Shopping For Vocabulary

Now that we are doing our Holiday shopping; the supermarket is a great place to stimulate vocabulary development. Just think of all the foods and household items that you can find in a supermarket. Many of the larger supermarkets even sell tools and electrical appliances. 

Thousands of items at the supermarket are grouped into categories. You have a section in the store for dairy products, a section for cereals, a section for beverages, etc... Therefore, classification words such as the following can be taught while you shop!

* Drinks (beverages)

*Vegetables

*Meats

*Fruits

*Cereals

*Tools

*Appliances

*Dairy Products

*Frozen Foods

......and many many more!

Ask you child questions: 

1.Can you show me where the vegetables are?

2.What kind of fruits do we need?

3. How is a pear different from an apple?

4. Where do eggs come from?

Don't forget to teach your child about the butcher, the cashier and other people who work in the supermarket! 

Understanding Auditory Processing Disorders in Children

What Is An Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing describes how our brains perceive sound. It is how our brain recognize and interpret the sounds around us. 

Children with auditory processing disorders are not able to recognize subtle differences between sounds in words even though the sounds are loud and clear. 

Auditory Processing Disorder is also called "APD".

Recognizing the Symptoms of Possible Auditory Processing Difficulties:

1. Have trouble paying attention to material presented orally.

2. Have problems performing multi step directions. 

3. Have poor listening skills.

4. Need extended time to process information. 

5. Have low academic performance. 

6. Have behavior problems.

7. Have some form of language difficulty.

8. Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary. 

Children with auditory processing difficulties typically have normal intelligence and hearing; as well as, the many symptoms listed above. 

No one is sure what causes APD. There are a few strategies to help with this disorder:

* Auditory Trainers

*Environmental Modifications

*Exercise to improve language building skills 

*Auditory Memory Enhancement

*Auditory Integration Training

Common Signs of Autism

What are some common signs of Autism?

Autism is an impairment in social interaction. Children with autism may fail to respond to their names and often avoid looking at other people. Such children often have difficulty interpreting tone of voice or facial expressions and do not respond to others’ emotions or watch other people’s faces for cues about appropriate behavior. They appear unaware of others’ feelings toward them and of the negative impact of their behavior on other people.

Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements; such as, rocking and hair twirling, or in self-injurious behavior; such as, biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me.” Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.

People with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. They also may be extraordinarily sensitive to other sensations. These unusual sensitivities may contribute to behavioral symptoms; such as, resistance to being touched or hugged.

For More Information on Autism go to AutismSpeaks.org 

The Fundamentals of Grammar and Syntax

Teaching the Fundamentals
of Grammar and Syntax at Home

     Here are some strategies to use with children at home to help improve their use of grammar and syntax.

1)     Use correct grammar and syntax when speaking or responding to your child. Don’t focus on correcting your child. For example, if your child says, “Her hitted me!” you should respond, “Did she hit you?”  Always respond as an adult. Don’t use baby talk.

2)     Play sentence games. Cut pictures of everyday items from

magazines, paste them on cards, and have the child give a

sentence verbally describing the object to the other players for

them to guess the item. (“It has icing you can eat and candles

that tell how old you are.”)

3)  Cut simple scenes from magazines and glue them on cards. Give

the child open-ended prompts, and have the child complete your

prompts verbally or write sentences. (Picture of dog playing catch

with his owner –“What is/was the dog/owner doing?” “The dog is/

was/will…, His owner is/was..., The ball is/was…”-this gives the child

opportunities to use the correct form/forms of the verbs.)

4) Cut out cartoon frames from newspaper comics and glue them to

cards. Add a cartoon speech bubble to the cards and have the child

write what the character(s) is saying, or have him/her tell you verbally. Ask questions about the cartoon that prompt the child to use different forms of the verb. “What do you think he is saying? What was he saying? What do you think he will say? Where are they going? Where have they been? Where are they?”

5)     Write words on note cards – Sentence Scramble. Pick words that make a complete sentence/question and scramble them (include the punctuation mark). Have your child organize the words into a sentence/question that makes sense.

6)   Use cloze sentences like “Mad Libs” for practice using correct word forms. These kinds of activities are great for practice with verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

7) Use everyday objects around the house to teach plurals. “I have a spoon. You have two spoons.”

Even before children learn to read and write, they can learn to use correct grammar and syntax.

Having a grasp of grammar and syntax will help your child with reading comprehension and writing competence!

Normal Language Development of the 3-4 year old

Receptive and Expressive Language Skills

3-4 year olds...

RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE Begins to understand sentences involving time concepts (for example, We are going to the zoo tomorrow). Talks in sentences of three or more words, which take the form of agent-action-object (I see the ball) or agent-action-location (Daddy sit on chair). Understands size comparatives, such as,  big or bigger Tells about past experiences. Understands relationships expressed by if….then, or because sentences. Uses “s” on nouns to indicate plurals. Carries out a series of two to four related directions. Understands when told,  “Lets pretend”. Uses “ed” on verbs to indicate past tense.  If you have any concerns about your child's development, please contact me at  Jennifer "Ginger" Praytor 864-592-1211 Refers to self using pronouns  I or me. Repeats at least one nursery rhyme and can sing a song. Speech is understandable to strangers, But there are still some sound errors.

