Picture courtesy of mycutegraphics.com

As International Talk Like a Pirate Day approaches (September 19^th, this year and every year!), I am inspired to talk about how much fun it is to use a pirate theme in speech-language therapy, with younger kids and older kids, alike. Lessonpix is an amazing resource for pirate pictures (and many other themes) which you can use to make custom materials for your kiddos. I am attaching some samples here for you to check out. I like to use a pirate treasure map to work on following directions, pirate stick puppets to work on pronouns, grammar and syntax, pirate actions or roleplaying to work on particular sounds, and pirate sorting to work on pronouns or the possessive “‘s”. The list of pirate fun is endless and children of all ages seem to love it, thanks to popular culture such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan.

Another resource I would like to mention is Tar Heel Reader, good for younger children but especially useful for older school-age kids. What is a Tar Heel you say? At least that is what I said when I heard this term for the first time. It is the nickname for a person from North Carolina, originating back to the Colonial days of the state when tar was a major product extracted from the extensive pine forests. Tar Heel Reader is an amazing website providing a collection of free easy-to-read books on almost any topic. Well, shiver me timbers, I found an excellent pirate story on Tar Heel Reader for working on the  “r” sound with school-age children, written by Jane Farrall, called R is Really Important. My favourite line from the book: “Every pirate needs a chart, but without the R it’s just a chat”. Pirate cleverness in it’s finest form!

I hope I have inspired you to have some pirate fun, whether it’s for speech-language therapy, or just in playing with your children. Enjoy International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and get your pirate on!

Fare thee well and thanks for reading me hearties!

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R.SLP, SLP(C)

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

Thanks for reading,

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R.SLP, SLP(C)

Registered Speech-language Pathologist

http://blog.asha.org/2017/02/28/sippy-cups-3-reasons-to-skip-them-and-what-to-offer-instead/

The /r/ sound is one that is a common error sound for many children, and one that children may not outgrow. Although 75% of children master /r/ by age 4 years, I see children and adults all the time wherever I go and on television, who did not outgrow their /r/ problem. They tend to substitute a /w/ sound or produce a sound that is half-way between a /w/ and an /r/. I can’t help but think, oh, I could help that person! /r/ happens to be one of the most difficult sounds in the English language to learn, if not THE most difficult.

It’s no wonder that /r/ is challenging. There are many reasons for this, the first being that for other sounds in the English there is a definitive contact point for the articulators. For the /l/ sound, the tongue needs to touch the alveolar ridge directly behind the upper central incisors. For the /p, b, m/ sounds, the lips are pressed together. For the /k, g/ sounds, the back of the tongue rises up to touch the roof of the mouth or the palate. And so on. Not so for /r/. The /r/ sound does require that the sides of the back of the tongue spread out and touch the upper back molars, but that is the only point of contact, and that is not enough! As well, the tongue needs to either bunch up towards the back of the mouth or curl up and back, in the center of the mouth with no other point of contact. And there needs to be strength or tension in the tongue. To complicate matters further, there are many different /r/ sounds depending on the word position and the preceding vowel. It’s enough to make a grown pirate cry!

My own daughters substituted a /w/ for an /r/ as preschoolers. Being the keener SLP that I am, I wanted them to master the /r/ sound before they entered kindergarten. We never ever sat down to work on /r/; rather I approached it indirectly, such as pointing out objects that had the /r/ sound during daily activities such as driving or reading. Every once in awhile, I asked them to imitate a word containing /r/. After about 6 months, they each mastered the /r/ sound when they were exactly 4 ½ years old! Genetics playing a role here? Probably!

Some children will be able to learn /r/ in an indirect approach like this, but most will need speech therapy. Even though /r/ typically develops at around age 4, a child needs to be older to participate in /r/ therapy, usually around age 7 years. This is because /r/ is complicated to learn and the child needs to be able to follow complex instructions on tongue placement. Therapy for /r/ can be challenging and take some time, but the end result is worth it! Speaking clearly with a good /r/ sound is important for many reasons. Children may be bullied due to speech differences, and academic performance could be affected. Older children and adults with articulation errors may be stereotyped as being less intelligent or less capable.

