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Activities to Teach Children to Say “No” Teaching children to “No” is to get them ready for the outside world. So, in this blog we will list activities to teach children to say “no”. Teaching kids to say “no” is very crucial in today’s world. It helps to build confidence in them to say “no” to things. Especially, which they are not comfortable doing. Further, it also helps you to follow what your child wants instead of taking a guess. So, let’s look into some activities you can do. Activities to Teach Children to Say “No”: Activity 1: This game is to be played with toddlers and young kids. You will need a bubble wand and other toys available at home. Now, sit on a mat with your toddler. Then, start blowing bubbles with him/her. Additionally, talk along while you blow. Say, “You like bubbles”, “Bubbles are big”, “Oh Bubble popped” and so on. Then, stop blowing the bubble and keep it aside. If your toddler is pointing to bubbles, pick up another toy instead. Ask him “Do you want the car?”. Now, if your kid keeps pointing at the bubble. Make him say “No, Car”. Ask again, “Do you want the car”. Make him repeat “no”. Finally, guide him/her to say “no, car” and “yes, bubbles”. Activity 2: Here is another game to play with your child. To do this activity you need some toys such as a car, doll, bus, puppet and so on. Now, sit with your child. First, show your child “a car” and ask “Is this a bus?”. Then, if your child says “car”, prompt him/her to say “No, it is a car”. Next, show another toy and ask “Is this ….?”. Make sure to say the wrong name. This will create a chance for your child to say “No, it is a …”. Activity 3: This activity is for adolescents and children who can read and speak. To do this activity, simply make a worksheet with yes, no questions. Next, ask your child to read and answer. Or you can play orally too. For example, ask “Is the earth a square?”, teach your child to respond by saying “No”. Next, you can ask “Is the sky pink?” and so on. You can either play this game by speaking or using a worksheet. Click here to download a worksheet: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/YesNo-and-TrueFalse-Task-Cards- Activity 4: We can use this activity for young children. This is a fun game to play at home. To do this, you need a bowl of something that smells strong like a pod of garlic. Take another bowl with some rose petals or sweet-smelling candy. Sit with your kid at the table. Now, let your child smell the garlic and ask “Does it smell sweet”. Encourage him to answer “No”. Then make him smell the rose petal and ask “Does it smell bad”. Encourage him to answer “No”. Activity 5: This last activity is for non-verbal children. To do this game, teach your child “thumbs-up” hand gestures for “Yes” and “thumbs-down” for “No”. Play this game during the day when you interact with your child. If your child points to some object, pick out another object instead. If your child cries, guide them to make the hand gesture “Thumbs-down” for “No”. Continue to do this activity until your kid can consistently respond to yes/ no with a hand gesture. If you wish to know more about Speech-Language Therapy, kindly contact us at  info@1specialplace.com https://therakonnect.com/appointments/book/1specialplace For more ideas check out our other blogs https://www.1specialplace.com/blogs

Autism Series X: The Power of ‘Preparation’ (Part 1) The Power of ‘Preparation’ – Preparation is a big part of our lives. We prepare ourselves for our busy days, tasks around the house, sleep time or even work. For individuals with ASD, this aspect becomes essential for them to manage their daily tasks with ease as well as reduced stress and anxiety. Preparation is one of the many ways in which transitions (in routines) or changes (in the environment or behaviors etc.) can be managed better. What does ‘preparation’ refer to? ‘ Preparation’ refers to any means by which individuals are geared towards a schedule/ routine, changes in the routine or even transitions in the environment. When we prepare ourselves for a simple task, such as an art activity- we would ensure to gather all the essentials (say, craft paper, scissors, pencil, eraser, sharpener), will become mentally prepared for the steps involved in making the craft, and also be geared towards handling any unforeseen disruptions or changes in the plan (for instance the pencil lead breaking, for which we are equipped with the sharpener). The Power of ‘Preparation’  Why is it so essential? Preparation is considered essential to allow individuals to lead their lives better and function more smoothly in day to day activities. Several individuals with ASD prefer structured routines for this reason. Read more on routines for ASD here. Being ‘prepared’ for a simple task, such as the cutting activity allows us to be–focused for the task, aware of what needs to be done, able to successfully complete the task and have lesser distractions from it (such as the need to constantly get up for forgotten supplies). This gives an idea of how essential preparation may be for children/individuals with ASD How to ‘prepare’ effectively for transitions/changes? It is best to use a combination of visual, verbal and auditory modalities/modes . Here are few ways to prepare an individual effectively for a possible change or transition: Social stories: Stories that have social consequences and information embedded in them are a great way to prepare children who are slightly older or have some basic skills. These stories can be tailor-made to a child’s need and his situation(s) e.g. Prepare a child to wait for his turn at the trampoline or Prepare a child for changes in teachers (transitions) at school. They can be made very visual (using a lot of photographs or pictures) and colorful, but should not be complicated or too long. A social story, if read before the possible change or break in the routine, can allow the child to be ready for it and thereby perform better and have lesser stress and discomfort. You can read more about social stories and how to make them here  and here The Power of ‘Preparation’  Schedule for routine Having a schedule for routines is crucial. This allows the child to be aware of all the steps or activities (for the day, the session or a specific task). The schedule is often a visual one (pictures, photos, written words, a combination of both) to allow for easy reminders of the tasks. Such a visual schedule also enabled a child to indicate completed tasks easily.  A ‘finish box’ is one of the ways to do so. Schedules should be placed near the child, or somewhere that is easily accessible. For instance, in the classroom , the schedule may be placed on the child’s desk.  At home , it can be on a board that the child passes by often, preferably in his/her work area. Similarly, in a session , it should be in the child’s view at all times (since sessions at typically only an hour long and the child has several tasks to complete through that time). Read more about routines – here Several of us schedule our day, by making a to-do list.  Doesn’t it make it easier to complete the tasks and know what to expect from the day? Slowly introduce changes Changes can be very tough on many children with ASD. Therefore, preparation for it is essential. Making huge changes all of a sudden may not be a good idea. Hence, it is suggested to introduce smaller changes one at a time. For example, if we have a child who loves to play with cars. Therapists within a session, would not completely remove cars during the initial sessions. They would prepare the child visually about – how the car needs to be kept away, how playing with cars will take turns with playing with blocks, etc. Changes within our lives and daily routine are inevitable. Therefore we must introduce subtle changes, at times, for our children with ASD. They need to learn to be able to cope with this inevitability. The Power of ‘Preparation’   Be with your child. Be prepared, yourself. This is an important aspect, that may be forgotten several times. When preparation has not been possible and a child may feel overwhelmed – the comfort of a known person can be helpful . At this time – you (the caregiver / familiar therapist) must be prepared on how to handle the situation. Allowing the child to calm him/herself in the way suitable for them, continuing to verbally prepare them as you go along, and using short yet assuring words, that you understand their discomfort but they must move on with tasks or the routine.

