The Speech Dynamic Blog

    I’m always on the lookout for books that will support speech and language development in my young clients. I recently purchased “All Better” from Usborne Books and More and I love it! The book has reusable band-aids that can stick onto “boo-boos.” There are so many ways to use this book to build […]

Telegraphic speech refers to taking away the grammar of a phrase and only leaving the content words. “Ball up,” “foot in,” and “more doll” are all examples of telegraphic speech. In addition to the videos provided by the state, I have heard many of my well-meaning colleagues using the same type of speech. Their logic is […]

When I was a beginning clinician in early intervention, there were two things that  helped me through my first year as a clinical fellow: bubbles and “more.”  Although bubbles are still my one of my staples, since then I have learned much more about child language development.  Although “more” is a great beginning word, I […]

As young children are learning about the world, daily routines play a very important role. These include the routines of daily living such as getting dressed, eating meals, and getting ready for bed. They can also be specific to you and your child such going on a walk every afternoon to check the mail. Daily […]

  As a Pediatric Speech Therapist, I like to think of questions like “Goldilocks and Three Bears.” There are questions that are “too easy,” questions that are “too hard,” and there are “just right” questions. Let’s talk about each of these: Questions that are too easy tend to be “quiz questions.” This is when we are […]

  As a Pediatric Speech-Pathologist, I do a lot of talking! There is another strategy I use just as often, and that’s waiting. Waiting is a powerful tool. It provides a child with the opportunity for communication and a meaningful context for language learning. When we wait, we are also giving a child extra time to […]

Brooke Andrews, M.A  CCC-SLP Play is the primary vehicle for all learning in early childhood. Read more on the benefits of play in my article, “Why Play?” here. Children are “hard-wired” to learn through their experiences during play.   Play in an excellent opportunity to work on language with your child. Read on for specific strategies to encourage […]

If you ever have a chance to observe preschoolers playing “house,” you will notice that even young children change their voice when talking to the “baby.” This “sing songy” speech actually has a technical name called  “motherese” or “infant-directed speech.” This way of talking occurs all around the world and actually helps children learn language. […]

Toys and Speech Development The key here is to use toys without the “bells and whistles.” In fact, research shows that electronic toys and gizmos actually reduce the amount of language during an interaction. In a 2015 study by JAMA Pediatrics, researchers found that when children were playing with electronic toys, parents said an average […]