By

What is the Lidcombe Program?

The Lidcombe program is an evidence based treatment method for preschool and early primary school aged children. The Program uses positive praise as behavioural reinforcement for smooth speech and is extremely effective when implemented correctly and with the right age group. Part of the treatment program involves engaging the child in different activities, many of which are play based. This can sometimes lead parents to feel like they need to live in a toy store in order to keep their child engaged to implement the program well. This is not necessarily the case and here I am going to list a few activities that can be done while administering Lidcombe without breaking the bank.

I spy

This game is played exactly as you would expect. One person decides on an object they can see and tells the other player what sound it starts with. The other player then has to guess what object the other person has in mind. As you play the game and elicit utterances, praise the child as per the Lidcombe program requirements.

You can so this activity at the simple word level by getting the child to give single word utterances when they guess, such as ‘ball’ or ‘hat’. Another option is to play the game at the ‘phrase’ stage and get your child to answer in phrases, such as ‘are you thinking of a hat’. Make sure to work at the level indicated by your child’s speech pathologist for best practice.

Match game

This game can be played entirely with two sets of printed pictures or if your child can recognise numbers, the game can also be played with a normal deck of cards. Place the sets of cards faced down and take turns flipping over two cards to try to find a match. As you flip the cards over, say aloud what are on the cards you have gotten. That way with each turn, you will get a chance to provide Lidcombe style praise and reinforcement.

You can also try a game you haven’t played in a while, with a fun reward at the end or reading books your child may not have seen by going to the local library. Whatever it is, it doesn’t have to be extravagant, just follow your child’s interests and you shouldn’t have trouble keeping them engaged.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have questions about language activities, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post Low cost activities to engage children in the Lidcombe Program appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

By

Comprehension difficulties have a significant impact on a child or adults school, home or work life. If an individual is unable to comprehend a passage or story this impacts their ability to learn from text books or manuals, process and retain stories told by colleagues or friends, complete simple instructions or follow along with a series or novel with long plot lines. This ability is required over a number of different tasks in life for both work and pleasure.

There are a number of programs that have been developed by speech pathologists and psychologist to assist with language comprehension.

One key skill in processing and remembering different elements within a story is visualization.

Visualizing and verbalizing in particular, as the name states focuses on the elements of visualization and verbalizing what an individual has heard or read to aid them in recalling key details required to comprehend language. The program teaches individuals to create a picture in their mind to help remember the key details within a story. For some this skill of visualization comes naturally however for others it is a part of the brain, which requires training to be able to utilize.

The program starts with simpler tasks such as just visualizing an object or character and works up to incorporate visualization of multiple paragraphs within a story. The more vivid the picture, the easier it is to recall the details which make up the object, scene or story. The verbalization element encourages individuals to say back what they have heard which engages multiple faculties of the brain to help with information retention.

These general principles can all help to assist an individual in improving their comprehension. For the most accurate and holistic approach it is important to seek advice from a speech pathologist that has completed a comprehensive assessment of the individuals, keeping in mind their strengths and weaknesses. This ensures that the individual is receiving a healthy amount of challenges without becoming overloaded.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have questions about language activities, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post Improving literacy comprehension through Visualization appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

By

Two of the most commonly asked questions in paediatric speech pathology are:

When or at what age is a good time to start speech therapy?
And how long does it normally take?

The answer to both these questions are as you may have guessed, dependent on the child, however many parents may be left wondering without any idea as to how long they may be coming for speech therapy. So to give a bit of an indication of how long therapy may be required, here is a rough guide.

Children with a mild speech or language delay would likely need speech therapy for a few months.

Children with moderate to severe delays may require speech therapy in some form such as suggested strategies put in place at school, weekly one to one or group therapy sessions.

To answer the question of when a child should start speech therapy, this again is difficult to answer without taking into consideration the child’s needs. The general rule is to start sooner rather than later however I will give a few examples which are commonly seen in a speech pathology clinic and when to be concerned and seek out a speech therapist.

Children who have not yet produced any words are a common case. The general rule is that children should produce their first word around 12 months of age.

If your child is over the age of 12 months it may be worth while visiting a speech pathologist to get a few tips and pointers to help boost your child’s language along.

Some parents like to wait and give their child a chance to catch up in the case of late starter. You generally don’t want to wait longer than a few months as toddlers around 18 months should be producing around 50 words so catching up is a big task if your child does not produce any words yet at this age. The same can be said about the first two-word sentence, which is expected around 24 months of age.

