Hear Say - Speech and language therapy

10/09/2021

A linguistic response to Covid 😆. https://youtu.be/OOtBV7QvyKU

Stay Sane & Carry On

22/04/2020

I have been spending the time in lockdown to make my practise ready for Tele-therapy. I have tried it with a few kids and find that they are as engaged and are progressing as well as they would with face to face therapy. They enjoy the interactive technology and have access to it when we have completed the session so that they can “play” again in the week and practise the skills we are working on. Parents enjoy not having to rush around for appointments, instead they click on a link and work from the safety of their bubble.

04/12/2019

This is so true.

23/04/2018

What are Phonological Processes?

If your child is aged between 1 and 3 years, you may be surprised to hear them naming things in a strange way, like saying “tow” for cow and saying “wa-wa” for water. This is because children use simplifications of adult speech, while their speech and language skills are developing. These simplifications are known as phonological processes. Up to the age of 3 this is appropriate. As your child grows and matures, their speech will develop too, and they will begin to sound more like the adults around them.
Interestingly, these phonological processes can follow certain “rules”, which your child may not be aware of because they do not always hear the differences in words. For example, they may leave off the first or last sounds in words, to reduce the number of sounds or syllables in a word. They may replace a sound that is said at the back of the mouth (K) with one that is said in the front (T), so you may hear them say “tat” for cat.

Correcting your child may lead to everyone feeling frustrated, so the best way to deal with phonological processes is to model good clear speech. For example, if your little one says “look a tow!” you could say “yes I see the cow.” By 4 to 5 years most children stop using phonological processes and their speech becomes understandable even to people outside of the home. If this is not the case, you may want to consider consulting a Speech Therapist to analyse which simplification patterns your child is using. The therapist will also be able to give you advice on correcting the phonological processes that are considered inappropriate for the child’s age.

I am happy to chat with you about any concerns you may have about your child’s speech.

22/10/2017

Yes to all ten!

26/05/2017

So true. I see this every day.

ne. She complains that her six-year-old son is unable to sit still in the classroom. The school wants to test him for ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder).

12/05/2017

What is an Auditory Processing Disorder?


Children that struggle with an Auditory Processing Disorder can't process the information they hear in the same way as others. It is as if their ears and brain don't fully co-ordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech sounds. These children do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. They find this especially challenging in the presence of background noise, which is a natural listening environment. This is different to a hearing loss; in that these children can hear well in optimum conditions (a sound proof booth) as would occur during a hearing test.
So children with APD have the basic difficulty of understanding speech signals presented under less than optimal conditions
A speech therapist can help children with the problems listed below, but the diagnosis is made by Audiologists after the age of 7-8 years.
1. Auditory Figure-Ground Problems: when a child can't pay attention if there's noise in the background. This makes noisy, low-structured classrooms very frustrating for the child to be in.
2. Auditory Memory Problems: when a child has difficulty remembering information such as directions, lists, or study materials. It can be immediate ("I can't remember it now") and/or delayed ("I can't remember it when I need it for later").
3. Auditory Discrimination Problems: when a child has difficulty hearing the difference between words or sounds that are similar (COAT/BOAT or CH/SH). This can affect following directions, reading, spelling, and writing skills, among others.
4. Auditory Attention Problems: when a child can't stay focused on listening long enough to complete a task.
5. Auditory Cohesion Problems: when higher-level listening tasks are difficult. Auditory cohesion skills — drawing inferences from conversations, understanding riddles, or comprehending verbal math problems — require heightened auditory processing and language levels. They develop best when all the other skills (levels 1 through 4 above) are intact.

Hear say is the name of my Speech and Language therapy practice based in Silverdale on the beautiful

01/03/2017

23/01/2017

I am learning about a whole new way of thinking that is blowing my mind!
See:
www.nzfeuerstein.org

