The best tip for teaching vocabulary is to NAME EVERYTHING.  Label objects in the pictures, but don’t forget to label actions (verbs) too.  Also, we tend to forget to label describing words (adjectives) like slow, sleepy, and tiny.  Shared reading time is a great opportunity to reinforce grammar including past tense verbs and regular and irregular plurals.

Children have an easier time remembering what they read if they can relate it to things they already know about.  Activate your child’s background knowledge before reading the story by asking him questions about his experiences.  For example, if you are going to read a story about a cow, ask him about his trip to the farm last year.  Singing songs before you read the book helps fire the child’s imagination and encourages him to develop his ideas about a subject.  So, if you are going to read a book about a cow, you should sing “Old McDonald Had a Farm” before you read the story, not after you read it. 

Reading stories about holidays or special events will mean more to children after the events have occurred, so they have some personal experience to relate to the holiday.  Read books ahead of time that will help the child anticipate the event but be sure to read the book several times after the holiday or event has occurred so the child can really connect to the story.

Written by: 

Angie Rikard, MA, CCC-SLP, Director of Speech and Language Services

As an adult and also as a parent, my perspectives on reading have changed some. As a speech-language pathologist focused on early literacy development, I recognize the importance of motivating kids to read. Putting candy, toys, or other prizes on a shelf where kids can see them but not reach them might be a good way to motivate kids to help clean up or put on their pajamas, but putting books up on a shelf where kids can see them, but not reach them, does not make kids more motivated to read. Books should be displayed right along with other toys, at eye level and in easy reach of a curious child. Very young children who are presented with books right along with toys as play items or distractions, will go back to those books, just like their toys, as playthings. This may mean more colored on, ripped pages or it may mean books used as building blocks for pretend castles, but that’s alright. They’ll eventually flip through the pages and if it’s a book they have had exposure to, they’ll spend some time remembering the story, exploring the letters and intricacies of the pictures. That is where a love of reading begins.

Written by: 

Angie Rikard, MA, CCC-SLP, Director of Speech and Language Services 

 Helping your kids become good readers starts with reading to them. Reading to your children as infants stimulates language development, the cornerstone of becoming good readers.

Image Credit

Here are some tips for reading books with young children.

 1. Read books she cares about and read her favorite book as many times as she wants.

2. Count the number of words in the title of the book and point to the words as you read them.

 3. Explain symbols in the pictures (hearts mean love, “zzzzz” means snoring or sleeping).

 4. Name objects in the picture, but don’t forget to label actions and describe colors, shapes and sizes in the picture.

 5. Sing songs that go with the theme of the book.

Written by: Angie Rikard, MA, CCC-SLP, Director of Speech Languag Services at CSHC

Another important component in therapy focuses on the emotions the client experiences because of their disfluent speech. Many people who stutter feel a great deal of anxiety, shame and anger because of their speech and these feelings can become road blocks to progress if they are not addressed and dealt with. Support groups are an excellent way to address the emotional element by allowing people who stutter to form a community where they can talk openly about their speech struggles and consult with therapists from Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center. We offer an support group for adults who stutter which meets once a month, at no charge to members.  Support group attendees do not have to be enrolled in therapy to attend.

For more information on our fluency group click here: http://www.charlottespeechhearing.com/fluency.html

For more information on support resources for people who stutter
check out the National Stuttering Association at : www.westutter.org

 Written by Gretchen McGinty, M.A., CF-SLP

Often parents and other professionals who work with children want to know: I have a child who stutters…how do I help them when they are struggling to tell me something?

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1)      Modify your environment.
If your child is trying to tell you something; turn off the TV, close your lap top
and give him/her your full undivided attention.  It is hard enough for some
children who stutter to get their message out without having to compete
with the everyday noise many of us take for granted.

2)      Don’t bombard your child with questions.
This puts a lot of pressure on a child. Instead try to simply comment
on what your child has said.

3)      Be aware of your facial expressions and body language.
You want these to be neutral when your child is speaking. Very often
people cringe or tense when listening to someone who stutters, without
realizing they are doing it. Pay attention to the message, not the delivery.

4)     Speak at a relaxed rate and take more pauses.
It doesn’t help to tell a child to “slow down!” but it can help to model
a slower rate for the child so that she does not have to struggle to
keep up with you.

