Beyond Words Waterloo Speech and Language Services
105 Lexington Rd Unit #18 N2J 4R8 Waterloo, ON, Canada

Are you feeling the pressure to fill summer with nonstop activity for your children, but struggling to do so? Good news! Psychologists recommend kids be bored in the summer. It gives children the opportunity to learn how to fill their time and occupy themselves in ways that make them happy - something we are expected to do on our own as adults. When their time is not entirely filled and facilitated for them, they have the chance to learn and discover what truly interests them, and to employ their imaginations. Consider making a list at the beginning of the summer of options when there is 'nothing to do'. It can include simplistic ideas like colour or go for a walk, or more elaborate tasks like bake something or practice photography. https://qz.com//to-be-more-self-reliant-children-need-bo/

Phonemic awareness is the ability to play with sounds in spoken language, including blending, segmenting, deleting, and manipulating sounds. The important difference to remember is the focus on sounds, not letters, as in phonics. How can you support your child's phonemic awareness skills at home? Enter Sounder and Friends! Learn more about phonemic awareness, its importance and impact, and activities to accompany episodes on the Sounder and Friends website. Here you can... access the short episodes where a mischievous racoon uses magic to switch sounds in a word - which changes the object and creates chaos! A loveable dog and her human friends have to find the original sounds to restore order and save the day! http://www.sounderandfriends.com/education.php

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month! How can a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) help you or someone you know? This visual and it's description, created by Susana Riera of Oak Therapy explains areas in which SLPs can provide support:... Speech Sound Disorders : production of specific speech sounds to increase intelligibility to the listener. Cognitive skills: ability to attend to tasks, use our memory, organize information, solve problems, & use reasoning skills Receptive Language : understanding of language, ability to attend and follow instructions Expressive Language: ability to express our thoughts, emotions, wants, and needs . Fluency or Stuttering: smoothness of speech. Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia): ability to suck, chew, adequately manage food, & direct it into our esophagus. Feeding: SLPs also treat and diagnose children who experience difficulty during meals due to sensory deficits, decreased strength in masticatory ability, and/or behavioral difficulties . Social skills (pragmatics): ability to engage in reciprocal & meaningful interactions. Voice Disorders: ability to sustain a normal voice quality and resonance Play skills: ability to engage to play by taking turns, & use toys appropriately while exploring use of language AAC : use of alternative communication (i.e., signs, and devices) to AUGMENT communication (Credit: Susana Riera, @oaktherapy)

It's true, we are playing! But we are not "just playing". Play is an incredibly effective way for children to learn. When your child engages in play with their therapist - it may be with toys, games, social games and more - they are participating in designated activities chosen to activate their learning in a meaningful way. We are playing! And you can too! ... The Kitchener Public Library has a board game collection they are lending out in addition to their books. Check out their wide selection and enjoy fun and learning playing at home! https://www.kpl.org/board-games

Sorting stations, scavenger hunts, mini worlds, and seeds! In your own backyard, or outside where social distancing is possible, there are many ways to learn about and celebrate Earth Day with your family tomorrow while staying close to home. Whether you're upcycling items from around your home, planting seeds for the garden, or sorting recycling, keep an eye and an ear out for a wide variety of language skills including: following directions, categorizing, describing (size, location, function, material, function, sound, appearance, and countless others!). https://www.today.com//7-cool-ways-commemorate-earth-day-k

Setting your child up for therapy success! Your child's day might be filled with screen time for online school, or maybe they are returning home from in-person classes to then sit down at the computer for speech/language therapy. Either way, it can be a challenge to streamline the calm and focus of brain and body that provides for the best therapy sessions. Try out these beginner yoga poses with your child to help increase attention, sharpen focus, boost mood and more. ... Try one or two before it's time to sit down for a therapy session - just a few minutes spent focussed on body and breath can reduce jitters, distractions and is a simple way to ground your kids so they can get the most out of their therapy! https://www.highlights.com//family-ac/7-calming-yoga-poses

SLPs in the news! Following intubations and time on venitlators, COVID-19 patients can struggle with swallowing, eating, drinking, and speaking. Speech-Language Pathologists play an essential (but often unknown) role supporting patient recovery and rehabilitation as they learn to safely and effectively eat, drink and speak again after standard but intrusive procedures that can leave behind effects on airways and vocal cords. https://www.ctvnews.ca//the-speech-pathologists-helping-co

It's Random Acts of Kindness Day! Today is the perfect time to highlight opportunities and examples of kindness all around us. What does it mean to be kind? Is it only in the words we say or the things we do? Perhaps kindness lives within our hearts and thoughts, and our words and actions are just some of the ways we share our kindness with others. How can we be kind to others? And to ourselves? ... BE KIND is a heartfelt story about kindness - what it looks like, what it feels like, when it's easy, and when it's not. Randomactsofkindness.org will help inspire you and your family with posters, quotes, stories and ideas of how to spread kindness. Today and every day, choose kind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAo4-2UzgPo https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

Valentines is, of course, our hot topic in therapy this week. Along with stories and language games, we are making virtual valentines! If your kids are missing the chance to share their cards and creations with friends and family, give this is a try. Choose backgrounds, stickers, banners and more to create unique valentines. You can even save it and send it! The best part about creating the valentines individually is the chance to design each one with its recipient in mind. Encourage your child to think of who the card is for and what they like. When we're still being asked to stay apart, sending a virtual valentine is one small way to connect with those you love this Valentine's Day! https://www.abcya.com/games/make_a_valentine

Your mission: to be flexible by following your child's lead! This is one of the most effective ways to encourage and support your infants' and toddlers' early language development.