Regression is when someone or something goes back to its original state. In this instance, we are talking about a child’s loss of skills or a dip in progress. As a speech pathologist, I see this quite often. Kids tend to relax over the summer, go on vacation, play lots of video games and overall do less academic work. Parents often ask me, “what can I do to help my child’s language over the summer?” I have listed some of my suggestions below:

• Make sure to visit the library often! Set up a schedule with your child and try to make trips to the library exciting. Many libraries have summer reading programs but if your local library doesn’t, you can easily create a book list or set a goal to read a certain amount of books by the end of the summer. If the goal is reached, a prize or medal can be rewarded to your child to increase confidence and sense of accomplishment. Make sure you ask your child questions about the book to increase literacy skills, sequencing skills and reading comprehension skills.
• Stick to a schedule! Many children are given a lot of freedom during the summer but many kids need structure like the school day! Start each morning by discussing the plans for the day. If there is a lot of free time, make sure that “screen time” (video games, computer games, tv, movies) is kept to a minimum. Some children may also require a visual to help them understand the sequence of events throughout the day. The extra time you put into it as a parent could make a big difference come September!
• Make every outing a good one! Whether you are going to the grocery store or running errands, make sure you keep your kids talking! Ask lots of questions and encourage independence in your child! (ex: Johnny, where are the pears? Or Johnny can you grab the red shampoo? Find the lotion that says Jergens, what letter will that start with?)
• Make sure you ask your child’s teacher what else you can do to support your child during the summer and avoid regression!

Have a question? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us!

Speech therapists often use a Speech Sound Developmental Chart to allow them to see when sounds typically start developing. The F sound usually emerges in a child’s language around 2.5 years old. By age 4, this sound should be mastered. For the V sound, a child may start producing it around 4 and should have the sound mastered by 8. Why can the V take longer to master? This is most likely because it is a “voiced” sound (one where the vocal cords vibrate). Go ahead, you try! Produce the F and V sound and lightly touch your throat. Do you feel the vibrations when you produce the V sound? Good! If your child is above this age and still not appropriately producing these sounds, don’t panic! Here are a few tips to help your child articulate them correctly. Keep in mind, this is NOT in place of a speech therapy. Only speech therapists are trained to most efficiently correct anarticulation disorder.

I enjoy teaching the F and V sounds because placement of the teeth and mouth are visible for children to see! (Unlike other sounds including the R).

First, ask the child to easily bite down on their lower lip. Modeling this position for the child will better allow them to do it themselves. I also use a mirror so that the child can see what I’m doing as well as their own teeth and lip placement. Slowly blow air out to produce the F  and V sounds. Have your child try this as well. I often like to have children repeat the sounds (ex: Fa Fa Fa, or Va Va Va).

When your child can produce the sounds in isolation, then use words with F and V as initial sounds ONLY. Once your chid can produce these sounds in initial position, you can incorporate words that have F and V in medial position and final.

Ex: initial position: violin, fish, frog
medial position: beaver, laughing, severe
final position:  leave, leaf, brief

Second, auditory discrimination is important for these two letters. Have your child feel the vibrations your mouth makes when you produce the V. Have them place their hands or fingers on their throat just like you did in the beginning. Practice in front of the mirror both the F and the V so that they can not only hear the difference between the two sounds, but also feel the difference between both sounds when producing it.

Print out some materials online if available so that you can practice a variety of words with your child!

Have questions or comments? Please feel free to contact us!

by Viktorya Bukhman

I have to admit I sometimes dread when I get assigned children with completely different goals to be placed in a group together. It seems unethical, overwhelming, and on some days I feel that I ignore one child’s goals in order to target the specific needs of others. AND THAT FEELS TERRIBLE.

A couple of ideas I’ve used to ensure that everyone’s goals are targets, you keep track of the target goal for each child, keep everyone’s attention and have a good time, without frustration:

1)      Make sure you have the specific goals for each student.

a.       Lay out each IEP and compare goals. Sometimes they IEP may have some similar goals that are appropriate (i.e. pragmatic language, social skills, following directions). If the kids have a split mandate (receive both individual and group therapy), shared goals can be targeted in group and individual goals can be targeted in individual sessions.