Home

27/11/2016

Apps that stimulate language
In our ever changing world the way young children are learning is changing too. While some tablet applications merely entertain, there are some that are very engaging and educational. When choosing an app it is important to watch your child interact with it and be sure that actual learning is taking place rather than the child just eliminating options, thereby only really learning Cause – Effect. It will almost always be more beneficial to read books and play with your children, but if you want to make the most of “screen time”, here are a few of my favourite apps that are available at the App store (Apple). These games are appropriate for children aged between 3 and 6 years.
• Splingo’s language universe: Children follow instructions at varying levels of difficulty and earn rewards that help “Splingo” get back to his planet. Parents are able to set the accent as well as the level of difficulty according to the number of main words in an instruction, or according to nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives. In this way you can zone in on teaching more specific concepts or vocabulary.
• Tribal Nova has a range of games but look for the one named “Vocabulary and Grammar! Language development….”. One can choose from 3 levels in each of the sub games. The games target Sentence Formation, Vocabulary and Listening Comprehension.
• Sounds At Home: This app targets auditory awareness, phonemic awareness and following instructions, using familiar vocabulary related to the home.
• Preschool Adventure Island: allows children to explore various parts of the island that have different games that teach number concepts and easy addition, phonics, letters and patterns. Boys especially like the pirate theme of the App.
Until next time happy playing with your children!

06/11/2016

What is an Auditory Processing Disorder?


Children that struggle with an Auditory Processing Disorder can't process the information they hear in the same way as others. It is as if their ears and brain don't fully co-ordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech sounds. These children do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. They find this especially challenging in the presence of background noise, which is a natural listening environment. This is different to a hearing loss; in that these children can hear well in optimum conditions (a sound proof booth) as would occur during a hearing test.
So children with APD have the basic difficulty of understanding speech signals presented under less than optimal conditions
A speech therapist can help children with the problems listed below, but the diagnosis is made by Audiologists after the age of 7-8 years.
1. Auditory Figure-Ground Problems: when a child can't pay attention if there's noise in the background. This makes noisy, low-structured classrooms very frustrating for the child to be in.
2. Auditory Memory Problems: when a child has difficulty remembering information such as directions, lists, or study materials. It can be immediate ("I can't remember it now") and/or delayed ("I can't remember it when I need it for later").
3. Auditory Discrimination Problems: when a child has difficulty hearing the difference between words or sounds that are similar (COAT/BOAT or CH/SH). This can affect following directions, reading, spelling, and writing skills, among others.
4. Auditory Attention Problems: when a child can't stay focused on listening long enough to complete a task.
5. Auditory Cohesion Problems: when higher-level listening tasks are difficult. Auditory cohesion skills — drawing inferences from conversations, understanding riddles, or comprehending verbal math problems — require heightened auditory processing and language levels. They develop best when all the other skills (levels 1 through 4 above) are intact.
What is an Auditory Processing Disorder?


Children that struggle with an Auditory Processing Disorder can't process the information they hear in the same way as others. It is as if their ears and brain don't fully co-ordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech sounds. These children do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. They find this especially challenging in the presence of background noise, which is a natural listening environment. This is different to a hearing loss; in that these children can hear well in optimum conditions (a sound proof booth) as would occur during a hearing test.
So children with APD have the basic difficulty of understanding speech signals presented under less than optimal conditions
A speech therapist can help children with the problems listed below, but the diagnosis is made by Audiologists after the age of 7-8 years.
1. Auditory Figure-Ground Problems: when a child can't pay attention if there's noise in the background. This makes noisy, low-structured classrooms very frustrating for the child to be in.
2. Auditory Memory Problems: when a child has difficulty remembering information such as directions, lists, or study materials. It can be immediate ("I can't remember it now") and/or delayed ("I can't remember it when I need it for later").
3. Auditory Discrimination Problems: when a child has difficulty hearing the difference between words or sounds that are similar (COAT/BOAT or CH/SH). This can affect following directions, reading, spelling, and writing skills, among others.
4. Auditory Attention Problems: when a child can't stay focused on listening long enough to complete a task.
5. Auditory Cohesion Problems: when higher-level listening tasks are difficult. Auditory cohesion skills — drawing inferences from conversations, understanding riddles, or comprehending verbal math problems — require heightened auditory processing and language levels. They develop best when all the other skills (levels 1 through 4 above) are intact.

13/04/2016

What are Phonological Processes?

