Let’s Play!
Research has shown that children learn through play. It stimulates their language development, and they can benefit from both free (unstructured) and guided play.
Let us explore a few of these types of play and the benefits that come along with these activities.
High on the list we have Social play. It is crucial for social and personality development. There are various ways in which children can engage in social play. Any game that promotes interaction is effective. Remember playing “follow the leader” or “hide and go seek”, these games are wonderful for encouraging interaction. Children learn social rules as well, such as taking turns, sharing and cooperation. They also need varied opportunities to develop their reasoning, problem solving and communication skills. “Treasure hunt” is a great game in developing these skills.
Next we have the all time favourite Pretend play; also known as imaginative play. Pretend play encourages language development, abstract thought and creative thinking. It is strongly linked to the integration of emotional, social and cognitive skills. Provide your child with a space in your home for imaginative play. Dress ups are irresistible to young children to spark the imagination. Consider creating a props box filled with toys, objects and props to encourage your child’s fantasy world. The activities and games are endless.
Interestingly enough, Albert Einstein once said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge generally. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
Moving along, we now look at Guided play. This type of play, it is in actual fact, child – directed. While we may initiate the play sequence and are responsible for the learning goals, the child still guides their own discovery. We can enhance their exploration and learning, by commenting on their discoveries, co-playing and asking open-ended questions about their findings. Guided play offers several benefits. Their development and learning abilities are enhanced. They learn about teamwork, cooperation and following directions.
Last, but not least there is Free play. Contrary to guided play, free play is child initiated. It is spontaneous, it lets them use their imagination and move at their own pace. Free play provides opportunities for children to discover their interest and skills. Also, it develops social skills and collaborative play skills. It assists children to learn to think independently and teaches them to entertain themselves.
Finally, regardless of the type or form, play optimizes your child’s development in so many areas. It is through play that children at a very early age engage, and interact in the world around them. Play is such a cherished part of childhood, which no child should miss out on.
Till next time.
- Published in Articles
Speech-Language Therapy & Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), also called head injury, occurs when a blow or jolt to the head damages the brain. TBI’s range in severity from mild to severe. Some effects can sometimes be permanent. TBI is the second highest cause of mortality, specifically in young men, in South Africa.
Problems that may follow a brain injury can include:
- Poor attention and memory
- Partial or complete loss of reading and writing skills
- Difficulty learning new things
- Swallowing problems
- Muscle weakness and coordination problems
- Seizures (also called traumatic epilepsy)
- Sleep problems
- Difficulty understanding spoken language
- Speech problems
- Difficulty with social skills
- Difficulty with controlling one’s emotions
- Irritability, frustration, and aggressive behaviour and mood swings
- Depression
What can the family do when caring for someone who has had a TBI?
- Don’t expect the person to be the same as before the brain injury.
- Develop a positive attitude.
- Don’t take their aggression or anger personally.
- Remember that it’s their injury talking, not the person.
- When they are angry, step back and walk away – it is best not to argue back.
- Don’t challenge the person directly.
- Encourage the person and praise them for every small improvement.
- Listen carefully to them when speaking without interrupting.
- Remember that they need lots of rest.
- Most importantly, be patient.
Speech-Language Therapy can help by:
- Assisting with feeding and swallowing difficulties
- Providing cognitive rehabilitation to improve thinking and memory skills
- Providing therapy to improve understanding of language
- Providing therapy to improve speech production
- And most importantly, providing family counselling and education
It is important to remember that rehabilitation is a long term process that can take months and sometimes even years.
[/fullwidth_text] [fullwidth_text alt_background=”none” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]Samantha de Freitas
Speech and Language Therapist
Samantha de Freitas is a Speech and Language Therapist qualified at UCT in 2012. Currently she specialises in AAC
[/fullwidth_text]- Published in Articles, Speech Therapy News
Stroke and Its Effect on Communication
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying oxygen and nutrients to the brain either bursts or becomes clogged with a blood clot. The effects of a stroke can range from mild to severe. One of the biggest effects is on the individual’s ability to communicate after the stroke. The three most prominent effects that a Speech-Language Therapist deals with include: Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria.
Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to the language areas of the brain. This means that the stroke most likely occurred in the left hemisphere of the brain. Aphasia can disrupt receptive language, expressive language, or both. Receptive language is the ability to understand what is being said or to understand what one is reading. Expressive language is the ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings through speech or through writing.
Apraxia is a motor speech disorder that is caused by damage to the parts of the nervous system that are related to speaking. It is characterised by problems sequencing the sounds in syllables and words. People with Apraxia know what words they want to say, but their brains have difficulty co-ordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words and they may say something different and even non-sensical.
Dysarthria is a speech disorder that is due to a weakness or incoordination of the speech muscles. People with Dysarthria will have slow, weak, imprecise or uncoordinated speech. Their speech often sounds effortful and depending on severity, unintelligible. Drooling is also a common occurrence in those with Dysarthria.
If you suspect that someone you are caring for has any of these conditions with their communication, it is important that they be referred for assessment by a Speech-Language Therapist. Once the individual is attended to and receives therapy, these conditions can improve.
Apart from trouble speaking or understanding, other warning signs to look out for that indicates a stroke may be occurring include: headaches; dizziness; loss of balance; difficulty walking; sudden confusion; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body only.
[/fullwidth_text] [fullwidth_text alt_background=”none” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]Samantha de Freitas
Speech and Language Therapist
Samantha de Freitas is a Speech and Language Therapist qualified at UCT in 2012. Currently she specialises in AAC
[/fullwidth_text]- Published in Articles, Speech Therapy News, Voice Disorders
Meaningful Milestones
The range of development is wide. Every child is unique in their stengths and weakness in their development. It is of little significance if one or two areas are delayed. Professional opinion should be sort after if there is a delay in a number of areas such as a lack on comprehension, absence of play and no interest in the environment.
At 1 year
- Understand what the word “NO” means and regularly obeys it
- Understand his/her name and turns head or makes eye contact when it is used.
- Babbles in a foreign language
- Understands “Give to mummy/daddy” when it is accompanied by a gesture.
- Uses one or two words with meaning and says “Da da”.
- Is able to wave “bye-bye” and enjoys playing Peek-a-boo
Seek expert advice if:
- If there is no babbling
- It appears as if the child cannot hear.
- Disinterest in the environment
- The child is not developing to the brother and sister at the same age.
At 18 months
- Talks to himself/herself in his/her own language
- Use 6-20 appropriate words (appropriate words doe not include repeating what mommy or daddy has said)
- Is able to point to feet, nose, shoes and hair when requested to do so.
- Can follow one word verbal command
- Is able to point to pictures in a book e.g. banana
- This is not the age to reason with them. They do not know what they want.
At 24 months/ 2 years
- Loves looking at picture books
- 50 words in vocabulary and understands many more
- Occasionally uses 2-3 word sentences
- Call himself/herself by Name
- Sings along in nursery rhymes and song
- Is able to deliver short messages such as “Mummy give”
- Says when wants to use the potty
- Plays beside and not directly with others
Seek expert advice if:
- There is very little speech or no speech at all
- Mouthing of toys still occurs
- Toys are thrown in an unlikely way
- If play is repetitive
- There is a disinterest in the environment
- Body language is absent
- Strange irritability
At 28 months/ 2 years 6 months
- Makes use of 200 words and more
- Makes use of “I”, “Me” and “You”.
- Knows his name and surname
- Stuttering may occur due to eagerness to speak
- Play next to other children and not with them.
- Does not understand the concept of sharing
- Cannot wait for things, expects everything immediately
At 3 years
- Stranger is able to understand the child
- Use plurals correctly e.g. dogs, cats etc
- Will volunteer to give name, surname and sex
- Talks to himself/herself while playing
- In a simple but reliable manner able to describe an event.
- Starts asking question like “what?’, “why?”
- Enjoys listening to stories and loves hearing a favourite story told over and over again.
- Recites nursery rhymes
- Can count to 10 in rote.
