SPA

Speech and Language Milestones

2010-05-29

I have parent�s asking me all the time, �What should my child be able to say and understand�. So here�s a summary of what a typical two-year old should understand and express:

6 Months

� Vocalization with intonation
� Responds to his name
� Responds to human voices without visual cues by turning his head and eyes
� Responds appropriately to friendly and angry tones

12 Months

� Uses one or more words with meaning (this may be a fragment of a word)
� Understands simple instructions, especially if vocal or physical cues are given
� Practices inflection
� Is aware of the social value of speech

18 Months

� Has vocabulary of approximately 5-20 words
� Vocabulary made up chiefly of nouns
� Some echolalia (repeating a word or phrase over and over)
� Much jargon with emotional content
� Is able to follow simple commands

24 Months

� Can name a number of objects common to his surroundings
� Is able to use at least two prepositions, usually chosen from the following: in, on, under
� Combines words into a short sentence-largely noun-verb combinations (mean) length of sentences is given as 1.2 words
� Approximately 2/3 of what child says should be intelligible
� Vocabulary of approximately 150-300 words
� Rhythm and fluency often poor
� Volume and pitch of voice not yet well-controlled
� Can use two pronouns correctly: I, me, you, although me and I are often confused
� My and mine are beginning to emerge
� Responds to such commands as "show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair)"

Even if you feel your child is delayed, you should be noticing that your child is doing new things with his/her speech and language each month, such as adding new words or using them in new ways.

Perhaps you�ve discussed your concerns with your pediatrician and been instructed to give your child time to develop. Research supports that children who receive early intervention have a better outcome than children who receive services when they are older.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

CD Music Sets For Babies, Infants And Children

2010-04-03

Our web site contains a number of award-winning recordings include classical, folk music, and instrumental versions of lullabies and nursery rhymes that nurture the rapidly developing brains of children from birth to three.

Just as food nourishes a baby's growing body, the elements of music - melody, tone and harmony -nourish a baby's rapidly developing brain. Even before children are born, research shows that music has a beneficial effect on the network of neurons that will be the foundation of their later learning, language development and music ability.

By helping create a peaceful and loving home environment, These CDs help build stronger family relationships. Another great benefit is the strengthening of the parent-child bond. Today, we see countless Moms, Dads, young children and babies sitting together on the living room floor listening to these magical recordings.

Your Baby's Hearing

To learn easily and communicate effectively, your child needs to hear well. Hearing damage is the number one undiagnosed health issue in infants, and it can lead to language and learning disabilities. Providing children with a high-quality, audio-enriched environment can augment auditory development and help them have a lifetime of healthy hearing.

Ear infections and middle-ear fluid can damage a child's hearing and listening ability. Otitis Media is the most common ear infection in children. Make sure your child is not a victim of Otitis Media or other problems by having your child's hearing regularly checked by a medical professional.

Exposure to loud sounds ("toxic noise") is another threat to hearing health. It can be especially harmful during the early, developing years; even everyday sounds can damage the delicate auditory apparatus in very young children. Speech Pathology Associates encourages you to monitor your children's audio environment to promote their hearing health.

For more information about hearing health and toxic noise, visit the National Campaign for Hearing Health.

Click Here to receive a hearing checklist for your baby.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

TLP in The Classroom

2010-03-11

I was pleased to provide The Listening Program to a group of students I was serving a couple years back. I've included the link to the report I wrote. The results were better than I expected.

Click Here to Read my TLP School Report.

How Can I Help My Child With APD?

2009-08-02

Difficulty with following directions is possibly the single most common complaint about children with Auditory Processing Disorders (APD).

Some of things you can do that may help:
� Reduce background noise.
� Have your child look at you when you're speaking.
� Use simple, expressive sentences.
� Speak at a slightly slower rate and at a mildly increased volume.
� Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you aloud and to keep repeating them aloud (or to himself or herself) until the directions are completed. Make certain your child understands the directions and isn't just copying your words. You can be more certain of this if your child is able to rephrase the directions.