Autism Series XI: The Power of ‘Preparation’ (Part 2) The Power of ‘Preparation’-  Preparation is a very strong tool that can assist an individual / a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to manage the ever-changing scenarios in life – be it during a session, daily life or even school. Preparation can be done in a variety of ways. Learn about some more details to prepare effectively for your child. [Get answers to the basics about ‘preparation’ in Part 1 of this series (here)] Preparation through a calendar: A visual calendar of each day/date comes quite handy. It can indicate important events, people or changes of event that the child needs to be alerted about. A simple example can be, therapy sessions. Days therapy sessions is not to be conducted, the calendar does not have its photos. Otherwise, it does. Preparation at home: The questions that may come to ones’ mind for preparation at home are – where and how does preparation be done for the child, when is the best time to do so and who is the best person to prepare the child. How & Where : A child is best prepared in the convenience of his / her home. Here, the child would be the most comfortable and relaxed and therefore may listen and focus on the preparation the best. That said, there may be an ideal place for the child to be prepared – a comfortable bed, or, the sofa. There must not be any particular place marked out for seating the child to prepare – however the child should be comfortable (as far as possible). Effective strategies to prepare the child using auditory, visual or verbal means should be used. The Power of ‘Preparation’- When : A child should be prepared before the event or through the task that needs preparation or guidance from the adult. For instance, a child should be prepared before stepping out to the park (if he needs to be told to learn to wait for the slide). A child must be shown preparation cards throughout the daily routine of bathing. Who : The most familiar person/caregiver should prepare a child, initially. However, any family member may be able to prepare the child effectively, if the tools are present (i.e. the visuals like calendar, social story etc.) Preparation within a therapy session and at school: A child can be prepared at home , about what is expected at school or in the therapy session. At home, the parent/caregiver would be preparing the child. However, at the session or school , the therapists or teacher must reinforce the preparation time with effective strategies for transition or handling a situation. Therefore, communication between the caregivers (/parents) and the teachers or therapists becomes crucial. For beginning learners, the use of the same preparation cards can allow a child to ‘relate’ better to what is expected out of him/her. At times, the use of the ‘same words’ or reinforcers (be it a star sticker or a ‘good job’ high five) become crucial for a child to remain calm in the situation. How to prepare a child ‘on the go’? Parents and children with special needs have packed schedules with activities, therapies, school etc. Parents need to be able to prepare the child, not only within the home environment but also on the move. Having handy tools for effective preparation is essential. The easiest of them all is the use of words . Words, that are relatable, simple and repetitive are required at this time. However, words alone may not always be effective. When combined with written words or drawings/ pictures they become easy for a child to remember or recall. This can be done via materials kept ready in advance (such as the calendar or pictures on the phone) that can be carried along. Additionally, laminated pictures (of places the child is heading to such as therapy session, park, aunt’s home) and items that child may need to know about (such as a picture of a bus – to tell the child they are not traveling by taxi but by a bus today). These can be kept easily in the caregivers’ handbag. Alternately, a simple whiteboard with a marker can be kept handy to draw or write out what is needed. This is a no-tech version. However, a phone or tablet can serve the same purpose. Use technology (via a phone or tablet ) to show the child the pictures or movie (self-made) about where they are going. You can use apps (that can be downloaded on the phone) to talk about ‘now’ and ‘later’- what are we going to be doing now and what will we be doing later. They can also be used to give the child choices and then prepare him/her. E.g. of such an app is here . The Power of ‘Preparation’- Independence (Preparing oneself): Preparation is typically adult-directed during the initial stages. That means an adult will prepare the schedule and show it to the child. This will thereby calm the child. However, as the child’s skills improve and s/he gets older – we would like to aim for them to use these schedules on their own and prepare themselves for various tasks and routines. Baby steps towards this would include: Allowing the child to make choices in the schedules Getting them involved in the steps of a task (choosing the apt picture) Using stories as a way for them to ‘think’ about – what next. These stories can be related to their daily routines.

