Online Resources for Families
The following online resources are recommendations and are not financially linked to me in any way.
http://slpmommyofapraxia.com - Wonderful for resources and support. Follow her Facebook Page!
https://teachmetotalk.com ; - Great resource for pre-verbal skills and helping delayed talkers.
“Teach Me to Talk” on www.YouTube.com - Helpful videos to assist delayed talkers
Carrie's Silly Sound Cards - Her website is geared towards SLPs, however families can benefit from her toy list and her new product, environmental/animal sound picture cards to help build imitation skills
https://teachmetotalk.com ; - Great resource for pre-verbal skills and helping delayed talkers.
“Teach Me to Talk” on www.YouTube.com - Helpful videos to assist delayed talkers
Carrie's Silly Sound Cards - Her website is geared towards SLPs, however families can benefit from her toy list and her new product, environmental/animal sound picture cards to help build imitation skills
Letters for School
These are the letters printed in the Let's Get Talking toolkit. Please feel free to personalize them for your child.
To send to your child's classmates:
Dear Friend,
I am excited to meet you! I want to share that I talk a little differently and sometimes it’s hard to understand what I’m saying. Sometimes, it’s tricky for me to move my mouth like I want to and say my words clearly, but I’m working hard to get better. I can understand all your words. I’d like to be friends with you, play games, and learn with you. Thank you for your kindness!
Your friend,
(Your child’s name)
Dear Friend,
I am excited to meet you! I want to share that I talk a little differently and sometimes it’s hard to understand what I’m saying. Sometimes, it’s tricky for me to move my mouth like I want to and say my words clearly, but I’m working hard to get better. I can understand all your words. I’d like to be friends with you, play games, and learn with you. Thank you for your kindness!
Your friend,
(Your child’s name)
To send to your child's classmates' families:
Dear Parent,
I’d like to share with you that my son/daughter, (Name), is diagnosed with a(n) (expressive language disorder/speech sound disorder/Childhood Apraxia of Speech) and is currently receiving speech-language therapy to improve the intelligibility of his/her speech. He/she is bright, playful, and kind, but sometimes other children aren’t sure how to interact with him/her because his/her speech isn’t always clear. I trust that increasing understanding can positively influence (Name)’s preschool experience, and help build empathy in his/her classmates. I sincerely appreciate you speaking to your child about (Name)’s speech challenges and desire for connection. (Name) understands others and is excited to make new friends. If you’d like to learn more about (expressive language delays, please visit http://tinyurl.com/explanguage*/speech sound disorders, please visit http://tinyurl.com/speechsounddisorders*/Childhood Apraxia of Speech, please visit www.apraxia-kids.com). Thank you for your help in making this a socially successful year for my child! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.
With Gratitude,
(parent’s name and contact information)
* These shortened web addresses are directed to the American Speech Language and Hearing Association.
Dear Parent,
I’d like to share with you that my son/daughter, (Name), is diagnosed with a(n) (expressive language disorder/speech sound disorder/Childhood Apraxia of Speech) and is currently receiving speech-language therapy to improve the intelligibility of his/her speech. He/she is bright, playful, and kind, but sometimes other children aren’t sure how to interact with him/her because his/her speech isn’t always clear. I trust that increasing understanding can positively influence (Name)’s preschool experience, and help build empathy in his/her classmates. I sincerely appreciate you speaking to your child about (Name)’s speech challenges and desire for connection. (Name) understands others and is excited to make new friends. If you’d like to learn more about (expressive language delays, please visit http://tinyurl.com/explanguage*/speech sound disorders, please visit http://tinyurl.com/speechsounddisorders*/Childhood Apraxia of Speech, please visit www.apraxia-kids.com). Thank you for your help in making this a socially successful year for my child! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.
With Gratitude,
(parent’s name and contact information)
* These shortened web addresses are directed to the American Speech Language and Hearing Association.
For your child's teacher:
You may also consider sending a letter to your child’s teacher. This letter is provided by the website www.Apraxia-Kids.org. Although it was written with Childhood Apraxia of Speech in mind, the list of ways the teacher can support your child can be valuable for other communicative diagnoses as well:
https://www.apraxia-kids.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Letter-To-A-Teacher.pdf
Resources Cited Within Let's Get Talking
The following are references listed in the book's notes, links are active here:
- Laura Mize, “Milestones,” Teach Me To Talk: Helping Parents Teach Toddlers to Understand and Use Language. (2019) Retrieved from http://teachmetotalk.com/
- Clerkin Elizabeth M.,,et al. “Real-world visual statistics and infants' first-learned object names,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences no. 1711 (2017): http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0055.
- Strand, Edythe. “Integral Stimulation Method (Adapted for Children as DTTC).” Apraxia Kids Newsletter, June 2005, http://www.apraxia-kids.org/apraxia_kids_library/integral-stimulation-method-adapted-for-children-as-dttc/.
- Dunst, Carl J., Meter Diana, Hamby, Deborah W. “Influences of sign and oral language interventions on the speech and oral language production of young children with disabilities,” Center for Early Literacy Learning, no. 4 (2011): http://earlyliteracylearning.org/cellreviews/cellreviews_v4_n4.pdf
- Smit, A B, et al. “The Iowa Articulation Norms Project and Its Nebraska Replication.” The Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 1990, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2232757