Positive Parenting Tips

• Have 1-5 rules that cover every situation (This will help in remembering.)

1. Follow directions the first time they are given.

2. Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

3. Be kind to others.

4. Make good choices.

5. Try your best.

•       Be consistent (Follow through with rewards/consequences. When you say it, mean it.)
•       Have boundaries (Structure/hierarchy—clear and identified expectations, roles, and ways of doing things within the family)
•      Set consequences and/or rewards (Consequences-brief and immediate time-outs, take toy away, lose privileges... Attempt to take your emotion out of the consequence and remain calm. Rewards-praise, a treat, tickets/tokens, a trip to the park…) Have your child decide what consequence/reward they believe they should get. Have the reward/consequence be immediate. Choices have consequences and children must learn this.
•       Defined roles (In our family... My job as a mom is to... Your job as a student/son/daughter is to…) Ex: design a sticker chart or use a white board to identify daily chores, happy/sad faces…
•       Give position redirection (Distract your child by offering an alternative to his/her behavior)
•       Attempt to ignore the unwanted behavior, attend to something different, and then provide attention when your child behaves appropriately
•       Ignore the behavior (If not dangerous and minor)
•       Be clear (Telling your child to be home before dark may be 8:00 to you and 8:30 to your child.)
•       Provide signals (Ex: We are leaving in 3 min. You have five minutes before I expect you to be in bed. That includes going to the bathroom and brushing your teeth.) Set a timer or have child set a timer.
•       Use “I” statements (When you’re talking while I’m talking, I have to stop what I’m doing, and it frustrates me. You can also add an emotion to it for younger children. When I’m on the phone and you’re trying to talk, it makes me sad that you aren’t being kind to mommy and her friend. –incorporate rules. Also use in the positive: I am so happy that you are following the directions. Look at my smile.) This will give your child a sense of responsibility, as well as identifying the behavior that you dislike while not to label your child as bad. Positive behavior where a child receives praise and attention is the behavior that will continue. That makes me feel…
•       Provide reminders. (Ex: Where does your jacket go? Where do your shoes go after school?)
•       Plan ahead and prevent negative behaviors (When your child is hungry, tired…)
•       Give your child a choice that works for you (Ex: I want you to wear gloves because it’s cold out, and I don’t want you to get sick; do you want to wear your blue gloves or green gloves? I would like you to help with dishes, do you want to wash or dry them?) This empowers your child to make a decision. State the exact behavior you expect.
•       Spend fun time alone with your child
•      Talk positively to others about them in their presence
•       Learn cognitive and developmental milestones
•       Be a good model of behavior
•      Take care of yourself. Give yourself praise; being a parent is challenging. You’re doing the best you can! 

Speech Sounds Development

From the time your child begins to babble the beginning of speech sounds occur. When an infant begins "talking" it's music to our ears! The most common sounds heard in early babbling are /b, m, “y”, w/. Around the age of 9 months your child should start repeating syllables like “mama” and “dada”. By 12 months, your child should produce 1-6 words. Then, by 18 months, your child should produce 15 words and uses the following consonants /t, d, n, h/. 

During the beginning years of speech, errors in speech include omissions/deletions and substitutions. At the age of 2 a child should be understood 50% of the time, 75% at the age of 3, and 100% at the age of 4. By Kindergarten no phonological processes (speech error patterns) should persist. 

There are 24 consonants in the English language. They are broken down into the BEGINNING 8, MIDDLE 8, and LATE 8. The sounds are as followed:

Beginning 8 (ages 1-3):

/m, b, “y”, n, w, d, p, h/

Middle 8 (ages 3-6 ½):

/t, k, g, “ng”, f, v, “ch”, “dg”/

Late 8 (5-7 ½):

/”sh”, s, z, r, l, “zh”, voiced and voiceless “th”/

All sounds should be mastered by the approximate age of seven, or by the first grade.

