Bright Expressions LLC

Bright Expressions LLC *Facilitating Language Development Through Play*
Play-based speech & language therapy for littles

Are you a Tester or a Teacher?If you’re a tester, I promise you’re not alone! The good news is that it’s never too late ...
08/26/2025

Are you a Tester or a Teacher?

If you’re a tester, I promise you’re not alone! The good news is that it’s never too late to make the shift from tester to teacher.

🙊 When we want to encourage young children to talk, we tend to ask them a lot of questions.

🤔 But here’s the thing…asking all those questions doesn’t actually TEACH them anything at all.

📝 Think about taking a test. You don’t take a test to LEARN anything; you take a test to show what you already know.

🌟 If we want to help children learn how to talk/communicate, we have to teach instead of test.

💡 We can teach by making comments and modeling simple language!

🎉 Instead of asking your child a question, make a comment about what you see. Add a fun sound or gesture to your comment and see how your little one reacts.

Will you try making this shift? Let me know in the comments below!

There’s no wrong way to play. But there may be ✨more✨ ways to play! 🚙 One of my favorite things about being a pediatric ...
08/18/2025

There’s no wrong way to play. But there may be ✨more✨ ways to play!

🚙 One of my favorite things about being a pediatric speech-language pathologist is that I get to show families more ways to play with the toys their little ones already love.

🚛 The next time you reach for those cars and trucks, try incorporating some new sound effects and vocabulary into your play!

What is your child’s favorite toy at the moment? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️

Have you ever watched a speech therapy session and thought, “Aren’t they just playing?” If so, you’re not alone! We hear...
08/07/2025

Have you ever watched a speech therapy session and thought, “Aren’t they just playing?”

If so, you’re not alone! We hear it all the time.

Hi 👋 I’m Alison, a pediatric speech-language pathologist. If your toddler’s speech therapy session looks like play, that’s because it is!

But it’s not JUST play. The way a speech therapist plays is:
✨ Intentional
✨ Purposeful
✨ Full of evidence-based strategies
✨ Individually tailored to your child
✨ Building rapport
✨ Creating opportunities for communication
✨ Following your child’s lead
✨ Full of ongoing assessments
And most importantly…
✨ Teaching YOU how to play in a way that supports your child’s language development

If you aren’t sure WHY your speech therapist is doing something a certain way, just ask!

Questions about play-based speech therapy? Drop them in the comments below! 👇🏼

Your little one may have more words than you realize! Did you know that all of these count as words? ⬇️ 🐮Animal sounds t...
08/01/2025

Your little one may have more words than you realize!

Did you know that all of these count as words? ⬇️

🐮Animal sounds that contain speech sounds. For example, “moo” counts as a word, but I wouldn’t count a growl as a word.

💥 Exclamatory words like “uh oh” and “boom” count! We often hear some of these words fairly early because they are fun to say.

💛 Children often don’t say words correctly when they are first learning to talk, so approximations also count!

🤟 Signs count too! Signing is an excellent way to encourage early communication, reduce frustration, and support overall language development. If your goal is spoken language, always pair the spoken word with the sign, and listen for those spoken words too!

💬 In order to count as a word, children need to be using them independently, consistently, and with meaning.

☀️ Don’t forget to share with a friend who has tiny humans in their life!

Questions? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️

🎉 Did you know all of these count as words? It’s true! These fun words are sure to grab your child’s attention during pl...
07/30/2025

🎉 Did you know all of these count as words?

It’s true! These fun words are sure to grab your child’s attention during play.

Children love these words for several reasons:

🤩 We often use them during a fun and motivating activity
🤩 Many of these words contain early-developing speech sounds, making them fairly easy to imitate
🤩 We often use loud voices with varied intonation, which captures your little one’s attention
🤩 They are fun!

✨ Be sure to save this post for the next time you play!

Does your child love bathtime? 🛁 🧼 If so, it’s a great opportunity to play! Quick tips to get the most of out it ⬇️ 🛁 Us...
11/01/2024

Does your child love bathtime? 🛁

🧼 If so, it’s a great opportunity to play!

Quick tips to get the most of out it ⬇️

🛁 Use a variety of fun sounds and sound effects
🛁 Model different types of words (nouns, verbs, describing words, etc.)
🛁 Pair actions with words or sounds (say SPLASH when you splash, say POP when you pop a bubble, etc.)
🛁 Incorporate your child’s favorite toys

🥴 If bath is a struggle, then forget about all of this and just survive. You’re doing great.

What are your go-to bath toys?? Let me know below! ⬇️

Did you know this about speech therapy? 🤔 💫 Speech therapy can happen anywhere! It doesn’t have to be in a certain locat...
10/28/2024

Did you know this about speech therapy? 🤔

💫 Speech therapy can happen anywhere! It doesn’t have to be in a certain location or look a certain way.

💫 We need to meet kids where they are…literally! Wherever they are comfortable, that’s where the best therapy will happen. This will look different for everyone.

💫 Where/when have you (or your children) done speech therapy? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️

If your little one is 10-12 months, you’re going to want to save this post!✨ As a pediatric speech-language pathologist,...
10/18/2024

If your little one is 10-12 months, you’re going to want to save this post!

✨ As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I am asked about milestones almost every single day.

✨ Milestones are important because they help us identify when a child may need some extra support.

✨ They can also be a big source of stress for parents. If we fixate on them too much, they have a way of robbing our joy.

✨ If you are already aware of milestones and your little one is getting the support they need, then I encourage you to toss this post to the wind. These milestone posts are helpful for many people, but I do realize they don’t serve everyone 💛

What ages would you like to see next? Let me know in the comments below!
Milestone information taken from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and can be found at www.asha.org

Does your child have a baby doll at home? If you find yourself saying the same thing over and over when you play, don’t ...
10/11/2024

Does your child have a baby doll at home?

If you find yourself saying the same thing over and over when you play, don’t worry…you’re not alone! It can be easy to feel like you are stuck in a rut.

✨ Quick tips to get the most out of your baby doll play 👇

🍼 Model a variety of word types (nouns, verbs, describing words, social words)

🍼 As you say a word, pair it with the action (rock, pat, eat, drink, etc.)

🍼 Use fun sound effects and words (burp, slurp, pee-ew!)

🍼 Model and wait. Do something with a baby doll, and then wait to see if your child will imitate.

Will you give any of these a try? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️
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Phoenix, AZ
85048

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Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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