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What does Sequencing mean? Sequencing  is an important skill in children and this article holds key tips to improve verbal language sequencing skill in children. Sequencing is the process of combining things in a particular order; a following of one thing after another. In the context of speech and language, sequencing refers to a skill that we use to discover the components of an event and break it down into simple steps such as the beginning, middle and end of an event. It also refers to the ability to align thoughts, language and knowledge or information and actions in a certain order and retrieve it to complete a given task. The task could be verbal, written and manual or a combination of these. As I am writing this article, I am thinking about the sequence in which I should align information. So, it is an important life skill. Sequencing is dependent on cognitive skills such as working memory (executive function), attention , auditory and visual processing , receptive and expressive language skills . These skills are prerequisites for following multiple commands, retelling a story or an event, summarising information, understanding Science experiments and Maths computation which follow rigorous procedures. Children who have difficulty in sustaining attention may get distracted and not remember the steps involved in an activity. Others may have working memory issues, resulting in difficulty recalling information. Without a good recall, children may struggle academically. The ability to process the sequence of sounds is a key skill in learning to read. Children with poor auditory processing skills or visual processing skills may struggle with comprehension, reading, writing and other areas. Children with delay in receptive and expressive language skills also demonstrate poor sequencing as they may lack vocabulary and find it difficult to understand instructions with words such as ‘under’, ‘on, or ‘who’, ‘where’ etc. How can you help? Appropriate help can significantly improve the skill of sequencing and impact performance in your child. The more you understand the reason for your child’s sequencing problems, the better you will be able to help him/her. The first step is to get a comprehensive evaluation by a paediatric neuropsychologist and a speech language pathologist/therapist. Improving sequencing skills Start early: Toddlers exhibit sequencing as early as 2 years by learning to speak putting two words together. They begin to string words in the correct sequence such as ‘Mumma milk’, ‘daddy go’ etc. Hence it is important to start early if you notice that your child is unable to string words in the right order. Modelling grammatically correct sentences is imperative in demonstrating the right order of words. Make use of the countless opportunities throughout your daily routine to boost this skill. Use the words ‘first’, ‘next’ and ‘last’ to highlight the sequence of actions involved in an activity. Involve your child in tasks that involve small steps throughout your daily routine and use gestures or signs to help them process the language you use with your child. Action songs are a great resource to practise sequencing in a fun way. Vocabulary: It is a prerequisite skill to understand and express using language. Hence, before working on sequencing, work on building age appropriate vocabulary. Target teaching a vocabulary of nouns, verbs, location words and adjectives that is functional to your child. Choose words from his favourite activities and daily routines. Once your child has adequate vocabulary to carry out activities of their interest and daily living, you can focus on helping your child expand their language by adding more words. Prompts to aid processing: Use visual prompts to aid your spoken language. This will greatly benefit children who have auditory and visual processing difficulties. Use signs, gestures and facial expressions to highlight the key words in your message/instruction. Use ‘acoustic highlighting’ which means increase the pitch and loudness of key words. With older children, you can use written prompts such as ‘First/Firstly’, ‘Next’ ‘Then’ and ‘Lastly’. When and how much? Often and for less duration at a time works best for any child. Try to integrate these activities in your daily routines and also work one on one with your child without any distractions around for about 10 minutes at a time. Activities at a glance Play a sound of an animal or a vehicle . Let your child listen to the sound and after 2-3 seconds, ask your child ‘which sound did you just hear’? Depending on the child’s level, you can make it more challenging by playing two sounds A & B and ask your child to recall which sound they heard first and second. Pictures of the sound source or written prompts can be made use of to give an easy start. Sign two actions in a sequence and ask your child to observe you closely. For example, sign pouring water into a glass and drinking it. After 2-3 seconds, ask your child to recall the actions in that sequence. Sing a rhyme or a song with actions . Pause and ask question related to the previous line. For example, if you sing ‘Little Peter rabbit had a fly upon his nose…’, ask your child what was on Peter rabbit’s nose? Play ‘Simon says’ and give one step instructions to your child. Once your child is able to follow one step instructions work your way up to adding one step more. Picture Recall : Show your child a picture of a ‘car’ and put it away in a box. Ask your child to recall the picture. Read a Story: If your child can comprehend ‘who’, what’, ‘where’ and other ‘Wh’ questions, read a short story to your child and ask questions such as ‘Where did the bear live in the story’? and so on. Blend dance and singing into speech and language activities as dance involves several small steps. Involve your child in cooking and help your child through various steps. You can have visuals with instructions to help your child. Watch a TV programme and once you turn off the TV, you can help your child recall the events/story of the programme you watched together. All the above activities strengthen attention, working memory (immediate recall), receptive and expressive language skills. Auditory and visual processing difficulties can be compensated by using visual reminders such as written prompts or visual calendars and schedules. Here are some photo cards I have created and a few picture illustrations from New Wave Educational Resources that can be printed and used to practise the skill of sequencing : The above picture illustrations are from New Wave Educational Resources Break it down into parts and put them all together hierarchically! Let us know your thoughts and experience with practising the skill of sequencing. #Cognitiveskills #Languagedevelopment #languageexpansion #sequencingskillsinchildren

