When do you elicit a language sample? Certainly when you first see a child you would want to take a language sample. However, if the child is not comfortable on the initial assessment, there is nothing written in stone that says that it has to be completed the first time around. That in itself should tell you something. I feel that ...

I've always loved reading classic fairy tales with my students. Not only are they great for their narrative structure, but they also play a big role in our culture.  Well, I really lucked out, because look what our librarian's daughter painted on the wall right outside my office!   As I walk to my room with my younger ...

Books continue to be my heroes in my school position, sometimes showing up to save me from ennui when I least expect it. I was recently doing a pull-over sort of session in the literacy center (the kindergarten class is nearby and my room is, well, not), and spied the colorful cover of Alphabet Rescue, by Audrey Wood and her son, Bruce. ...

In last week's blog post, ''The iPad Becomes a wePad for Autism,'' I encouraged you to develop a relationship between the iPad, the child and another person, rather than letting the child with autism treat it as a ''thing.'' Let's call that with the iPad. That's when we can turn it into a wePad and make those applications come alive ...

Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz  Why, if I had a brain I could... [singing] I could while away the hours, Conferrin' with the flowers, Consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be scratchin' While my thoughts were busy hatchin' If I only had a brain.   In last week's blog I talked about the characteristics of the ...

When I first started to become interested in using picture books as contexts for intervention in my public school SLP position, I was really happy to find Books are for Talking Too, by Jane Gebers. It was clearly just the resource I was looking for at the time - a guide specific to SLPs detailing the power of using picture books. Many great ...

Joint Attention is two people sharing the same point of attention. It is being in the same moment at the same time. It is a basic skill for learning - EVERYTHING. Think of joint attention as the wall that supports Humpty Dumpty. The wall holds Humpty up, until of course, someone pushes him off. My first lesson in Joint Attention I learned ...

In my last posting, I talked about one of my favorite objectives, /s/ blends. Here's a goal that we school SLPs get a lot, and I'm sure you all know what it is: that pesky /r/ sound! While some kids take to speech therapy for the /r/ like a duck to water, others definitely have more trouble. I employ different strategies! Some of the oral motor ...

HOW TO START MAKING LANGUAGE DANCE WITH ADEQUATE EYE CONTACT The lack of eye contact is a hallmark of people with ASD. Watch this short video of Jade stacking blocks at 20 months. You can observe in this five-minute video that Jade lacks eye contact as well as any interaction with adults. She appears intelligent but lacks the pragmatics of ...

Fandango me all the way to the movie theatre. My mother tells me that when she used to see Shirley Temple, the theatres gave away gifts just for coming through the door. Those days are long gone but we do have better sound, stage production and effects I HOPE: That some of you had the opportunity to see Adam and Temple Grandin last week that ...