2)      Keep track of goals and progress.

a.       Make a tracking sheet that works for you with target goals for each child.

b.      I like to use tracking sheets that refer to where you seat the kids. It allows me to take notes, make check marks, tally marks without having to look away from the group for very long. Here are the few samples of what I have been using:

Group of 2:                           Group of 3:                           Group of 4:

3)      Maintain everyone’s attention: 

a.       A major problem I have is keeping attention. When it’s not a child’s turn, his/her attention often wavers. To combat this I have used:

i.      The Superflex Super Hero from Social thinking by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner. They suggest to avoid the Brain Eater, who makes it hard for a student to focus and makes his brain “roll away” from the group, a student should turn their body and eyes towards the group, use fidget toys to keep the body busy and the brain focused, and notice when you are thinking about something else and try to get it refocused.

ii.      Help kids who have difficulty attending by giving them an important job. They can be in charge of making sure others answers are correct, giving out tokens, responsible for writing down what happened. This important job will make them feel good, and give them a concrete task to focus on.

4)      Have a good time!!!

a.       Group non-competitive games such as those made by http://www.superduperinc.com/ can target multiple goals within the same game board. These games are motivating because the kids can early token, there is no end so you can go around again and again, and they are easily modified to use any set of stimuli (artic cards, labeling picture cards, reading tasks). Here are a few of my favorites:

i.      Turtle talk http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=GB137&stid=

ii.      Go for the Dough http://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?pid=GB339

iii.      Make your own paint chip board http://thrillinglythrifty.blogspot.com/2010/08/toddler-friendly-board-game-using-paint.html

b.      Barrier Games can both be bought and made. They allow for children to both follow and give directions, understand and use prepositions and basic concepts, use longer utterances, increase vocabulary, and can be adapted for many other uses.

i.      A free resource for pictures that are great for barrier games is KizClub http://www.kizclub.com/stories.htm . This website has manipulative for most common stories that we read (i.e. Go Away Big Green Monster). I would suggest printing out as many sets as group members and give each student a role. Some students can give directives; other students can follow the directives (everyone should have similar looking pictures at the end). As a therapist you can monitor which child doesn’t understand the directive.

ii.      To make these easier the therapist can premake a scene and if needed can make directive cards with pictures and visual supports (ie put the fish next to the whale)

c.       Cooking Activities make great application of everything else we teach and the children are so excited for special cooking days. I worked with a teacher last year that had a special cooking day every week. The students voted what they wanted to make, and followed visual recipes (with the help of adults) to make delicious and special treats.

i.      http://visualrecipes.com/ has real pictures for some recipes (some can be tough to do in a therapy room) if you don’t have a hot plate or microwave.

ii.      http://www.speakingofspeech.com/Cooking_Materials.html These use boardmaker symbols with simple steps and have “no-cook” options.

iii.      http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/cooking-with-kids/making-food-fun-photo-gallery-848181/view-all/ playful recipes with photo of finished product.

iv.      Do the activity with kids who can read and don’t need visuals, take pictures of each step and use the pictures for students who do benefits from visuals.

v.      Cooking makes for great recap activities, sequencing of all necessary steps, and some kids can write up the recipe after looking at the pictures.

I hope this has been helpful, and that you will feel a bit more prepared when challenged with a group of kids that aren’t necessarily the best fit.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please don’t hesitate to email me at viky@speechlanguageplay.com and visit me at www.speechlanguageplay.com

When I find apps that I cannot live without in therapy, I feel compelled to share them so that colleagues and parents can enjoy and use them as well! I was fortunate enough to discover Spinlight Studio Apps recently and have enjoyed using them in therapy. I have tried 4 apps from Spinlight listed below:

1. Tallytots: This is not your average counting app. With an array of colors, activities for each number and sing-a-longs, it is sure to keep children motivated and eager to learn their numbers. The constant repetition helps reinforce the numbers learned. Verbal reinforcement (through an adorable airplane) also adds to the fun!

2. Alphatots: You guessed it, for learning the alphabet! This app helps children learn the alphabet using 26 different interactive activities per letter which allows for them to associate the letter with a word/activity.

3. TableTots: By far one of the best apps I’ve found to use in therapy! This app allows you to have a virtual “table” and place objects such as numbers, letters, shapes and other objects (pictures, Dominos for counting, and even money). You can change colors, create puzzles and designs. My clients love it and always request it at the start of each session!

4. Swapsies: My favorite thing about this app is the adorable characters. Children have the opportunity to identify 10 occupations including police officer, baker, etc. Children can take quizzes so that you can see how much they have learned/remember from the activities.

