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All About the ABC’s…

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A, B, C, D, E, F, G…the alphabet song is usually the method used to teach children their alphabet. Although the alphabet song does help, it usually causes children to memorize the melody of the song rather than the actual letter. Especially in the L, M, N, O, P part, it sounds more like “elemeno-pee” than the pronunciation of the letters! After a little research, and using my own creativity, I found a few ways that may help you teach your child the alphabet rather than using the traditional ABC song. The alphabet is the foundation of many important skills that your child will develop in the future; without it reading and writing will not be possible. Knowing the letters is essential, but more important than that, is knowing the sounds of the letters. Reading is usually taught by sounding out the letters and making a word out of the sounds. If a child cannot match the letter A with its corresponding “aaah” sound, then reading is going to be a difficult task. It is important to begin preparing your child for reading at an early age, and exposing him/her to educational resources, it will help them in the long…

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FREE Resources for Reading!

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Please see an excerpt from the Reading is Fundamental, Inc. website below: Reading Is Fundamental, Inc., prepares and motivates children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most. Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest and largest children’s and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provided 4.4 million children with 15 million new,free books and literacy resources last year. Click here for more information: www.rif.org

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Articulation 101

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Articulation By definition, articulation is the act of vocal expression.  In other words how we enunciate or the manner in which we produce a speech sound. Although articulation may seem simple and  is not be something that we do on a conscious level, in actuality it is a complex process where we use the structures and muscles in our mouths to make specialized movements that produce specific sounds or a combination of sounds. What you need to know about Articulation: Structures we use to articulate, also known as articulators include: lips, teeth, tongue, roof of the mouth, jaw, and lungs. We speak when we exhale. So that you may further understand, let’s do a little exercise: Put your hand in front of your mouth, but not touching your lips and make the “b” sound. You can feel a little burst of air hit your fingers. Now, say the word “bee,” once again pay close attention to the thump of air on your fingers.  This is why when we speak for long periods of time we need to catch our breath! We also use our vocal folds (i.e., vocal cords) to voice when articulating. Put your hand on your throat (i.e.…

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Dialogic Reading is the Way to Go!

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I found this article regarding teaching our children reading skills. I thought it would be helpful for many of our parents. The discussed method is called Dialogic Reading. This method has been found to improve children’s reading skills significantly. It is important to remember that reading is a very important skill. Not only does it promote literacy and language development but it also helps with parental bonding and social skills. However, it is also important to remember that reading is a difficult task for children, especially those children who are already taxed by a speech and/or language impairment. Parents are often discouraged by the child’s lack of interest or frustration with reading. Keep in mind that, reading is a very important skill to be learned and practice of it can prevent your child from falling behind in school, and decrease their chance from falling behind in their performance in later years. Dialogic Reading allows your child to be the teller of the story rather than just the listener. It involves having your child in the story and allows them to expand their creative abilities. Reading should be a fun experience for both you and your child, and I think this…

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When To Worry…

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The New York Times recently posted an article addressing parents about when to be concerned about your child’s speech and language development and the important role your pediatrician plays in helping you to detect a speech and language delay and make an appropriate referral to a speech language pathologist.  It also denotes important questions that the pediatrician should be asking as well as the importance of communication when examining the child. Please click on the link below to see the full article. When To Worry If A Child has Too Few Words

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