Seek Professional Advice if:
- He/she she is unable to communicate using speech
- Poor body language
- Shows little imagination and makes use of repetitive play
- Behaviour is similar to that of a 18 month old e.g. refuses to share and senseless behaviour.
At 4 years
- Is able to name 4 primary colours
- Grammar and speech is used correctly
- A sounds are pronounced incorrectly e.g. the /r/ sound is produced as a /w/. He or she may /wabbit/ instead of /rabbit/
- Is able describe an event accurately and logically
- Can provide address and age
- Constantly asking question: What? Where? What? How?
- Enjoys listening to stories
- Confuses facts and fiction when telling stories
- Understands today, yesterday and tomorrow
- Enjoys listening to joke.
- Is able to count en rote till 20 and is able to count till 5 objects meaningfully.
Reference: Children’s Developmental Progress, Mary Sheridan (N.F.E.R. Publishing Co.,UK)
- Published in Articles, Development, Speech Therapy News
A Parent’s Guide to Stuttering
What is stuttering?
Stuttering is a motor speech problem that is not a normal part of a child’s development. This means that stuttering is NOT caused by:
- bad parenting
- anxiety
- low intelligence or IQ
The exact cause of stuttering is unknown. There is a genetic link in some cases. The ratio of boys to girls is 3:1 and this disproportion increases with age. Most school aged children (up to 82%) are teased about their stuttering.
Stuttering behaviours include:
- Repetition – of sounds (c-c-c-cat), syllables (ca-ca-ca-cat), words (cat-cat- cat-cat) or phrases (the cat, the cat, the cat jumped).
- Prolongation – of sounds (e.g. m➙y).
- Inappropriate pauses – between sounds or words.
- Blocking – getting stuck on sounds and nothing comes out.
Body and facial movements may accompany these stuttering behaviours such as eye blinking, facial twitches, and body tension.
How can parents help?
- Most importantly, contact a Speech Pathologist.
- Acknowledge that your child is stuttering and reassure your child that he or she is doing nothing wrong.
- Listen to what your child is saying rather than how it is said. This shows your child that you enjoy talking to them and are interested in what they are saying.
- Be consistent when using speaking rules, e.g. everyone in the family is to try not to interrupt when someone is talking.
- Reduce the pressure on your child when he or she is speaking – don’t put them on the spot.
Early intervention has the best evidence for treatment outcomes for children who stutter, with the best age for treatment being 4-5 years of age. Stuttering can be treated at other stages of the life-span but often with longer treatment times and more complex treatments than for preschool children. See a Speech Pathologist for information and advice.
[/spb_text_block] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]Samantha de Freitas
Speech and Language Therapist
Samantha de Freitas is a Speech and Language Therapist qualified at UCT in 2012. Currently she specialises in AAC
[/spb_text_block]- Published in Articles, Voice Disorders
Taking Care of Your Voice
Voice is the sound that is created by people by using their lungs and vocal folds in the voice box, but how does it work? The vocal folds are two bands of smooth muscle tissue that lie opposite each other in the larynx or voice box. The larynx is positioned at the passageway to the lungs. When at rest, the vocal folds are open to allow an individual to breathe. Once the folds are closed, air from the lungs passes through them, causing vibration and therefore produces sound. The sound from this vibration then travels through the throat, nose, and mouth creating voice.
It is important to take care of our voices, as we use it every day to communicate with others at home, work and at social gatherings. There are many things that we do that can place ourselves at risk for developing a voice problem such as:
- Using your voice too much such as shouting for long periods or talking for a long period without taking a break
- Excessive stress
- Excessive coughing and throat clearing
- Speaking on an already sore throat
- Smoking
- Unhealthy eating that could cause reflux otherwise known as ‘heartburn’
- Not drinking enough water
- Chronic asthma or allergies
- Irritants e.g. dryness of the air
What can you do to take care of your voice?
