Speech and Language Services Deena Offet, M.Sc., SLP

08/22/2025

✨ Before words come… the building blocks of communication! ✨

Did you know that babies and toddlers develop pre-linguistic skills long before they start talking? 👶🗣️

Skills like:
👉 Eye contact
👉 Taking turns in interactions
👉 Imitating sounds, actions, and facial expressions
👉 Using gestures and pointing
👉 Joint attention (sharing focus on the same thing as someone else)

These early milestones lay the foundation for later speech, language, and social development. 💡 When children practice these skills, they’re building strong communication pathways that make words and sentences come more naturally later on.

🌱 The earlier we support these skills, the stronger the foundation for lifelong communication and learning.

If you have questions or want to know how to encourage your child’s pre-linguistic development, reach out—I’d love to help! 💬💙

08/15/2025

💡 “Some kids catch up on their own… but what if yours needs a little help?” 💡

🌟 Back-to-School = The Perfect Time for Speech & Language Check-Ins! 🌟

As summer winds down and routines start to settle back in, it’s the perfect opportunity to think about your child’s communication skills. Early intervention is key — the sooner we identify and support speech or language needs, the greater the impact on your child’s success in school and confidence in everyday life.

If you’ve noticed your child struggling with:
🗣️ Pronouncing certain sounds
📚 Following directions or telling stories
🤝 Social skills or play with peers
🍼 Still being a “late talker” compared to peers
💬 Stuttering or getting “stuck” on words
🔡 Early reading skills — rhyming, sound awareness, or recognizing letters/sounds

… don’t “wait and see.” Small concerns now can make a big difference later.

💬 Have questions? Wondering if your child’s skills are on track?
Reach out — I’m happy to chat, share resources, or help point you in the right direction. Let’s set our kids up for their best school year yet! 🍎✨

07/26/2025

I strongly agree! What looks like play and fun - which it is!!! - is loaded with goals and objectives!!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/192BCwKiMz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/29/2025

May marks Speech & Language Month! Join in the celebration by sharing and tagging 2 friends for a chance to win an Indigo gift card! This contest is open to everyone, with no requirement for client status. Communication is a fundamental aspect of human connection!

05/18/2025

Before children begin talking, they need to build their preverbal communication skills... the building blocks of language!

If your child isn't using many (or any) words yet, don’t worry! I am happy to help and will look at early developmental milestones that they may have missed and will support their growth in a meaningful way. These foundational skills help children learn how to communicate, connect, and eventually use words with purpose.

There are 10 important skills we work on before focusing on spoken words:
1️⃣ Reacting to people & events
2️⃣ Taking turns during interactions
3️⃣ Focusing on activities longer
4️⃣ Engaging in joint attention
5️⃣ Playing appropriately with toys
6️⃣ Understanding early words
7️⃣ Making purposeful sounds
8️⃣ Imitating actions, gestures, & sounds
9️⃣ Using early gestures (like waving , pointing )
🔟 Initiating interactions

Working together on these skills will help to create the foundation for strong language development, social communication, and future speech progress.

04/02/2025

April is Autism Awareness:

- go out and do the research about autism
-do the work to learn about stimming, autistic communication styles, the double empathy problem, autistic masking , and autistic burnout.
-learn about sensory differences and how it impacts more than the basic 5 ones.
-know that for some autistics autism is not a disorder, for some it is, and for still yet others it is an identity and a disability
-remember that children don't grow out of autism at 18 it is a life long neurological difference.
-know that the spectrum is not linear: no one is a little bit autistic and every one has different support needs in various areas of life and throughout the life span that those needs for support may change.

Autism Acceptance:
-create autistic safe and inclusive spaces in the community - schools, churches/mosques/synagogues, concerts, and sporting arenas
-learn about and accept as a difference autistic communication, empathy, and love languages.
-remember that autistic people exist every month not just April and should be included in the communities they live in every month.

To know autism is to love autism ❤️❤️

01/23/2025

Some quick check points!

10/03/2024

Kendra Bloomquist - congratulations!!!

Thanks to everyone!

10/02/2024

Give away!!!!!!! Read to the end to find out what ❤️☕️📚

Language and literacy - this is a very hot topic in my schools. When your school age child is struggling to read - it can be heartbreaking! Many times language skills (understanding, processing, vocabulary,recall …. the list goes on) can be a contributing factor to reading challenges.

Did you know that we start building the language-literacy connection as soon as our children are born and all the way through their preschool years. Early language and literacy skills are learned best through everyday moments with your child—reading books, talking, laughing and playing together. Children learn language when you talk to them and they communicate back to you, and by hearing stories read and songs sung aloud. During my therapy sessions I use song, literacy and play to not only encourage language development but also to build on this very important language-literacy connection.

So if you have made it to the end - here is your chance to win a gift card for witches brew for you and a book for your little. Share and follow my page and comment when done! Draw will be made on October 3rd!

09/06/2024

08/01/2024

Deena Offet SLP Services has stepped up to purchase 30 Blizzards for the Daycare ❤️ That makes only 60 left to sponsor the ENTIRE daycare ❤️ 100% Net proceeds from EVERY Blizzard Treat sold is donated to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon

05/15/2024

Speech and language are NOT the same!!!