So…..shiver me timbers! Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Don’t hornswaggle ye lads and lassies!

In other words, if you have a child who 7 or older who cannot produce /r/ sounds, don’t cheat your child. Call your speech-language pathologist for an assessment. Your child may even qualify for services through school. You will be doing your child an immense life-long service!

Fair thee well, me maties! Have fun talking like a pirate today! ARRRR!

Thanks for reading!

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R. SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

Photo by radnatt courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

very excited but when you see your friend, your mind draws a blank!  You freeze and cannot think of what to say. You may have trouble formulating the sentences to be able to tell about your toy, or you may have trouble thinking of specific words. Or you may just have not acquired the social skills to be able to easily interact and engage in conversation. You might be a child with a language disorder.

If you are showing an adult, the adult will likely be very good at noticing what you INTENDED to say and respond by filling in the blanks for you. “Hi Johnny! That’s a cool truck! Where did you get that?” But children are not as sophisticated as adults linguistically or socially, so the moment will probably pass without you getting to share information about your truck and you are left disappointed and silent.

For children with language delays and disorders, this is a very common occurrence. As I mentioned in a previous blog, “What the Big Bang Theory, Survivor and Social Skills Have in Common: It’s Complicated!” posted in November 2014, developing social skills is multifaceted and complicated, but a very necessary part of communication development. Children need strong social skills or pragmatic language skills to make friends and fit in. Language impairments as well as speech sound disorders can interfere with and significantly impact the development of social skills on many levels.

In my practice as a speech-language pathologist, I like to target the development of discourse skills such as narratives or story-telling and expository discourse such as in describing an object.  Working on discourse teaches the child how to express themselves in a longer context than just the sentence level and prepares them better for what is required in school. One of the ways I do this is to teach a child to describe an object such as in Show and Tell, and I do this whether the child is being treated for just speech disorders or both speech and language.  If it is only speech, I have them bring an object that starts with their target sound or ends with their target sound. Teaching a child how to describe a toy or object of their choice, as it turns out, can also help a child in social situations!

Last week, Olivia* wanted to show a friend her new “Build-a-Bear” she had just brought home from the mall. Her friend came over to play and Olivia had her bear ready to show.  But Olivia once again froze and did not know what to say, until her mother quickly reminded her of her newly acquired description skills that she learned with me in “Show and Tell”. Her mother whispered, “Olivia, Show and Tell!”. Olivia’s face lit up and she began to tell all about her bear: “This is my new bear.  I play with it.  I made it at Build-a-Bear!”  Success! I am now also using social stories to facilitate Olivia’s social language skills, but that is a topic for another time!

When Olivia’s mom proudly told this story to me, I was so happy I decided to share her success, with the mom’s permission. As well, May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!  This is my little celebration!

Thanks for reading,

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R.SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

*Name used with parent’s permission

Dinosaur Stomp!

Please share this blog.  You never know who you may be helping.

Thanks for reading!

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc.,R.SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

Source: www.lessonpix.com

An estimated 40 million Americans have trouble speaking or hearing due to a communication disorder. Millions more family members and friends are also impacted. Here in Arvada, CO there are parents reading this whose children are struggling to speak or understand language; spouses living with partners whose hearing is deteriorating; and co-workers, neighbors and others who see someone who needs help but don’t know what to do. Identify the Signs offers tools to change that, and I couldn’t support the campaign more.

With over 26 years of experience working in the field of communication disorders, I have seen the debilitating effects that these issues can have when left unaddressed. Too often, people wrestle with these challenges for years because they fail to receive proper, timely treatment. Early detection of speech, language, and hearing issues is absolutely critical to improving academic, social, and career outcomes—and improving one’s quality of life at any age.

For people with communication disorders, those closest to them are often their biggest asset. Unfortunately, many parents and caregivers are unable to identify the warning signs or dismiss them too readily. A recent poll of speech-language pathologists and audiologists by ASHA reported significant parental delays in getting help for children with communication difficulties. This is just one example of the missed opportunities that commonly occur with communication disorders.

