My boys and I
Hi! I'm a mommy of 2 boys-2 &1/2 and 2 months old. I also have a master of science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and my CCCs (Certificate of Clincal Competence) through my national organization-ASHA. I've worked in rehab centers, skilled nursing facilities, special education pre-schools, and a K-8 grade school. After I became a stay at home mommy I started seeing a couple clients a week after my husband gets home. Those clients I see in their home and get to work with them in their natural environment. I love what I do! And I love being a stay at home mommy too! Watching language develop in my own children is such an amazing thing. Even though I try to seperate myself from be a "speechie mommie", it's hard b/c I'm always thinking about their language and trying to give them the best start possible b/c language is the foundation for their future and I want them to have the best foundation possible!
Since I love being a speechie mommie so much and I get so many questions from friends and clients on what they can do to improve their children's language or fun ways to work on it I decided to start a blog that would be a way to compile fun activities and information on my passion-language development!
I'll talk about fun things I do with my boys to encourage language development and what is normal and not normal. Leave comments about things you have questions about or want more ideas for!
Hi, there! I saw your post on iVillage about this blog, and I think it's a fanastic idea!
ReplyDeleteI have a 15-month old daughter who has a strong family history of autism (Her half-sister is a nonverbal teenager, and all three of her cousins on her father's side have varying degrees of autism.) Soo..I'm pretty neurotic about her communication skills. She has mild hypotonia and didn't babble until a smidge past what the books say is the norm (almost 9 months old).
At last count, she has over 80 word approximations, but is only just beginning to use two syllables together that aren't identical. (She's been able to say "bye-bye" and "night-night" for a while now, but she's only just begun to say the second syllable for "high-chair" (more like high-ch" right now).
She's a pretty good communicator and uses sign language for lots of words. Is there anything else I can do to encourage her to enunciate better and start putting two words together?
Here is what I'm doing right now:
- She only uses a straw for drinking (except when she nurses)
- When she has sloppy pronunciation, I don't really correct her; I just say something like, "Yes! Juice. You *WANT JUICE*" (trying to put more emphasis on the two-word combination)
- She has a hard time sticking out her tongue, so I try to make it fun. I taught her to stick her tongue in and out when I ask, "what does an iguana say?" I think it's strengthening her tongue, plus it's *adorable*
- We use an electric toothbrush.
- We listen to a lot of music and she's learning to sing a few notes.
- We read a lot. She's not really into stories but loves the Priddy books where she points to things and names them.
- I talk to her all the time.
- We do turn-taking with songs like "If you're happy and you know it" and "hokey-pokey."
Is there anything else I can do to help her develop her communication? I think she's doing pretty well, but I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to give her a great start.
Thanks again for starting this blog and sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!
Take care,
Jenny
Hi Jenny,
ReplyDeleteShe does sound like she's doing pretty well. Has a therapist or doctor told you she has hypotonia? The things you are already doing are all things I would tell a parent to do. You could also work on lingual movement by putting sticky things in different parts of her mouth and having her get them off with her tongue. Blowing bubbles is also a fun way to work on oral motor. Reading is a great way for her to hear and see more words put together, so I would make sure you read at least 30 minutes a day. You could also find a couple phrases that she could use alot to begin the 2 syllable/2 word idea. Like- more milk, drink please, etc. And have her use those alot to get the idea. And of course always modeling the correct way to pronounce the words and giving her verbal praise for her attempts. If I think of more I'll be back, baby crying:) But way to go Jenny on being SO proactive with your little girl! It sounds like you are doing so much to reinforce her speech and language and that is awesome! You will never regret your efforts!
Thank you so much for responding! Yes, she's been in physical therapy since she was two months old for hypotonia diagnosed by a neurologist, but she's walking and doing really well -- she's just very, very soft. :)
ReplyDeleteI took your advice and we had a blast with bubbles today! She can't quite blow hard enough to get the bubble out yet, but she's trying! She only really blows from the right side of her mouth -- she looks like Popeye.
I just love your blog, and added you to my feed reader, and I'll be telling a few of my friends about it. Thanks!
Jenny
So glad you like it! And yay for the bubble fun!
ReplyDelete