Spartanburg District 2 Childfind

??What is Child Find??

Spartanburg County School District Two Early Childhood Special Education Services provides children ages 3-5 developmental screening through Child Find. 

This screening will determine the need for only further evaluations and we will work collaboratively as a team with parents to develop services across a full range of community-based and school based options.

Schedule a Screening

     The first step is a developmental screening.

For a child from birth to age 2 ½ years old, contact South Carolina Babynet at 573-6719 for information regarding scheduling a developmental screening.

     For a child age 2 ½ years old through 5 years old, not enrolled in a public school program, contact Fran Metta, coordinator, Spartanburg School District Two Special Services at 578-0128 to schedule a screening appointment for your child.

     A multidisciplinary team will meet with you and your child to perform a screening to the areas of adaptive, motor, social-emotional, speech/language, and cognitive development to determine if further assessment is needed.

Child Find Screening are held by Spartanburg School District Two on a regular basis at the Upstate Family Resource Center and at Mayo Elementary School by a team consisting of a nurse, a speech/language therapist, and a school psychologist. Once making an appointment you will receive a packet in the mail. Please bring the completed packet and proof of residency to the screening.

Parents must give written permission for screenings. An adult must accompany the child throughout the screening. 

The screening team will complete:

*Vision and Hearing Screening

 *Developmental Skills Screening

 *Communication Skills Screening

 *A review of all information gathered

Following the completion of the screening, the team will review the screening results with you and make recommendations and appointments with you if any follow up observations, or evaluations are necessary while your child plays in the toy area.

Disability Categories

Autism Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deaf-Blindness Developmental Delay

Emotional Disability Intellectual Disability

Multiple Disabilities Orthopedic Impairment

Other Health Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury

Speech-Language Impairment Visual Impairment

Contact: Frances.Metta@spartanburg2.k12.sc.us

Site location – Upstate Family Resource Center and Mayo Elementary School

Spartanburg School District Two

Special Services

3231 Old Furnace Road

Chesnee, SC 29323

Phone: (864) 578-0128

Fax : (864) 515-5198

The Causes of Delays

Finding the exact cause of your child’s speech problem can be difficult. 

Each child’s speech is influenced by many factors:

·       *The ability to hear

·      *The physical development of the mouth & throat

·       *The abilities the child inherits

We also Do Not Know what causes language delays in most cases; however, there IS a genetic or biological link.

Language Delays are more LIKELY for…….

#1...BOYS!!

   #2....Children who have a close family member with a history of a language delay or communication disorder.

   #3... Children who have a developmental disorder or syndrome in which language delay is a typical feature (i.e. Downs Syndrome)

   #4...Children who have ongoing hearing problems and ear infections.

If you are concerned about your child's speech and/or language development then you need to contact your pediatrician or contact me at 

Cooley Springs-Fingerville Elementary  

864-592-1211

 Jennifer.praytor@spartanburg2.k12.sc.us

Increasing Working Memory Skills In Students With Language Deficits

How Teachers can help students with Language Delays remember information..

Students with Language Deficits struggle with remembering, processing and organizing the information they hear: Primarily all the information they hear from teachers in the classroom. 

The mind of a language delayed student....... 

Imagine this!!.... If every time you heard a piece of information in a day you write it down on a sticky note. By the end of the day you may have 100 or more notes. If you don't put these notes in a category or place that means something to you then all you end up with is a bunch of disorganized and meaningless notes! That is how the mind of students with language delays function. It's not that they cannot write the information down; they just need the help in making the information useful and meaningful before moving on to the next "sticky note" in their mind.

YOU can help your students improve their memory recall by building some working memory boosters in your classroom: 

*Teach visualization skills-create a picture of what was just read or heard. 

**Connect emotions to the information- ask what it might have felt like to (i.e. be the news anchor in the middle of the hurricane). 
Have your child teach you- ask the child to teach the skill or what they have just learned to you.

*Suggest games that use visual memory- memorize a license plate of the car in front of you and recite it from memory and then say it again backwards. 

*Play Cards- Play UNO or Go Fish; kids have to keep the rules of the game in mind; and also has to remember what cards he has and which ones other people have played. 

*Make up category games- it's easier when things are "placed" in categories.

*Number your directions- begin sentences with words like.. "I need you to do these three things..."

*Help make connections- take what information the student already knows and build a bridge between the old and new information. 

Recommended Book List for Young Students

Through reading, you build a more solid foundation for communication. It is one of the most important tools we use every day to connect with each other. Whereas if you don’t read, you can’t even connect with the world and what people are talking about out there. 

Reading connects you with the world!!

Strategies for Helping Students with Language Impairments Take Tests

How can you help your child or students that have Language Learning Disabilities to take tests?