Through a series of TV, radio, print, digital public service announcements, and the campaign website, the public can learn about the warning signs and be connected to professional help. I encourage you to visit the website, and share the information and resources you find there. Above all, though, I hope you will seek help if you suspect that you or a loved one shows signs of having a disorder.

Every day, I see in my work that untreated communication disorders often lead to larger academic, social, and developmental issues. Early diagnosis is the most powerful way to reduce or even reverse their impact and can give your loved ones the opportunity to lead the fullest lives possible.

Please share this post.  You never know who you may be helping!

Thanks for reading,

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R.SLP, SLP(C), , CCC-SLP

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

ASHA_Identify-the-Signs_SLP-Poster

Do you know anyone with speech sound errors? Chances are that you do, since anywhere from 2 to 25% of children have Speech Sound Disorders (SSD). Although most SSD’s will be resolved by school age whether as a result of speech therapy or maturation, some SSD’s actually persist through adulthood.  Simply stated, SSD is an umbrella term for any difficulty with perception or production of speech sounds that impacts how well a person is understood by others.

The causes of SSD are varied, but can include structural differences (e.g. cleft palate), sensory impairments (e.g. hearing loss), or difficulties with the motor aspects of producing speech (e.g. apraxia, dysarthria). However, the majority of the time, the cause of SSD in most children is unknown. Evidence is leaning more and more toward genetic factors contributing to speech disorders, and there is often a strong family history. Interestingly, more boys than girls have speech errors.  Other risk factors include pacifier use or excessive finger/thumb sucking, pre- and perinatal difficulties, and a history of ear infections, to name a few.

It’s just a few sound errors, so what!? What’s the big deal? Well, sadly, it can be a much bigger deal than it may initially seem. The impact of SSD on a child can be dramatic both socially and academically. Children with speech errors are 61% more likely to be teased or bullied because of their speech differences.  Teachers also judge children on their academic, social and behavioral competence, by how well they can understand the child. I think that is just human nature to judge people by how they sound, like with my doctor. But that’s not all.  Some children with SSD, even if it is resolved, may have persisting difficulties in language skills, phonological awareness, auditory memory, reading, writing, and spelling!

So what can be done to help children with speech sound disorders? Speech-language pathologists are specially trained to help children and adults with speech problems, and can also help them achieve more age appropriate language and literacy skills. The earlier a child gets help with sound errors, the easier it is to correct the sounds. Older children have been “practicing” their sounds incorrectly and it is harder for them to break their bad habits.

So this enjoy this Halloween night and think of me, especially if you do get some Twick-o-Tweetos! Or some Trick-or-Treaterth! Happy Halloween!

Please share this blog.  You never know who you might be helping!

Thanks for reading,

Cindy McCallum, M.Sc., R.SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP

Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

The best advice I could give you is DON’T WAIT to see if your child will outgrow the problem or catch up. See a speech-language pathologist right away. If your child is following typical development, you will be happy to know you have nothing to worry about. If it turns out that your child needs intervention, the earlier the better! The most effective intervention is early intervention. Learning communication skills is a cumulative process, so getting help early on will improve chances for your child to catch up! There is a lot at stake because ANY speech or language delay /disorder may have a significant impact on his or her social, emotional and academic skills.

Communication is complex, consisting of many different skills that start to develop in infancy. In fact, the first three years of life are the most crucial for developing a good foundation for learning. Amazingly, children typically accomplish communication milestones at about the same age, such as first words by age 12 months, combining 2 words together by 2 years, using pronouns by age 3 to 4 years, telling short stories by age 4 to 5 years, and adult sounding speech by age 6 or 7. For more information on developmental milestones and early detection of communication disorders, please refer to www.asha.org, sac-oac.ca as well as www.IdentifyTheSigns.org.

Please share this blog.  You never know who you might be helping!

Thank you for reading!

Cindy McCallum, M.S., CCC-SLP, SLP(C)

Speech-Language Pathologist