tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76780917911386804022024-03-27T19:32:38.609+06:00ComputerEver Advantages of TechnologyComputerever Advantages of new technology include: easier, faster and more effective communication. better, more efficient manufacturing techniques. less wastage.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger41500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678091791138680402.post-27555946494574123172024-02-27T23:54:00.000+06:002024-02-27T23:54:04.043+06:00LEGO THERAPY<p> LEGO® is an incredibly popular toy with children all over the world. It is also a fantastic learning tool particularly for children with autism who are often motivated by this fun, systematic construction toy. LEGO® therapy is a therapeutic approach for children with autism and related social communication difficulties which utilises their interest in this toy to help them develop social skills.</p><p><br /></p><p>How does LEGO® therapy work?</p><p>A group of 3 children work together to build a LEGO® project. Each child takes on a different role:</p><p>• Engineer – oversees the design and makes sure it is followed</p><p>• Supplier – finds the bricks requested by the engineer and gives them to the builder</p><p>• Builder – positions the bricks as instructed by the engineer.</p><p>LEGO® therapy groups also have an adult facilitator whose role is to keep the children focused and on-task, help resolve conflicts, encourage positive interactions and prompt the children when needed.</p><p><br /></p><p>What skills are targeted in LEGO® therapy?</p><p><br /></p><p>• Joint play– the children are required to take-turns, share and work together in order to build the LEGO® projects</p><p>• Following instructions– the children need to listen carefully and follow the instructions provided by their peers in order to build the LEGO® projects</p><p>• Giving instructions– the engineer needs to ensure that the instructions he/she provides contains all the necessary concepts e.g. size, colour, shape etc.</p><p>• Asking for clarification– Children are encouraged to recognise when they have not fully understood an instruction and use a strategy to ask for help.</p><p><br /></p><p>What the research says…</p><p>LeGoff (2004) found that children and young people aged 6-16 made significant improvements in 3 measures of social competence as a result of participating in LEGO® therapy. This included improvements in the following areas:</p><p>• Ability to initiate social interaction with peers.</p><p>• Ability to sustain interaction with peers</p><p>• Reduction in stereotyped behaviours</p><p><br /></p><p>A later study by LeGoff and Sherman (2006) also found that LEGO® therapy had a positive impact on developing ‘’task focus, joint attention, collaborative problem-solving, sharing and turn-taking’’ (LEGO®ff and Sherman, 2006).</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678091791138680402.post-46122785737667647802024-02-24T22:31:00.000+06:002024-02-24T22:31:02.176+06:00Speech and language difficulties in toddlers<p>We have had a number of referrals from parents of young children (age 3 and under) who have concerns about their child’s speech and language development. Sometimes parents are concerned that it is difficult to understand what their child is saying. Sometimes they are concerned that their child doesn’t talk at all, or talks less than children of the same age.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what is the best option with these toddlers? At ages 3 and under, there’s a huge difference in children’s language abilities. Some children take a little longer than others to learn how to talk. Lots will catch up with their peers without the need for speech and language therapy. Some won’t catch up by themselves, and will need to be seen by a speech and language therapist to help them overcome their difficulties. With toddlers, it’s not always easy to tell which will be which! But that doesn’t mean you should do nothing. difficulties. With toddlers, it’s not always easy to tell which will be which! But that doesn’t mean you should do nothing. One of the best ways parents can support their child’s language development is to put aside at least 10 minutes for special talking time every day. During this time it’s good to:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Minimise distractions (turn off screens, reduce background noise).</p><p>• Get down on your child’s level.</p><p>• Let your child decide what to play with and their lead.</p><p>• Comment on their play using short, simple sentences, e.g. ‘Carla is building’; ‘building bricks’; ‘brick on’; ‘brick off’; ‘big brick’; ‘red brick’; ‘mummy is building’; ‘up, up, up’; ‘bricks fell down’.</p><p>• Use comments rather than questions, e.g. ‘red brick’ rather than ‘what</p><p>• colour is this?’ This will really help your child to match the words to the object.</p><p>• Repeat, repeat, repeat those words! Some children need a bit more practice hearing new words than others in order to learn them.</p><p>• Don’t worry about being quiet too! Sometimes when children are slow to talk it’s natural to fill in the gaps. But by leaving those gaps empty, we give the child lots of opportunity to talk.</p><p>• If the child makes mistakes in their talking, don’t correct them. Instead, you can model the correct version, e.g. if they say ‘tat’, you can say ‘yes, it’s a cat’.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are lots of other times you can try these strategies out. Mealtimes, journeys in the pushchair, or trips to the supermarket can all provide lots of opportunity to follow a child’s lead and comment on what they are interested in using short, simple phrases.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development, you might want to try out some of these strategies. Here are some other things you can do:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Contact the Talk Time Therapy for further advice. They will help you to decide whether your child needs speech and language therapy.