For example, "Take the garbage to the side of the house," may be restated as, "You want me to take the garbage to the side of the house, not to the front."

For directions that are to be completed at a later time, writing notes, wearing a watch, and maintaining a household routine also help. General organization and scheduling also seem to be beneficial for many children with APD.

It's especially important to teach your child to be responsible and actively involved in his or her own success. Your child can be encouraged to notice noisy environments, for example, and move to quieter places when listening is necessary.

These other home strategies may also be helpful:
� Provide your child with a quiet study place (not the kitchen table).
� Maintain a peaceful, organized lifestyle.
� Encourage good eating and sleeping habits.
� Assign regular and realistic chores, including keeping a neat room and desk.
� Begin an auditory processing improvement program.

These are all very important goals. Your modeling of these behaviors goes far toward encouraging them in your child.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

TLP Specialized CD - Sensory Integration Kids 1

2009-02-18

Sensory Integration (SI) Kids CD 1 contains musical selections that were recorded because they were fun, simple in structure, short, and very accessible. Focusing on all of these elements means that a child's attention can more easily be captured and maintained.

SI Kids 1 has a significant focus on spatial awareness and sound localization. With new technologies and creative elements in recording and post-production, we are able to provide auditory stimulation in a totally new way than we have ever been able to do before.

It incorporates a combination of new processes called Spatial Surround� (patent pending). By creating Spatial Surround, the listener is placed in the position of the conductor of an orchestra. In the middle of the orchestra, the conductor will hear sounds more individually, some very close and some a little farther away. Instead of blended sounds as you might hear them in front of the orchestra at a concert, you too will hear sounds more individually as the musicians play them around you. You as the listener can now more clearly determine the spatial properties of the sound. We add movement to the treatment to create Spatial Surround Dynamic. This is accomplished by processing the music in a multi-channel environment that uses five completely independent tracks. This process allows us to move the sound of each instrument around in a 360 degree field.

The Recordings

The music selected and recorded for Sensory Integration Kids CD 1 includes early compositions by Mozart as well as Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and instrumental versions of traditional folk music and nursery rhymes.

The Benefits You Can Expect

Sensory Integration Kids CD 1 stimulates the lower sound frequencies to help people who have problems related to the vestibular system and integration of sensory input. Although this is not an all inclusive list, issues that may be helped include:

Balance

Movement

Coordination

Rhythm

Body schema

Left-right discrimination

Spatial awareness

Sensory defensiveness

Hypersensitive hearing

Emotional regulation.

Individuals on the autistic spectrum benefit greatly from this CD as do those who need to a better sense of their body, feeling more comfortable and grounded through the stimulation of the lower frequencies before experiencing CDs with high pass filtration such as those in The Listening Program Classic Kit.

Additionally, SI Kids 1 may help with athletic ability through improved body and spatial awareness, as well as improved balance and motor integration.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

Auditory Processing Improvement (Part 2)

2008-12-27

What Are the Problem Areas for Kids With APD?

Here are the five main problem areas that can affect both home and school activities in children with APD.

1. Auditory Figure-Ground Problems: This is when the child can't pay attention when there's noise in the background. Noisy, low-structured classrooms could be very frustrating to this child.

2. Auditory Memory Problems: This is when the child has difficulty remembering information such as directions, lists, or study materials. It can be immediate (i.e., "I can't remember it now") and/or delayed (i.e., "I can't remember it when I need it for later").

3. Auditory Discrimination Problems: This is when the child has difficulty hearing the difference between sounds or words that are similar (COAT/BOAT or CH/SH). This problem can affect following directions, reading, spelling, and writing skills, among others.

4. Auditory Attention Problems: This is when the child can't maintain focus for listening long enough to complete a task or requirement (such as listening to a lecture in school). Although health, motivation, and attitude may also affect attention, among other factors, a child with CAPD cannot (not will not) maintain attention.