The following definition was taken from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). An articulation disorder is a problem with the production or making of sounds (e.g. substitutions, omissions). Not all substitutions or omissions are speech errors; they could be a result of a dialect or accent. 

Some common causes for speech sound disorders include: hearing loss, developmental delay, genetic disorders (e.g. Down syndrome), etc. Hearing loss could result from multiple ear infections when a child is young. There are many speech sound disorders that have no known cause. Some children spontaneously recover and with time, will produce speech sounds correcltly. Other children will need the help from a professional. The duration and frequency of services would be determined at the time of the evaluation.A

If you are concerned with your child’s speech intelligibility (percentage of time you can understand your child), consult your physician or a speech-language pathologist (SLP). A SLP would listen to your child and use informal or formal assessment meansures to record speech productions. An oral motor examination is also done to determine if the muscles of the face move correctly (e.g. muscle tone and strength, range of motion, speed and coordination).

What can we do as parents do to help? Emerge your child in games that includes sounds you are targeting. A parent can do this through stories, providing a model, getting down at their child’s eye level to watch their lips, mouth, and jaw movement. Parents can play a naming game (e.g. tell me three thngs that are red that have your speech sound). Have your child tell a joke, give a compliment, make a phone call, etc. using their good speech sounds. Always remember that 'play' is a child's 'work'!

Resources:

(L. Twomey) Adapted from Shriberg’s Order of Speech-Sound Acquisition

www.asha.org

Touch Me, Baby!

A recent study demonstrated a correlation of touch between a caregiver and infant and their ability to learn new vocabulary. According to 'Touch Influences How Infants Learn Language',  in the July edition of the ASHA Leader, infants whose knees were touched, in occurrence with a spoken word, were able to respond to that word after 24 repetitions. Versus infants who were not touched, whom did not demonstrate any response to the word. As a mom, it's almost natural to always be touching your baby, tickling, them, playing with them while we talk to them. Encourage others whom you trust to interact with your baby the same way!

Reading Over the Summer!

Many parents know that it is good to read to their children, but many parents admit to not doing so on a daily basis, according to a new collaboration between several groups, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It has been reported, less than 50% of parents are reading to their child every day.

Reading to a child is one of the most important things you can do for their overall development...

Books are important starting in infancy, as early as six months! Children’s early literacy development is critical along with the frequency of reading. Reading allows a child to understand more words and in return, say more words, creating vocabulary development spurts. The more a child talks, the larger his/her vocabulary is, therefore, the easier and more readily they become readers.

Additionally, reading allows a parent/caregiver to play and build relationships with his/her child. Reading creates and allows for quality time and provides comfort and contact. There is no wrong way to read. Sometimes "reading" is simply describing the pictures in a book without following the written words.

During infancy and toddlerhood, choose books with different textures (e.g. felt, board, plastic, etc.) and topics. Books should have only a few words on each page and colors should be distinct. At six months a child should begin attending to pictures. Around 12 months a child should be maintaining attention to pictures. By 15 months a child should begin identifying nouns and actions in pictures.

Reading and writing does not come naturally, therefore we need to read every day. Reading teaches language and the single best predictor of how well a child is going to do in school is how much they know before they get there.  Make it reinforcing. Call around to a few restaurants to see if they have a rewards program. Make it fun. Choose materials that the child loves. MAKE READING A ROUTINE!

Resources:

http://www.best-books-for-kids.com/benefits-of-reading.html

Neuman, Susan. Research Shows Preventing Illiteracy Starts During Infancy.

Literacy Statistics:

§  80% of preschool and after-school programs serving low-income populations have no age-appropriate books for their children. (Neuman, Susan B., et al. Access for All: Closing the Book Gap for Children in Early Education. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2001, p. 3. )

§  Creating a steady stream of new, age-appropriate books has been shown to nearly triple interest in reading within months. Harris, Louis. An Assessment of the Impact of First Book’s Northeast Program. January 2003

§  An American kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds. The Forum for Youth Investment with the Ready by 21™ Partners. Getting the Most Out of Your Dropout Prevention Summit: Planning Guide. May 2008. Forum for Youth Investment and America’s Promise Alliance.