</p><p>• Go to your GP or public health nurse to discuss your concerns. They may want to consider making a referral to other services (such as Audiology) to rule out other difficulties that might affect their language learning (such as a hearing impairment</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678091791138680402.post-34499237952654151432024-02-23T21:40:00.004+06:002024-02-23T21:40:20.707+06:00Helping children understand spoken instructions<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Children use many skills when it comes to understanding and responding to instructions. It can be frustrating for them and you if this doesn’t go to plan. Children might be told they are ‘not listening’ or perhaps that they are deliberately not doing as they are told. Children with speech and language difficulties can find following instructions challenging for a number of reasons.</span></p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Let’s consider what skills might be needed to follow an instruction such as ‘Go and get your coat after you tidy up those toys’:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Focus attention and listen to the speaker</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Understand the meaning of the words being used</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Understanding the intention and expectation of the speaker</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Understand concept words such as ‘after’ and how that determines the sequence of actions</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Remember both parts of the instruction, i.e. hold both parts in your head long enough to complete both actions</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Predict that ‘getting a coat’ might mean ‘we are going out soon’</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Children’s understanding of an instruction such as this may break down at one or more levels of this process. Some children may experience difficulty with all of these levels. We can help children to understand instructions by providing them with some extra support along the way.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Top Tips for supporting children to follow instructions:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Call their name or gently place a hand on their shoulder to let them know it’s time to listen</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• You can use visual cues when giving the instruction, e.g. point to the coat or hold up a toy so they also have a visual reminder of what you said</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Emphasise the important words, such as ‘coat’, ‘after’, ‘tidy’, ‘toys’, and consider whether showing them the first activity might be needed to demonstrate the order</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• It might be necessary to change the way you say the instruction, e.g. ‘Tidy toys first, then get your coat’</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Repeat both parts of the instruction, so they have multiple opportunities to hear it</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• We might need to shorten longer instructions into smaller parts, e.g. ‘Let’s tidy the toys. Now, let’s get your coat’.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">• Some children need us to explain the connections between activities to help them understand what’s happening next, e.g. ‘We’re going to the shop now. Put your coat on’.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Finally, let’s put ourselves in their shoes. If someone gave us a long or complicated instruction, we would certainly appreciate some help too! We might ask them to say it again, or to tell us one bit at a time- we might need to rehearse the steps out loud first to make sure we got it right. As adults, we have a pretty good idea of what helps us to understand or remember information. Children are still learning what support they need to help them get the job done- it’s our job to fill in those gaps for them while they figure it out!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678091791138680402.post-35042650280083927282024-02-23T21:39:00.005+06:002024-02-23T21:39:43.574+06:00Bilingualism<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There are now more than one million learners in UK schools who speak English as an additional language (EAL). This represents a considerable proportion of the school population, well above 15 per cent.</span></p><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">EAL learners come from very diverse backgrounds. Some arrive seeking asylum, while others follow families coming to the UK as economic migrants or for other reasons. EAL learners also include those who were born and raised in the UK speaking a language other than English. The most common first languages spoken by EAL learners include Polish, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish and Tamil.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As a Speech and Language Therapist, parents with children learning English as an additional language often come to me concerned that when their child first starts school that they will be at a disadvantage compared to their monolingual English speaking peers. Parents also often ask me if their child will be confused learning two languages and whether they should focus on speaking English only at home with their child.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">While it will take the child some time to pick up English particularly if this language is completely new to them, research suggests that bilingual children actually perform better academically, are socially and linguistically more aware and more cognitively and intellectually advantaged compared to their monolingual peers.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7a7a7a; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">So the take home message is that being bilingual is something to be proud of and can actually be an advantage to your child academically so continue to encourage your child to use their home language/s as well as English as much as possible!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com