Long before our little ones use their first words, they are listening….always listening.
It starts in the womb but let’s not get too hung up on that. When our babies are young, they pick up on routines, familiar voices, and words used frequently. There is your warning about your choice words especially during these times of increased stress (hello quarantine).
Before our children can use words to communicate with us, they need to understand. Use simple language. Using similar words in different activities will also help develop a more robust understanding of the words you use. For example, saying the word “down” when you are bouncing your little one up and down, sliding down a slide, watching your little one drop their toy/spoon/binky on the floor for the 1000th time, pouring water during bath time, tripping over sharp toys (down, down, down)….the point is to simplify the language and diversify the context!
I am a speech-language pathologist and I specialize in early intervention. I obtained my Masters degree from Penn State University and my Doctorate Degree from Rocky Mountain University of Healthcare Professions. I have worked in a variety of setting but most of my experience is working with preschool aged children. I thought I knew so much about that age and younger until I had my own children! I'm a proud mother of two wonderful boys and while they can be a challenge at times, they help me develop new skills and new ways to approach language development in a functional and motivating way I would never have truly grasped without them.
I started this blog in an effort to share and support others while their little ones are growing and learning and also to support my fellow SLPs. I hope you find my posts helpful. My goal is to provide practical ideas and suggestions because I know first hand that setting out to do anything that isn't functional or motivating for you and your children won't give you the results or satisfaction we all hope to obtain while working with our little ones.
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Building Better Speech and Language 