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Spring Activities to Elicit Language

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The weather is beginning to change and it’s that time of year when you just want to be outside! Here is a list of fun activities to do with you children to elicit tons of language!

Start a Garden:

  •  Grab seeds, pots, a shovel, and a some soil to start your plants inside.
  • Make a plan of what to do and then follow the steps! (working on planning, sequencing and following directions)
  • Talk about the different parts of the plants when they start to grow and the tools you use to help the plants. (working on vocabulary)

* Don’t forget to water them and keep them in the sun! *

Easy Plants to start from seeds: SunFlowers, Marigolds, Basil, Tomatoes

Fly a Kite:

  • Grab a kite on a windy day, take it outside and watch it fly!
  • Talk about the different parts of the Kite (working on vocabulary)
  • Talk about what you are doing and what would happen if you let it go. (working on cause and effect and expressive language)

Go on a Picnic

  • Pack lunch and a blanket and have a picnic outside!
  • Play I Spy with the new surroundings (working on vocabulary , and receptive and expressive language)
  • Talk about what you are going to do after you’re done eating (working on future thinking and expressive language)

Tags:  Speech    Language    Gardening    Vocabulary     Spring Activities      Capable Kids

Common Acronyms in the Speech Therapy World

Is your Speech Language Pathologist always talking in acronyms and it’s hard to keep up? Here is a list of the most common acronyms that most SLPs use.

SLP – Speech Language Pathologist

OT – Occupational Therapy

PT – Physical Therapy

ASHA – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

CCC – Certificate of Clinical Competence (The letters that come after a SLP’s title)

DX – Diagnosis

EI – Early Intervention

MA or MS – Masters Degree

Acronyms used in the schools

ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act

BOE – Board of Education

BIP/BMP – Behavior Intervention/Management Plan

ELL – English Language Learner

ESL – English as a Second Language

ESY – Extended School Year

FAPE – Free Appropriate Public Education

FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

IEP- Individual Education Plan

IFSP – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

ITP – Individual Transition Plan

LRE – Least Restrictive Environment

NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act

RTI – Response to Intervention

SPED – Special Education

Acronyms that have to do with therapy

TX – Therapy or Treatment

ABA – Applied Behavior Analysis

FBA – Functional Behavior Assessment

Acronyms for disorders

ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

AOS- Apraxia of Speech

APD – Auditory Processing Disorder

ASD- Autism Spectrum Disorder

CAS-  Childhood Apraxia of Speech

CAPD – Central Auditory Processing Disorder

CP – Cerebral Palsy

DD- Developmental Disability

EBD – Emotional and Behavioral Disorder

HI – Hearing Impaired

HOH – Hard of Hearing

LD – Learning Disability

OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OHI – Other Health Impaired

SLD – Specific Learning Disability

Acronyms for communication forms

AAC- Augmentative and Alternative Communication

ASL – American Sign Language

AT – Assistive Technology

PECS- Picture Exchange Communication System

What does a Speech Language Pathologist do?

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.” So…. What does that mean?! 

A Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) has a very broad scope of practice, covering everyone from newborns to the elderly, who may have difficulties with communicating, cognition, and/or swallowing.

SLPs work with people who have language disorders. A person with a language disorder may have trouble expressing themselves (expressive) or understanding what others are trying to communicate to them (receptive). They may have difficulties sharing their ideas, thoughts, and/or feelings. They may struggle with their grammar (syntax), their meaning (semantics), or their social interactions (pragmatics), both expressively and receptively.

SLPs work with people who have speech disorders. A person with a speech disorder may have trouble correctly producing certain sounds (articulation), certain patterns of speech (phonology), or fluency of speech (fluency/stuttering).

Articulation – distorting, substituting, or omitting, one or multiple letters while speaking, making it difficult for people to understand. See the chart below to know what sounds should be mastered by what age.

Speech Sound Acquisition

Phonological – continuing to use a phonological process (sound pattern) after the age that it is considered mastered.  See the chart below of phonological process and what age they should be mastered by.

Phonological Processes Chart

Fluency/Stuttering – an interruption in the flow of speech characterized by repetitions (repeating a sound, syllable, word, or phrase), sound prolongations (elongating a sound or word), blocking (unable to get the word out), interjections (like “um” or “err”), or constantly revising one’s own speech.

SLPs work with people who have previously had a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or stroke. A person with a TBI or stroke may have trouble in all areas of speech, swallowing and cognition.

SLPs work with people who have trouble eating or swallowing. Sometimes there is an issue with the texture or consistency of the food and sometimes there is difficulties with the overall swallowing process known as dysphagia. SLPs work with their clients to help treat, overcome, and adapt to these problems.

SLPs have a wide scope of practice and most specialize in certain areas, but all are capable of diagnosing and providing therapy in any of these subcategories.

Have more questions? Leave them in the comments section and we will do our best to answer them!

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