What is Tube Feeding? Tube feeding Is generally involves delivering a liquid feed through the nose (nasal tube) or stomach (gastrostomy tube). Feed types include expressed breast milk, infant formula or a specialised liquid feed. Key points to remember It helps your child to meet their nutritional needs when they are not able to eat or drink enough by mouth It may be used if your child can’t safely swallow liquids, foods, or medications it is possible for you and others to learn how to use the feeding tube safely at home it is difficult to say how long your child will need a feeding tube. Many children are able to stopIt when it is no longer medically required. It is considered prolonged when it continues for longer than 3 months It will not limit your child’s ability to participate in the community or in physical activities a range of professionals may be involved in helping your child Who may be involved? There will be a range of professionals supporting you and your child with tube feeding. These professionals may also help your child begin to change to feeding by mouth (oral feeding). Your child needs this range of professionals (called a multidisciplinary team) because of the different factors that contribute to feeding. The professionals can include: family doctors (GPs) paediatricians children’s community nurses dietitians speech language therapists psychologists occupational therapists How will It affect my child and our family? It takes some adjustment, but many families report relief at seeing that their child is getting the nutrition, liquid (hydration) or medications that they need. With the help of your health professionals, you will be able to learn to use the feeding tube safely at home. If safe, your child will still be able to eat by mouth (orally) while they have a feeding tube. Your child will still be able to take part in physical activities (such as swimming, bike riding) and go to day care or school. People who care for your child will also be able to learn to use the feeding tube. It can be helpful to have some prepared responses to questions people in the community may ask about the tube (what it is for, why it is there, etc). Click here to read a guide for Parents & Friends PDF Article Reference – Pediatric Society of New Zealand. #Tubefeedinginchildren #Feedingproblemsinchildren #TubeFeeding #poorgrowth #Childdoesnteat

My Spinning, Running, Anxious Child, Is it a Sensory Processing Disorder? We all have a sensory processing system. It means all our five senses (hearing, touch, taste, smell and vision) receive information from the environment around us and transmit this information to the brain to make sense of it. There are two additional hidden senses called the vestibular sense and the proprioceptive sense that are crucial to our daily lives. The vestibular sense gives us a sense of balance and position in space as in “You are Here” while the proprioceptive sense is body awareness or knowing where our body parts are in relation to each other. The vestibular system helps you to balance and know whether we are moving forward, backward, bending or so on without falling. The best way to check it is spin as fast as you can and suddenly stop! The tiny currents go on for a bit giving you the feeling that you are still spinning but in the opposite direction and your brain compensates by causing you to fall or feel dizzy. This gives you awareness of your most dominant sensory system- Vestibular Sense. Anatomically, It is located in the inner ear, almost behind your eyes. A lot of children with developmental delays have Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD). Parents of kids with SPD lot of times report that their kids like to spin, run and climb. Let us know a little more about SPD. The proprioceptive sense receptors are located in the muscles, joints and ligaments of our body and continuously send information to the brain about our body’s position when we are not moving.  How do we know it is working?! Just shut your eyes and move your hand away from your body and then move it behind your back, lay it on your knee, and touch your head. How can your body do it without your eyes guiding it? It’s the proprioceptive sense. All the above 7 senses make up the sensory processing system. Sensory processing or sensory integration (both are same) is the basis for learning.  The brain processes this information and helps us take the next step. For E.g. When I see a school bus I recognize it by its colour and name. It also connects me to the previous memories of me travelling in an Army Truck to school feeling the wind on my face and the sight of a school bus creates a pleasant memory and happy feeling for me. At the same time if it’s a person who was bullied on the school bus it will generate an unpleasant feeling or memory! The sensory system starts to develop in the womb and continues to develop throughout our lives. During the early childhood years, the nervous system is in hyper-development and sensory integration is refined through typical childhood activities. Click on below link for more information Some other resources for parents to read about SPD are, Sensory processing for Parents: From Roots to Wings: Judith E Reisman The Out of Sync child Video: Carol Kranowitz Tools for Students: Diana Henry Tools for Teachers: Diana Henry SPD is considered a neurological impairment and may co-occur with ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorders. But it some case it might be due to premature birth, lack of sensory exposure and environmental factors. There has been a rise in children getting diagnosed with SPD due to more awareness and also our lifestyle changes. Over the last 20 years, we have become an indoor society and our children are raised indoors with limited play time and activities that provide a healthy sensory system development especially from birth to two years of age. Some of the characteristics of SPD include the following: Inability to play in the park or playground with various equipment (Slide, swing etc.) and playing with new toys Difficulty in Playing in a group situation Emotionally Immature Severe Meltdowns W – sitting position and toe walking Speech-Language Delay Slow reading or academic abilities How do we diagnose if a child has SPD? There is no blood test or chromosomal test to detect SPD. Usually, a child’s behaviours are profiled in terms of the different sensory systems using checklists and observations by the Occupational Therapist. Occupational Therapists are trained professionals who are the ambassadors of your child’s nervous system’s processing of information and actual functional abilities. The occupational therapist will give therapy sessions that are play-based yet challenge your child’s body to process and react to different visual, touch, proprioceptive, vestibular and auditory information. Reference: The Sensory Processing Disorder Answer book: Tara Delaney This article has been written by Namrata Pai, Founder Director of Magpie Speech & Language Intervention Services, Bangaluru, India. Sensory Processing Disorders If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at info@1specialplace.com https://therakonnect.com/appointments/book/1specialplace For more ideas check out our other blogs https://1specialplace.com/news/ #spinningchild #developmentaldelay #anxietyinchildren #SPD #hyperactivechild #sensoryprocessingdisorder