Activities on Winnie the Pooh Characters Winnie-the-Pooh also called Pooh Bear is every child’s favorite tv character. Every 18th January, Winnie-the-Pooh day is celebrated across the world. It is the birthday of its author A.A.Milne. Further, the author A.A.Milne was an English author and poem writer. His bestselling book has been on the character Winnie the Pooh. So, read on for some activities on Winnie the Pooh characters to do at home with your kids. Winnie the Pooh Interactive Story There are many interactive stories on Winnie the Pooh . You can read a story with your child. Further, talk about the pictures in the story. Ask questions and make it fun for the kids. Furthermore, you can also teach concepts of logical thinking, problem-solving, and vocabulary. Winnie the Pooh Coloring Activity We all love to color. So, get some colors, paints, and papers ready for your child. You can print out the characters. Further, talk about the characters while coloring. Furthermore, take turns with your child to talk about the images. Create a storyline with the pictures. You can also include a coloring activity as a kid’s group play game. Winnie the Pooh Dialogue Delivery This is a fun activity to do. So, to get started open a Winnie the pooh storybook . Now, explain to your child, you can they will take turns to read the dialogues in the book. This activity encourages reading, taking turns, and building vocabulary. You can also enact the story while doing this activity. Winnie the Pooh Letter Writing This is an interactive activity. You can play with one or more kids. To do this activity, tell your child, they are going to write a letter to Winnie. Further, give them colors, pencils, and paper. Tell them the mail “goose” is coming to collect all the letters. Hence, help your child think and write a letter to Winnie. At the end of the activity, exchange the letters and read aloud. Reward your child for the best letter. This activity promotes writing skills, reading , and creative thinking. Winnie the Pooh Dance Winnie the Pooh dance is a fun activity to do. Further, play any Winnie song and help your child imitate the dance moves. Furthermore, you can give instructions and support your child to move around. This activity promotes listening skills, following directions, and vocabulary building. Happy Winnie the Pooh Day! Here is a free story for you. For more ideas check out our other blogs

Autism Series XIII: The Power of Making Choices Improved social skills and behaviors, Each one of us regularly makes choices throughout a day. Children with delays and those within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may find it difficult to indicate their choices (due to the inability to communicate effectively) or may not be able to make choices (due to the lack of effective decision making in specific social situations). Therefore, it is imperative to teach the skill to make ‘choices’ to build communication and independence in children with ASD. A better understanding of choice making as well as Strategies to develop the skill are discussed further, through three scenarios: Scenario 1:A young child comes to the Kitchen, where you are fixing a meal. He moves to the fridge, even brings you there by pulling you towards it. You ask him,’ What do you want?’ All he does is cry; intermittently looking at the fridge and tugging you closer and closer to it. There is a breakdown of communication here. The parent is unable to understand what the child is trying to communication. At times, a parent may understand that the child is hungry and pull a few things out of the fridge, but it may not be what the child wants. Thereby building frustration in the child and maybe leading to a meltdown. T here needs to be an effective way that child can communicate and indicate his need(s). Using choices for Communication: Provide the child choices. By giving the child choices, s/he will be able to communicate a need effectively. It can be as simple as showing two food items to the child (when s/he is hungry). Such as, holding out a ‘biscuit’ and ‘apple’ in front of a child. This will allow the child to make a choice and ‘tell’ a need/ want. Begin with a limited number of choices. For children with limited skills, begin by providing two choices. By keeping it simple, choices can be easily made. Too many choices can be confusing and make the strategy inefficient, at times. Use visuals when choices are given (visual board- how to make). Children with ASD learn and focus well with the aid of visuals (photos, pictures, miniature objects etc). When giving choices to the child, it becomes more efficient when visuals are used. A visual choice board is one such way. Learn how to make a visual choice board at home (click here). Teach the child how to make choices (pointing, looking, picking up) Although the choice board or objects are in front of the child, s/he may not know how to indicate a need. It becomes essential for an adult/therapist to teach the child an appropriate manner of making the choice. This can be by pointing (finger, hand or eye pointing), picking up the object or picture of choices or even telling the choice. Provide opportunities for the child to make choices (to express himself effectively). It is essential to seek out situations where you can allow the child to use the newly developed skill. Provide choices often during daily routine tasks such as mealtime, bathing time etc. This strategy does not only apply to children who are non-verbal. Even verbal children with ASD may benefit from it. At times, the child may not be able to use the right words at the right time, to tell his need. Visual choices can assist the child to tell his need more effectively. Improved social skills and behaviors  Scenario 2:You tell your child to get ready to go out. He (Child A) has just woken up. Child A needs to be told, step by step that he needs to brush his teeth, choose clothes for a bath, comb his hair etc. Although the child has skills for each activity (such as bathing, combing hair etc), he needs to be guided to the task needed. He is unable to prioritize activities to complete the task (of ‘going out’). This breaks down independence. Therefore, independence needs to be built through choice making boards as well as using them effectively. Choices for building independence: Visual Choices (for daily routines or tasks that need independence): Choices need be made for several aspects of daily activities. This includes ‘what clothes to wear’, ‘which shoes to put on’ etc.   