5. Auditory Cohesion Problems: This is when higher-level listening tasks are difficult. Auditory cohesion skills - drawing inferences from conversations, understanding riddles, or comprehending verbal math problems - require heightened auditory processing and language levels. They develop best when all the other skills (levels one through four above) are intact.

If your child has APD, there are strategies that can be used at home and school to alleviate some of the problem behaviors associated with APD.

How Can I Help My Child?
Difficulty with following directions is possibly the single most common complaint about children with APD. Some of things you can do that may help:
� Reduce background noise.
� Have your child look at you when you're speaking.
� Use simple, expressive sentences.
� Speak at a slightly slower rate and at a mildly increased volume.
� Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you aloud and to keep repeating them aloud (or to himself or herself) until the directions are completed. Make certain your child understands the directions and isn't just copying your words. You can be more certain of this if your child is able to rephrase the directions. For example, "Take the garbage to the side of the house," may be restated as, "You want me to take the garbage to the side of the house, not to the front."

For directions that are to be completed at a later time, writing notes, wearing a watch, and maintaining a household routine also help. General organization and scheduling also seem to be beneficial for many children with APD.

It's especially important to teach your child to be responsible and actively involved in his or her own success. Your child can be encouraged to notice noisy environments, for example, and move to quieter places when listening is necessary.

These other home strategies may also be helpful:
� Provide your child with a quiet study place (not the kitchen table).
� Maintain a peaceful, organized lifestyle.
� Encourage good eating and sleeping habits.
� Assign regular and realistic chores, including keeping a neat room and desk.
� Begin an auditory processing improvement program.

These are all very important goals. Your modeling of these behaviors goes far toward encouraging them in your child.

What treatments are available for APD?
Much research is still needed to understand Auditory Processing Disorder problems, related disorders, and the best intervention for each child or adult.

The Listening Program is an auditory therapy program that is easy to do at home, is enjoyable, and also very successful in strengthening auditory and related abilities. The Listening Program is a program that can benefit anyone, but specifically individuals who have difficulties in the areas of auditory perception, processing, and memory.

The Listening Program was designed to help balance, strengthen, and/or restore our ability to listen to and process sounds across the full auditory spectrum, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. This can result in marked improvements across the human continuum, from academic performance to emotional balance.

Using The Listening Program actually exercises and tones the tiny muscles in the ear and helps build stronger multi-sensory pathways in the brain. The brain receives especially rich auditory stimulation, and its ability to process sound improves.

One of the most important things that both parents and teachers can do is to realize that APD is real. Symptoms and behaviors are not within the child's control. What is within the child's control is recognizing the problems associated with APD and applying the strategies recommended both at home and school.

A positive, realistic attitude and healthy self-esteem in a child with APD can work wonders. Kids with APD can go on to be just as successful as other classmates. Although some children do, however, grow up to be adults with APD, with coping strategies and by using techniques taught to them in speech therapy, they can be very successful adults.

Much of this information has been provided by Kids Health.

Call Don Harris, a Certified TLP Provider and Licensed Speech Pathologist, today at 509-833-3264 or Contact Us Online to further discuss the many ways The Listening Programs and the TLP Extension CDs will benefit you and your family.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

Auditory Processing Improvement (Part 1)

2008-11-23

Ten year old Kelly seems to pay attention when the teacher works with her one-on-one. But when there are group discussions, she spends most of her time looking out the window. The teacher is complaining she doesn't participate in class and Kelly is getting lower grades as a result.

Daniel who is 12, was supposed to be home in time for his dentist's appointment at 3:30 PM. But when he finally walked in the house at 5:00, he was surprised to hear about the appointment and that his mother had reminded him about it that morning.