10 Myths About Children Who Are Learning to Talk! About Children Who Are Learning to Talk! – Learning to talk is a complex process. You might have heard many pieces of advice and tales on how children learn to talk. Let’s expose a 10 Myths About Speech Delay In Children and hear out the truth. These can also be myths about speech delay. Read more about speech delay in toddlers here. 1. Using Gestures/Signs and Pictures will inhibit my child’s language development False: The opposite is true!  Using gestures and signs actually facilitates the development of speech and language in children.  By using signs or pictures we provide visual clues to a child. With the visual clues, children learn the meaning and use of words quicker than without them.  Children can also use pictures and gestures to express themselves before they start talking. A research study by Senott, Light and McNaughton ( 2016) found that pictures and aided language stimulation show positive effects on vocabulary and grammar development in young children. So go ahead and use lots of gestures and pictures while talking to your little one! 2.  Boys speak later than Girls True: Many research studies confirm this. Girls tend to talk sooner than boys and reach most milestones quicker but only by a few months. Studies show that this is true for vocabulary development, sentence length and complexity. This difference is attributed to the quicker maturation of girls.The part of the brain devoted to language development ripens earlier in girls. Also, girls tend to converse more than boys. These differences even out in a few months. 3. Talking to young children in very short phrases  ( aka Telegraphic Speech) will help them False: Many adults use telegraphic speech which are sentences that lack grammar – ‘Mummy kitchen’ ( for Mummy is in the kitchen),  ‘Daddy car’ ( for Daddy drives the car), ‘Dog bow wow’ ( for Dog says bow wow). Research suggests that the lesser a child hears the grammar, the lesser he will use it. Hence it’s important to speak in short but complete sentences. Expand language whenever possible. 4. Flashcards must be used to  enhance a child’s speech and language development False: Although flashcards are nice tools to teach your child, restricting your interaction with your child by just showing him flash cards and expecting him to memorise those words is wrong. There are many research studies which suggest that children learn to talk through playful loving interactions with them. About Children Who Are Learning to Talk! 5. Late talking children who are otherwise not delayed will ‘catch up’! False: There is evidence that more than 40 % of children who are hitting other milestones on time but not talking on time will not catch up in their speech development on their own. And even when Late Talkers appear to catch up in their talking skills, they are at a higher risk to have social, reading and academic difficulties later in life. Therefore it is important to track your child’s speech and language progress. Consult a Speech Language Therapist if you are concerned. 6. Exposing children to 2 or more languages will cause a speech delay False: A child’s brain is like a sponge.It absorbs everything! There is a scientific literature which reflects that if a child is exposed to more than one language in childhood, he would not only learn them but also become cognitively sharper. The learning of another language stimulates the brain and such children perform better in social and emotional development domains too. In countries like India where most urban families speak 2 or more languages, raising a bilingual child comes naturally. So give your child the gift of ‘bilingualism’. However, children who are already delayed in talking due to developmental difficulties and are receiving Speech Therapy can find it easier to learn one language at a time. About Children Who Are Learning to Talk! 7. Siblings of speech delayed children will have a delay False: Younger siblings of children with speech delays are usually in a very stimulating environment. The parents are more careful about their interactions with the younger child. Children hear many people talking around them including parents, teachers and other caregivers. The positive influences are more than any negative outcomes. 8. Speech Therapy can make ANY child talk False: A Speech Therapist’s role is to improve a child’s communication. Speech and language treatment of children focuses on enriching the use of verbal language but in some conditions, children might not pick up words and oral language. In such cases, Speech Langauge therapy is to help the child pick up alternate means of communication like Picture aided systems/mands/ Alternative Augmentative Communication AAC)/ writing. Its important to set realistic expectations at all times. 9. Twins have a higher risk of speech-language delays True: There are many research studies which reflect that not all twins will have speech delays but they are at a higher risk of manifesting speech-language delays. More boys ( twins) seem to be at risk. Most delays in twins are mild and can be overcome until middle childhood. Some reasons offered by research are 1) Twins develop their own internal language which can impede normal language development 2) Social Environment Risk where twin children experience less focused individual attention 3) A twin child spends more time with a peer with the same developmental level. 10. Speech Therapy Doesn’t work False: If your child has a speech-language difficulty or disorder, the best professional to help and guide you is a Speech Language Therapist/Speech Language Pathologist. Speech Therapists are trained to detect and treat speech delay in children and can help your child overcome his challenges with specialised techniques and strategies. There are many ways in which you can help your child learn and talk better. Take this free screening test to check if your child has a speech delay. Book a session with our speech expert here. #speechtherapyIndia #childdevelopment #speechlanguagedevelopment #speechdevelopment #SpeechDelay