At times, children with ASD may find it difficult to make the choices or know which choices to make. With an instruction (of which choice to make)– from an adult – the child will be able to follow through with a choice. Therefore, the child can learn to be more independent (and not require constant guidance) by the use of visual choices. Simple choices such as – blue / red shirt, blue or black shoes. By providing limited visual choices, the child has lesser chance to be confused and may be able to complete the task with more independence. Additionally, some children may need independance  in making a choice for ‘what next’ tasks (e.g. what game to play next during free play or what worksheet to choose next during class time etc.). The visual choice strategies must also be used in this situation. Improved social skills and behaviors Understanding big and small decisions The child must be taught to understand ‘big vs small’ decisions. This will help the child to complete ‘small’ decisions with limited intervention and more independence. This may include decisions about daily routines, for pastime activities etc. Bigger decisions can use guidance or assistance from an adult. Scenario 3:Child ‘Y’ enjoys playing with his peers and interacting with them. He is quite competitive and enjoys playing group games. Unfortunately, he hates to lose and has a ‘meltdown’ when that happens. His peers would not know how to handle the behavior and an adult always needs to intervene, at this point in time. This child (with ASD) needs to learn to deal with the (negative) outcomes of a game (i.e. defeat). The child needs to learn to manage his behavior and choose how to react based on the social situation. Making choices for improved social skills and behaviors: Understanding outcomes Before the child learns to manage and choose a correct behavior, s/he needs to understand the outcomes of a game or specific social situation. This is best taught by role-playing and discussing (possible) outcomes. For example, discuss the game of carrom, and talk about winning more coins than the other (i.e. winning) vs having less (i.e. losing). Making choices of (socially appropriate) behaviors Once, the child understands possible outcomes of a game or situation, s/he must be taught about managing behavior by choosing one of many. Talking about socially appropriate behavior can also be done here – Emphasize on the outcomes of the game/situation – Talk about emotions that can be related to each situation (winning = happy/ecstatic, losing = disappointed / angry) – Revisit and replay each situation and visually show the child two choices of emotions (losing = say ‘I am sad, let’s play again’ or ‘kicking the game board away’) – Prepare choice cards for emotions, based on the situation ( that the child can refer to )

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. In this blog, we will tell you about Avaz AAC for Communication.  Further, these are devices and tools that help communication. Furthermore, few children and people who have speech difficulties greatly benefit from AAC tools and devices. Here is a link to what is AAC: https://1specialplace.com/product/my-child-and-aac/ Avaz is a picture and text-based speech application. It is available on all smart devices on the Google Play Store and Apple iStore. Also, it is freely downloadable. Avaz AAC for Communication What is Avaz? Avaz is a picture-based communication application. Moreover, it also has text-to-speech features. Additionally, this app is made in India. It is available in English and six Indian languages. Further, the voice output has many gender-based voices to suit everyone’s needs. It has a great picture base. It comes with text for each item in the vocabulary. You can personalize and add your own images and text. Who can use Avaz? This app is for anyone who finds it difficult to speak. Many people and children around the world are using it efficiently. Here are some persons who will benefit from Avaz. Autistic persons People with cerebral palsy Persons with Aphasia and cognitive speech disorders Neurodegenerative conditions of the brain Persons with vocal fold cancer and many more. Basically, everyone can use Avaz. In other words, irrespective of their age and diagnosis. Further, there is no basic skill needed to use Avaz. However, some motor and visual skills are crucial. When can you start using Avaz? As said before, Avaz is software for people with complex communication needs. Furthermore, the earlier you begin to use the app; the more is the benefit. Moreover, it takes time for the child and adult to use the app. Why should I use Avaz? Here are some points on why Avaz is the best to use, In the Indian context, it is available in regional languages. Avaz is very quick to customize. You can add many images and words in one go. You can modify the images for your needs. Avaz has inbuilt images. You can add pictures from the internet. Keyboard mode is easy to type. It predicts words and pictures to make phrases. The app has a parent-caregiver training module to help you. This app saves data. Also, it helps to track the progress of the user. Pairs with external pointing devices. This is for people with motor issues. Here is a free demo link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsisrM_RKKU What is the pricing of Avaz? Avaz India is on sale for iPads and Android Tablets and phones. Avaz India is priced at: Free trial of one week Monthly subscription of Rs. 299/- Annual subscription – Rs. 2999/- Lifetime purchase of Rs. 8999/-

Activities for pre-school kids with special needs This blog talks about activities for pre-school kids with special needs. Pre-school activities not only have learning value. They also consist of  a wealth of skill development. They promote learning through play. It also aims at the child’s holistic development. 1. Simon Says – All of us have played Simon Says while growing up. This game is easy and fun. It improves focused attention. This works on the child’s ability to comprehend and follow instructions. It develops sportsmanship. The child also becomes aware of their body. 2. Up in the air This game is super fun and easy to play. All you need is a balloon. The child keeps the balloon up till the time the music is on. He has to  hold it in his hand once the music stops. This game works on the child’s attention and listening. It also improves his gross motor skills. 3. Paper collage This activity improves the child’s fine motor skills. Eye – hand coordination and creativity enhances. 4. Guess what is missing This task involves showing the kids three or four items they are familiar with. One thing from this stack has to be then removed. The child then guesses which object has been removed. This task helps improve the child’s attention. It also enhances their memory and visual learning.Vocabulary and problem solving skills are also worked upon. 5. Action songs and rhymes Children enjoy action songs and rhymes. They involve movement and music. This boosts their motor development. Their language and listening skills also improve. Also, their ability to follow instructions refines. It also enhances their social skills. 