Chumani Poswa Speech Therapy

14/01/2022

The beginning of a new school year is an exciting yet anxious time for both parents and children. It typically brings a change in the daily routine established over the summer months. This transition can be especially challenging for families with children on the autism spectrum. While change can be difficult, the following tips will help prepare a child with ASD for the new school year and make the transition back to school easier.

1. Prepare and reintroduce routines.
Familiarize and reintroduce your child to the school setting. This may mean bringing your child to the school or classroom, showing your child a picture of their teacher and any classmates, or meeting the teacher before the first day of school. Driving by the school several times is another good idea.

2. Expect the unexpected.
Parents cannot anticipate everything that might happen during the school day. Allow more time for all activities during the first week of school. Prepare your child for situations that may not go as planned. Discuss a plan of action for free time, such as lunch and recess. Use social stories to familiarize your child with routines and how to respond when an unexpected event occurs.

3. Review and teach social expectations.
Although many children may transition easily between the social demands of summer activities and those required in the classroom, children on the autism spectrum may need more clear-cut (and literal) reminders. Review the “dos and don’ts” of acceptable school behavior. You can also create a schedule of a typical school day by using pictures and talk about how the school day will progress.

Rehearse new activities. Ask the teacher what new activities are planned for the first week. Then, prepare your child by performing, practicing, and discussing them. This rehearsal will reduce anxiety when new activities take place during the beginning of school.

In summary, do everything possible to help reduce the stress level for your child and family during this transition time. Don’t forget to prepare yourself! A calm and collected parent is better able to help their child make a successful transition back to school.
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31/05/2021

Speech therapy post at Khayelitsha Special School in Cape Town. You may start anytime.

If interested please contact this number 081 740 8292 for further information. 🌻

16/04/2021

03/03/2021

Good hearing and communication are important at all stages of life
Hearing loss (and related ear diseases) can be avoided through preventative actions such as: protection against loud sounds; good ear care practices and immunization.
Hearing loss (and related ear diseases) can be addressed when it is identified in a timely manner and appropriate care sought
People at risk of hearing loss should check their hearing regularly
People having hearing loss (or related ear diseases) should seek care from a health care provider

12/02/2021

The “Wait and See” concept is wrong when your child is not meeting milestones. Early intervention is important. Let’s start when the delay is still small rather than “waiting and see” and they have significant delays that are more difficult to overcome.

12/02/2021

Often parents here the words early intervention however seem to not know when exactly that means. I hope the following cards from mrsspeechiep I found will give some guidance to many parents.

29/10/2020

Aphasia

People who have had a stroke most commonly have speech and language difficulties.
Most often they have what we call APHASIA

People with Aphasia
May be disrupted in their ability to use language in ordinary circumstances.
May have difficulty in communicating their daily activities
May have difficulty in communicating at home,social,work and often feel isolated.

Remember when someone has Aphasia:
It is important to make the distinction between language and intelligence.
Many people mistakenly think they are not as smart as they used to be.
Their problem is that they have difficulty using language to communicate what they know.
They can think, just that they have difficulty saying what they are thinking.

Here are some tips you can use to begin to help in their recovery journey:
1. Educate yourself about aphasia so you can learn a new way to communicate.
2. Ask yes/no questions
3. Paraphrase during conversation
4. Modify the length and complexity of conversations
5. Use gestures to emphasize important points
6. Establish a topic before conversation

18/09/2020

Tips for reading with your infant or toddler

Each time you read to your child, you are helping her brain to develop. So read to your child every day. Choose books that you think your child will enjoy and will be fun for you to read.

Since younger children have short attention spans, try reading for a few minutes at a time at first. Then build up the time you read together. Your child will soon see reading timeas fun time!

Here are some things you can try:

* Read the same story again and again. The repetition will help her learn language.

* Choose books with rhymes or songs. Clap along to the rhythm and help your child clap along. As your child develops, ask her to fill in words. ("Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder what you ____.")

* Point to pictures and talk about them. ("Look at the silly monkey!") You can also ask your child to point to certain pictures. ("Where's the cat?")

* Talk about events in your child's life that relate to the story. ("That bear has blue pajamas just like you do!")

* Ask your child questions about the story. ("Is that bunny hiding?") As your child

Say how much you enjoy reading

Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her. Talk about "story time" as the favorite part of your day.

Read with fun in your voice

Read to your child with humor and expression. Use different voices. Ham it up!

Read it again and again

Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!