Oh Derby! Why do you have so much to say? It figures the speech-language pathologist would get a chatty dog, which is the nice way of saying a “bossy barker.” Derby apparently thinks I need to know when things are different from what he wants or thinks should happen. If someone other than me walks him… he just barks his head off. It’s hard not to think he’s gossiping about me! He’s a well trained dog, and you can check out my posts on puppy training, adult dog training, and Canine Good Citizen training. He can sit, stay, lay down, come, roll over, get it, drop it, and give high fives all day ..read more

Derby is currently an unofficial teletherapy dog. He’s doing a great job and is very helpful. He is not officially a therapy dog yet, but he has his Canine Good Citizen certificate. Things stopped there once Covid19 hit in 2020, but don’t worry! It’s still on the list of things to do at some point. We are still practicing, and we are trying to be creative through teletherapy. Check out these two posts here and here for more information on speech teletherapy. Derby has been really helpful during speech teletherapy sessions, and kids love to see him. He is often requested! He always brings a smi ..read more

Teletherapy for speech therapy is not new, but teletherapy is new for many speech/language pathologists due to COVID-19. We know how to provide excellent evidence-based therapy. Keeping a child motivated when separated by screen is different. As I said in my previous post, it is helpful for families to have 2-3 motivating toys available for teletherapy. Instruct the parent to hold onto the pieces and only give them to the child when told. After a few sessions, they get into the flow of how therapy works. It’s also helpful for the therapist as well. Below are 5 toys I have found helpful for pro ..read more

Welcome to 2020! The year of teletherapy. Reports of Covid-19 trickled in slowly. Schools started closing, and the world was experiencing different levels of shutdown, and as a result, I was a brand new teletherapist. Speech-Language Pathologists have been amazingly adaptable, and we all chipped in and helped each other learn to provide services to our families through the computer. Everyone had a webinar up to help walk people through the process. It’s been a remarkable experience! I do miss my kids, and I prefer in person therapy. This experience has taught me how to use technology and empow ..read more

(This post contains affiliate links. See disclaimer.) The Canine Good Citizen class and test consists of 10 tasks that your dog must complete to be awarded a certificate. The tasks help your dog suceed as a therapy dog. Each class focused on one of the tasks with the test being a culmination of everything learned over the course. Some tasks are easier than others. Derby is a talkative dog who has a lot to say. Tasks that involved being quiet were the hardest for him. Poor guy! If you’ve been following along, you know Derby has completed the many different training classes available at our ..read more

(This post contains affiliate links. See disclaimer.) Family pets are important to many of us. Your child and family pet may have a good bond. They may play together, watch tv, and nap. You may have a dog or cat… or maybe you have a bird or hamster. Some families may only have a fish due to allergies and time constrains. Since this blog talks about my dog, Derby, I will focus this post on using the family dog to improve your child’s language skills. Giving Directions A well trained family pet will know some basic commands like sit, down, come, and stay. I talked about the comm ..read more

It’s that time of year again to shop for toys.  Everywhere you look are new advertisements for the latest and greatest toys for this holiday season.  I talked about the best toys to get for preschoolers from a speech therapy perspective.  Check it out here.  I thought it might be a good time to talk about play.  Once you understand that different stages and types of play, you will be better able to evaluate whether a toy is going to be good for your child’s development. An American sociologist, Mildred Parten Newhall, researched the play of children and came up with 6 different stages of play ..read more

When I first got Derby, we started puppy training. I talked about Puppy Training I and Puppy Training II here is this post. I talked about the basic steps to becoming a therapy dog in this post here. Check them out! Derby has been a busy guy! He’s been growing and learning a lot. We completed Adult Dog Training I/II. These two classes focused on cementing basic commands and loose leash walking. So far Derby can do the following commands: Derby’s Commands SitDownComeStayStandLeave itDrop itWalk with mePlace OffFind itShakeNiceAdult Dog Training has been helpful. He’s grown a lo ..read more

I have a lot of farm toys in my office. Sometimes I bring them with me during Early Intervention sessions in the child’s home, so they are also in my car. I have big squeaky farm animals and tiny miniatures. There’s a farm house with animals. I have pictures of farm animals, magnets of animals, songs with animals, and of course books with animals. Families often have farm animal stuffed animals. Clearly I find these useful toys for speech! I like to use farm animals and toys with my young children and late talkers. Check out my post here on late talkers for more information on that t ..read more

(This post contains affiliate links. See disclaimer.) The bedtime routine is important for getting your little one to sleep. You do the typical bath, brush teeth, pj’s and story. Then it’s lights out as you tiptoe down the hall hoping to catch an hour or so to yourself. Bedtime can also be a great time to work on speech with your child. I talked about strategies for Bath Time here. Now I’m going to address strategies that work well with the bedtime routine. Adding strategies into your everyday life are a great way to help a child with their speech/language development. Brushin ..read more