What is a Sippy cup and why is it used? Speech Difficulties –  A Sippy cup is a training cup usually made of plastic with a screw or snap-on lid and a spout that lets your child drink without spilling. A Sippy cup is usually preferred as a transition from nursing /bottle feeding to a regular open mouth cup. Most parents encourage children to use sippy cups ( sometimes starting as early as 6 months). Infant Sucking/Swallowing Reflex When babies suck milk they through breast or bottle they having a sucking reflex in which they roll their tongue back and forth to get milk.  With time this reflex should mature and the tongue should go inside the mouth while feeding. Oral Motor Development Looking closely at the research you will find that getting your child used to sippy cups can affect his oral motor development. When children transition from nursing/bottle to hard spout sippy cups they tend to still keep their tongue under the spout which doesn’t let them develop a mature sucking reflex which is needed for normal oral motor development.When toddlers continue to use the infant sucking pattern they can also have poor chewing and swallowing skills affecting their feeding regime. Speech Difficulties/Misarticulations Children who constantly suck through sippy cups even after the age of 3, might develop an open bite(occurs when upper and lower teeth don’t come together when the mouth is closed). Such children can also have dental problems with primary upper teeth. Kids with open bites can have articulation(pronunciation) errors with speech sounds like, s,t, th etc. Please note**  This picture depicts Open Bite. In this case, it has not been caused by Sippy Cups, it is just to show how an open bite and a tongue thrust can look like. Tongue Thrust A condition called as Tongue Thrust can also manifest if sippy cups with valves are used excessively. In this condition, the tongue protrudes through the front teeth during speaking, swallowing and even at rest. A child with a tongue thrust can have speech difficulties including misarticulations ( t,d,l,n). The traditional hard spout sippy cups encourage the tongue to sit more forward in the mouth. Transition with Straw Cups The next step recommended after nursing/bottle is using a regular cup with the help of an adult. Using a cup will help your child in developing a well-coordinated swallow pattern where he can practice intake of the fluid at his own pace. Alternately you can offer a straw cup to your child. Children who practice drinking from straw get to work up their cheeks, jaws, tongue in a coordinated manner which aids in speech development. Which Sippy Cups are recommended Here are some pictures of sippy cups which you can use with your child. Although its best to transition over to regular cups as soon as you can! Our personalized Online speech therapy works for people of all ages and ailments, and it’s also convenient and fun. In fact, our customers tell us that they don’t feel like they’re doing “therapy work” throughout their sessions. Language is not only what you wish to convey; it is also what we believe. When you have excellent speech and language, you can fully express yourself and connect with people. If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at info@1specialplace.com Book a session now For more ideas check out our other blogs #unclearspeech #misarticulations #oralmotordevelopment #OnlineSpeechTherapy #SpeechDelay

Bedtime Talk : Building Your Child’s Creative Language Building Your Child’s Creative Language, We all know that having routines for the day can be very helpful for your child to predict, plan and communicate more effectively. Finding opportunities to talk with your child is crucial for his language development. Be it the morning rush hour of getting dressed for school or the winding down calm at bedtime, every part of your child’s routine gives you plenty of opportunities to connect with him. Little did you know that even bedtime can be a great window to peep into your child’s inner world. It can serve as a perfect moment to foster creative expressive language and help in retrieval of information. The regular steps to bedtime which most of us follow with our kids can include: Cleaning up the toy room Changing into pyjamas Brushing teeth Read a bedtime story/Narrate a bedtime story Turn on Sleepy Music/Lullaby Switch off the lights Bedtime talk Bedtime talk can be the most wonderful time of your child’s day. So snuggle up and get cosy in the bed. You can also massage your child’s arms/legs and get talking. Ask simple questions about your child’s day. You must first answer those questions yourself and initiate turn taking. The top 3 questions that can really help your child express himself : What made you happy today? What made you sad/upset today? What did you learn today? These questions are basically simple conversation starter tools that all parents can use to work on skills like sentence formation, starting and maintaining conversations, speaking meaningfully and using already learnt vocabulary. Some parents find it tricky to answer “what they learnt today”. Here are some ideas – I learnt to make a nice recipe today I learnt a new word today I learnt to parallel park my car today I learnt that there are 10 planets in the universe I learnt a new yoga pose today etc. Follow this bedtime talk as a ROUTINE. So ask these questions every night after the lights are out. You will find that after a few nights, your child will remind you of the questions if you forget these by mistake! Some other ideas for questions can be: What made you angry today? How many times did you smile today? What was your favourite part of the day? What do you want to eat tomorrow? What do you want to dream tonight? For younger children who might find it hard to understand open-ended questions, you can break down and ask very simple closed questions like – Are you happy? ( expect a yes/no) Do you want Teddy to sleep with you? Which lullaby should mummy sing for you? Where is Daddy sleeping? Do you want new pyjamas? Can you show me how we yawn? Can you kiss me goodnight? Bedtime talk can be very useful for children with speech-language delays and conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder/ADHD too. Remember to keep your language simple yet creative at the same time. Do not keep repeating your questions. Give wait time or pause well before you answer the questions or break the answer down for your child. Building Your Child’s Creative Language If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at info@1specialplace.com Book a session now For more ideas check out our other blogs #bedtimetalk #ADHD #Autism #languageactivity #speechtherapy #SpeechDelay