If your child is past the age of two years and is still only using a handful of single words, an assessment by a speech pathologist can give you an indication of whether your child looks as though they are about to start producing two word utterance. They may also be able to tell you if they don’t look to be producing sentences any time soon and give you tips on how to help them along.

One of the most important stages to be assessing and treating a child for speech or language delay is during late preschool when the child is preparing to enter into primary school.Early intervention is key at this stage as the child will soon require their speech and language skills as a foundation for learning literacy and absorbing academic information. Without sufficient speech and language skills, your child begins school with a handicap, which may set them behind for the rest of their continued education.

If you feel unsure about your child’s communication skills, book in for an assessment to get an idea if your child is on track to meet their communication requirement to start school.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have questions about language activities, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post When to start speech therapy and how long does it take? appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

By

What is the NDIS?

The NDIS is a national scheme, which is being implemented across Australia to provide targeted support and better coordination and access to services for people with a disability. The scheme is a single national system catering people with any kind of disability anywhere in Australia with the aim of providing equal access to existing health care services across the country.

For children on the current Better Start and HCWA (Helping children with Autism) schemes this means that funding for therapy will transition and eventually by provided through the NDIS. For adults with disability, this will allow for access to private health care services at no cost to the individuals or their families.

How can the NDIS help individuals with speech difficulties?

Individuals with disabilities will be assessed on their needs including their physical needs and if deemed eligible they will be provided with funding to attend sessions with health professionals such as Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists to help meet their physical needs at home as well as during recreational and vocational activities. The same applies for the individuals mental needs.

Once assessed, the individual may then be eligible for therapy services to meet their mental health and communication needs. This means they will be eligible to receive funding for psychology and speech pathology services.

The amount of sessions they can receive for each service is then determined collaboratively by the individual, their Carer, the NDIS, and the specialist they are seeing. The NDIS is different from the current schemes in that funding for adults with disability is now provided through a single scheme. This means adults who have disabilities such as Down syndrome or Autism receive therapy to assist with their communication and swallowing. This means they can improve their ability to speak to members of their family at home, make new friends in the community or help them to gain employment and engage with colleagues at work.

For more information about the National Disability Insurance Scheme visit the NDIS website

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have questions about language activities, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post What is the NDIS and how can it help adults with speech difficulties appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

By

1. Repeat, repeat, repeat!

Repetition is truly the key when it comes to picking up a language. Just as we need to hear a new word a few times before we truly understand what it means and how to use it, children require the same. Using the same word in a different context such as identifying a car outside and a picture of a car will help your child to solidify the concept of the word, especially with children who struggle with attention and may need to see the object physically in a form that attracts them.

2. Take turns and build on what has already been said

When we are hoping to get a child to interact, we often bombard them with questions, this can be overwhelming and most likely lead to a stunned silence. Instead wait for your child to point out something interesting to them and build on what they say e.g. if your child says car when they see a toy car you can model back a slightly longer phrase like ‘red car’ or push the car and say ‘car go’.

3. Use, interpret and respond to non verbal language

We can do the same for children who don’t yet speak by interpreting their body language e.g if your child points to the car, we build on this communicative intent by elaborating on the gesture and saying ‘car’. It is important to not only lookout for this communicative intent but also model with gesture by pointing and showing the object to the child as we say the word.

4. Slow down and stress key words

When using longer sentences especially, slow down your speech and stress the words that are important within the sentence. They may not necessarily be the most important words in the sentence; instead, they are the words that you are trying to teach. For instance in the example where the child says ‘car’ and you say ‘red car’, you want to stress the word red as the child is already familiar with the word car.

Most importantly, make it fun, so your child enjoys the experience and wants to interact with you more. This ensures that the learning continues and their language will flourish.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have questions about language activities, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post If you are using these 4 strategies then you are modelling language well for your child appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

Call (02) 8188 2570
or our local call number 1300 123 368

Stay Connected

Contact Us

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Your Message

    [recaptcha]

     

    Translate

    ENT Clinic Sydney - Suite 70B, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, 73 Belmore Road, Randwick, Sydney, Australia

    FRACS
    ASOHNS
    DAA
    MUH
    university-of-newcastle
    university-of-sydney
    university-of-queensland
    university-of-oxford
    australasian-college-of-dermatologists
    nutrition-blog-network
    speech-pathology-australia