Play Teach Talk

This is just the basics! I go over the use of No-tech, Lite and Mid-Tech, and High-Tech supports for language comprehension and expression and why they can be helpful for children who are not yet using words as their primary communication. I also touch on use of apps for high tech AAC versus "dedicated devices" and why there is a difference.

I detail reasons why young children may be drooling, what age to look for it to stop, and resources you can access to help with drooling in your toddler.

I talk about the pros and cons of both screen-based play and play with toys without bells and whistles. 

Turn-taking is a social skill that needs to be built as a foundation for more purposeful interaction and language skills. I discuss ways to set up play to encourage turn-taking and how to do this with a few common "favorite" toys.

Do you have a kiddo who just can't sit down for more than a few seconds to play? Are you wondering how to help them pay attention to toys and activities to help them learn words and sounds? I give you several strategies to try, from the least to the most supportive, to help your child increase their attention span in play, which can assist in building language comprehension and encourage first words.

Visit my website at PlayTeachTalk for journal entries, YouTube videos, and short courses offered twice monthly to enhance language skills in young children.

An encouragement episode for parents: Even if it seems like you've tried everything to help build language skills and it's not working, you are not doing anything wrong. We are an individualistic society, but there are professionals and resources out there that can give you help and strategies to try with your child. You're not alone!  

I go over stages of play in which children engage over their development. Exploratory play is the most basic stage, and it is where many of the push-button sound and light toys are, even if they are marketed as "educational" toys. 

Use of gestures, baby signs, and Sign Language to support expressive language skills can be very helpful for enhancing language skills. I talk about benefits and how to use the signs. Look up some of the signs that work for your toddler's communication needs and try them the next time your child wants to communicate a need. 

Signing Time - Teaching Sign Language to children of all abilities & ages.

11 Tips to Improve a Child’s Communication Using Signs (asha.org)

Hand Gestures Boost Spoken and Signed Language Learning | The ASHA Leader

A basic overview of hearing loss types and ways to optimize focus on sounds and words to build clearer language and speech in play.

Related Articles:

Does Otitis Media Affect Later Language Ability? A Prospective Birth Cohort Study | Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (asha.org)

Ear Infections & Language Development (unc.edu)  

OtitisMedia (nih.gov)

Food and mealtimes can be used to help prompt children to use more language, at any level your child communicates. I do not typically recommend work with food as a prompt for language when children get highly frustrated by holding food for the child's communication, or if the child is a picky eater/not motivated by food/tube fed and food is not a high-interest topic.