Has anyone else tried these apps? Share with us on Speechbop!

Today is World Down Syndrome’s Day. Why March 21st? Because individuals with Down Syndrome have an extra copy of the 21st chromosome. According to DownSyndrome.com “the most common form of Down Syndrome is known as Trisomy 21.”

Did you know?

• Down Syndrome is NOT hereditary in most cases.
• For every 800 babies, 1 is born with Down Syndrome.
• Down Syndrome can occur in all races.
• Many pregnant woman can undergo testing to discover if their child will have Down Syndrome in their first trimester.

Although most people with Down Syndrome will have some form of intellectual disability, speech therapists and other health professionals (OT, PT) can assist in helping a child reach developmental milestones.

On this day, let’s celebrate all of the wonderful people who have, support and embrace Down Syndrome! Spread the knowledge!

*Information from http://downsyndrome.com/. Please visit for more information about Down Syndrome!

As in many social situations, I am often asked what I do for a living. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I hear “oh so you fix lisps?” as a response. I often times laugh this off and try to explain as best I can that there are an array of communication disorders that I treat throughout the day. People are often shocked by the extent of a Speech Pathologist’s work. “You do FEEDING?” or “You work with STROKE victims?” Once in awhile, I will come across individuals who empathize with my line of work and will add how a family member or friend is seeing a speech pathologist for one reason or another. I started to think, “how can I get the word out there about what we as SLP’s really do?” I guess that this blog and the help of fellow SLP’s can be a good way to start! Let’s begin with a list of just some of the things that SLP’s do on a daily basis:

• Work environments include: hospitals, schools, clinics, private practices, home based therapy, organizations, agencies, colleges and universities, nursing-care facilities, state and federal government agencies, rehabilitation centers, research laboratories.
• Bedside Assessment of Swallowing
• Establishing safe diets for clients with oral-motor weakness
• Feeding Therapy
• Articulation Therapy
• Voice therapy
• Fluency treatment (stuttering)
• A variety of formal and informal evaluations/assessments to determine language impairment.
• Hearing screenings
• Treating individuals with cleft-lips and palates
• Accent Modification
• Decreasing speech impediments (lisps).
• Work as a part of an interdisciplinary team with other health professionals to diagnose and treat (occupational therapists, physical therapists, doctors, nurses, psychologists)
• Treatment in a variety of communication disorders and medical conditions including but not limited to: auditory processing disorder, comprehension deficits, hearing impairments, oral-motor disorders, myofunctional disorders, phonological processing disorders, Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Apraxia, Aphasia, ALS (Lou Gherigs Disease), Dysarthria, Dysphagia, Traumatic Brain Injury, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), Huntington’s Disease, Laryngeal or Oral Cancer, Dementia, Stroke, Tracheotomy patients, ADHD, Selective Mutism.

I am hoping that by sharing this information, people can better understand the work of a speech pathologist as well as the settings that they work in. The next time you are asked at a party, “what do you do for a living?” I hope you take that opportunity to spread the importance of speech pathology and how this treatment can change many peoples’ lives.

Many parent’s don’t realize how simple it is to increase their child’s vocabulary. Sure, reading books and going over flashcards are some ways of doing this, but there are things you can do on a daily basis that are much simpler. The great part about these activities is that your child won’t even realize that he/she is learning!

1. The Grocery Store: Many may not realize it, but the grocery store is a wonderful place for a child to learn an abundance of fruits, vegetables and other items. Have your child assist you in picking out these items. For example, “Johnny, can you please get me two mangoes.” By doing this, your child not only has to correctly identify the mangoes, but also has to follow directions to bring you back the appropriate number. One thing to remember during this process is that mistakes are OK! This is an opportunity for your child to learn new items. “Johnny, those are pineapples. I asked for the mangoes.”  You can also use this activity to reinforce what a child already knows.  “Wow Johnny, great job, you found the broccoli just like I asked!” The grocery store, with an array of fruits and vegetables is also a great place to work on colors. “Johnny, which ones are the RED peppers?” or “Can you find the purple eggplant?”

2. A trip to the Zoo or Farm: If you are lucky enough to have a zoo or farm nearby, these places can be a wonderful way to increase your child’s vocabulary of animals.
Not only can the child hear about all of the different animals, but they visualize the kinds of environments they live in. They can also hear the corresponding sounds that animals make. These places are great learning experiences for children who are “visual learners.” On your way home, make sure to ask lots of questions such as, “Johnny, which animal did you feed today?” or “Johnny, which animal was your favorite?” This will help reinforce everything learned that day.