Daily Routine Activities To Help Your Child Talk In Sentences Daily Routine Activities for child speech –  Language learning happens at all the time during the daily activities. As a parent, you need to give more and more opportunities for the child to use longer and longer sentences. Here are some of the examples as in how you can improve the sentence building using daily activities. Bath time There are a lot of activities which could be worked upon during bath time. Concepts like dressing up, undressing, dirty, clean could be spoken. You can use readily available materials like bath toys, bubble bath etc. If you are using a doll, you can expand vocabulary and sentences like below example: Parent: Why do want to give a bath? (Showing the toy) Child: Dirty Parent: You are right! The clothes are dirty. Child: Yeah! Clothes are dirty. Parent: What will you do now? Child: remove dress Parent: Good! Will you take off doll’s dress? Child: I will take off doll’s dress. Parent: Good job! Tell me what’s happening? Child: The doll is having a bath. (BIG reinforcement!) Other concepts like body parts could be targeted by using commands like wash doll’s hair, Now lets up soap on doll’s hands etc. We can also use some related rhymes like: Laundry Kids need to learn daily activities to become independent, responsible, helpful which will benefit them in long run. As a parent you can expand their language during these daily routine chores. For eg: Child: Mamma what are you doing? Parent: I am putting clothes for washing. Child: Where wash? Parent: We should wash clothes in the washing machine. Where should we wash? Child: We should wash in the washing machine Parent: Right! Can you give me your 2 shirts? Child: Here! My 2 shirts. Parent: Good job! These are your school shirts. Concepts like plurals (Shirt- Shirts), opposites (clean*Dirty), Sorting (Eg: separate Papa’s clothes from yours), number counting (Can you get me 3 drying clips), sequencing (Put clothes inside, then put detergent, Switch on, take out once washing is over etc) can also be spoken during laundry. Driving car You can support child’s speech and language development anywhere, even in the car. While you are on the road to buy groceries or on a road trip, you can help the child to describe what he or she sees and practice creating sentences. Describe vehicles you see using descriptive words (e.g., big truck, red bike, fast car, loud horn). Model using complete sentences to help your child tell you what they see while riding in the car (e.g., “I see a big green bus”,  “I see two black sheep”). Sing the “Wheels on the Bus” song and encourage imitation of actions and words. Going to school While walking to the school, road safety points could be spoken about. Also daily activities of the child could be revised Parent: What do you do first thing in the morning? Child: Brush. Parent: You are right! You brush your teeth. Child: I brush my teeth. Parent: After that? Child: Eat breakfast. Parent: good! I eat my breakfast. What did you eat for breakfast today? Child: I ate bread and butter for breakfast today. Parent: Excellent!! (Continue till you reach school!!) Rhymes like time to go to school today could be used to speak about daily routine. Playing with toys Strategies like Self talk (explaining while doing an activity: Mamma is throwing the ball) Parallel talk (When the child is playing, you are narrating: Child playing ‘threading beads’: Great! You just put 3 beads in the thread). Only language modelling is done. Questions are not asked Expansions (Child:Car go, Parent: The car is going) Extensions (Child: Car go, Parent: The car is going. The red car is going) Repetitions (Child: Cal, Parent: Car) Questioning (Yes/No  questions, Close and Open ended questions) Useful playtime rhymes: Meal time: See how you can help your child’s speech and language develop during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cooking or Baking along with you. You can talk about the steps involved and do sequencing activities (Eg: Making fruit salad: Cutting, Mixing etc) Let your child help prepare a meal by gathering food items together.  Talk about what you need and where things are (Eg: ‘up high’,’on the table’, ‘inside the refrigerator’ etc). Have your child pretend to feed his/her favorite stuffed animal or doll.  Model requesting by signing/saying ‘more’ and/or ‘I want ___’. Cut out pictures of food and put them in groups (Eg:: ‘I eat’ and ‘I drink’ or ‘sweet, salty, hot, cold etc.) See a video on Yum Yum Vegetables Song We would love to hear your ideas! Please leave a reply! If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at info@1specialplace.com Book a session now For more ideas check out our other blogs #DailyRoutineActivities #Kidsactivity #Languagedevelopment

10 Reasons Why Household Chores Are Important Whether we like it or not, household chores are a necessary part of everyday life, ensuring that our homes continue to run efficiently, and that our living environments remain organized and clean, thereby promoting good overall health and safety. Involving children in household chores gives them opportunity to become active participant in the house. Kids begin to see themselves as important contributors to the family. Holding children accountable for their chores can increase a sense of themselves as responsible and actually make them more responsible. Children will feel more capable for having met their obligations and completed their tasks. If you let children off the hook for chores because they have too much schoolwork or need to practice a sport, then you are saying, intentionally or not, that their academic or athletic skills are most important. And if your children fail a test or fail to block the winning shot, then they have failed at what you deem to be most important. They do not have other pillars of competency upon which to rely. By completing household tasks, they may not always be the star student or athlete, but they will know that they can contribute to the family, begin to take care of themselves, and learn skills that they will need as an adult. Here is a list of household chores for kids: 1. Sense of Responsibility Kids who do chores learn responsibility and gain important life skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Kids feel competent when they do their chores. Whether they’re making their bed or they’re sweeping the floor, helping out around the house gives them a sense of accomplishment. Doing daily household chores also helps kids feel like they’re part of the team. Pitching in and helping family members is good for them and it encourages them to be good citizens. Read here a detail blog: Routine helps kids 2. Beneficial to siblings It is helpful for siblings of kids who have disabilities to see that everyone in the family participates in keeping the family home running, each with responsibilities that are appropriate for his or her unique skill sets and abilities. 3. Purpose Having responsibilities like chores provides one with a sense of both purpose and accomplishment. 