We know that language skills are important for kindergarten, but why are these skills so important? Research has long shown a connection between language and literacy, but what specifically do the researchers talk about? In particular, what do they have to say about language and emergent literacy in kindergarten?
Do you remember kindergarten? I do! I went for a half of a day. My classroom had a paraprofessional and a teacher. I can vividly remember learning how to make my letters, participating in calendar activities, and playing outside. Milk came in a bag! What a world!
Kindergarten of today is NOT kindergarten of the late 80s and early 90s. Scholastic published this great article describing how kindergarten has evolved since the turn of the century.
If you follow my Facebook page, you’ll know that July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month. You’ll also know that I am not an expert in craniofacial conditions. However, I wanted to continue to shed light on this very important topic. I got to thinking about the things I know, craniofacial conditions, and how they might somehow align, and I wasn’t really sure what to write.
…and then I watched Stranger Things.
Even though we all have accents, some people want to modify them. Luckily, your friendly, neighborhood speech-language pathologist is here to help!
A few years ago, I was listening to the radio on my commute. I used to live in California, so my commute to anywhere was very long. As I listened, a segment I realized that they must have been speaking directly to me. The segment titled “Nice Kids Finish First: Study Finds Social Skills Can Predict Future Success” went on to summarize a recent study (then, in 2015). That story stuck with me, and when I thought about what article to study for this week’s Research Rumination, it came back to me.
Caregivers are frequently at a loss for what they can do to help individuals with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Speech-language pathologists have unique knowledge to be able to support families through this transition, and can be a helpful member of the care team. However, there are plenty of things that caregivers can do at home to support their loved ones.
Core boards are the perfect way to model language for students. They help teach pronouns, verbs, adjectives and can help with increasing mean length of utterance (MLU).
There is a lot of debate about what is appropriate and what is not when it comes to how much exposure children have to technology. I thought I’d break down the current findings and medical recommendations for you so, when deciding screen time boundaries for your child, you have good information. I’m going to focus primarily on children 2 and under for this post (hence the “bambinos” in the title).
What role does voice play in our identity? Moreso, how does it play into our gender identities? Speech-language pathologists have the unique skill set to help trans folks work on a voice that best matches their needs. But what makes a voice traditionally “masculine” or “feminine?”
These strategies are helpful for anyone who uses their voice regularly at work or is currently working on voice training (trans folks, singers, individuals recovering from phonotrauma). I’ll attach them to the next blog post as well.
Take care of your voice!