§  37 percent of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning. Landry, S. H. (2005). Effective Early Childhood Programs: Turning Knowledge Into Action. Houston, TX: University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston.

§  Half of youths with a history of substance abuse have reading problems. National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities. (1998). Children with reading disability. Washington, D.C.: Robert Bock.Half of these children from low-income communities start first grade up to two years behind their peers. Brizius, J. A., & Foster S. A. (1993). Generation to Generation: Realizing the Promise of Family Literacy. High/Scope Press.

§  Children from low-income families are at greater risk for entering school unprepared. 

§  According to a national longitudinal analysis by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), economically disadvantaged children may know only one or two letters of the alphabet when entering kindergarten, while children in the middle class will know all 26. Lee, V. E. & Burkam, D. T. (2002). Inequality at the starting gate: Social background differences in achievement as children begin school. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute.

§  Across the nation just under half of children between birth and five years (47.8%) are read to every day by their parents or other family members. Russ S, Perez V, Garro
N, Klass P, Kuo AA, Gershun M, Halfon N, Zuckerman B. Reading Across the Nation: A Chartbook (2007): Reach Out and Read National Center, Boston, MA.

§  By the age of 2, children who are read to regularly display greater language comprehension, larger vocabularies, and higher cognitive skills than their peers. Raikes, H., Pan, B.A., Luze, G.J., Tamis-LeMonda, C.S.,Brooks-Gunn, J., Constantine,
J., Tarullo, L.B., Raikes, H.A., Rodriguez, E. (2006). “Mother-child bookreading in low-income families: Correlates and outcomes during the first three years of life.” Child Development, 77(4).

§  The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that in the spring of 2000, the children who were read to at least three times a week by a family member were almost twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading compared to children who were read to less than 3 times a week. Denton, Kristen and Gerry West, Children’s Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Kindergarten and First Grade (PDF file), U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Washington,
DC, 2002.

Music: A Cure For All?

We've all heard how music therapy can do wonders for many populations including Autism, trauma, Alzheimer's, stuttering, pain management, etc.  How about for children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)?

I remember reading, in an ancient text from graduate school (okay, that was only seven years ago, not THAT ancient), that nursery rhymes could be beneficial in auditory training due to the predictable and repetitive rhyme. However, it wasn't until last months issue of the ASHA Leader did I see an article on music therapy enhancing the performance in CAPD individuals.

In the article titled, "This Is Your Brain On Music", the interviewee, Dana Strait, discusses his success with shaping cognitive development in those with Auditory Processing Disorder. He suggests starting by learning a single-lined instrument to reduce motor complexity. For example, a guitar or the drums. He also states that age 7 is a critical age in which white mater develops, leading to implications on a good age to start playing an instrument or, "making music", as he refers to it.

Strait goes on to discuss that if the process of learning is enjoyable, the child will make greater gains. Music is one way to enjoy learning. Strait couldn't provide research on the benefit of musical electronic games including Rock Hero; but, he did say that they could be a viable first step.  What Strait could say is that there is a direct correlation between the time spent practicing music and the amount of neural/cognitive benefit.

If you or someone you know may be interested in music therapy as benefit for Central Auditory Processing Disorder, please visit http://leader.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=1841209

S.

Tired from Listening

A recent article, from the March, 2014 edition of the ASHA Leader,  highlighted the relationship between hearing loss and fatigue. The study demonstrate that children with hearing loss suffered from general sleep/rest fatigue as well as cognitive fatigue more so  than their hearing peers. The study aimed to identify the impact that the fatigue due to hearing loss has on the education of elementary aged students.

