend posted a link today on Facebook that was quite inspirational.  In it, the mother of a beautiful 13-year-old boy with special needs posted a blog titled "Wishing Him Gone:  My Messy Beautiful."  Her honesty is humbling and inspiring...check it out (click the title/link).

Have a beautiful day!

~Ms. Matyasse

Free Apps!

My personal favorite therapy tool is the iPad.  I've had mine now for a few years and feel it is invaluable.  While an iPad is NOT a replacement for teaching meaningful communication between people....it is a great teaching tool!  I use apps as visual supports (schedules, timers) and as supports when teaching a variety of concepts, including receptive and expressive language as well as articulation/phonology/speech clarity.  Apps can be great tools for clinicians and parents alike when working with children.

I follow a number of blogs and websites that advertise and write reviews of educational apps...one of my favorites is www.smartappsforkids.com.

I signed up for e-mail updates from this site and on Fridays, I LOVE to peruse their "Free App Friday" selections.  Today's list is great (in my opinion :)).  Check it out HERE. 

I actually downloaded one of the apps on this list earlier this week after a friend told me it was free:  Toca Doctor.  I've used the app in a few lessons already this week...great for targeting direction following, WH questions (both asking and answering), sequencing, retelling, listening skills and also simply used as a reinforcer/reward for hard work at the end of a lesson.

If you are unfamiliar with the Toca Boca apps...do yourself and your students (or children!) a favor and check them out.  They're cute, fun, engaging and educational!

Have fun!

Read-Read-Read!!