Fun Idea

A friend of mine recently got me involved in Pinterest.  It's a lot of fun.  My favorite thing I have found so far are these: 

And to give credit where it is due, here is where the idea comes from:
http://livingandlearningnow.blogspot.com/2009/03/word-family-eggs.html

Gone

I have been remiss in posting...we recently moved.  I am back online and should have a new post soon!

Words...

I frequently get mixed up with some of the terminology of speech therapy.  So, I thought if I write down the words and what they mean, they will stay in my head better.
Language is made up of four sets of rules:
1. Pragmatics - context of use of language
2. Syntax - rules of grammar
3. Semantics - meaning (of words, signs, sentences, etc)
4. Phonology - rules of pronunciation
I went to my favorite website, dictionary.com for the definitions and then condensed them in my own words.
These are the basics.

 I also forget which sounds go under which category, so here they are: (this is called manner)
Stops: /p, b, t, d, k, g/
Nasals: /m, n, ŋ (sounds like the ng in 'ring')/
Fricatives: /f, v, s, z, ʃ (sh), ʒ (si in vision), θ (th in thin), ð (th in this)/
Affricates: /dʒ (j in jump), tʃ (ch)/
Liquids: /l, r/
Glides: /w, h, j (y in you)/

I also have to remember the place each sound takes place, such as:
Bilabial: articulated with both lips (such as M)
Labiodental: articulated with lower lip and upper teeth (such as F)
Dental: articulated with the tongue against upper teeth (such as T)
Alveolar: articulated with the tongue against upper gum ridge (the alveolar ridge) (such at D)
Palatal: articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate (such as /j/ or Y)
Velar: articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate (such as G)

Email from a professor

I wanted to give you a brief report about our recent trip to South Vietnam.  Janet Fuller and I, along with 4 of our wonderful graduate students, participated in a teacher and audiology training program at the Thuan An Center, which is a deaf education school just outside of Ho Chi Minh City.  The program provided training to approximately 90 teachers, 18 audiologists, and 40 families (most of whom traveled many, many hours by motorcycle to attend). The teachers who attended represented 35 schools and early intervention programs throughout South Vietnam.  We toured two hospitals, met with several physicians and other personnel who are dedicated to improving services to young children with hearing loss.  In addition, we were able to fit 30 hearing aids on young children who otherwise would not receive this technology.  Our students, Jane Fenton, Liz Hankins, Kate Powell, and Jeanette Smoot, were amazing.  Their contribution was significant beginning first thing in the morning and continuing until late into the evening.  They did training to large groups, small groups, and individuals.  They organized events, prepared materials, took care of last-minute or unexpected details, and entertained many, many children.  I received numerous compliments regarding their knowledge and skills, with many comments along the lines of “what would we have done without them here” ….I felt like a proud mom.

It was a wonderful experience and brought together people who live half a world apart who, despite the language barrier, have the same desires to provide the best services possible to children with hearing loss.

You can visit the blog at:  http://childrenwithhearingloss.blogspot.com/

Lauri Nelson, PhD

Assistant Professor 

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education

Utah State University