4. Preparation for Employment Learning how to carry out household chore is an important precursor to employment. Chores can serve as an opportunity to explore what your child excels at and could possibly pursue as a job down the road. 5. Make your life easier Your kids can actually be of help to you! At first, teaching these chores may require more of your time and energy, but in many cases your child will be able to eventually do his or her chores completely independently, ultimately relieving you of certain responsibilities. 6. Chores may make your child more accountable If your child realizes the consequences of making a mess, he or she may think twice, knowing that being more tidy in the present will help make chores easier. 7. Develop fine and gross motor skills and planning abilities Tasks like opening a clothes pin, filling and manipulating a watering can and many more actions are like a workout for the body and brain and provide practical ways to flex those muscles! 8. Teach empathy Helping others out and making their lives easier is a great way to teach empathy. After your daughter completes a chore, you can praise and thank her, stating, “Wow… great job! Because you helped out, now Mommy has one less job to do. I really appreciate that!” 9. Strengthen bonds with pets There is a growing body of research about how animals can help individuals with special needs. When your child feeds and cares for his pet, it strengthens their bond and makes your pet more likely to gravitate toward your child. 10. Gain an appreciation and understanding of currency What better way to teach your child the value of a rupee than by having him earn it. After your child finishes his chores,  pay him right away and immediately take him to his favorite toy store where he can buy something he wants. Book your session now #parenting #householdchores #GrossMotorSkills #Autism #HouseholdChoresAreImportant

Sentence Building in Children Aged Below 5 Years Q. When does sentence building in children start? A child as young as 1.5 years can speak in a meaningful sentence using 2 words (Eg: My doll). As in when a child develops more vocabulary, she/he will start using longer and longer sentences. We can measure sentence length in terms of  Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) i.e.number of ‘Morphemes’ present in a sentence. Morpheme is the basic meaningful structure in a sentence. Eg: In a sentence ‘This is my doll’, there are 4 Morphemes. Typically the MLU corresponds closely with the increase of age in children. StageMLUApproximate Age (In Months)I1.0-2.012-26II2.0-2.527-30III2.5-3.031-34IV3.0-3.7535-40V3.75-4.541-46V+4.5+47+ Brown (1973) Q. How to increase sentence length or MLU? Initially typically developing child forms sentences using incorrect grammar. Later they get the feedback from their surrounding regarding the correct sentence forms, structures and grammar. The main catalysts to improve sentence building are Vocabulary: At the age of 20 -22 months, a child can start combining words into simple sentences (Eg: daddy come, i go etc). At this stage the child will have a vocabulary of around 30-40 words. Where as to express meaningfully a child will require more words, different combination of structures (Eg: Noun+Verb, Noun+adjectives, Verb+Adjectives etc). Hence, as in when the vocabulary increases the sentence structure would become better and longer. Improving Grammar: Usually children with short MLUs will lack in the grammatical markers. This can significantly affect MLU.  For example, a child who says “I will go in the bus” would get 6 morphemes but a child who says “I go bus” gets only 3. Hence it is very important to emphasise on the grammatical markers. Read a detailed blog on Top learning websites for speech delays Q. What are the techniques to increase MLU? Expansion: When a child expresses himself  in shorter phrase or sentence expand adding one more word. Eg: If the child says ‘want water’, you can model saying ‘I want water’. Request to Response transfers: The child is first asked to clarify their request Eg: Instructor: Which book do you want? Child: Story book. Instructor: Tell me about this. Child: (It’s a) story book. Building response combinations: This involves using responses the child has mastered to “build” longer and longer sent. Eg: Instructor: What’s the baby doing? Child: Playing (mastered response) Instructor: What’s she playing with? (touching the ball) Child: doll (mastered response) Instructor: That’s right! The baby is playing with the doll. What’s happening? Child: The baby is playing with the doll (echoic) Instructor: Good job! Tell me what’s happening? (transfer trial) Child: The baby is playing with the doll. (BIG reinforcement!) Once the child is able is consistently using the phrases to respond, they can be combined to form even longer utterances. Eg: Instructor: What’s happening? Child: The dog is barking. Instructor: Whose dog? Child: My neighbour’s dog. Instructor: Is it a big dog? Child: No, it is a small dog. Instructor: Tell me about this. Child: The neighbour’s small dog is barking. What strategies could be used? Verbal aids: In this method the child is taught to repeat the sentence after the instructor and prompt to use it independently. If the child misses any part of the newly learnt sentence, emphasis should be on the missing part of the sentence. Eg: There is a ball. If the child misses ‘is’, then instructor can correct saying ‘There isss a ball’. Instructor can split up the sentence into number of smaller chunks, ‘there is’ and ‘a ball’. Instructor can use pausing, wherein the child is expected to fill in the word Visual aids: A number strip could be used to show how many words are present in a sentence. Finger counting to indicate the exact number of words Colourful semantics is a very effective method created by Alison Bryan. Colourful semantics reassembles sentences by cutting them up into their thematic roles and then colour codes them. The approach has 4 key colour coded stages. There are further stages for adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions and negatives. WHO – Orange WHAT DOING – Yellow WHAT – Green WHERE – Blue Written aids: The sentence which is difficult for the child could be written down. As in when the child say each word, point to the words respectively. The child will be reminded if he misses a particular word. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 1SpecialPlace | Speech Therapy 🇮🇳 (@1specialplace) #activitiesforbuildinglanguage #buildingcommunication #sentencebuilding

