The Language of Play - Kids that Listen, Speech Therapy, Language Development, Early Intervention

Hey Friends~  Have you ever thought my child’s speech is “different” and you wonder if it’s normal or possibly delayed?   How do you develop your child through their issues when you aren’t sure if they are actually issues?  How do you push for what you think your child might need, when you aren’t sure?   Today’s guest will share her journey of being brave to find out what was going on with her son...

Hey Friends~  Many of you have acknowledged how much of a struggle it is to get Speech Therapy services - either enough or at all.  Today, I will address what is going on in speech pathology,  how this impacts you, and what you can do to help your kids.  According to the National Institute of Health, 40% of our children ages 3-10 are  struggling to develop good communication skills.  According to...

Hey Friends~  Do you have a complex kid?   If you do, you know how much of a struggle it is to find help and get help that gives you confidence in the future.  Are you struggling with Mom Guilt?   You are not alone!   Today’s guest shares her journey with having a complex kid and her journey with speech therapy.  Michelle Choairy’s child has Childhood Apraxia of Speech among other complex issues. ...

Hey Friends~  Your kids whine … and after a while, you doubt your resolve.   “Maybe I am being too harsh.”      “Maybe one more cookie doesn’t matter.”   “Maybe they aren’t tired enough to go to sleep.”  Then, as time goes on,  you resent the situation.   You resent that you got yourself  in this situation AGAIN.   And,  in those moments, you even resent your child…   When these feelings happen, i...

Hey Friends~  How do you re-teach language to someone who has had a brain injury and lost their language?  Today’s guest does a fantastic job to describe how she taught her brother to speak , read, write, and comprehend again after a stroke.  This episode is inspiring and educational on how you can build confidence and encourage as well as build in joy.   For anyone learning to speak, read, write,...

Hey Friends~  IF Behavior IS Communication, then WHAT are they communicating??!   This is a common question parents ask! Today we will dig into some common ways that kids communicate with us - IN WAYS THAT WE DON’T LIKE!  When we learn how to interpret well, we can give words to our littles so that they have other ways to communicate.  When a tantrum works, it’s because we allowed it to work.  The...

Hey Friends~  The holidays are here!  This means high stress for some, while it’s a lot of joy and fun for others!  Which one is you?  Perhaps both!   In this episode, we talk with child expert, DJ Stutz, about how we can make the holidays less stressful and what you can do to prepare ourselves and set ourselves and our kids up for success. Do you have too many traditions?  Too many parties?  Too...

Hey Friends~  It is Holiday time of the year!!  No matter where you are in the world, you are quite possibly celebrating SOMETHING during these shortest days of the year!  It’s often hard to keep up with school and normal daily life - without  also adding in big celebrations.  But that is just what goes on in December!  How do we Keep the joy? Keep it light?  Remember what you are doing and what y...

Hey Friends~  Have you ever had a book that changes how you communicate with your child?  Maybe the book showed a new way to handle a problem  - and you think, I am going to be more like Mrs. Buttercup!   Maybe that story helped you  learn how to explain something in a way that your child understands.  Maybe it is a concept, maybe a behavior.  Maybe the story even helped YOU understand the concept...

Hey Friends~  Holidays are a time that we create stories. Stories have the power to draw our families together and we can weave into those stories the lessons that we really want our kids to know! Listening to stories is a fabulous way to TRAIN OUR IMAGINATION AND OUR LISTENING SKILLS at the same time!  Do you do any “Listen-Only” stories?  Human brains are developing differently now with so much ...

Hey Friends~  Are you wondering  why your child echoes you?  Do they not really answer the question, but actually repeat what you say,  back to you?  This pattern of communication is indicative of a Gestalt Language Processor.   This pattern is common among kiddos with autism. Kids without autism  may also use this pattern of language, though it is most common in the very early years.  How do you...

Hey Friends~  Walking the road of parenting is hard.  It is filled with joy and struggles.  We are okay to feel the way we feel.  No matter what you feel about it.   Learning to let go of negative judgment and condemning thoughts about our feelings  is critical to be authentically yourself.  Parents are often  able to do this with their kids,  but continue to struggle to be so kind to themselves....