3. A trip to the beach:The beach is a great place to take
children to increase their vocabulary.With a variety of textures (sand, water), objects (birds, seaweed, seashells), species (crabs, oysters, muscles) it is a great place to introduce children to new items. The fact that children can safely touch some of these objects also makes the beach a great place to learn.

There are tons of other places that children can increase their vocabulary (ex. movies, library, convenience store). The most important part of all these trips are how you involve your child. Make sure to ask lots of questions throughout the trip and have your child assist you. The “wrap up” afterward is just as important to solidify information learned!

When you hear “Speech Pathologist”, you don’t necessarily think of a counselor, but in fact, we do more counseling than one would think. I remember the day in graduate school when my professor made the announcement that we would be discussing “counseling” for the day. My first thought was “I didn’t sign up to be a school psychologist?” By the end of the lecture, I understood just how important this role is in our industry. Not having any children of my own, my professor stressed the importance of language development in a child. How expectations for a child could be taken away so quickly. A mother or father’s dreams for their child, their hopes and thoughts of their future could potentially be changed with a diagnosis of a language impairment or other language disorder. This leads back to our role in counseling. It is our job to not only be empathetic, but also to help parents better understand what their child needs. When a child receives a diagnosis, I often give parents or caregivers a lot of resources so that they can get accurate information. I often encourage them to stay away from the internet as there is a lot of false and negative information that could be harmful. I like to dedicate a session, or at least part of a session, allowing the parents or caregivers to ask questions and to voice their concerns. I also like to plot my course of action for therapy. This hopefully allows them to feel more in control and fully understand the steps ahead. I often have to remind parents that progress may be slow and speech therapy is not always a “quick fix.” I stress the importance of generalization and give them things they can do at home to help speed progress in therapy. If you are a Speech Pathologist, make sure you are doing everything you can to counsel the parents during this process and to be their guide when needed. If you are a parent, make sure to refer to your Speech Pathologist with all of your concerns and questions. The more you know, the better you can help your child progress while making sure they are receiving all of the assistance they need and deserve.

My Keepon is a relatively new robot designed to interact with children of all ages. Created by two scientists, Dr. Hideki Kozima and Dr. Marek Michalowski, My Keepon moves, “talks” it’s own language and dances to music. Incorporated into therapy, My Keepon may serve as a useful tool for children with Autism. Firstly, it encourages eye contact because children focus on the toy’s eyes as it moves and “talks.” Secondly, My Keepon reacts to a child’s touch. Touching the My Keepon in certain areas will make it react in different ways. A touch on his side might make the Keepon look in that direction while a touch on his head might cause him to bounce up and down. My Keepon also dances and “bops” to the rhythm of music played aloud. With all of My Keepon’s interactive capabilties, it may encourage children’s participation and increase social skills.You can purchase a My Keepon from ToyRus for only $19.99. Robot’s used to be a thing of the future, but now they are assisting us in reaching language goals!

There are so many applications out for the iPad that it is easy to get lost in all of them. But how many of them are really helping your child progress? Below is a list of apps that I find really useful in therapy:

SmallTalk Phonemes by Lingraphia, Inc.
I frequently use this app during articulation therapy. It provides a series of short videos that demonstrates appropriate tongue and lip movement for all phonemes. I often use it in conjunction with a mirror to allow children to compare their own mouth movements with the videos. This app would also be great for individuals with apraxia, aphasia and dysarthria!

TouchyBooks- by Genera Games
TouchyBooks is a great app for children who don’t like to read. Each book is interactive and has moving pictures and objects when touched. Different settings allow for children to be read to through the app, or this can be turned off so that they can read independently. It definitely helps children stay engaged during reading!

Injini by NCsoft
This is a great app because it covers lots of ground. Children can work on visual processing, following directions, fine motor skills and memory through 9 different games.

See Touch Learn by BrainParade
I was fortunate enough to meet the creator of this app! The app is essentially flashcards that can be customized. Great for children learning English, increasing receptive language and labeling objects.

Peek-A-Boo Barn: By Night & Day Studios, Inc.
I like to use this app with smaller children. Children can hear animal sounds coming from the barn. When a child taps the  barn, the animal of the corresponding sound appears.

Although there are a growing number of apps available for speech therapy, above are just some that I continuously go back to and use regularly.