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Home Page
Hello and welcome to my webpage!
Here is a little bit about my background in education and speech and language therapy:
I am a New York State Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and I hold the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC). I maintain New York State Certification as a Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped (TSHH). I received my Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Ithaca College and my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Plattsburgh State University.
During the 1999-2000 school year, I began my employment in the Pawling Central School District working with students from kindergarten all the way up through twelfth grade. Currently, I am servicing students in the Pawling Central Middle School (grades 5-8), which happens to be my favorite age group. I love my job and helping children learn how to become better communicators. My employment experience includes providing in-home speech and language therapy with preschool-aged children and center-based preschool services. I have worked at various summer programs including the Language Links summer program at the Saint Francis Center for Communication Disorders in Poughkeepsie, NY.
*As a disclaimer, I have found or used the resources listed on my webpage, however, I cannot speak for the entire content of the listed games, apps, or websites. Please review these with your child to determine if they are usable and appropriate for your child.
Speech & Language Therapy in Middle School
The purpose of Speech and Language Services is to improve a child’s ability to effectively communicate in the academic setting. Instruction can focus on improvement in articulation however, most often in middle school, the focus is on language skills. Children with communication delays are identified through referrals, screenings, and evaluations. Direct intervention services are provided to children individually or in small groups, depending on their needs. Consultation also occurs with parents and teachers to develop appropriate activities, techniques, and strategies to improve/reinforce communication skills.
Here is a link to ASHA's statement on the role of SLPs in the schools:
https://www.asha.org/policy/PI2010-00317/#sec1.2
Many people wonder what I do when I work with students. Here are some examples of areas targeted in speech and language therapy.
Students I work with may have difficulty:
- following directions
- understanding what they hear or read
- understanding and using vocabulary
- using and answering questions
- remembering presented verbally information
- visualizing what they hear
- explaining how to solve problems
- using correct grammar skills when speaking
- pronouncing specific sounds
- using the appropriate voice volume and pitch when speaking
- speaking smoothly, slowly, and clearly
- using language in social situations
- rhyming
- determining if words sound the same or different
- identifying beginning or ending sounds
- recalling sounds, numbers, words, and sentences
The list goes on...
MISSION FOR SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY
The primary goal of speech and language therapy is to facilitate my students' academic achievement by providing the tools for optimal communicative success. I strive to help students become better communicators in school and throughout their lives. Therapy is provided in a "pull-out" model (in the therapy room) and I collaborate with teachers to provide classroom-based speech and language therapy as well. I specialize in working with children with a variety of speech-language related disabilities including: articulation impairments, attention deficit disorder, autism, central auditory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, fluency disorders, hearing impairment, learning disabilities, multiple disabilities, pragmatic (social language) deficits, and voice disorders. I value continued contact with parents as I work with children to achieve shared goals.
Top Board Games
For Middle Schoolers
There are so many fun commercially available games that can be used to work on improving articulation, language, fluency, and social skills at home.
The best part: Your middle schooler will be none-the-wiser that practice and learning are taking place! Shh!! ;-)
Here are some favorites:
- APPLES TO APPLES JR. - I prefer the Jr. version because the adult version has higher-level vocabulary and at times less appropriate content. This is a great game to talk about adjectives and nouns. In each round, one player takes the role of judge while the other players find nouns that best go with the target adjective card. Add the requirement of justifying word associations to target reasoning skills. You can play this game the traditional way, as well as backwards by having the students give adjectives to label the noun.
- BLURT - This game is great for word finding and vocabulary building. Players are given a definition and must come up with a word to match the definition. (Take away the racing component, if needed, and have players write down their answers to award points).
- BUBBLE TALK - targets understanding facial expressions, perspective-taking, and making inferences.
- HEADBANDZ - Question game of “What Am I?” Ask “yes” or “no” questions before time runs out to figure out what the object on your headband is. Players will develop their deductive reasoning/critical thinking skills with the game's simple question and answer method.
- IN A PICKLE - a fun way to talk about word relationships and work on reasoning skills. Try to win a set of cards by fitting smaller things into bigger things… There's some juice in a pickle, in a supermarket, in a parking lot.
- LAST WORD - Each round players blurt out answers to "Subject" and "Letter" combinations in a race to beat other players and get the last word before the buzzer!
- LOADED QUESTIONS, JR. - 200 hilarious questions and no right or wrong answers that will get your child/teen talking on a variety of topics.