These students have a hard time remembering the information even when he has studied and may have trouble expressing what he knows (especially in essays). This is an issue that many students face when test taking. This can easily lead to the student developing a lot of anxiety and "shutting-down" academically.

The following Strategies can be Helpful:  

• Crazy phrases: If your child has to remember a list of items in order, such as the planets in the solar system, help him come up with a silly sentence using the first letter of each item on the list. The following is an example many teachers use to help students remember the nine planets in order: My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. Otherwise known as: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
• Acronyms: When the order of the information does not matter, your child can take the first letters of each item on the list and try to form them into a word. For example, to help remember the systems of the body, the acronym “RED CRaNES” can be used:
  Reproductive
  Excretory
  Digestive
  Circulatory
  Respiratory
  a – (no system – place holder)
  Nervous Endocrine
  Skeletal
• Cartoons or pictures: If your child is a visual learner, it may help to make cartoons to illustrate concepts (e.g., history, science) or to draw small pictures to trigger his memory for vocabulary words.
• Word associations: You can help your child make connections to other information he knows by using the sounds or visual representations of words. For example, if he has to remember that the word “distinct” means “different or unmistakable,” you can help him find another word that sounds similar, such as “stink.” If something stinks, it is definitely different and unmistakable!

Kids Need Good Vocabulary Skills

In order for students to develop their literacy skills, they need a rich vocabulary acquired through direct instruction, exposure to words, and social interaction.

Teachers are introducing students to new vocabulary in the classroom, but parents should be doing that at home as well. Parents can be instrumental in helping extend the teacher’s vocabulary lessons at home when reading writing, or doing homework with their children.

This October month, target the word list below and use the words during your daily interaction with your child. There IS a connection between vocabulary development and your child’s literacy development.

Helpful Oral Motor Exercises

Exercise Your Mouth:  Ready, Set, Go... 1. Open and close your mouth slowly several times. Be sure lips are all the way closed.

2. Pucker your lips, as for a kiss, hold, then relax. Repeat several times.

3. Spread lips into a big smile, hold, then relax. Repeat several times.

4. Pucker, hold, smile, hold. Repeat this alternating movement several times.

5. Open your mouth then try to pucker with your mouth wide open. Don't close your jaw. Hold, relax and repeat several times.

6. Close your lips tightly and press together. Relax and repeat.

7. Close your lips firmly, slurp all the saliva onto the top of your tongue.

8. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue. Be sure your tongue comes straight out of your mouth and doesn't go off to the side. Hold, relax and repeat several times. Work toward sticking your tongue out farther each day, but still pointing straight ahead.

9. Stick out your tongue and move it slowly from corner to corner of your lips. Hold in each corner, relax and repeat several times. Be sure your tongue actually touches each corner each time.

10. Stick out your tongue and try to reach your chin with the tongue tip. Hold at farthest point. Relax; repeat.

What Is Speech?

What is Speech? 

Speech includes the production of phonemes (sounds), voice and fluency. In other words, articulation.

What is Language?

Language is the area of functioning that is most crucial for all aspects of cognitive and social development. Language is comprised of Receptive Language and Expressive Language.

• Receptive Language: The understanding – or what the individual receives via communication in the environment. Receptive Language includes both verbal and visual input.
• Expressive Language: Ability to communicate – express – wants and needs. Expressive Language includes both verbal and visual input.

What are Pragmatics?

Pragmatics: The use of language or may be referred to as, “social language” (e.g. taking turns, waiting, sharing, eye contact, facial expressions). Pragmatics also includes flexibility of thought and language use depending upon the situation.

What are Speech Therapy services in schools most concerned with?

Socialization /Pragmatics

Design of a Language Rich Environment

Emphasis is to encourage age appropriate language skills.

Making a Speech and Language Referral

CS-F Parents!                

It is not just the responsibility of teachers to make referrals for those students they feel may have a speech-language delay. If you have a “gut feeling” that your child is not developing or communicating like other peers their own age, then YOU can also make a referral. Please contact me and I will be more than happy to conduct a speech-language screening on your child. If you have questions about what Speech and Language means then I would like to meet with you and talk about the skills your child should have for their age.

Below is a speech chart that indicates when a child should have developed certain sounds.

Below are a few language skills that elementary age students should have developed by K5-2nd grade:

*Attends to a short story and answers simple questions about it

*Repeats four digits when they are given slowly

* Readily follows simple commands involving remote objects

* Repeats sentences up to nine words in length
* Follows three-step directions
* Responds correctly to more types of sentences but may still be confused at times by more complex sentences.
*Retells a short story and can identify the main idea of the short story
*Understands opposite concepts, such as big/little, over/under
* Understands left/right
* Understands number concepts up to 20
* Answers “How are things the same/different?”
* Uses adjectives for describing
* Uses comparative adjectives, such as loud, louder
*Uses yesterday and tomorrow
* Uses adverb concepts backward and forward
* Uses prepositions through, nearest, corner, middle
* Names ordinal numbers, such as first, second, third

 

Contact me at:

Jennifer.praytor@spartanburg2.k12.sc.us

864-592-1211