In grading some papers today, I came across one where the student was baffled at the fact that an SLP would allow a child 'play breaks' between test sets. I believe that play can be very constructive. For this specific example, speech assessments can be long and taxing. Most children (especially pre-school age) NEED a break. They are not accustomed to sitting for long periods of time. A one or two minute play break is plenty and helps them perform better/more accurately and they are happier.
Play therapy is one of the best ways to engage children in "work." They will be learning and growing and progressing while having fun. Drill is the most effective therapy, but if a child gets drilled to the point that they do not want to attend therapy, they will do worse. A good mix of drill and play is best!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Versatile Blogger Award
Thanks to Joshua for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award.
The rules in accepting this award: Thank the person who nominated you. Tell 7 things about yourself so that your readers may learn more about you and nominate 7 other newly discovered bloggers and let them know you nominated them.
1. I am in school full time. Senior year! yay!
2. I am a wife. And mother of four beautiful, wonderful children, two boys, two girls.
3. Growing up I moved three times, in the same town. Married, I have moved 15 times, in three different states.
4. I am the third child out of nine.
5. I am terrified of water and still can't swim. (Even movies with the ocean get my heart racing)
6. I was the Salutatorian (Ranked 2nd) at my high school graduation.
7. My mother passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2005. November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month.
7 Versatile Bloggers
1. Domestic Ventures! - this is my sister's blog. She is SO creative and makes the cutest stuff. This is what I do on my downtime...craft!
2. If Only I had Super Powers - An SLP's blog that I have read and gained great tips from.
3. Play on Words - Great tips for play speech therapy. It doesn't have to all be drill.
4. Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits - A teacher with fun tips that can be used in any classroom.
5. Speech Lady Liz - A great place for speech games and homework.
6. Free Language Stuff - Every SLP needs help with ideas, and who doesn't love free!
7. Mommy Speech Therapy - A great resource when you have questions and get help. Also, the best therapy for kids is in the home!
There are SO many resources out there. I LOVE the internet and the ease with which we can share ideas and tips and games and frustrations. There are many more out there!
1. I am in school full time. Senior year! yay!
2. I am a wife. And mother of four beautiful, wonderful children, two boys, two girls.
3. Growing up I moved three times, in the same town. Married, I have moved 15 times, in three different states.
4. I am the third child out of nine.
5. I am terrified of water and still can't swim. (Even movies with the ocean get my heart racing)
6. I was the Salutatorian (Ranked 2nd) at my high school graduation.
7. My mother passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2005. November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month.
7 Versatile Bloggers
1. Domestic Ventures! - this is my sister's blog. She is SO creative and makes the cutest stuff. This is what I do on my downtime...craft!
2. If Only I had Super Powers - An SLP's blog that I have read and gained great tips from.
3. Play on Words - Great tips for play speech therapy. It doesn't have to all be drill.
4. Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits - A teacher with fun tips that can be used in any classroom.
5. Speech Lady Liz - A great place for speech games and homework.
6. Free Language Stuff - Every SLP needs help with ideas, and who doesn't love free!
7. Mommy Speech Therapy - A great resource when you have questions and get help. Also, the best therapy for kids is in the home!
There are SO many resources out there. I LOVE the internet and the ease with which we can share ideas and tips and games and frustrations. There are many more out there!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Communication
There are "rules" to communication. Here are some as addressed in one of my classes.
Tacitly agree to share one another's interests. We commit our mental resources to attending to our communication partner's message, and respond to the message in a way that furthers the discussion.
Ensure that no single person does all of the talking. We do not dominate the conversation with our own talking, and we don not expect our communication partners to bear the onus of continuing the conversation alone. We share speaking turns.
Participate in choosing what to talk about, and participate in developing the topic. Typically, there is not a "chief" who leads the conversation , and who alone decides what is talked about and how that subject is developed. Rather, all participants play a role, at some point or other, in deciding what is talked about and in shaping the direction in which the discussion progresses.
Take turns in an orderly fashion. Everyone should have a chance to contribute to the conversation, and to end a contribution before someone else begins their speaking turn. This means that interruptions do not occur too often.
Try to be relevant to the topic of conversation. If a conversation is centered on automobiles and someone abruptly begins to talk about a recipe for cornbread, that individual has violated an implicit rule of conversation by not being relevant to the discussion.
Provide enough information to convey a message without being verbose. In a conversation, we expect our communication partners to deliver their message in a fairly succinct way, and in a manner that maintains our interest in listening.
Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone who does not "follow" the rules? Tell me about your experience.
Tacitly agree to share one another's interests. We commit our mental resources to attending to our communication partner's message, and respond to the message in a way that furthers the discussion.
Ensure that no single person does all of the talking. We do not dominate the conversation with our own talking, and we don not expect our communication partners to bear the onus of continuing the conversation alone. We share speaking turns.
Participate in choosing what to talk about, and participate in developing the topic. Typically, there is not a "chief" who leads the conversation , and who alone decides what is talked about and how that subject is developed. Rather, all participants play a role, at some point or other, in deciding what is talked about and in shaping the direction in which the discussion progresses.
Take turns in an orderly fashion. Everyone should have a chance to contribute to the conversation, and to end a contribution before someone else begins their speaking turn. This means that interruptions do not occur too often.
Try to be relevant to the topic of conversation. If a conversation is centered on automobiles and someone abruptly begins to talk about a recipe for cornbread, that individual has violated an implicit rule of conversation by not being relevant to the discussion.
Provide enough information to convey a message without being verbose. In a conversation, we expect our communication partners to deliver their message in a fairly succinct way, and in a manner that maintains our interest in listening.
Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone who does not "follow" the rules? Tell me about your experience.
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