- HYDRATION: drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day
- DIETARY: reducing the intake of caffeine; chocolate; citrus; alcohol; cooldrinks; acidic, spicy and fatty foods
- IRRITANTS: reduce or stop smoking; limit dust and chemical exposure
- VOCAL MISUSE AND ABUSE: do not shout or strain your voice; rest your voice
Contact your health care provider if you have any concerns about heart burn; hoarseness; shortness of breath; voice fatigue; pain, discomfort or dryness of the throat, which are often symptoms of a voice disorder.
Please contact us for more information on voice, voice disorders and vocal hygiene.
- Published in Articles, Voice Disorders
The Importance of a Case History (Background Information) in a Speech and Language Assessment
Before we initiate testing, we firstly administer an in depth case history (collecting background information) with the parents. The Case History identifies any red flags that may be a factor or a contributing factor to Speech and Language difficulties. The Case history may take 15 minutes to 30 minutes before the Speech Therapist starts to testing the child. The more information the parent is able to give the therapist during this 30 minute session, the better the diagnosis will be. In most cases the collection of information during the Case History provides is more important than the testing as it gives the therapist an indication of what Speech and Language difficulty to look out for.
What does the Case History consist of?
The Case History consists of the following:
- General Background information- What is the child’s home language? What are the parents occupations? What are the parents ages? Who does the child live with? Does the child have siblings? etc.
- Prenatal and Birth History- What was the mother’s health like during pregnancy? Birth weight? Type of Delivery? etc.
- Medical History- Was the child ever hospitalized? Did he/she suffer from ear infections? Is she on any form of medication? etc.
- Developmental History – When did he start to sit, crawl, stand and walk? When did she start to use single words? etc.
- Educational History – What school does she attend? How is the child’s performance at school? Doe he attend any special classes? etc.
The collection of background information provides the key to the puzzle in identifying what may be the child’s difficulty and the cause of the difficulty. Without background information children may continue to struggle to incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate intervention. For accurate diagnosis it is important that the therapist collects a detailed case history of the child’s development and family history. This will ensure that the child will receive therapy relevant to his/her needs.
- Published in Articles, Feature, Speech Therapy News
What to expect during the early intervention
What to expect during a Speech Therapy session age 2 and up
Children love Speech Therapy, as they don’t realize that they are working while they are playing. Therapy will occur in an office or clinic setting. How many therapy sessions and how long the therapy will be is determined during the feedback session with the parent.
What occurs during the initial therapy session?
The Speech Therapist will build a relationship with your child. It may take more than one therapy session to build the relationship. The therapist may request that you bring your child’s favourite toys or use her own toys during the session. It is vital that your child has fun during therapy. It is important that your child has fun with her and feels comfortable for success in ongoing therapy.
The therapist may ask more questions regarding your child’s interests and disinterests. She may give you ideas on how to stimulate your child’s language at home.
What occurs during the rest of the therapy sessions?
Your little one may visits the Speech Therapist once or twice a week depending on what was discussed during the feedback session. Session may be based on themes e.g. My Body, My 5 Sense, Farm animals etc.
The therapist will work on a set of goals that were identified during the evaluation. Feel free to ask what goal the activity is targeting during the therapy session. It is very important that you are aware of the goals and feel free to ask any questions during the session if you don’t understand. Parents are an important part of the therapeutic process.
The intervention is based on play. Children learn while playing. Playing is a natural way that children learn. Children want to talk and communicate during play. Play allows children to develop their communication ability, physical ability, imagination, emotional strength and cognitive ability. Therapy will consist of reading books, playing with theme-based toys, building puzzles, playing with cards and colouring worksheets.
After each therapy session the therapist will give feedback on the session. At this point you may discuss your concerns with her or ask any questions. The therapist should be able to give you any resources, tips or information. Usually a home programme is give to practice at home. Sufficient progress does not occur if a home programme is not practiced on a daily basis.
