7 Tips To Help Busy Babies Learn To Love Books

Why read to your child?  We all want our children do do well in school, listen, and communicate well with others, right?  Did you know that reading aloud stimulates language development, even before a child can talk?  It’s never to early to start reading to your baby.  Reading improves listening, memory, and vocabulary! Reading together encourages a love a books, academic excellence, and helps build a stronger relationship with caregivers.

Tips For Helping Your Child Become Interested In Books

• Start with simple board books with colorful photos. Point to the pictures and name items. Make it fun! For young children, don’t focus on reading stories. Your goal is to gradually increase your child’s attention and ability to sit with you. Don’t expect them to sit for an entire story at first. Point to things, keep your language simple using only a word or short phrases, let them help you turn pages, and don’t be discouraged if they don’t sit for the entire book. Look at a few pages and try again later!

Did you know you can often find board books at your local library? You may also find books at great prices at thrift stores, garage sales, and discount stores.

• Try sturdy lift the flap books or books that have things children can slide/open/close/manipulate with their hands.

Babies love these colorful, simple books with sturdy flaps!

• Look at photos in a photo album or make your own photo album using small, dollar store photo album and cut out photos from magazines of dogs, cars, babies or anything your child is interested in to fill the album and sit together and talk about the pictures.

You can find these at dollar stores or Walmart for $1-2! Fill them full of photos, magazine cutouts, drawings, of anything that interests your child such as dogs, cars, or babies.

• Develop a routine. Try to read at certain, predictable times such as before nap or bedtime, or in the morning after breakfast.
• Keep your child’s interests in mind. If your child loves cars, trains, or Dora…read books about them! This is a great way to interest a child in books who may not have previously enjoyed books.
• Keep books where your babies can reach them. Keep a few books visible in each room. Periodically rotate/replace.
• Don’t give up! Keep it fun! Sing songs, make silly faces and noises, and if at first you don’t succeed…keep trying!  But, don’t force it.  We want babies to decide they love books, and willingly take part.  Show them some pictures, point, explore, be fun, and let them move on when they are ready.

Remember, babies don’t need smartphones! There is no substitute for developing vocabulary and communication through conversation and interaction with people.

The Therapy S.P.O.T. – Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy

Our multidisciplinary therapy center was established in 2007, and is committed to providing quality therapy services in a fun, family and child centered environment. We provide pediatric speech, feeding, physical, and occupational therapy as well as adult speech and swallowing therapy.  Our therapists have unique and specialized skills and training, and we strive to pair our patients with the therapists who will best meet their specific needs.  You can learn more about our services at http://www.therapyspotstatesboro.com.  Questions or concerns about your child’s development?  Call us at (912) 681-7768 for a free consultation.

5 Things You Didn’t Know a Speech Therapist Could Do

Speech therapists, those are the people who spend their time teaching children how to articulate their sounds, but what can they do for adults?  Many people know us as the charismatic, children-loving talkers, but in addition to the wonderful services we provide to the pediatric population we also have the trained skill set to treat adults.  Here are 5 services you didn’t know speech therapists provide:

1. Aphasia Therapy- aphasia is a communication disorder secondary to damage to specific parts of the brain, typically from strokes. Aphasia may affect listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing.   The speech therapist evaluates the patient and determines functional goals and strategies for the patient to regain function.
2. Traumatic Brain Injury– a head injury (open or closed) sustained from falls, accidents, assaults, or any blunt head trauma.  Speech therapists complete a cognitive-communication evaluation to determine the patient’s attention to tasks, simple problem solving, abstract reasoning, and memory strategies.
3. Dysphagia– refers to a swallowing disorder, which can follow a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, progressive degenerative disease, cancer, and dementia or may occur when there is overall generalized weakness.   A speech therapist completes a modified barium swallow study (an x-ray of how food moves down your throat) which identifies the cause of the impairment.  Based on the results the speech therapist may elect to utilize, thermal/tactile stimulation, oral motor/laryngeal exercises, vital stimulation, or train safe compensatory strategies.
4. Speaking Valve Trials-once a tracheostomy is placed, a patient is unable to produce audible speech.   The speech therapist works with medical team (physician, respiratory therapist) to facilitate trials with a speaking valve.  Once valve is placed audible speech may be produced.

5. Augmentative Alternative Communication-is any form of communication other than speech.  These include: signing, gestures, symbols/pictures, writing, eye gaze boards, communication board, and communication devices.  The speech therapist will evaluate the patient’s ability to utilize skills required for each device/communication board and trial several until one is  found that helps the patient express wants and needs.

Did you know that The Therapy SPOT offers adult speech therapy?  We do!  And, we love it!  With several therapists with extensive knowledge and experience in adult speech therapy, our SLPs enjoy working with adults as well as children.

About the author:        

Danielle Carey, M.S., CCC-SLP, became a licensed speech-language pathologist in 2012, treating patients mainly in hospitals and subacute rehab centers with clinical time spent in the public school and at a private practice treating patients ages 2-60+.  She received her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders with a minor in child development and family relations from East Carolina University.  Danielle received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Old Dominion University.  She is a member of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  Danielle received VitalStim certification (neuromuscular electrical stimulation) in 2014 to use for adults with dysphagia (swallowing impairment).  She enjoys treating patients ranging from early intervention age through our older adults.   Danielle recently joined The Therapy SPOT team and enjoys working there with both children and adults.  She is passionate about speech-language pathology and enjoys completing continuing education courses and sharing knowledge with colleagues.  Danielle and her husband Jared have one spunky daughter, and love to travel and take her on adventures.  In her free time, Danielle enjoys reading, riding horses, cooking, and spending time at the beach.