I threw out some bike/helmet statistics earlier in the week on our Facebook page. Largely, these statistics showed that helmet wearing can prevent head injury. I wanted to dive a little further into this topic because, as the weather continues to improve (IN THEORY) here in the state of Michigan, and as the idea of...
The people have spoken, and they want to know what to do to help with their child’s speech at home! At-home activities are a great way to carry over the work done during speech therapy sessions and to speed up progress. The ultimate goal is for children to use what they learn in speech across...
One of our favorite topics here at Duncan Lake Speech Therapy is inclusion. If you tuned in to our Facebook page earlier this week, you’ll know that even though we are in quarantine, there are still great opportunities to learn more about inclusion and to teach your kiddos about inclusion. The first step of any...
Following my quick Q&A video on the DLST Facebook and Instagram pages, I had even MORE questions about gender-affirming voice modification. You know I love audience participation, so I’m so happy people are asking great questions and learning more about this service. Since my video addressed the basics of voice modification, the rest of the...
Hold on to your hats! We’re doing a crash course in communication-related problems following a stroke!
Following a stroke, a person will experience any number of difficulties and deficits, some more severe than others. Strokes can cause physical, cognitive, behavioral, and communication and swallowing issues. For the sake of time (and for the sake of my readers’ time), I’m going to stick with talking about symptoms related to communication.
Aphasia is a common language disorder that arises following a stroke. Aphasia, in the most basic sense, is an impairment in any and all areas of language - speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Depending on where the injury is in the brain, the amount of damage incurred by the stroke, and a whole host of other factors, symptoms and severity can vary.
Technology is here to stay, people. While it’s important to maintain some boundaries with technology (see American Academy of Pediatrics technology guidelines for young children and school-aged kids and adolescents), I’d wager that it’s next to impossible to avoid it completely. So, today, let’s lean into it.
There are a handful of apps that I use regularly in therapy, and ones that I frequently recommend to families. Today, I thought I’d share some of them with all of you. Just to be clear - there is NO APP ON THIS PLANET THAT WILL PROMOTE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT BY ITSELF. Just like with toys, the learning comes from the interaction with language models (AKA adults). Also, some apps are better than others. Good apps include ones that are age-appropriate, foster some sort of learning, and can include multiple people in the use of the app (no solitary play).
These apps pass the test (at least in my opinion)!
This time of year, SLPs are often asked about which toys are the best for language development. The magic secret (or the ultimate disappointment?) is that no such toy actually exists. In fact, the language development doesn’t even come from the toy. It comes from the interaction the child has with their playmates! As a result, any toy can become one that can be used to enrich speaking skills when certain strategies are used. While this list is not comprehensive by any means, here are a few ideas you can use during play to give your kiddos a language boost.
Research tells us that, when given meaningful activities in which they can participate, individuals with dementia are more cognitively stimulated. Meaningful activities also help to alleviate anxiety and depression, and promote positive social interactions. All of these factors lead to an improved quality of life for the individual with dementia and, as a result, their caregivers.
Who remembers this scene from what may arguably be one of the best teen movies of the late 90s? Julia Stiles (Kat) slams her head on a light fixture at a party and sustains what Heath Ledger (Patrick) determines is a concussion. Humor ensues.
This is a pretty common portrayal of concussions. While some of it might be true (funny things people say, etc.), what is not discussed nearly enough is the fact that concussions are actually BRAIN INJURIES. REAL BRAIN INJURIES.
When it comes to our younger kiddos (and often older ones, too), sitting at a table and skill-drilling them isn’t perhaps the best or most realistic idea. For our late talkers, speech-language therapy is almost always play-based. From the outside, play-based therapy literally looks like the speech-language pathologist just playing with the child. This often times shocks parents- how can you be making any therapeutic gains with a late talker if you’re not “doing” therapy!?
Rest easy, friends. Play lends itself extremely well to therapy for our littlest clients, and is the much-preferred model of therapy for this age for a number of reasons.