Normal kids? Or is something else going on?
Life is complicated these days, for children as much as adults. There's a lot to remember and a lot to do. But sometimes a child may seem to be more than simply distracted by a complex life. Although their hearing may be normal, kids with an auditory processing disorder (APD) can't process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of APD?
Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think there may be a problem with how your child processes what he or she hears, ask yourself these questions:
� Is my child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
� Are noisy environments upsetting to my child?
� Does my child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
� Does my child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated ones?
� Does my child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?
� Is abstract information difficult for my child to comprehend?
� Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for my child?
� Is my child disorganized and forgetful?
� Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

These, as well as other behaviors, may be signs of an auditory processing disorder (APD). It's an often-misunderstood problem because many of the behaviors noted above may also appear in other conditions such as learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and even depression. But kids with APD can have a coexisting disorder - the most commonly seen is AD/HD. Although APD is often confused with AD/HD, it is possible to have both.

What Causes APD?
The possible causes of APD are varied and can include head trauma, chronic ear infections, and unknown reasons. Because there are many different possibilities - even combinations of causes - each child has to be assessed on an individual basis.

How Is APD Diagnosed?
Audiologists (specialists in hearing) and speech language pathologists can determine if your child has APD. Auditory processing testing can determine if there really is a problem.
However, some of the skills a child needs to be evaluated for an auditory processing disorder don't develop until 8 or 9 years old. The auditory center of the brain isn't fully developed at age 7, 8, and 9 - the most common ages seen for auditory processing tests. These kids' brains just haven't matured enough to accept and process a lot of information. Therefore, some younger children diagnosed with APD may develop better skills with time.
Once diagnosed, children with APD usually work with a speech therapist. The audiologist will also recommend that your child return for yearly follow-up evaluations.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

Do You Want to Manage Your Stuttering?

2008-10-26

"I approach each new day with the confidence that comes from knowing I can communicate and be my true self." Adam, NY, NY

The SpeechEasy is a proven fluency tool used to reduce stuttering and to help increase fluency. While you will not stop stuttering completely (there is no cure for stuttering), we can help you take back control of your speech, and your life.

The confidence you gain by saying what you want, when you want, is immeasurable. You'll no longer fear social functions, avoid ordering food at a drive through, or keep quiet when you really want to speak out.

We have received positive feedback showing that dramatic life changes are possible when using the SpeechEasy fluency device. Click on our SpeechEasy link on the left banner of this page for more information.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

Is There a Difference Between ADD and AD/HD?

2008-10-11

The difference is mainly one of terminology, which can be confusing at times. The "official" clinical diagnosis is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or AD/HD. In turn, AD/HD is broken down into three different subtypes: Combined Type, Predominantly Inattentive Type, and Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type.

Many people use the term ADD as a generic term for all types of AD/HD. The term ADD has gained popularity among the general public, in the media, and is even commonly used among professionals. Whether we call it ADD or AD/HD, however, we are all basically referring to the same thing.

Much of this information comes from the Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com

Symptoms of an Auditory Processing Disorder

2008-09-21

Symptoms of an Auditory Processing Disorder can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think there may be a problem with how your child processes what he or she hears, ask yourself these questions:

* Is my child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
* Are noisy environments upsetting to my child?
* Does my child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
* Does my child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated ones?
* Does my child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?
* Is abstract information difficult for my child to comprehend?
* Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for my child?
* Is my child disorganized and forgetful?
* Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

These, as well as other behaviors, may be signs of an auditory processing disorder (APD). It's an often-misunderstood problem because many of the behaviors noted above may also appear in other conditions such as learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and even depression.

Children with APD can have a coexisting disorder - the most commonly seen is ADHD. Although APD is often confused with ADHD, it is possible to have both.

You may want to consider one of our listening and learning improvement programs to develop the processing skills you�ll need to be successful. You'll gain confidence.

Don Harris, MS, CCC-SLP
Certified Speech Language Pathologist
www.SpeechAndListening.com