6. I Spy These are interactive activities for pre-school kids with special needs. Here, the child has to guess the object that you describe. This works on the child’s focused attention. Listening ability refines. It enhances visual discrimination. Their working memory and visual learning improve. Turn taking and social skills are learnt. 7. What’s in the sock Keep an object the child is familiar with inside the sock. Allow him/her to put their hand inside and feel it. They finally have to guess the name of the object. This aids the child’s focused attention. Memory improves. It also enhances their language. Their awareness of the environment is also magnified. It also boosts their confidence. 8. Puppet play Playing with puppets boosts the child’s imagination.It encourages development of language. Their listening skills magnify. It teaches them about emotions and social skills. It also works on their memory and visual learning. 9. Storytelling Children absolutely love listening to stories. It arouses their interest. Sequential memory improves. They develop the ability to ask questions. It aids in their language development. Vocabulary is improved. Auditory skills also enhance. 10. Block building It provides a useful learning experience through play.  This helps the child to recognize shapes and colors. It works on their problem solving and reasoning skills. This enables them to express themselves. Their imagination and creativity is also magnified. It also works on their motor skills. Eye – hand coordination improves. 11. Puzzles These are fun learning pursuits for kids. Benefit includes improved fine motor skills. Attention and concentration also improves. They recognize shapes and colors. Their problem solving skills become better. Memory also boosts. 12. Outdoor play The benefits of outdoor play is limitless. This aids in physical and mental development.  It also promotes discipline in them. Social skills such as turn taking and following rules are fostered. This encourages gross and fine motor development. Eye-hand coordination also improves. It enhances awareness of their body and the environment. 13. Sensory tables They provide a wealth of benefits to children. Tracing on the sand, playing with water and the like are a few sensory experiences. This helps them know about different textures. It also calms them down. 14. Scavenger Hunt These are  engaging activities for pre-school kids with special needs. It can be played indoors or outdoors. Simply ask the children to collect a few things they can recognize. This not only boosts their memory, but also their problem solving skills. It improves their attention and concentration. It enhances visual learning and motor skills. 15. Circle time This is an effective way to teach different concepts. Their social skills are enhanced. It improves their listening skills. This instills a sense of routine in the kids. Their cognitive development is magnified. Readiness to attend school  enhances.

Bedtime Talk : Building Your Child’s Creative Language Building Your Child’s Creative Language, We all know that having routines for the day can be very helpful for your child to predict, plan and communicate more effectively. Finding opportunities to talk with your child is crucial for his language development. Be it the morning rush hour of getting dressed for school or the winding down calm at bedtime, every part of your child’s routine gives you plenty of opportunities to connect with him. Little did you know that even bedtime can be a great window to peep into your child’s inner world. It can serve as a perfect moment to foster creative expressive language and help in retrieval of information. The regular steps to bedtime which most of us follow with our kids can include: Cleaning up the toy room Changing into pyjamas Brushing teeth Read a bedtime story/Narrate a bedtime story Turn on Sleepy Music/Lullaby Switch off the lights Bedtime talk Bedtime talk can be the most wonderful time of your child’s day. So snuggle up and get cosy in the bed. You can also massage your child’s arms/legs and get talking. Ask simple questions about your child’s day. You must first answer those questions yourself and initiate turn taking. The top 3 questions that can really help your child express himself : What made you happy today? What made you sad/upset today? What did you learn today? These questions are basically simple conversation starter tools that all parents can use to work on skills like sentence formation, starting and maintaining conversations, speaking meaningfully and using already learnt vocabulary. Some parents find it tricky to answer “what they learnt today”. Here are some ideas – I learnt to make a nice recipe today I learnt a new word today I learnt to parallel park my car today I learnt that there are 10 planets in the universe I learnt a new yoga pose today etc. Follow this bedtime talk as a ROUTINE. So ask these questions every night after the lights are out. You will find that after a few nights, your child will remind you of the questions if you forget these by mistake! Some other ideas for questions can be: What made you angry today? How many times did you smile today? What was your favourite part of the day? What do you want to eat tomorrow? What do you want to dream tonight? For younger children who might find it hard to understand open-ended questions, you can break down and ask very simple closed questions like – Are you happy? ( expect a yes/no) Do you want Teddy to sleep with you? Which lullaby should mummy sing for you? Where is Daddy sleeping? Do you want new pyjamas? Can you show me how we yawn? Can you kiss me goodnight? Bedtime talk can be very useful for children with speech-language delays and conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder/ADHD too. Remember to keep your language simple yet creative at the same time. Do not keep repeating your questions. Give wait time or pause well before you answer the questions or break the answer down for your child. Building Your Child’s Creative Language

