Abby Gander Speech Pathology

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing fathers out there!

Joint speech and occupational therapy sessions are a match made in heaven! I’m so lucky to collaborate and work with the amazing Macushla at .ot with our joint client. In this session we used a visual recipe, aac to communicate and OT focussed on increasing her independent cooking skills. Collaborating is so important for my clients as so many of our goals cross over with other allied health. It helps with therapy outcomes plus it’s so much fun! 😊👩‍🍳🥞

Happy speech pathology week to all my fellow speechies!!! I am beyond grateful to work in a field with so many other passionate and compassionate people. Each work day I feel so lucky to be able to share experiences with families to support their children’s language, speech, social and fluency skills. Some days I finish work and am just shocked I get paid for it because I have so much fun! I’m such an advocate for communication and I love being able to support my clients to communicate in anyway that they are able so they can ‘communicate for life’

It's Jeans for Genes Day, an incredible initiative that supports children and families living with genetic disorders. 💙 By rocking our denim, we're raising awareness and vital funds for research and support services, ensuring that no one faces their genetic journey alone. 🌈 Meet my incredible friend Alfie! Alfie was diagnosed with Cohen Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. So wear your jeans today to raise awareness and Remember, every little bit counts, so let's rake a big difference together! 💙🧬 link to donate is on my story!

Hierarchy of language development! As you can see play is a vital part of language development and is why we use play in our sessions when targeting communication. Plus it is lots of fun!!

Tonight I had the absolute pleasure of completing an educational presentation with at Hyperdome Early Education Centre. The presentation was catered towards early childhood educators and parents in the community. I discussed speech, receptive and expressive language milestones and provided some strategies educators and parents can implement if a child is having difficulties within those areas. Thank you again for having us!

🌟 Implementing and Practicing AAC for Inclusive Communication! 🌟

Today my client and I ventured out to a Cafe to practice using her communication device in the community! Today our session was all about promoting independence. AAC empowers individuals to be active participants in decision-making processes regarding their healthcare, community involvement, and everyday activities. It nurtures independence and autonomy, promoting self-determination. Practicing using their AAC out in the community helps build their confidence and independence in using it independently.

Unfortunately I missed the start of her sentence in the first clip but she happily ordered her own lunch! The absolute joy on her face after she independently ordered her lunch today was magical 🌟

If your child is using AAC or you believe this may be beneficial for your child, reach out to AGSP today at [email protected]

Research indicates that teaching children concept words within a direction, rather than solely emphasizing sequential steps, yields greater benefits.⁣

When it comes to therapeutic interventions, focusing on highly functional goals offers the most effective results.⁣

Incorporating books that illustrate concepts provides meaningful context and reinforces learning through repetition. An excellent example is "Under and Over the Pond" by Kate Messner, which is part of a series of five books. Four books in the series explore the theme of "Under and Over," while one book focuses on "Up and Down."⁣

To access the article mentioned in the post, you can use the following link: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044.2014_LSHSS-14-0016⁣

🌟 New Resources 🌟

Fun games are a great way to facilitate therapy sessions. You can use games to:

-Articulation: you can target specific speech sounds and help individuals practice their articulation . It can also assist with gaining higher repetitions of target words.

2. Vocabulary Development: you can help support vocabulary development and model and target a range of vocab including: up, in, out, go, more, etc.

3. Language Comprehension: games can be used to focus on following instructions, interpreting visual cues, answering questions,

4. Turn Taking: games support taking turns. You can start out with the child only having to wait 1 turn and then extend to waiting more turns until they go again.

5. Sequencing and Organisation: Games that involve following a set of steps or instructions, such as "Uno," "Candy Land," or "Jenga," can enhance sequencing and organizational skills. These games require players to understand and remember a series of actions or rules, promoting cognitive-linguistic abilities.

6. Phonological Awareness: Games that focus on sound manipulation and phonological awareness can be beneficial for individuals struggling with reading and spelling. Activities like "Rhyme Time," "Phoneme Segmentation," or "Sound Bingo" help develop phonemic awareness, which is crucial for literacy skills.

Plus games are just a lot of fun!!

Recasting is a technique speech pathologists use to gently correct speech and language errors without interrupting the flow of conversation. It's a powerful tool in building confidence and developing stronger communication skills.

Imagine a child saying, "Doggy runned fast!" Instead of outright correcting them, we might say, "Yes, the doggy ran fast!" This way, we're providing the correct language model while validating their observation and keeping the conversation moving smoothly.

As speech therapists, it's our job not only to help individuals communicate better but also to nurture their self-esteem and their belief in their own abilities. Recasting helps us do just that.

For all my parents, teachers, and fellow Speech Pathologists out there, don't underestimate the power of recasting in everyday conversations. It's these subtle changes that can make a huge difference in a child's language development journey.

Remember, communication is about connection and understanding. Let's foster it in the most positive way possible!

There is no perfect parent! Be yourself! Take care and enjoy yourself this weekend ❤️

Here is a top tip to facilitate language development with your little one at home!