I first found Calonda Henry on TikTok, where she shares tons of great tips and information for parents and professionals. Calonda is a Florida based SLP where she owns a certified Woman and Minority owned practice, Broad Horizons Speech Therapy. With summer here, many learners are not receiving their school based speech and language services and parents may want to know how to help. 

As parents, we want to do the very best for our child and it can feel overwhelming and intimidating to need to "carryover therapy" on your own in the summer. Calonda reminds families that speech and language practice can be generalized in your everyday environment, and can be free, easy and very natural. You don't have to plan the perfect table activity to get really enriching practice for your child. 

In everyday activities and simple interactions, there are so many opportunities to practice general or specific speech goals. 

• Scavenger Hunt: Are you taking a walk outside? Are you going to the grocery store? Look for items that start with certain letter sounds, practice and emphasize this sound as you find items.
• Categories: Find items in your house that only fit into certain categories or belong in a certain room, label them, ask questions, and practice them.
• Movement: practice sounds and vocabulary in isolation by making up movements and dances while saying the sounds or words.
• Car rides: Play car games like I Spy or ask WH questions
• Headbands: This is a great family game you can purchase or DIY that works on a variety of skills like vocabulary, attributes, asking questions, and yes/no responses.
• Screen time: For many families, screen time and technology use is bound to happen, create conversation and ask questions around the game your child is playing or download a fun educational app that can build in practice
• Games: Family game time uses and practices many fundamental skills such as executive functioning, planning, social, NS back and forth communication

The most important tip: Interact together, at the end of the day interaction with your child is so powerful for practicing all of their speech and language goals. Play games, ask questions, read books, talk about your activities or meals. This creates a low demand setting where your child can generalize their speech and language goals while having fun.

#autism #speechtherapy

What’s Inside:

• How to support speech, language, and social goals in the summer.
• Games and simple ideas for speech practice this summer.
• How parents can generalize speech practice into their everyday environment.
• Why practicing speech and language goals can be simple and low demand activities.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Broad Horizons Speech Therapy (@broadhorizonsspeech) TikTok
Broad Horizons Speech Therapy - Instagram
Broad Horizons Speech Therapy
Speech, Language, and Education Parent Support Group of Florida
Meet Calonda Henry of Broad Horizons Speech Therapy
ABA Speech: Home