Speech Spark Therapy Services, LLC

04/28/2025

Had such a fun time chatting with parents and meeting kiddos at the spring fling with 🌼🌷

10/24/2023

Had so much fun recognizing and celebrating the Apraxia Stars at the 2023 DC Walk for Apraxia! 🗣️🌟

09/08/2023

Can you solve the sound cue puzzle? …

It’s F-R-I-D-A-Y! 🤸‍♀️ I’ve used the speech sounds cues more than a few times this week along with these fun magnet people to increase motivation, production of target words/ phrases, and to get some giggles. Because what’s a therapy session without a little spark of fun that’s worth communicating about? ✨

08/15/2023

I like to introduce a few basic signs early on! And if you have a late talker- don’t be shy to start with signs! Communication is more than spoken words—messages are conveyed through the use of gestures, signs, body language, visual pictures, written words, spoken speech and combination of all the above! Often times the use of signs and gestures may precede a spoken word. I like this book by Lane Rebelo. It gives the reader instructions on how to produce the sign and an example of when you could use each one. The book is also well illustrated and representative of many colors and cultures. Note that it may be helpful to watch a short video of some of the signs in case written visuals/directions are confusing. Swipe to the end to see one of my fave apps for early sign language video demonstrations. 🤟🏻

07/26/2023

Windup back Wednesday to these Jelly Belly mixed emotions find!
These were fun to incorporate into a speech session I had with a student who 1. LOVED jelly beans and 2. He was working on social communication goals including identifying emotions and perspective taking! Sadly, these fun jelly bellies are no longer available for purchase. What are some fun treats you like to use to make your sessions a little more sweet (all in moderation and with parent approval, of course) 😉

06/27/2023

Let’s talk about using gestures and signs to communicate!

Language- our words, are SYMBOLIC! If your little one is not quite imitating or using words verbally yet, try pairing some “power” words with it’s gesture or sign (“power” words are functional, frequent, and impactful words such as “go, up, hi/bye, stop, more, help, yes/no, all done”, etc) Pairing signs and gestures with words will help your child understand the symbolic nature of language and let you know that she/he connects meaning to a nonverbal action. Furthermore, incorporating the use of gestures and signs may help reduce frustration because your child will have an alternative way to communicate if they aren’t quite ready to verbally produce the word(s) yet. Children can usually imitate a motor movement (sign/gesture) before a verbalized word. Communication comes in many forms, including use of pictures, signs, gestures, body language, facial expressions, and words! 🫶🏻 ✌️

~happy communicating. 🗣️

06/21/2023

New post on the blog! Speech and language fun in the kitchen! check it out for some language boosting ideas while baking delicious brownies!

As long as you're okay with a little bit of mess, bring your kids into the kitchen often so that they can learn to help out and soak in the experience and teachable moments! It's SO fun to be in the kitchen, our little ones are usually eager to help in mixing, sprinkling, and rolling. Being sure an....

06/16/2023

A reminder that 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 is free and fills your bucket as well! 🌈

What else is free and a great resource to parents and educators alike? The 𝓁𝒾𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎！

Reading to your child is one of the best things you can do to help strengthen comprehension, phonemic awareness , and social/emotional development! 📚

Today’s library haul includes lessons on 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 and 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 as well as the very important quest for mermaid capture! 🧜‍♀️

06/01/2023

Some simple, language rich toy and activity ideas for your little ones!

Whether you are looking to occupy your toddler with a language rich activity on a rainy day or you're spending some quality time with your little niece all toys and activities are not created equally. Here are a few of my favorite activities and toys for 12 month-24 months of age: Books: Picture boo...

05/30/2023

As we know well, our little ones feel BIG feelings!! These emotions may be difficult for them to identify, process, and regulate.
•
Emotions such as anger, jealousy, fear, frustration, and excitement can result in big reactions! 🌋
•
We want to help our kiddos recognize various emotions, COMMUNICATE how they are feeling, and practice using effective strategies to manage these big feelings.
•
Here are a few of my favorite resources for talking about and understanding emotions! Do you have a fave go-to when working on emotions?

05/22/2023

Hooray for an easy and cheap activity! Stickers are magic to boost fun for young ones! Grab colored paper, include some corresponding stickers and let them get busy! If your stickers are in shapes of different nouns, talk about each one (where do you find them? What do they eat/do, etc). After the matching activity is completed, extend it by having your child/student find one more thing that matches the color, scavenger hunt style! 🌈 🔍

02/14/2022

Since I’ve been doing mostly teletherapy this past year, I’ll admit I miss the hands-on activities! I actually made a few crafty cards with some of my online students this week! They were challenged to give me their best verbal directions to help me create the card they wanted. (put the sticker in the center, wrap the pipe cleaner around the stick, etc) I am also grateful to have my toddler to do these fun crafts with as well. This little activity was rich in language opportunities, practice with fine motor skills, and to got those creative juices flowing!! 💝 Happy Love Day all!