If your child is aged between 1 and 3 years, you may be surprised to hear them naming things in a strange way, like saying “tow” for cow and saying “wa-wa” for water. This is because children use simplifications of adult speech, while their speech and language skills are developing. These simplifications are known as phonological processes. Up to the age of 3 this is appropriate. As your child grows and matures, their speech will develop too and they will begin to sound more like the adults around them.
Interestingly, these phonological processes can follow certain “rules”, which your child may not be aware of because they do not always hear the differences in words. For example they may leave off the first or last sounds in words, in an attempt to reduce the number of sounds or syllables in a word. They may replace a sound that is said at the back of the mouth (K) with one that is said in the front (T), so you may hear them say “tat” for cat.

Correcting your child may lead to everyone feeling frustrated, so the best way to deal with phonological processes is to model good clear speech. For example if your little one says “look a tow!” you could say “yes I see the cow.” By 4 to 5 years most children stop using phonological processes and their speech becomes understandable even to people outside of the home. If this is not the case, you may want to consider consulting a Speech Therapist to analyse which simplification patterns your child is using. The therapist will also be able to give you advice on correcting the phonological processes that are considered inappropriate for the child’s age.

I am happy to chat with you about any concerns you may have about your child’s speech.

29/02/2016

How to read stories to young children.
Have you had the experience of trying to read a story to very young children only to find that you are reading to yourself as they bounce around the room or the bed?
That may be because the story or the language is at a too high level compared to the language skills of your child at that time. Although children are able to comprehend more than they are able to verbalise, it is still important to meet them at a language level that they can understand and to some degree imitate so that they are learning new language skills as you go. So if for example you child is 2 years old and is staring to combine words into 2-4 word sentences, it would be best to keep your sentences under 6 words in length. The content of the story should be simple and even repetitive to some degree. Illustrations need to capture the child’s attention and be concrete enough that the child can recognize objects.
When reading a book together you can maximise your child’s learning by making it an interactive experience. At first you could page through and see what captures your child’s attention. Name objects of interest and allow your child to comment on what they see. Lift the flap books are always good for creating anticipation or getting your child to guess what might be under the flap. When the child is familiar with the book try paging through again and if the content is too advanced you could paraphrase the story at a level that your child can understand. Children will often ask for the same books over and over and this is often because they are still learning something from the story with each retelling. You could also give them a turn to “read” the story to you and then you will be able to tell how much they have learned from it.

22/01/2016

Thanks to Debbie and Aaron for this testimonial:
“Tanya at Hear Say worked closely with our son for almost 2 years. She was patient, diligent and creative and managed to not only find ways to engage our son’s attention and develop his vocabulary, but to also instill in him a curiosity about learning and pride in his verbal expression. Tanya was adaptable and committed to keeping us (as parents) and our son’s preschool teachers informed and engaged in the whole process. We now have a confident boy who is ready to start school both at a technical academic level but also at a social and emotional level. We would not hesitate to recommend Tanya, and our son will miss their regular 1:1 sessions.”

22/01/2016

Looking forward to getting started in 2016!

31/08/2015

The Stimulation of early communication:
Last time we looked at how speech develops up to the point when you hear those very special first words. So how can you provide the best model of speech for your young child? Many parents feel that they do not want to talk “baby” to their young children. While its good not to use babyish words, it is important to stimulate your child at his or her level of understanding and expression so that they hear a good model of speech and are learning. How do you stimulate your child at just the right level?
Follow your child’s lead: Allow your child to initiate communication, this helps you know two important things:
Their level of communication and what is of interest to them. When you respond to their communications they are more likely to learn. Wait, look and listen to what interests them. Then give the child a chance to communicate. For example waiting to see if your child requests help opening something, or if the doorbell rings, allow them an opportunity to comment or react.
Be at the same physical level: get onto the floor with your child allowing them to see your face, putting you in a better position to follow your child’s lead.
Know what to expect: your child may communicate in various ways such as pointing, nodding and signs. One word may mean many different things; “bottle” may refer to anything they like to drink, or that they are thirsty. Your child may also use simplifications of words e.g. nana for banana.
Imitate or model the child's intended message as if you were speaking for your child. Baby says ‘a-a’ while trying to reach his water. Then you say “water”. If the child is able to say words, you can speak to the child using a short two word sentence like “drink water”, “yummy water” or “more water?” This way you are speaking at the level at which your child is able to learn and imitate you as well.
More tips next time.

29/06/2015

When I authored this app, I did not imagine it would be used like this....