This study could also be useful in generalizing effects not only to those with a hearing loss, but, also to student who have difficult with hearing/auditory-related difficulties. Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is the inability for the brain to process auditory information the way you and I do. CAPD, similar to hearing loss, is diagnosed by an Audiologist; however, often will go un-diagnosed in many children as these kids have normal hearing function. However, placed in a noisy or distracting environment, children with APD will seem to have attention issues, difficulty following directions, and recall challenges. Since hearing the differences in sounds is difficult, they may start to have problems in reading and spelling; similar to a learning disability.

So, if kids with a hearing loss are shown to fatigue more quickly than classmates with normal hearing, we might be able to assume,that children who have CAPD also will fatigue more easily. It's important that we keep a lookout for these kids in our schools, clinics, and homes.

More information of CAPD can be found at http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html

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Are Basic Concepts 'Basic' for All Children?

What exactly are basic concepts? Should my child know many of these concepts before kindergarten? According to Susie Loraine, M.A, CCC-SLP, “basic concepts are the foundation of a child’s education”. Basic concepts are commonly used words that aid in speech and language development. The understanding of basic concepts will help your child become successful in many environments (e.g. home, school, playground, etc.) and across situations and people.   We will provide you with a list of the most common basic concepts. This list is not complete.

• Basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink

• Quantities - one, one more, less, more, most, few, many, some

• Sequences - first, next, after that, and finally, before, after,

• Shapes - circle, triangle, square, rectangle, diamond, oval, round

• Size - small, large, big, little, huge, tiny

• Social/Emotional States (feelings) - happy, sad, mad, angry, silly, surprised

• Textures - bumpy, rough, smooth, soft, prickly, hard

• Time - morning, afternoon, evening, late, early, today, tomorrow, week, month, year, day

• Spatial Relationships- on, off, in, out, under, in front, behind, top, bottom, up, down,

As a parent, you are, more than likely, modeling many of these concepts during daily routines and play. Basic concepts allow your child to express him/herself in greater detail. It also allows them to understand and give meaning to their world, by following directions and carrying out activities of daily living independently. Around the age of 18 months, your child should have approximately 50 words in his/her vocabulary, typically words with high meaning for them (food items, toys, family members). At this time, children begin combining 2 words (e.g. "mommy go", "more cookie"). This is when a parent can begin modeling and demonstrating basic concepts. Talk about what you are doing, when you are doing it. Add descriptive words to what your child touches, looks at, plays with, smells, etc. This is called direct teaching. Children learn about their world primarily through play and interaction. Emphasize target words by saying it louder, this is referred to as auditory bombardment. For example, “ball”, “BIG ball”. Offer your child a choice of 2. For example, say “BIG ball or LITTLE ball?” Your child might make a verbal or gestural choice. If a gestural choice is made, label the item that was pointed to/reached toward/touched/etc. Repeat, label, and model the target concept many times. Use ‘error-free’ language. If you want your child to choose the BIG ball, have the big ball in closer proximity so you child is successful!

If your child is not combining 2 words, basic concepts should not be taught. Children should have a well-developed core vocabulary before adding basic concepts (descriptive terms). By the time your child is 3, he/she is understanding around 1,000 to 2,0000 words and should be saying around 1,000.

Frequently, basic concepts occur in pairs and have a tendency to be opposites. Teach a variety of concepts, but don’t teach two similar concepts at the same time (e.g.  two spatial concepts at the same time, two color concepts). For example, if teaching “big” do not teach “little” at the same time. When your child learns “big” and is consistently identifying the target word correctly, introduce “little”.  There are many games that incorporate basic concepts (e.g. Candyland, Mr. Potato, balloons, memory, hide-and-seek, etc.), if not, add your own descriptive words to your daily routines and activities.

Most importantly, PLAY and have fun!

 Written by Angie

References:

Chamberlain, C. E. (1990). Best concept workbook ever: Your picture worksheets for teaching

basic concepts (vocabulary, language 4 thru 7 years, preschool thru 2nd grade). Linguisystems.

Wiig, E. H. (2004). Wiig assessment of basic concepts®. Greenville, SC: Super Duper®

Publications.

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