Create VERBAL ROUTINES and get your toddler talking! VERBAL ROUTINES consist of words that are repeated at a predictable time during an activity. A verbal routine occurs any time a person says the same words, in the same way, for the same things, every time a specific activity occurs. Introducing Verbal routines in your daily set of activities can be a great way to promote speech and language skills of your young child in his everyday life. A common Verbal routine that all mothers can use at any time is “Get Set Go” or “One, Two Three Start” You can use this verbal routine in a variety of situations like before pushing the swing, before starting to eat, before singing a song, before starting to dance, before giving your child a bath.. etc As your child learns these routines, you can PAUSE at key points to see if they can fill the gap by speaking out the missing words. You can create your own Verbal Routines depending on your schedule and interests. You can use this sheet to make your own Verbal Routines. Writing them down will help stick them in your mind so that you can use them while running your day with your child. Here are some examples fot the various activities during a typical day. Activity Repeated PhrasesWaking upGood Morning, Wake up time../ Rise and ShineBath TimeLets clean up! Its time for bath../ Water is ready lets take bathGetting dressed/Diaper changeAha! let’s get dressed/ Let us get ready for the day!MealsI amhungry?/ Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner timeNappingOh Im tired, lets snooze/ Lets take a small nap nowGoing outYay! I want to go out/ Let’s go out in the car..PlayingI want to play with blocks/ Let’s play togetherPrayingFold your hands /Bow your head/ Lets say a prayerBedtimeGood night, Its bedtime/ Sleepy time, let’s tuck in bed.. Verbal Routines and Repetitions help in sticking the words in your child’s auditory and working memory. The more a child hears the same words in a particular context, the better he associates with what is being said to him. Chances are that after hearing the same word again and again in a language stimulating context he might start speaking those words when given an opportunity like when paused for him to fill the blank or when asked a question. Simple Fun Examples of Verbal Routines while playing with your child — Bubble Play : Take a bubble wand and while blowing say – “Yay!! bubble bubble blow, bubble bubble POP!” Play Dough Play : “Sticky Sticky Sticky Dough, Roll Roll here you go!” Doll Play : “Pretty Pretty Dolly, Smile please..Pretty Pretty Dolly Let’s cuddle & squeeze!” Car Play : “Beep Beep Beep, My Car drives Beep” Many Songs are repetitive in nature and have Verbal Routines. Some examples -1. Old Mac Donald had a farm 2. Wheels on the Bus 3. This is the way I brush my teeth 4. The Ants go marching 5. Jelly on the Plate Many Books use this concept of verbal routines . Some easily available books that encourage verbal routines and repetitive texts are – 1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin and Eric Carle 2. Panda Bear Panda Bear by Bill Martin and Eric Carle 3. Cat the Cat Who is That? by Mo Willems. 4. Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen 5. Pete the Cat: I love my White Shoes by James Dean and Eric Litwin Establishing Verbal routines can also be great for children with Speech-Language delays, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and other childhood communication difficulties. If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at  info@1specialplace.com Book your session now For more ideas check out our other related blogs View this post on Instagram A post shared by 1SpecialPlace | Speech Therapy (@1specialplace) #playingwithyourchild #speechandlanguageskills #verbalroutines

Behavior Management for Children with Delays Parenting a special child comes with special challenges and requires greater attention to lots of areas of your child’s life. One of the main aspects that parents need to focus on is the behavior management. Autism Spectrum comes with numerous behavior issues like anger, tantrums, mood swings etc. Sometimes the challenges of autism (e.g. sensory input, motor planning, social aspects, etc.) can require a little extra creativity in terms of designing an approach that is beneficial and motivating for a specific child. However, if implemented appropriately, the addition of various intervention techniques can address some of these specific challenges, increase self-confidence and social interactions and reduce stress in times of meltdowns. Managing behavior can be tricky but thanks to the research and ease of access, you as parents will find it easier to modify behavior of your kids and yield successful results. So, worry not and read on. ABCs of Behavior To manage or confront a behavior issue, it’s important to understand the reasons behind a particular behavior. What your child feels is very real. His/her emotions are stronger and therefore we cannot dismiss them off. A Antecedents- What triggers the behavior B Behavior- Your child’s response to a trigger C Consequence (Rewards)- What your child gets out of the behavior The main task is to work on your child’s challenging behavior by either changing the triggers or the rewards. This will happen slowly and will need the parent to make changes in how they react and deal with everyday situations that in turn will help the child. Parents need to start by focusing or choosing a behavior they want to change. Then, they need to identify what causes that behavior and what are the consequences to it. Once you understand the triggers the behavior and what your child is getting out of it, the last step is to make changes using this information. All this needs to be done using strategies discussed below: Acknowledge his concerns and emotions: Do not brush aside his fears or tell him not to worry. His emotions are very real. Acknowledge his emotions and give them words. ‘I know you really wanted to go bowling. I can see that you are angry that our plans have changed.’ Speak clearly and precisely using short sentences. Support the child to communicate their wants, needs and physical pain or discomfort. Celebrate and build strengths and successes: Applaud him when he does well and what you like. A sense of competence often fosters interest and motivation. Strive to give positive feedback much more frequently than any correction or negative feedback. ‘Great job on making your bed!’ Respect and listen: You may have to look for the things he is telling you, verbally or through his choices or actions. ‘You keep sitting on that side of the table. Is the sun in your eyes over here?’ Reward flexibility and self-control: ‘I know you wanted to go to the pool today and we were surprised when it was closed. For staying cool and being so flexible about that change in plans, let’s go get some ice cream instead!’ Create opportunities for relaxation: You can do this by, for example, dancing, listening to music, massages, or swinging on a swing. Challenging behavior can often be diffused by an activity that releases energy or pent-up anger or anxiety. This might be punching a punch bag, bouncing on a trampoline or running around the garden. Maintaining a behavior diary: which records what is occurring before, during and after the behavior, could help you to understand its purpose. It is important to make notes on the environment, including who was there, any change in the environment and how the child was feeling. Give options within limits: Everyone needs to be in control of something, even if it is as simple as which activity comes first. You can still maintain some control in the choices that you offer. ‘Do you want to play first, or color first? Promote Exercise and movement: Exercise can be a powerful factor in overall quality of life and can influence behavior, decreasing self-stimulatory behaviors such as rocking and spinning, as well as discouraging aggressive and self-injurious behavior. You can even include dancing and music oriented activities to make it more fun and creative for the child. Take breaks: Parenting comes with its own setbacks and challenges for you as a parent so it is essential that you give yourself a break every now and then even if it is for the shortest time. Meet friends for a coffee, read a book or get a massage. See a therapist for your mental well being. It is extremely important to take care of yourself by de-stressing so that you can take care of your child. Happy Parenting! #Autism #Parentingaspecialchild #SpecialChildren #Speechandlanguagedelay

Vocal Hygiene – 10 Tips for Taking Care of Your Voice Two aspects that typically stand out after having met someone new are – the person’s face and voice. Each persons’ voice is individualistic – and it defines them. The voice is an outcome of sound from our vocal cords. Our vocal system, which consists of the lungs, vocal cords, larynx, pharynx and oral system defines each person’s voice. We often take for granted our vocal cords, but anyone who has ever “lost their voice” understands how tough life would be without them. People should use our voices to speak with people, to laugh and cry, to sing in the car, to support our favourite sports teams, to run crucial business meetings, or to argue our points of view on social issues. We all use our voices, probably even more than we realize, despite the perception that only professional voice users like singers and actors need to worry about their vocal health. Maintaining your vocal health should be a key priority whether you sing professionally, for pleasure in the shower, or are an aspiring singer. If you want to sing to the best of your ability, you must take good care of and respect your vocal chords. However, it could be challenging to provide your voice cords the respite and care they need between your regular activities, rehearsals with your band, studio, or producer, and side work. Tips for Taking Care of Your Voice – Improper use of the voice can lead to change in quality of voice – such as hoarseness (breathiness), harshness (roughness) in voice. It can also cause polyps or nodules (growths on the vocal cords). A complete ENT evaluation will define the course of treatment. The treatments can vary from – having a period of voice rest (resting the voice for a specified duration of time), use of prescribed medication, therapy (with a speech language pathologist), to the need for surgery (by an ENT surgeon) followed by post op- care and therapy to recover the voice. Typically, good daily habits to take care of our face, teeth and skin are known by all; however, many of us would not know of such habits (vocal hygiene) or use them for our voices. Do you habitually have good ‘vocal hygiene’? Vocal hygiene refers to habits that take care of the voice and vocal cords, ensuring minimal wear and tear. Consistent use of these habits provides positive long-term effects. Following and remembering few tips can go a long way. Top 10 tips encouraging good vocal hygiene: Excessive yelling or shouting is considered ‘vocal abuse’. Begin to be aware of the loudness of your voice in different situations (e.g. when talking to a peer, or a family or in larger gatherings). Monitor your loudness to suit the situation. Try to stop the use of loud voices too often or for long durations of time. A regular habit of smoking can cause irritation to the vocal cords. Giving up smoking is ideal for good vocal cords and voice. Ensure that you are hydrated throughout the day. Take sips of water regularly. Try to replace caffeine (including soda, coffee etc.) with water as often as possible. This will ensure hydration of the vocal cords. Every individual has a specific pitch (of their voice) which is ideal for their vocal system. It is best to use that ‘ideal’ pitch while talking. Consistently talking in a pitch that is too high or low can affect the voice box. Find your ideal voice (if needed with help from a speech therapist) and make it habitual. Are you consistently clearing your throat? Doing that too often can cause annoyance to the vocal cords. Reduce the habit, as far as possible. Try to clear the throat, at first, by drinking water. If that does not help, clear it by humming gently. If your profession demands you to use your voice often, take some voice ‘breaks’ from time to time. This will help take care of the voice and make sure it does not tire. Being aware when the voice ‘tires’ or ‘is not sounding its best’ is important. These are all indicators that it needs extra care. Resting the voice (‘voice rest’) is important to begin with. If the issue persists, seeking of professional help is important. If the voice is irritated due to inflammation such as during laryngitis. Take the (voice) rest that is needed. Follow the prescribed medication, if any, and drink a lot of fluids. Many a times we may skip the time for relaxation due to an overwhelming schedule, but that can prolong the recovery and may cause further complications. Few medical issues – such as gastric reflux, allergies or asthma – can affect the vocal system. Seek advice of a physician early on to eliminate or treat these conditions before they begin to affect the voice. Limiting self-medication is vital. Few medicines may aggravate or irritate–the throat, vocal system and cords. Seek proper medical advice and take prescribed medication, as far as possible. Many of these tips require you to be aware of the voice and how it’s being used. Such simple introspection is important for developing good vocal hygiene. All Above  point 10 Tips for Taking Care of Your Voice If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at info@1specialplace.com Book your appointment now For more ideas check out our other related blogs View this post on Instagram A post shared by 1SpecialPlace | Speech Therapy (@1specialplace) #PreventionofVoiceDisorders #vocalhygiene