Play Groups

Diane Freedman is offering moderated play groups for preschoolers with an emphasis on speech and language, and social emotional interactions.  Groups will be held on Saturdays throughout the fall and winter.   For more information please contact Diane at dfreedman.slp@gmail.com.

You and your Baby!

Language acquisition begins before your baby speaks his/her first words, before jargon, babbling and vocalizations. Communication begins day one of your child's life. First glances, touch, smells, sounds are all paramount in many facets of his/her development. There are several precursors to language that are essential for healthy development. 

Perhaps the most important is the relationship between you and your child. Most importantly, your child is dependent on you to make certain all his/her basic needs are met; nurishment, safety, health, comfort.  It is your responsibility to create a safe, loving, nurturing environment for your child.  In such an environment a child will feel comfortable to explore their surroundings. In the process of exploration, your child will begin to realize his or her impact on their world.  This valuable understanding is paramount in the development of language.  Once your child realizes that he or she could make things happen they will look to your response for validation.  This non- verbal connection to their caretaker, the ability to feel engaged and connected through facial expressions, eye contact, body language, touch, is your child's first experience with expression and communication.

Autism Society. Imagine the possibilities!

http://ping.fm/oKj3v

Phonology

Phonological processes describe what children do in the typical development process of speech to simplify standard adult productions. When a child uses many different processes or uses processes that are not typically present during speech acquisition, intelligibility may be impaired. A few examples of phonological processes may include but are not limited to the following:

• Stopping is when a child uses his or her articulators to stop the airflow emitted during the production of a sound that requires a continuous stream of air during its production. For example, a child will replace the /s/ in /something/ with a /t/, or the /y/ in /yes/ becomes a /d/ as in /des/.
• Initial Consonant Deletion is when a child omits the first sound of a word or a syllable. For example, a child may produce /abbit/ rather than /rabbit/, omitting the /r/ in the initial position.
• Final Consonant Deletion is when a child omits the final consonant in a word or a syllable. For example, s/he may omit the final /t/ in /cat/ producine /ca/ instead
• Weak Syllable Reduction is when a child reduces a multisyllabic word to simplify it production. For example, /elephant/ may become /efant/.
• Consonant Cluster Reduction is when a child reduces a blended sound to approximate its production, such as; /pl/ becomes /p/, /plate/ becomes /pate/.

As children develop the correct production of speech they shed their phonological processes, making for more intelligible speech. All children demonstrate phonological processes of some sort during the development of speech. When their intelligibility is impaired and they continue to use the processes beyond the age when it is appropriate an SLP should be contacted. As with all developmental language and speech concerns, I recommend that a parent contact a certified speech pathologist if they feel uncomfortable with their child's development.

Developmental Stuttering

Many of my clients express concern when their children demonstrate disfluencies during their speech development. More often than not, the disfluency is due to a phenomenon known as "Limited Capacity". When a child has more to say than he or she is developmentally capable of, frequently a stutter will occur. "Limited Capacity" disfluiencies occur when a child is developing language, usually between the ages of 2 - 5.

When working with parents who are concerned about their child's fluency, I recommend the following strategies:

• Provide an environment without communicative stresses that allows many opportunities for the child to speak.
• Parents should not react negatively during stuttering events.
• Parents should praise and respond positively to fluent moments.
• Keep communicative demands low, and do not pressure the child to verbally perform.
• Implement relaxation exercises, including controlled breathing exercises.
• Do not complete your child's sentences, rather listen patiently to him/her as s/he speaks.

If your child's disfluency continues through an extended period of time, consult with a certified Speech Language Pathologist. A qualified SLP has the tools and the experience to assess the situation and teach strategies that will support fluent speech.

What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a speech disorder that involves the motor planning of the speech production. Children with apraxia of speech experience difficulty planning and coordinating the many movements required for comprehensible speech. A series of well-coordinated movements of the articulators (tongue, lips, jaw, soft palate) coupled with controlled speech breathing, and adduction and abduction of the vocal folds must be precisely coordinated to form intelligible speech. Apraxia of speech is the inability to form and execute such a plan in all its complexity

Speech production is the most complex motor process we produce. Simply speaking, when the intention to communicate is formed the brain must send impulses to the respiratory system, the larynx and the muscles of the articulators in the exact order and timing of movement so that the message is properly conveyed. This means that each sound, word, and sentence must be produced accurately, within fractions of a second in order to send a clear message. Finally, the systems must function with enough strength and range of motion to produce understandable speech.

It is believed that children with Childhood Apraxia are not able to connect the motor plan with the actual movements required for precise speech production. CAS is often characterized by:

• Inconsistent production of sounds
• Frequent groping for words and sounds
• Hesitations in speech production
• Effortful speech with frequent and inconsistent phonological errors
• Unintelligible, jargon-like speech

As with all speech and language impairments, if you feel that your child is experiencing difficulties in their development of speech and language, contact your pediatrician or a qualified Speech Language Pathologist for an evaluation.

Early Childhood Language Development: Autumn Fun!!

Early Childhood Language Development: Autumn Fun!!: "Now that summer has ended and autumn is upon us, parents are looking for activities that will engage their children, build their self-esteem..."

Choosing a Qualified Speech Language Pathologist

A Speech Language Pathologist is a well trained professional who is skilled in the assessment and treatment of adults and children with communication disorders. While licensing of an Speech Language Pathologist is the responsibility of each state, the association charged with the certification process is called American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). While all Speech Language Pathologists must be licensed, they do not have to be certified. A more stringent set of professional criteria must be met to achieve an ASHA certification. ASHA maintains an online registry of SLPs with ASHA certifications. A Pathologist with credentials of CCC-SLP indicate that they achieved their Certified Clinical Competency from ASHA.

Your doctor or your child's pediatrician should be able to provide a recommendation for a competent pathologist. In fact I recommend that a physician be consulted if you are concerned about any aspect of your child's development or your own functional communication. Your child's school can also guide you through the process of seeking services through the educational system.

During your first meeting, you should expect a thorough evaluation, both a formal assessment (standardized tests) and an informal assessment (observation in several communicative context), before a conclusion can be formed. A thorough evaluation may take a bit of time to cover all functional aspects of speech and language -- and a good one will.
During the following meetings with your therapist you can expect to learn and implement strategies that will support functional communication in and outside of therapy.

Your speech therapy should be covered by insurance if medically necessary and recommended by your physician or pediatrician. Because each insurance plan is different, you should contact your carrier. Your child may also receive services through governmental programs if he or she have met certain criteria after being evaluated. Each state administers their own programs and criteria and therapeutic services differ from state to state.

Also please consider language and cultural factors when seeking a professional. There are clinicians who are certified in bilingual professional practice. If you are bilingual you cannot overlook this factor in treatment. A second language will always have an impact in language development in children and in rehabilitation for adults.

Articles of Interest

For those of you who are interested in articles about Autism Spectrum, here is a link to an Article in The NYTimes

For parents and SLP's interested in childhood language development, here is another article from the Times that may be of interest.