See it, Say it: Speech and Language Development

Summer vacation is over and school is now in session (for some). That went way too fast!

Here's a tip for parents as your school-aged children are back in school: If you have any type of concern regarding your child's speech or language development, ask his/her teacher and she will lead you in the direction of the SLP. Don't hesitate to ask :)

Sorry all! I've taken a summer break from the page but I'll be back soon :)

Stages of Language Development in Children:
Between the ages of 15-30 months, your child should have an expressive vocabulary of 50-60 words or more. Some examples of words/phrases a child can be saying:
Nomination- "That car"
Recurrence- "More juice"
Negation- "No more"
Action+Agent- "Daddy kiss"

Between the ages of 28-36 months, you will start to see your child using the present progressive form of verbs such as "jumping" or "she is jumping", using the prepositions "in" and "on", and using plurals such as "cars" or "dolls".

Descriptions of more stages to come!

Technology and Language Development--There is a balance, especially in today's world! "Technology and interactive media are here to stay..."
This article gives good insight about integrating technology in the classrooms and also gives some good points on technology use in general in early language development.

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/PS_technology_WEB.pdf

www.naeyc.org http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/PS_technology_WEB.pdf

You can start introducing "Categories" as young as 18 months old during play time. For example: Food and Animals. Put animal toys and food toys on the floor and separate them with your child during pretend play, "These are animals and these are things you eat."
Slowly increase it by adding categories such as clothes, transportation, etc. Pretend play is a huge activity for building language. Have fun!

Looking for new apps for your toddler? Here are a few of my favorite language apps:
Pogg
Toca Kitchen Monsters
Cookie Doodle

Enjoy! :)

These are fun printable coloring pages, letters A-Z. Check them out. Great for learning vocabulary and sounds.

http://www.themeasuredmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Beginning-sounds-worksheet-pack-A-Z.pdf

www.themeasuredmom.com http://www.themeasuredmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Beginning-sounds-worksheet-pack-A-Z.pdf

Being the wife of a Marriage and Family Therapist, the brain and how it functions is fascinating to me. This is a fun brain quiz about babies. It has some good facts, take it! And check out the answers on the same website. http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/brain-development/brain-quiz.html

Also, browse the website. Great, great info.

ZERO TO THREE: Brain Quiz ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains and supports professionals, policymakers and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.

This is a great read for parents!
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Baby-Talk-Development-Caregivers/dp/0307952282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422676779&sr=8-1&keywords=beyond+baby+talk

Beyond Baby Talk: From Speaking to Spelling: A Guide to Language and Literacy Development for... Guide your child to effective communication with this fully updated handbook. Language is about so much more than just words, and healthy communication is the foundation of your child’s ability to succeed emotionally, socially, and academically. The first eight years of life are a critical ...

I use this chart a lot in my district. Great resource for parents who have questions about which sounds their child should/shouldn't have. Hope this is helpful! (Enlarge the photo to read the description)

Fun tip: Language can be learned through music and by having your child imitate gross motor movements to the song. Check out the song, "Slippery Fish", and make up your own movements for your child to imitate. Also, Eric Carle's book, From Head to Toe, is a fun gross motor imitation book paired with language. Enjoy!