Speech Language Pathology by Mikayla

I finally made a website! Hopefully itll be a one-stop shop to answer all of your questions about the services that I offer. www.snowflakespeech.com

Im grateful and excited for all of my clients that are starting or continuing with me in September! If you are looking for a private SLP in the Fort Saskatchewan area to support your child with their speech and language, please get in touch soon! Email me at [email protected] for all the details and/or to book a session!

Finally designed and ordered some business cards to help promote my speech and language services! Loving how they turned out Two teachers that I know have generously offered to take some to school with them - let me know if you have any other ideas as to where else I should have them available!

Reading books with your children is SO important for vocabulary and language development. Heres a great guide to reading with kids of different ages, plus some specific book ideas for each age! https://www.todaysparent.com//reading-to-kids-age-by-age/

http://www.sedencentre.ca/assessment.html I do not offer standardized speech and language assessments as part of my services, but here is one of the places that does! Seden Centre is a wonderful preschool that has an onsite classroom and also does offsite PUF programming for little ones

It can be hard to talk to children about something as serious and scary as COVID-19, but its important that they have all the information. Dont be afraid to ask your kids what/if they know about coronavirus and if they have any questions. Encourage them to wash their hands often and to keep their distance from people outside their household. Show them how to be a responsible citizen and lead by example - announce out loud when you are washing your hands, maintaining physical distance, and wearing a mask, and why you are doing so. Lets keep each other safe! https://littlepuddins.ie//The-Corona-Virus-Free-Printable-

Parents are vital in childrens speech and language development!! They are with their child the most and are the absolute experts on motivating them and helping them to do their best. Here are some activities parents can do to encourage their childs continued language development as they go from Kindergarten into Grade 1 and onwards: - Praise your child when they talks about their feelings, thoughts, hopes and fears... - Comment on what you did or how you think your child feels - Sing songs, rhymes with your child - Continue to read longer stories - Talk with your child as you would an adult - Look at family photos and talk to them about your family history - Listen to your child when they talk to you Find milestones and more activity ideas here: http://www.ldonline.org/article/6313

Today I have a virtual session with my first two clients since beginning private practice, starting in just a few minutes. I am so grateful for that, and for all of the emails Ive gotten from parents asking about my speech and language services! If youre looking for a speech-language pathologist in Fort Saskatchewan to give your child a boost, dont hesitate to reach out. Email me at [email protected] to get started!

I cant overstate the unfairness of excluding kindergarten children from receiving PUF funding. These kids are still in the critical early intervention age when intervention has the potential to make the biggest difference. Its very disappointing for Albertan children, parents, educators, and everyone who wants the best for these children and their families. "ATA president Jason Schilling is expressing concern about how education underfunding will continue to affect schools.... You dont need to be good at math to see that more students with no additional funding means larger classes, he said. More students will go without learning supports and the individual attention they need to be successful; teachers will not be able to fill the widening gaps. Schilling also expressed grave concerns over the loss of Program Unit Funding (PUF) for kindergarten students. There will be program cuts to supports for five year olds with severe delays and disabilities, said Schilling. The government is downplaying the effect of this cut, but teachers know that these kids benefit greatly from early interventions that will no longer be there. This cut is simply immoral." Full article from the Alberta Teachers Association addressing the 2020 budget here: https://www.teachers.ab.ca//Budget-2020-restores-some-cuts

We dont know what school or speech and language services are going to look like come September, and its still a good idea to stay home as much as possible to keep everyone safe! You can work on speech and language in a fun way with downloadable apps. Here are some recommendations from a stay-at-home mom for the top 5 speech and language apps for toddlers. https://fromabcstoacts.com/apps-for-speech-therapy/

Ever wondered if your child is where they are supposed to be with speech sounds? This app gives parents the chance to complete an articulation test for free up to 5 times! I cant wait to try it out myself! http://www.littlebeespeech.com/articulation_test_center.php

I am currently accepting new clients! Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested in speech and language therapy for your child I look forward to hearing from you!