5)      Accept your child just the way he/she is!
This is the most helpful thing for any child, whether they
struggle with a speech disorder or not.

One more tip to keep in mind: do NOT tolerate teasing! It is surprising how many kids who stutter have family members who tease and/or imitate their stuttering. This is very detrimental to the child’s self-esteem and any future attempts he may make to improve his speech.

At Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, we offer evaluations and therapy for people of all ages who struggle with stuttering.  This disorder can be one that people spend a lifetime dealing with which is why having a sense of social support is so crucial. Tune in for my next blog which will discuss support groups and the impact they can have for people who stutter.

For more suggestions check out:  http://www.friendswhostutter.org/ 
and www.stutteringhelp.org

Written by Gretchen McGinty, M.A., CF-SLP

One more February Storytime will be held at West Boulevard Library on Tuesday, 2/28 @10:30. See you there!

Here are some differences to note between normal disfluencies and warning signs of true stuttering:

If you are truly concerned about your child’s speech, your best option is to have a speech-language evaluation. At Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, we routinely evaluate and treat children of all ages for stuttering. Our next blog will look at adjustments that can be made at home and at school to help a child that is struggling with stuttering.

For more ideas to help a child who stutters check out: http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/kids/kids.html

Also check out the excellent podcast with people who stutter at: www.stuttertalk.com

Written by Gretchen McGinty, M.A., CF-SLP

2) “Fluency” is a word that describes the smoothness of speech. Repetitions, prolongations, and blocks are referred to as “disfluencies” and stuttering is referred to as a “fluency disorder”.

 3) No person is 100% fluent all of the time! We all have disfluencies in our everyday speech.

 4) Stuttering typically begins between ages 2-4 but can begin later. It is common for children this age to exhibit frequent disfluencies as they are developing their speech.
More in the next blog about how to tell the difference. 

5) Stuttering affects roughly 1% of the world population. That is about 3 million people is the US alone.

6) As tempting as it may be to tell a child who stutters to “Slow down!” resist the urge.       
    Ditto for finishing the child’s sentence for him/her.

 7) To help a child who stutters:

• Listen to what the child says, not how they say it.
• Be patient and give the child time to express himself.
• Remain calm during child’s stuttering.                                 
• Reduce distractions: turn off TV, don’t let child’s siblings/peers interrupt, give child your full attention

A person who stutters does not have less than normal intelligence. Some famous
people who stuttered include: Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Stephen Hawking. Current Vice-President Joe Biden reports having had a severe stutter as a child!

9) There is no such thing as a “cure” for stuttering but speech therapy is one method of effective treatment for people who stutter.

10) Different treatment approaches are used in speech therapy depending on the age of the client. The next blog will focus on helping pre-school age kids who struggle with stuttering.

Written by Gretchen McGinty, M.A., CF-SLP

For more information:

The Stuttering Foundation: http://www.stutteringhelp.org
The Stuttering Home page: http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/stutter.html

Our Center has many great resources to offer families!  There are also many community organizations that offer support:

1. Autism Society of North Carolina:  Nancy Popkin and Kim Tizzard are parent advocates who are employed by ASNC and provide free services to parents.  The two offer workshops, parenting classes, and mentoring.  For more information call (704) 894-9678.
2. Carlton Watkins Center:  Children under the age of three are partnered with the Carlton Watkins Center and the Infant Toddler Program.  For more information call (704) 336-7536.
3. TEACCH of Charlotte:  TEACCH provides families with full developmental evaluations, but also offers many resources including literature and training so that parents can educate other family members about their child’s condition.

Please feel free to contact our Center at (704) 523-8027 or visit our website at www.charlottespeechhearing.com for more information on Asperger’s Syndrome.

Written by: Rhian Vanderburg, M.S., CCC-SLP

The following is a list of possible interventions and strategies:

•   Parent education and training programs
• Specialized educational interventions for the child (Start by contacting your local school system.  Federal law requires public schools to provide appropriate educational services for people ages 3-21 who have disabilities; including Asperger’s).
•  Small work groups
• Specialist with an interest in social skills training (Speech-Language Pathologist)
•  Language therapy (Speech-Language Pathologist)
• Sensory integration therapy for younger children (Occupational Therapist)
• Psychotherapy or behavioral/cognitive therapy for older children
• Medication

www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/asperger.html

Written by: Rhian Vanderburg, M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist