Communication Development
Strategies to support your child's communication development within their everyday routines and play.
On the Blog...
Language Development Tip: Reading on Repeat
You don’t always need new books. Sure - it’s nice to have new stories to read but I already know that your little one likes their favourite books on repeat....
Speech errors kids make: Gliding
The /r/ and /l/ sounds are often quite hard to say for little ones. That’s why they often replace them for a /y/ or a /w/ sound instead. We’ve all...
Where did I come from? Photos from Language Development
Most kids LOVE to look at pictures of themselves when they were younger. I know the mums who went to SPACE class with me thought I was a little nuts...
Tempt them to communicate: Do the unexpected
If you were looking for permission to be really silly - here it is. Doing the unexpected is a wonderful way to spark your child's interest, get their attention and...
Speech errors kids make: Cluster reduction
When a Speech and Language Therapist talks about 'speech', they mean the sounds that words are made up of (not the words themselves). A child with speech difficulties may say...
Use their special interest
Many of your little ones may have already developed a special interest. A special interest is just something that they love and are drawn to. For August - it's bins!...
Speech errors kids make: Final consonant deletion
When a Speech and Language Therapist talks about 'speech', they mean the sounds that words are made up of (not the words themselves). A child with speech difficulties may say...
Language Everywhere: 🐝🐝🐝
Language is everywhere and there's an infinite amount of new words that your little one has the potential of learning. Remember - language isn't inside your child waiting to come...
Clap out the syllables in longer words
ALL CHILDREN drop syllables from longer words at some point in their development. Its called 'weak syllable deletion' - and it just means that they drop the weaker, less pronounced...
Early signs your child is on the Autism Spectrum
Autism Spectrum Disorder is just that; a spectrum. Its not a straight line from 'not autistic' to 'very autistic', it's a vibrant colour palette of characteristics that a person with...
Fun ways to teach body parts
My heart hurt as I wrote 'hokey tokey' for my fellow kiwis. It's 'hokey cokey' in the UK (where I'm from) and I've learned it's 'hokey pokey' in the USA....
How speech sounds develop: The last lot
Some sounds are harder to say than others. If you haven't already, check out my first 2 posts on the 'early eight' and 'next nine' speech sounds that typically develop...
How speech sounds develop: The next 9
Some sounds are harder to say than others. If you haven't already, check out my first post with 'the early 8' to learn which speech sounds typically develop first. This...
How speech sounds develop: The early 8
Some sounds are harder to say than others, so we don't tend to hear children say them until they're older. Knowing WHEN sounds typically develop will ensure that you're not...
Don't miss the teaching opportunity
I hear SO MANY people missing the teaching opportunity by saying "good boy" or "good girl". If this is you - don't be offended! I can FEEL the excitement of...
Fill them up with language: Swimming Edition
Just LOOK how much vocab you can teach when you take your little one swimming. And this is MINIMUM - there'll be so many more things specific to your local...
Say and sign before you do: Water
Being able to ask for a drink is so important - especially as summer is approaching. We're all fab parents so we tend to anticipate our little one being thirsty...
Ear Infections & Language Development
Babies and young children get more ear infections than adults do because their anatomy is a little different. We all have tubes in our ears that drain fluid, but in...
If your baby isn't talking yet
You can help your little one to learn how to talk to you by making noises and having fun.You read that correctly.Way before talking develops (from birth, actually) your little...
Say it back correctly
It takes a long time for little ones to master saying words correctly, and along the way they tend to have all kinds of cute ways to say things. It's...
