Speech and Language

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year!  We will be providing updates from time to time on this page of the Pre-K website and welcome any questions or suggestions you have to make.   Let us know what information you want! 

- Tina McAlpin and Joan Reisinger, Pre-K SPED Speech/Language Pathologists

Building Language Skills in the Classroom

One of the most important things a teacher or paraprofessional can do for children who have limited speech and language skills is to observe them and label what they are doing, looking at, or using, with simple words and phrases.  A quiet pause immendiately following the verbal input gives the child time to process the language.

Janice Greenberg and Elaine Weitzman, from the Hanen Program, give these guidelines about how to label:

1. Use labels to let children know what’s going to happen (your daily schedule, names of materials to be used, actions you might perform, etc.)
2. Use specific names of objects.
3. Use fun words when possible. (hooray, oops, whoa, uh-oh)
4. Use a variety of different labels.(nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)**

If you give time for the children to process what you have said and to respond or look at you, you will find that the children may also begin to repeat what you have said! 

**Weitzman, Elaine and Greenberg, Janice (2002) Learning Language and Loving It Second Edition. Canada: Beacon Herald Fine Printing Division.

Half-Day Speech and Language Program

In the Half-Day Speech and Language Impaired program we strive to meet each child's individual speech and language needs by building receptive and expressive vocabulary, increasing the length and quality of each child's sentences, and most importantly, providing opportunities to practice appropriate social language in a natural, nurturing environment.

Each half-day speech and language class is conducted by a certified speech/language pathologist, assisted by a paraprofessional. Each session includes up to 10 children with speech and/or language needs as well as up to 4 role model students. The teaching team uses every moment of the daily routine to provide speech and language intervention. Our classes follow the High/Scope curriculum and incorporate Building Early Language and Literacy as well as Conscious Discipline.

• Blue Lakes Elementary
• Charles R. Hadley Elementary
• Christina M. Eve Elementary
• Hibiscus Elementary
• Irving & Beatrice Peskoe Elementary
• Kensington Park Elementary
• Skyway Elementary

Resources

"Encouraging Communication"

Text only version

_________________

Links for early communication and augmentative communication (AAC):

Apraxia Kids - info about children with DAS or CAS.

Creative Communicating - help for children who communicate using AAC.

AAC Intervention - help for children who communicate using AAC.

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones

Stuttering Help - stuttering resources for teachers, SLPs, and parents

ASHA and Autism - comments from ASHA on the causes of autism as well as podcasts and other information on autism