Please note that if you are aware that your child is not speaking appropriately for his age, please have him/her evaluated immediately. It will make a huge difference to you and your toddler’s life
Warning Signs of Childhood Stuttering and Helpful Tips
Many children stutter between the age of 2 years and 5 years. It occurs when children suddenly learn many new words, grammar and sentences. For 75% of children, the stuttering will appear and then disappear. There is a small percentage whose stuttering never disappears. They continue to stutter into adulthood. Those who develop severe stuttering will have to learn Modification techniques in order to compensate for their Stuttering behaviour.
Signs that would indicate a need for a Speech and Language Assessment
1. A family member stutters. Children who have a family member that stutter are at a greater risk to stutter according to research. The cause of the stutter is not clear. 60% of children that have a severe stutter have been identified with a family member that stutters.
2. 3-4 times more boys are likely to stutter than girls
3. Your child stutters often. It is of concern if your child stutters more than 10% of the time. The stuttering behaviour consists of sound, syllable and word repetition, prolonging sounds and when it appears as if they are speaking but no sound is forthcoming.
4. There is visible tension in the head and neck. Occasionally you see the child struggling and having difficulty getting the words out. They may have eye blinking, nose flaring, head shaking, lips quivering and jaw clenching behaviour as they struggle to get words out.
5. The stutter may have difficulty controlling their breath. At times those that stutter appear as if they are “out of breathe,” when speaking. They may be trying to say everything in one breath or they are speaking with so much effort that they feel out of breath.
6. The stuttering behaviour is prevalent for more than 12 months. A stuttering phase usually last for approximately 6-12 months. A child is more likely to become a severe stutter if it last more than 12 months.
7. Your child is fearful and avoids speaking. A child may realize that is it difficult saying certain words and avoid speaking at all.
8. You child started to stutter after the age of 3½ years. Children who starts stuttering later are more likely to become sever stutterers.
Tips for Parents
• Create a relaxed environment. You want to prevent the child from feeling rushed and that he needs to speak quickly in order to be heard.
• As a parent you should speak slowly and calmly.
• Try not to interrupt your child while he is speaking and listen to what he is saying.
• Find time during the day for a one on one session with your child. Focus on what he is saying and not how he is saying it.
• Remain supportive and encouraging. Keep in mind that it is not easy to overcome stuttering. There is no quick fix.
• Keep in contact with the teacher and Speech therapist. Ask for homework, suggestions and strategies that you can apply at home.
- Published in Articles
Speech Therapy Online
For the past 3 months I noticed that my 7 year old was starting to stutter. I spoke to her Pediatrician. He said that if my daughter did not see a Speech Therapist before she was an adult it would affect her self-esteem and she will have difficulty overcoming her stuttering. If she receives therapy as a child the stuttering will not affect her daily life, social relationships and her success at school.
I prayed and cried as we lived in a rural area and did not have a Speech Therapist close by. I would have to spend many hours on the road to the nearest Speech Therapist office. I searched the Internet and found Speech Therapy online by the Gillian Adonis Speech Therapy Practice. It was ideal for my daughter who is home schooled. All therapists at the practice are Professional University graduates with experience in Speech and Language Therapy. The therapist that saw my daughter was professional, friendly and warm during the initial consultation. My daughter received therapy on a weekly basis. Her stuttering has reduced as she is able to control it better.
HOW DOES IT WORK
At the initial consultation we connected via Skype. I spoke to the therapist for the first 30 minutes providing information about her history and the development of her stuttering. I found that my daughter’s stuttering became worse when she was excited. I felt so much better when she told me that she would teach my daughter techniques to help her control her stuttering.
The therapist asked my daughter interesting questions like: Do you have any tricks to get the words out? Does anyone tease you about your speech?
My daughter read her reader to the therapist and had a conversation with her while the therapist took notes. The therapist showed her to slow down her speaking like a snail and to try and stretch out her words. We practiced these exercises at home on a daily basis. My daughter stutter reduced immensely. She became more confident when speaking.
If you would like your child to receive therapy from the comfort of their own home please contact us via email gillian@gillianadonis.com or 072 225 6928.
Many Speech and Language difficulties are associated with low self-esteem and poor confidence. For online Psychologist we would like to recommend Betterhelp psychologist.
[/fullwidth_text]- Published in Articles