What Is Stroke (Offering Best Online Speech Therapy)? A stroke occurs when blood cannot access an area of the brain. This could be because of a blood clot (called an Ischemic stroke) or because of a broken blood vessel (a Hemorrhagic stroke). Strokes can lead to: Paralysis Muscle weakness Cognitive issues Speech and language impairment Decreased emotional control There are many forms of speech impairment stroke patients can suffer from that are grouped under the general term aphasia. Read a detailed blog on Online speech therapy for adults  What Is Aphasia? If the stroke happens in an area of the brain that controls speech or communication, it can cause aphasia. Aphasia is a language and/or speech impairment. This can affect speech, writing, reading, and general communication. Every stroke patient will not experience aphasia, but it’s estimated that as many as 40 percent of stroke survivors have some form of aphasia. While some stroke patients will regain normal speech patterns post-stroke others may need to practice some speech therapy exercises at home that can help during recovery. Read a detailed blog on Tips for improve speech after stroke Speech therapy can help with speech and language improvement after a stroke. A patient who survives stroke has to go through moderate to severe speech and language impairments known as Aphasia. It can be corrected or at least reduced by Speech Therapy Exercises for stroke. These speech therapy exercises usually vary from person to person, depending upon many factors like age, severity, and needs etc. There are many speech therapy exercises that can be performed to minimise speech impairments. Ideally, one should work with a Speech Language Pathologist to improve their language skills. Then they can use the following Best online Speech Therapy Excercises for Adults With Speech Disorders to practice at home. Read a detailed blog on online speech therapy can help stroke cases. Exercises for Stroke Management Here are some Most Popular Online Speech Therapy Exercises For Stroke Patients that can be tried at home: 1. Tongue In and Out Stick the tongue out and hold it for 2 seconds, then pull it back in. Hold for 2 seconds, and repeat. This helps train the tongue to move with coordinated patterns, which will help produce better speech. 2. Tongue Side to Side For this speech therapy exercise, open your mouth and move your tongue to touch the right corner of your mouth. Hold for 2 seconds, and then touch the left corner of your mouth. Hold for 2 seconds, and repeat. 3. Tongue Up and Down Open your mouth and stick your tongue out. Then, reach your tongue up toward your nose. Hold for 2 seconds and then reach your tongue down toward your chin. Hold for 2 seconds, and repeat. It’s best to do all of these speech therapy exercises in front of the mirror so that you can get visual feedback. 4. Say Cheese! Here’s another simple speech therapy exercise that improves oral motor skills. Practice smiling in front of a mirror. Smile and then relax. Repeat as much as possible. The mirror is important because it provides feedback, which is fuel for your brain! 5. Practice Kissing Face When done practicing those smiles, try making kissing face by puckering your lips. Pucker the lips together and then relax. Repeat as often as possible. One should slow down the movement for even better control. 6. Consonant & Vowel Pairing Repetition Now that we’ve completed the simple speech therapy exercises, let’s move onto more complex activities. Take a consonant that one have trouble saying, and then pair it with each of the 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u). For example, if one has trouble with the “r” sound, then practice saying “ra, re, ri, ro, ru” over and over. If one is feeling ambitious, try this with all consonants. 7.  Breathing Exercises A common symptom of aphasia and speech impairment in stroke patients is trouble regulating breathing while speaking. This can cause a person to take breaths in the middle of sentences, which makes it difficult to speak at length as well as be understood by listeners. Doing breathing exercises can help one regulate their breathing while speaking much easier. Try demonstrating a deep breath and then speak while exhaling. Make the patient practice planning out the breaths they take while speaking. They have to repeat simple sentences and breaths to themselves to master when taking a breath. This will help the patient learn to plan breathing pauses as they relearn how to construct sentences and breathe properly during speech. 8.  Sentence Production Patients with speech apraxia, for example, have no trouble with the cognitive side of language production. However, their ability to move their lips and tongue is impaired. Therefore, reading aloud provides an opportunity to practice speaking. This can be frustrating for patients with moderate to severe aphasia, so be patient. Start small! By practicing a few very simple sentences for short periods of time, like one or two minutes. Then, increase the practice duration from there. 9. Phonological Processing Phonology refers to the pattern of speech sounds. Speech therapy exercises that help with phonology can also help patients improve their ability to produce speech. For this exercise, the patient will guess how many syllables are in a word and the caregiver will say different words. Each time the caregiver say a word, the patient has to guess how many syllables are in that word. The caregiver should always tell the patient whether he/she is right or wrong to provide feedback. The feedback is part of what makes this exercise therapeutic. 10. Word Games Word games make great speech therapy exercises for adults. Although one isn’t producing speech, these games challenge the patient’s language processing skills. To exercise problem solving and visual processing, try word games like word searches or crossword puzzles. Most brain games will help improve speech when one practices them regularly. Tips for communication with stroke survivors: A person with aphasia often faces difficulty to communicate in long sentence. A simple strategy that can help is to ask questions in a “Yes” or “No” framework. For example, ask the person if they are thirsty or hungry, which can be answered with a simple yes or no. Other strategies include keeping spoken messages simple, reducing environmental distractions like a loud TV, and using hand gestures in addition to verbal language. Simplify language by using short, uncomplicated sentences. Repeat or try writing down key words to clarify meaning as needed. Maintain a natural conversational manner appropriate for an adult. Encourage any type of communication whether it is speech, gestures, pointing, or drawing. Avoid correcting the person's speech. Allow the person plenty of time to talk. Exercises for Stroke Management Message: A person with stroke deserves respect, attention, patience and the chance to be heard. Important thing to Remember! Your loved ones need your care, love, time and support to recover fast!