- MAN BITES DOG - Players work on creating headlines using the cards they are given. It is great for targeting word order and vocabulary. Add a rule that the player must state 3 details that could be included in order to target main idea vs details
- MOODS - This is great for students working on understanding and expressing emotions. Players are given a sentence and must say it with a given emotion ( usually the sentence does not match the expected emotion). The other players guess the emotion based on tone of voice and body language.
- PICTIONARY - Even though many kids say they can’t draw, they actually end up surprising themselves. This game targets vocabulary, attributes, and associations.
- PICWITS - Players match their PicWits photo cards with the judge’s caption card. Match-ups can be literal or ludicrous. Skills targeted include: perspective-taking, theory of mind, inferencing skills, understanding humor, interpreting picture-based social situations, flexibility, and acceptance of others’ opinions.
- RORY’S STORY CUBES - These are good for building narrative skills and can be played in a number of ways. This can be a surprisingly difficult game for students with language disorders.
- SAY THE WORD - This is a different style game in that it is a cooperative game. It requires players to communicate with each other and work together as a team. Players must create a story using words on cards that are drawn. Each person must start from the beginning of the story and then add on a part of the story when it gets to their turn. If they forget a part of the story, the other students can give clues. This game is great for working as a team, auditory memory, and narrative language.
- SCATTERGORIES - Provide members for specific categories under the constraint of only using one initial letter (dictated by the roll of a multi-sided die). Increase word-finding abilities and build overall vocabulary/semantic skills. This game can also easily be used for articulation.
- TALL TALES - This is a creative, non-competitive storytelling game for people of all ages. Players draw random story elements from a bag and twist their best tale using each piece. The only limit is your imagination! There are 5 different ways to play.
- TABOO - This super fun naming game makes players think about related or associated objects, but does not allow you to say the most closely associated word.
- WORD ON THE STREET - Team members frantically brainstorm words that fit a given category while the opposition tries to sidetrack them. The team must agree on a word and pull each letter of that word one lane closer to their side of the street, all before the time runs out. Develops vocabulary skills, creative thinking, and encourages teamwork.
- YOU'VE BEEN SENTENCED - Players use the words on the pentagon-shaped cards to make a grammatically correct coherent sentence. The other players act as judges and must give a yay or nay to the sentence, which means everybody is actively involved.
Top 10 Speech & Language
Apps For Middle School
More Tech Links for All Ages
iPads, iPods, & Apps
Can't get your child/teen to put down his/her screen? Try some of these apps which can help stimulate and strengthen language skills. Some of the best apps are free, while others can be rather costly. Listed below are a few traditional and non-traditional apps.
Dragon Dictation: (Free) Provides Voice-to-Text with the ability to export notes via email, etc.
QuickVoice: (Free edition) Create voice notes, can be exported via email, etc.
DocScan HD: (Free) Scan documents with the ability to crop, edit, draw, and export/send via email.
Bamboo Paper: (Free) Notetaking, drawing app
Proloquo To Go: A full-featured augmentative and alternative communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. Provides text-to-speech.
Pictello: Create talking photo albums and photo books.
Voice Changer Plus: (Free) Record and change your voice while practicing articulation targets!
Phonics Genius: (Free): Speech sounds and words
Articulation Station: Offers a comprehensive approach to articulation practice. Purchase individual sounds, or purchase the professional edition (with all sounds included).
StoryKit: (Free) Create stories to improve language skills
ShowMe: (Free) Interactive white board app
Bitsboard: (Free) create flashcards, quizzes, and games with pictures and vocabulary
Sock Puppets: (Free) Create puppet shows! Work on articulation and language skills
Endless ABC: (Free) Improve alphabet knowledge and vocabulary
Fun With Directions: App for following directions involving language concepts
Toca Boca Apps: Toca Boca develops interesting, fun, and novel apps that are especially useful for language development and social communication.
Kindergarten.com/ABA Apps: A great collection of apps to address vocabulary, language development, and early verbal reasoning skills.
Grasshopper Apps: A great collection of apps that address a very wide range of skills, such as: vocabulary, concepts, early problem solving, early reading, counting, matching, etc.
Super Duper Apps: A collection of apps based on Super Duper's Fun Decks. The apps are not as interactive as other apps and are more similar to a flashcard-based approach.
Smarty Ears Apps: A developer of a large series of apps, with continual production of new apps, that address various skill areas within Speech/Language.
Sand Timer: (Free) Visual sand timer for time management
Mobile Education Tools: An app developer who provides a series of apps designed to increase language skills.
Catalyst HD: (Free) App for collecting, managing, and using data for behavior/skill tracking.
Model Me Going Places 2: Visual teaching tool. Photo slideshows of children modeling appropriate behavior (social stories) in various community locations.
