When Speech Therapy Is A Waste Of Money
Last month I was contacted by a family looking for speech therapy services for their nine year old daughter. She already had a fair bit of speech therapy under her belt, but was still struggling to pronounce a handful of speech sounds correctly. After a few back and forth emails, We scheduled a video call […]
Halloween speech and language tips
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays! Trips to the farm, haunted houses, costumes, face painting, decorations, baking, and candy! Each family seems to have their own traditions. Traditions offer predictability, an ideal environment for children to learn language skills. And, because halloween is filled with an abundance of visual supports, which help […]
Teletherapy as a service delivery model
In March 2020, after over twenty five years of face-to-face speech and language therapy, I took the leap into virtual online therapy. Unlike past career choices teeming with limitless possibilities, it was clear there was only one option. To continue supporting my clients, I would have to make the switch to Teletherapy. Challenge accepted! Transitions […]
Why you shouldn’t play the “wait and see” game
This past month I was contacted by two sets of parents, each concerned about their children’s speech sound errors. In both cases, the parents had been recommended years earlier to “wait and see” if the sound errors would resolve on their own. “Wait and see” is an unsatisfying recommendation. It often lacks important information such […]
Embrace the pause
“No word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause” – Mark Twain I couldn’t agree more! Pausing is one of the most overlooked delivery techniques. By dividing speech into smaller segments, pausing significantly contributes to being better understood. For foreign English speakers, the use of effective pausing can make the difference between being understood […]
Will my child stop stuttering? What the Experts say…
It can be very difficult for parents to watch their children struggle with speech. Close to 5% of young children begin to stutter. Almost 75% of them will outgrow stuttering on their own within 12-24 months. While we don’t know for sure which children will stop stuttering on their own and which will continue to […]
Alzheimer’s Disease is a women’s issue. Here’s why.
January is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in Canada. Increased age is a well-known risk factor for dementia. And since women live longer than men, that makes women more likely to develop dementia. In fact, women represent 72% of all Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease. And women represent almost 70% of family caregivers, often caring […]
Parents of late talkers are often surprised to learn they can help more by talking less.
The term “late talkers” describes children who have a limited spoken vocabulary at around 2 years of age. Keep in mind that first words appear close to 12 months, and children begin combining words prior to 2 years (refer to my blog on Communication Milestones). If at 18-20 months your child uses less than 10 words, or if at 21-30 months […]
How grapefruits reminded me of the power of storytelling
According to Speech and Hearing BC, 29% of children arrive at kindergarten struggling to be able to tell a story. Did you know that telling your children stories helps them develop their storytelling skills? Storytelling uses language to connect your child to people, events, concepts and humour. Stories teach sequencing, improve vocabulary, strengthen listening skills and help children connect ideas. And, the simple act […]
Expand Language with Water Play!
Summer is here! It’s hot! But, that’s okay for preschoolers because they LOVE playing with water. Sprinklers, water balloons, water blasters, water parks, kiddie pools and the beach. I remember when my kids were little we set up the sprinkler under our trampoline for cool bouncing on hot summer days. However you enjoy water together […]