Child Psychologist Myths and Facts There is still a lot of stigma in our society when it comes to visiting a child psychologisFt. This stigma does more damage than we realize and it is time that we bust these myths and look at the reality. Let us see what these myths about child psychologist are! MYTH #1 Your child will be on medications if you visit a child psychologist. Psychologist never prescribes medications. Medicines can only be prescribed by a psychiatrist who has studied medicine. A psychologist will help you understand steps that need to be taken in order to improve your situation. A child psychologist will help you to deal with your child in a healthy manner that promotes the good well-being of the family and not just the child. MYTH #2 A child psychologist will diagnose your child Although psychologists can give you a diagnosis, they will not always focus on it. It is more important to treat the problem rather than focus on the diagnosis. Every psychologist works on different principles so you can choose which one works for you the best. MYTH #3 A child psychologist will judge your parenting skills. Many people are scared of seeing a psychologist thinking that their parenting skill will be judged when in fact it is the opposite. A psychologist is ethically bound to treat you without any judgement and with utmost positive regard. Their job is to provide you with a safe space to ensure you are comfortable talking about your family and child. MYTH#4 A child psychologist will only interact with kids No, Psychologist won’t only interact with your child. Parents and family members make a big part of the child’s world so parents play an important role. Before meeting your child, a psychologist will meet the parents and take all the relevant information to understand which area of child’s behaviour to focus on. MYTH# 5 You will get the solution in 1 session Usually, people think that consulting a psychologist will be like getting an instant solution. In reality, it takes time and consistency to get the desired results. Expecting a change in any behaviour will not come easy. It takes a lot of learning, unlearning and setting boundaries. These things are sensitive and usually take time. It is important to understand that consistency and patience are vital. MYTH #6 A child psychologist will give you advice and tell you what to do. A psychologist never gives advice as opposed to popular belief. They will play the role of a facilitator and act as a support system for families but will never tell them what to do. The role of a psychologist is more to give you healthier options of being rather than directing you to do something. They will show you the clear picture and then leave you to make the right choice.

Activities for biting and chewing in children Chewing exercises for toddlers  For infants, learning how to bite and chew is a crucial stage of feeding development. At approximately 5-6 months of age, babies begin using their fingers and teethers for oral exploration using a bite and release pattern. The development of biting and chewing continues from this point on, with the baby refining the movements of the jaw, tongue, and lips. When infants miss a part of this developmental process, intervention may be necessary to develop the ability to bite and chew. Activities: The best way is to begin is to provide the child with the opportunity to mouth oral motor chew tools (the Grabber, Y- chew, Probe, or Animal Tips). These tools were specifically designed to increase oral awareness, to provide stimulation and tactile sensation, and to exercise the lips, cheeks, tongue, and jaw. Through oral exploration, the child just might begin to bite on his/her own, and from there you can progress to chewing. Demonstrate how to bite so that the child can see and learn what the word actually means. Knowing the vocabulary will be an important part of learning as you encourage the child to bite and chew. Over-exaggerate the movement to help communicate the concept. Use actual food when showing. You can also use puppets with mouths to help show biting (and later chewing). Take turns with the child to feed the puppet.  Make it fun and playful. Make a biting sound or a glottal /um/ sound.  Try having the child feed you. A vertical chewing pattern (an up-and-down opening and closing of the mouth) will begin to develop first. Place either a Grabber or Y-Chew in between the molar area and assist the jaw to open and close. Use the word ‘bite’ as you are directing the jaw to close on the tool being used. Use a mirror for the child to watch himself/herself and you demonstrating a bite. Discontinue using the mirror if it becomes too distracting. Once the child knows the vocabulary word ‘bite’ and can perform the skill, add the word ‘chew.’ Have the child place his/her hands on your jaw to feel you bite and chew. This is to give visual and tactile feedback to better understand the concept. You may have to put your hands over his/her jaw to assist.  Once the child understands the concept of chewing, you can start practicing it with him/her. Place a Grabber or Y-Chew between the premolars and instruct the child to chew. You may have to guide the jaw to open and close. Work up to 20-25 chews in a row on each side of the mouth. For added oral awareness through vibration, you can also use the Z- Vibe with a bite and chew tip. If using a Grabber, have the child bite and chew on the loop as well. If using a Y-Chew, place the handle sideways across the front teeth. Chewing exercises for toddlers This works on both sides of the mouth at once for bilateral chewing and jaw strength and stability. Alternate sides to promote the development of a rotary chewing action. Have the child bite and chew 3-5 times on one side of the mouth and then switch to the other side. Remember to have the chew tools placed to the side of the mouth, in between the pre-molar area. As the child progresses, move the Grabber or Y-Chew to the back molar area where the chewing of foods occurs. If the child gags, move back toward the bicuspids and slowly, over time, progress to the molar area. Once you are comfortable with the child’s ability to bite and chew, dip the chew tools into puréed or sticky foods and continue the biting and chewing exercises. Pairing these tools with real food helps to bridge the gap between practicing chewing and actually chewing real food. To assist with texture acceptance, begin using the Smooth Grabber and progress to the Textured Grabber. Then dip the Textured Grabber into puréed or sticky foods and continue with biting and chewing exercises. Chewing exercises for toddlers If using the Z-Vibe, begin using the Bite-n-Chew Tip and progress to the Textured Bite-n-Chew Tip. When the child bites down, he/she will get ‘rewarded’ with a taste of food to help connect the concept of chewing to getting food. Things to remember: It’s important to note that some children may seem frightened to eat because they know they do not have the oral motor skills necessary to handle food. These children are reacting to real fear and not just refusing to eat. In this instance, you may need to work on bolus formation, tongue awareness, tongue lateralization , first. Other children may refuse to eat because of oral sensitivities, which would also need to be addressed. It’s also important to note that anyone who has direct contact with the child (caregivers, interventionists, ABA therapists, etc.) should be on board to follow through with intervention strategies. The best results happen when therapy is reinforced at home in between sessions.  The more opportunities presented, the better. However, the child should never be forced to mouth, bite, or chew. Teaching these skills takes time, lots of patience, and creative thinking. Talk about the tools and let children feel them in their hands and on their arms first. Then progress to the face, cheeks, lips, and inside the oral cavity. Incorporate food play into your feeding practice. Last but not least, remember to praise, praise, praise.  Use reinforcements that cater to the child’s interests.  Get excited about the progress, no matter how big or small it may seem . Happy learning! Feel free to contact us if you are still facing challenges to teach these skills to your children. If you wish to know more about Speech Therapy, kindly contact us at  info@1specialplace.com https://therakonnect.com/appointments/book/1specialplace For more ideas check out our other blogs https://1specialplace.com/news/