Now What: (Free) Developed for students/children who have difficulty with transitions. Create task lists/schedules.
Dusty D. Dawg Has Feelings Too: (Free) Story about a feelings and emotions.
Cookie Doodle (and other Doodle apps): Follow recipes and create cookies. A great app for following directions, taking turns, sequencing, and retelling events.
https://thekidshouldseethis.com/
https://www.visualthesaurus.com/vocabgrabber/
Common Terminology in
Speech-Language Pathology →
Articulation: movement of the jaw, tongue and/or lips (“articulators”) that obstruct/interrupt airflow in order to produce speech sounds. Speaking involves accuracy in placement, timing, speed, pressure and integration of the oral structures.
Auditory Processing: the ability to attend, discriminate, recognize, comprehend, organize, sequence and/or retain complex sounds/verbal information. To have a breakdown in this process is called an auditory processing disorder/delay. This deficit is present despite having normal hearing.
Expressive Language: the ability to use language. In other words, to communicate thoughts, feelings, ideas, and/or intentions via spoken word, written word, or symbols.
Communication: the act of transferring information from one place to another. An individual can communicate in a variety of ways:
Verbal/Spoken Communication = face-to-face, telephone, radio, television, etc.
Non-Verbal Communication = body language, physical gestures, facial expressions, etc.
Written Communication = letters, books, magazines, newspaper, email, etc.
Fluency: the smoothness or flow with which sounds, syllables, words and phrases are joined together when speaking. A fluent speaker produces speech with rhythm, inflection/prosody, and an appropriate rate. Dysfluency is a term used to describe individuals who demonstrate irregularities in the flow of speech (aka stuttering or cluttering).
I.E.P.: Individualized Education Plan
Motor-Planning: the brain organizes a plan and sends a signal to the necessary muscles in order to coordinate, sequence and execute specific movements to produce speech.
Oral-Motor: encompasses the integrity, strength, coordination, and precise movement of the structures in the oral cavity needed for sound production.
Phonemic Awareness: the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Phonemic awareness is a pre-literacy skill needed to learn how to read. A child who has difficulty with phonemic awareness may demonstrate weakness in rhyming, blending sounds to make words and segmenting words into individual sounds.
Phonological Processes: sound error patterns in a child's speech that account for substitutions, omissions, or additions of speech sounds that make a child difficult to understand.
Pragmatic Language: an individual’s use of language in a socially appropriate way. Pragmatic language includes appropriate use of eye contact, body language, conversational skills, turn-taking, topic initiation, topic maintenance, and termination of topics when speaking to others.
Receptive Language: the ability to understand spoken language to derive meaning. This includes an individual’s ability to attend, listen, interpret and process information effectively.
Semantics: word knowledge, vocabulary, and the meaning of language.
Syntax: the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in language. It includes an individual’s ability to formulate grammatically correct and appropriate utterances.
Visualizations: pictures, graphs, charts, maps, etc.
**Updated with additional support during school closure due to Covid-19**
SUPPORTING SPEECH & LANGUAGE AT HOME
Free home speech-language idea resource.
See page 1 for any age/grade and page 3 for Upper Elementary & Older Students:
- Encourage your child to talk about his/her day. Speak in a natural way and ask open-ended questions.
- Listen carefully and expand your child's utterances by using grammatically correct, detailed sentences.
- Read to your child. Talk about what was read. Ask wh-questions (who, what, where, when, why, how) about the story. Have your child retell the story or make up a new ending. Also, read such things as road signs, cereal boxes, recipes and labels.
- Play games together (e.g. Apples to Apples, Scattergories, Bubble Talk, etc. See separate list). Have fun!
- Help your child learn to follow multi-step directions of increasing length by doing chores together. (e.g. setting the table, doing the laundry, cleaning up toys, following a recipe).
- Teach your child to sort objects by color, size, function, or other attributes. Talk about how the objects are the same and how they are different.
- Talk about experiences you share (e.g. day trips, vacations). Emphasize the sequence of events that took place. Discuss what happened first, next and last.
- Model and encourage correct productions of target sounds in words. Also, look for words containing his/her target sounds while reading or when out together (e.g. in the car or grocery store).
- Use your imagination to tell stories together.