Hey Friends~  Everyone has some type of dysfunction in their upbringing, but these days MANY people are unsure what a healthy family looks like!  Parents often express that they wonder how to raise their kids without repeating what their parents did.  One way to learn Traits of Healthy Families is to read books!   Another way is by learning to speak love into your families in ways that each person...

Hey Friends~  The question comes up often this time of year, “How do you explain Halloween & monsters to a toddler, especially a toddler struggling with fears?”  Actually… Kids don’t wait for halloween to fear monsters!  The issue of fears is real at any time of the year.  But for lots of kids, it gets ramped up during Halloween time!  You cannot even go to the grocery store without seeing sca...

Hey Friends~  How we communicate with our kids determines how well they understand us,  Communication is key!  Developmentally, we know our kids are at different levels.  How do we know what is good for them?   In play, we can learn where they are at.  Today’s guest, a play therapist, Anastasia Arauz,  defines play as when we are “Peaceful and grounded with who your soul is.”   We discuss HOW to u...

Hey Friends~  Our parenting and communication  habits set up  our children to have habits of responding.   In general…   If we habitually require them to interact, they will be interactive.   If we expect and create situations where they must speak, they will speak.    How we spend our time is what they see is how TO spend time!   In today’s episode, we talk about the HABITS we have CREATED  aroun...

Hey Friends~  Play Dumb & Sabotage!  To the SLP, this sounds creative, loving, and  intentional for making progress.  To others, it might sound mean or undermining!!  Listen in to see how to play dumb and sabotage well.  Today’s guest, Jeaneen Tang’s  definition “To mindfully under-estimate” for the purpose of expanding language.   Lots of fabulous nuggets of information today!! Always cheerin...

Hey Friends~  Have you been cultured to be quiet?  Have you grown up NOT telling what is actually true for you?  Perhaps  you know that if you tell what you actually think  - It would not be okay.  You learned to say what is expected of you. This is “socialized behavior.”  … There is a time for that. Not Today!  If  you want your kids to tell you the truth, you need to be able to accept ALL KINDS...

Hey Friends~  This is a follow up to Episode 42 about teaching very young children to use the toilet.  However,  we  also learn that Gwen inadvertently taught her 1 year old, that communication through screaming works!   We all teach something we did not intend to teach at times.  Gwen shares how she discovered this truth, and decided to change it.  Listen in for ideas that apply, too!   Always ch...

Hey Friends~  Is your child using past tense mistakes like “I maked it,” instead of “I made it” ?    Do they use present tense instead of past:  “I cook,” when it was actually this morning when they helped with breakfast?   Past tense errors are a common indicator showing a child needs some help with language development. A common mistake parents make is thinking the child will simply figure it ou...

Hey Friends~  Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a communication disorder that interferes with learning, understanding, and using language. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA says DLD “is one of the most common developmental disorders, affecting approximately 1 in 14 children in kindergarten.”  To add to the confusion, over the years, “DLD has also been called specific langua...

Hey Friends~  We hear, “Give your child a time out!   Then we hear, “No! Make it a Time-IN!”   The Washington Post says that timeout is outdated.  So what is the truth about the Time-Out?  If you have ever wondered about this and then today’s episode is for you!   Let’s get some clarity and down to Earth wisdom on this topic!    Always cheering you on!  Dinalynn   CONTACT the Host, Dinalynn:  hell...

Hey Friends~  Do you find yourself having a plan… and then you run out of gas or focus to keep that plan going?  Maybe your kids are not doing what you rehearsed in your mind, so now you don’t know what to do.  It SEEMS like your idea isn’t fitting this situation!   What is going on here?   If this happens to you, hang tight!  We’ll be discussing this today!  Remember, “Your Follow through is what...

Hey Friends~  Words have power!   Sometimes our children say things TO US that are painful.  It is difficult to know how to handle it!   We want to be gracious but we also want the harsh words to end!  We want to pass on our values!   And how to handle it in a way that passes on values and isn’t “preachy?”   Wisdom comes from experience. Kids don’t have many experiences yet, Therefore, they do not...

Hey Friends~  Today we are talking about QUESTIONS!  Some of our children don’t ask questions easily. Some ask question,  after question,  after question! And sometimes, our kids ask UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTIONS!   What is a good way to handle that? Do you have any ideas?  I do!   I am glad you are joining here for practical, easy to implement strategies!  Always cheering you on!  Dinalynn CONTACT the...