What is cognition? In this blog, we will be discussing what is cognition? How cognition and speech development are related? Some other aspects related to cognition. Now, the word cognition may look like a fancy big term but it’s not. Cognition is the process of learning to reason, think and understand various stimuli in our environment. It includes attention, memory, logic, problem solving, etc. In simple terms, how we think, remember pay attention, and learn. There is a debate among researchers. Whether language is a part of cognition or a separate entity. Cognition is essential for brain development. There are different types of cognition, emotional, social, etc.  An example of cognitive processing would be: if you are at a grocery store, you look for items on your list. You make a selection among different brands. You follow the signs and make your way to the cashier. Why is cognition important? Before we jump into the relationship between language and cognition and why is it important for children. I will list out some reasons as to why cognition is important. Cognition affects everything in our life. Right from childhood to adulthood. Work, studies, and relationships. Children need cognition to learn a new concept. Kids pay attention (a cognitive skill) and learn new concepts and skills. Even language is learned by paying attention to differences in speech sound. Kids require memory to store the information. They store these sounds and other concepts to be used later. What is required to make a decision? It requires problem-solving, reasoning, logic, and selection. All these are essential cognitive processes. This helps them in understanding graphs in schools, intercept the teacher, analyze various things. Children perceive a lot of information through touch, smell, visual and auditory input. This needs to be converted into signals and sent to the brain. So that their brain can act on these. This is a part of cognition, perceiving the world around you. Faster the processing faster is their reaction time. Kids experience a lot of things. This needs to be stored as concepts and ideas to use later. This is again part of cognition, formulating impressions. When the brain can’t recall a piece of information it fills in the gaps, for example, a sound or word. Cognition not only affects things inside kids’ heads but outside as well. Their attention, memory, problem-solving, and judgments contribute to how they behave and interact with the environment. Development of cognition You might think cognition develops later in life or as kids grow up. No, cognition starts developing as soon as the baby is born. The very first signs of cognitive development are, figuring out object permanence. That is an object exists even if it is out of sight.  In infants and toddlers, cognition develops through touch, feel, and everyday sensory-motor experiences. They understand cause and effect. How to reach one object using another. Imitation is also a cognitive skill. A simple skill such as following an object or turning pages is a cognitive skill. As they grow older, understanding how things fit in space, figuring out how a toy works are some other cognitive skills that develop. Even developing language is a cognitive skill such as understanding and expressing words. By the age of 5, social and emotional cognitive processes play a vital role. For example, making friends, understanding feelings, negotiating, decision-making games are all cognitive skills. Correlation between speech and cognition This is the most debated topic. What is the correlation between cognition and speech and language development? In my opinion, both are interrelated. One cannot develop without the other. Kids require cognitive skills such as attention to grasp the sounds made by the mother. They need to process and store these in their long and short-term memory for further use. They need to differentiate between sounds. Build vocabulary and form patterns. This pattern-building skill will help kids to learn the grammar of the language. Understanding the sentence structure, pattern of sentences, etc. In later stages, cognitive skills such as problem-solving, feelings, understanding body language, decision making will help them build relationships with peers. It will also help them during play. Reasoning and logic will help kids to understand academic as well as everyday aspects. For example, why does it rain, or why do we eat food? But, cognition is also dependent on language. For example, if language isn’t developing typically, but cognition is intact. Kids cannot express their logic or reasoning. The means of expressing cognition is through language. Until the age of 3 years, it is difficult to differentiate between cognition and language. You can read more about development milestones here: Milestones Impact of cognition on speech Delayed cognitive skills can cause a delay in understanding language. This means, understanding different concepts such as prepositions, following directions, and adjectives. This will in turn lead to a delay in talking. They may also have academic difficulties. Kids will also face difficulty with reasoning, forming relations, and understanding social rules. Cognition affects overall development in children. How to develop cognition? The importance of interaction and play with your child has been stressed in various blogs by 1specialplace. By playing and interacting with them, you are fostering not only their language skills but also cognition. Some more points are: Let your baby explore toys and move Singing and reading Answering why questions Talking to them Provide them with choices and help them make thoughtful decisions. Let them figure things out. You can provide a gentle nudge and push here and there. Don’t solve problems for them. Encourage them to think instead. Let them make mistakes. Yes, you heard that right. This will develop their problem-solving skill. Creative activities and pretend play. Red flags for identifying cognitive delay: If your child misses several other milestones such as a late walker or late talker then a cognitive delay is also suspected. But this is not always the case. Some other signs could be, a delay in understanding language. Delay in talking. Skills like object permanence cause and effect or imitation have not developed. It is important to visit a pediatrician and SLP in this case. Early intervention and treatment will reduce the impact on overall development. To conclude, kids with delays in cognition will have difficulty in a broad range of skills. These include language and academics.  Treatment and early intervention will help them immensely. It will bridge the gap between cognition and speech development of your child. If you are a parent, I hope this information helped you understand what is going on with your child. If you are a therapist, you can use this to counsel your clients. It is up to us to help families understand the depth of a child’s issues. We provide hope that therapy, along with consistent parental commitment, can make a huge difference!