- Draw/color pictures. Encourage the use of multiple colors and objects to be of the appropriate size/shape
AMAZING EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (& they're free!):
HELPFUL LINKS & WEBSITES
American Speech Language Hearing Association http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/
New York State Dept. of Education Special Education Publications - Regulations/law http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/
General speech and language information www.speechville.com
Information on Apraxia www.apraxia-kids.org
Information on Autism www.autismspeaks.org
Information on stuttering www.stutteringhelp.org
Information on speech and language development www.speech-language-development.com
Helpful Handouts on a variety of speech and language topics http://www.handyhandouts.com/search.aspx?searchstr=Speech+%26+Language+Therapy
Language Arts Games http://www.storyit.com
Speech-Language Development/Speech Therapy Games http://www.speech-language-development.com/speech-therapy-games.html
Activities for speech and language disorders www.speechtx.com
Speech and language therapy materials www.superduperinc.com
Reading websites http://www.starfall.com
"100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know:" Word of the Day
WORD OF THE DAY
-
Word of the Day
- a p p r e h e n s i v e
a p · p r e · h e n · s i v e
/ˌaprəˈhensiv/
(adjective)
anxious or fearful, uneasy.
“Maroo was apprehensive, not only at the prospect of leading the journey, but also at the thought of controlling Otak. Would he obey her?”-Ann Turnbull, Maroo of the Winter Caves
Speech & Language Therapy -
Word of the Day
2. a · p l o m b
/əˈpläm, əˈpləm/(noun)-
self-confidence or assurance, especially when in a demanding situation."Diana passed the test with aplomb"
Speech & Language Therapy -
-
Word of the Day
1. a d v e r s a r y
ad·ver·sar·y
/ˈadvərˌserē/
(noun) An opponent or enemy
Speech & Language Therapy -
"100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know:" Word of the Day
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Speech & Language Therapy
What is Abstract Language?
Abstract language is the ability to gain meaning from things that are not said, or from things that are said in a different way. There are many ways to refer to "abstract language:" inferential/figurative/implicit/non-literal language all include the same higher order thinking.
- Inferences: Something that is understood, although is unsaid. For instance, if someone says, "It's freezing in here!" they might really be asking for the window to be closed.
- Predicting/Problem Solving: Using learned knowledge, background knowledge, and life experience to apply them to new situations. (i.e Lee gets onto the playground and notices that he is wearing Sara's jacket, and she is wearing his. How will he get his jacket back?)
- Expressions: There are many different kinds of expressions that follow different rules, such as idioms ("We're all in the same boat"), metaphors (He is a night owl), and exaggeration/hyperbole (I was bored to tears). Essentially, what is meant is different from the literal translation of the words.
- Multiple meaning words: Some children have difficulty identifying words that can mean two or more things. Consider how many different things the word bill can mean. Part of a duck's face is called a bill - "the pelican had a fish in its bill;" a bill is the visor of a cap - "the bill on your hat is bent;" a bill is an amount of money owed for goods or services rendered, in a printed or written statement of charges - "the bill for their meal came to $17;" a bill is a draft of a proposed law presented to congress for discussion - "a debate over the civil rights bill;" a bill is a list (people/events) in a program - "they were billed to appear but didn't show up;" to bill is the action of sending a note of charges to someone -"we are billing them for the damage caused"... I could go on...
- Words that mean two things at the same time, such as puns, are even more difficult. Example: "Winning candy as a prize is always a sweet victory."
What does an abstract language difficulty/deficit look like?
Children who do not understand how to make inferences and predictions may have difficulty picking out subtle details from their environment or from stories to figure out meaning. They may be able to answer explicit questions, or questions that come straight from the book, "What was the name of the school that Jay went to?" but may have more difficulty using clues to figure out answers that weren't explicitly said, "How do you think Jay feels about his school?"
Children who do not understand figurative language often look very confused when you use it. If the figurative language came in the form of a direction (Get to it! Shake a leg! Hold your horses!), the child likely will not follow the direction.
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often have difficulty with figurative language, and interpret figurative language literally. Not all children with ASD have difficulty interpreting abstract language, and not all children who interpret abstractions literally have ASD. Regardless, it is common for ASD populations to struggle with this language.
Adult: Wow, I didn't know that you and Annie are friends. You were her shadow at recess!
Child: I'm not a shadow. She had her own shadow.
What can parents do to support a child who has difficulty understanding abstract language?
Practice and exposure are the best ways to work on the skills. Speech-language pathologists introduce various forms of figurative language, aid interpretation of expressions, and guide practice responding to them or using them.
Teaching in the moment often happens in these cases. When your child appears to not understand an expression, you can help by saying, "That's just an expression. It means..."
- Tell and explain jokes such as play-on-words, knock knock jokes, riddles, and puns.
- Exercises and practice can be found in many games, computer games, iPad apps, and books.
- Incorporate figurative language into lessons
References: