Screen time is when your child spends time watching television, cinema screen, playing video or hand-held computer games or using smart phone and tablets.

Children learn and develop language skills through interactions with people. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends no screen time before two years of age and encourages interactive play. Between 2-5 years of age, it is best to limit screen time to 1 hour per day of high quality programs.

Most parents might ask, “How can I reduce screen time”? … You can start by setting up screen time rules. Your child is less likely to understand if you say “John, only 10 minutes”. How long is 10 minutes? It is better to explain exactly what you mean and show them how long they have with visual cues. Some strategies that you may want to try include:

Limit maximum number of minutes your child is in front of a screen per day

Limit the times your child is allowed to use a screen: For example, only between 1:00 and 3:00

You can replace the times that your child normally would have been using a screen with an alternative activity that is enjoyable. It’s important to put away your screens when you interact with your child to help encourage play and social skills.

• Sing songs – nursery rhymes are great to get your child engaged
• Colour a picture that interests your child
• Cook something in the kitchen together, for example, gingerbread man

Some parents might ask “Screen time is my child’s down time. How am I supposed to take it away?” Children can learn more from screen time when their learning is supported.

How can you create an appropriate context for screen time?

• Try to engage with your child during screen time – talk about what your child is seeing and is interested in. If your child is interested in dinosaurs, ask your child to say 3 interesting facts about his favourite dinosaur.
• Related information in tablet/phone/television to your child’s past experiences/knowledge – if your child is looking at an airplane flying on screen, talk about a plane you saw at the airport or one he/she flew in

Bring information from screen into the real world – if your child saw someone riding a bike on screen, point out a bike on the street and remind your child about the person riding a bike on the TV/iPad.

Written by Didem Karademir, Speech Pathologist.

Why are attention and listening skills so important?

Listening skills are the foundation block for communication development and learning. Whether it’s school work or therapy work your child needs to be able to focus on the work in order to make progress.

Common signs that your child may have difficulties with attention and listening:

• Frequently becoming distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
• Not replying to simple questions which you know they understand
• Lots of fidgeting and moving around
• Frequently losing or forgetting things like toys or pencils
• Kinder or school frequently reporting that your child ‘doesn’t listen’
• Switching between games and toys faster than other children of their age

How to support children who have difficulties with their attention and listening skills:

• Ensure that their working environment is quiet and as free from visual distractors as possible e.g. turn the TV off and move away from their toys
• Make sure that you are speaking at a volume which they can hear easily
• Ensure that they are sitting facing you so they can see your face
• Say their name and wait for them to look at you before asking them a question
• Carrying out work activities in short bursts. This could be as short as 3 minutes depending on the age of the child
• Providing regular movement breaks
• Use a ‘now and next’ board with a reward to motivate them to focus on the task at hand
• Try to work with them as early as possible in the day- everyone’s attention becomes worse when they’re tired
• Speak to OT about giving the child a fiddle toy so they have something to play with whilst working, if appropriate
• Instruct teachers to sit your child at the front of the classroom, not facing any windows

If you have trialed lots of the strategies over several weeks however you are not seeing any improvements get in touch with a Speech Pathologist and they can see if there is a different underlying difficulty that is causing the difficulty. We are available and happy to chat to you at any time! Give us a call on 8418 8544 and speak to a speech pathologist about what’s concerning you.

Written by Philippa Brown, Speech Pathologist.

Imitation is an important skill for speech and language development. Often children learn to imitate from a very young age and they will imitate actions, sounds and words. Some children take a little longer to learn this basic skill and may need your help. Here are some tips you can follow to help create a conducive environment for encouraging imitation.

1. Create opportunities using things that interest them

Once you understand the things your child likes and dislikes, you can use them to create situations in which your child will be motivated to communicate. It is always best to use things such as food or toys that are most motivating to your child.

For instance, if your child likes playing with the car, you can roll it and make car noises. This will probably grab your child’s attention and make him look at you. After modelling the sound a few times, you can practice ‘waiting’, look at him in anticipation and use communication temptations. When you child does imitate, respond with great enthusiasm so that your child knows this is what you wanted.

2. Imitate your child’s actions in play

Use two sets of identical toys and imitate your child playing with the particular toy. Try to imitate your child’s gestures, body movements or vocalisations during the play activity. Exaggerate these imitations so your child realises you are imitating him/ her. When your child notices you are copying him/her, it may encourage him/her to try new actions with the hope of getting you to copy him/her again.

For instance when your child throws a ball or looks at the mirror, you can copy that and exaggerate the action. Once you get your child’s attention, this will often encourage the child to try new actions or to even imitate the parent’s actions.

3. Use song and dance

You can sing fun and engaging songs to encourage interaction and imitation. Using simple hand and dance movements, clap your hands or simply bang on the drum while singing a song. If your child starts moving his/her body to the song, imitate their body movements. For example, if your child starts banging on a drum with his/ her hand, you may use a drum stick and bang on the drum, and then pass the stick to the child. This will help your child imitate the action.

Also try to use food or toys that your child shows an interest in. This will set the stage for the development of imitation skills in your child.

These are just some ideas to try and encourage your child to imitate. The first step is to copy your child’s actions and follow their lead.

Written by Tasneem Abdul Samad, Speech Pathologist.

For some parents, mornings with children can be extremely stressful as children often run on their own clock. Morning routines can include many tasks. When you ask your children to complete certain tasks, do they fully understand your expectations? It is important to explain to your child what your expectations are. For example, “John, get dressed”. Do you mean to put on a shirt, shorts, socks and shoes OR just a shirt and pants OR just pants? Explain exactly what you mean and show them how to do it. For example:

Parents, I encourage you to ‘set the stage’ for the morning routine. Help make mornings less stressful for not only your children BUT also yourself!

Other suggestions include:

• Checklist: Write down tasks as a checklist that your child can tick off once completed

• Reward System: Rewards are one of the most consistent ways to change behaviour and build desired responses. Children often need their rewards immediately after the desired behaviour is exhibited (i.e. completing routine). Examples of immediate rewards, in the car on the way to school, include
  • Snack of choice (e.g. cookie, 3 lollies)
  • Verbal praise (e.g. give me a hi-5)
  • Sticker
  • Small toy (e.g. dinosaur)

• Plan Night before: Encourage your child to complete as many tasks as possible the night before. For example, homework, signed papers, lunch money and pack school supplies. How about identifying a specified area near the door to place their bags ready to be picked up before leaving, or laying out the outfits on the couch to wear the next day!

• Limit electronics – A smooth morning routine means unnecessary distractions, including iPod, television, phone, iPad etc. Set your limits “John, 10 minutes on phone”

Remember … these simple ideas may help you get out the door quickly, but some mornings may run more smoothly than others. So, pick a few strategies on different days and it’s all a matter of trial and error.

Written by Didem Karademir, Speech Pathologist.

Is your child getting frustrated because his/her speech cannot be understood? Depending on the extent of the speech difficulties, unclear speech can impact on how well a child can interact with their peers and adults. Here are some simple strategies anybody can use to successfully talk to children with unclear speech.

1. Ask them to show you/ draw it out

If your child is talking about something in the house, ask them to show you or take you to it. They can also use hand gestures to facilitate interaction.

If you are struggling to understand them and it is not within reach, you could ask them to draw it out for you.

2. Provide them with choices

Offering the child choices can make it easier for your child to communicate his/her wants. When they use the word to make the request, they will feel confident that they are able to communicate successfully.

3. Give them time to respond

A child who has a speech sound difficulty may need more time to express themselves and be understood. Avoid talking for them or filling in their sentences. Their confidence will grow if we give them time and lots of encouragement to keep trying.

4. Don’t correct them

The best thing parents can do for a child with speech sound difficulties is model the word/ sentence correctly. However, don’t insist on the child repeating the word correctly as this may be difficult for them.

For example

Child: “ tee bo tup!”

Mother: “Oh yes, I see the blue cup”

If your child has repeated the word several times and you still cannot understand them, don’t be afraid to say “sorry”, but you are finding hard to understand the word right now.

Just showing your child that you are interested in what they have to say and that you are trying to understand is the most important part. Just try your best!

Written by Tasneem Abdul Samad, Speech Pathologist.

Imagine that you are having a conversation with someone but you have not really processed or “heard” what they said? What would you do? Maybe you ask them to repeat themselves, which would help you to process the information. This can happen to all of use sometimes, BUT this is happening constantly for some children. Try to imagine paying attention and learning all day with this difficulty!!

Your child may have adequate hearing (where their ears are sending the sound to their brain) but poor auditory processing (their brain doesn’t match up the sounds properly). This is called Auditory Processing Disorder (APD or CAPD).

But, what is the difference between HEARING and AUDITORY PROCESSING? A common misconception is that APD is a hearing problem. Hearing is when the sounds collected by your ear is sent to the brain. Auditory processing is “what we do with what hear” – so when your brain notices and uses the sound.

Some of the signs of APD to look out for in a child are:

• Forgets what is said in a few minutes
• Easily distracted by background noise
• Does not listen carefully to instructions and often requires directions to be repeated
• Says “what”, “huh?” or “pardon” at least 5 times a day
• Learns better one-on-one

Some suggestions, in the areas of attention, seating, instructions and time, can help children with (C)APD be successful.

Attention

• Speak at eye level: speak at your child’s eye level, get close to your child, and face them to provide clear information
• Use cueing: cue your child to become aware of times when they are not paying attention. Use words, such as “listen”, “are you ready”, and “remember this one”

Seating

• Quiet study/work area: Provide your child with a quiet area for better learning environment.
• Avoid noisy sources: Seat your child away from distracting noise sources. For example, TV, loud music, kitchen appliances when they are trying to listen to the speaker. Seating your child away from windows and doorways will also reduce distraction.

Use daily routines: Use daily schedules to help your child stay focused and organised. Sample Bedtime Routine:

8:00PM – Bath time

8:20PM – 3-part routine: dry off, brush teeth and pee

8:30PM – get into PJs and clean up toys (set a night-time – not a play-time- scenario)

8:40PM – Story time
8:55PM – Bed time. Night time routine: talk about the day, compliment your child on things he did well, say your ritual goodnight “I love you. Goodnight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

Instructions

• Speak in clear voice: speak at a comfortable loud level, and rate (fast or slow) that your child can follow easily.
• Use natural gestures: use gestures to enhance the message. For example, pointing or holding up objects. Avoid making excessive and unnecessary movement while delivering messages as this may distract your child.
• Give written and verbal instructions: provide written and verbal instructions to help your child in following directions and completing tasks.

Time:

• Avoid fatigue: give your child short activities instead of one long activity. Provide breaks, such as doing 5 star jumps, so your child can move around if needed.
• Response time: give your child more time to come up with answers to verbal questions.

It is important to remember that children react to changes in their environment differently. Different strategies will work for different needs of each child. It is important that you know your child’s individual profile of strengths and weaknesses.

Most importantly, choose a few strategies and … practice, practice, practice!

Written by Didem Karademir, Speech Pathologist.

Does your child love when you sing? Do you ever find them humming or clapping along to music on TV?

I have often wondered why children enjoy music and why they pick up tunes so easily. It turns out no one really knows why, but a lot of evidence points toward the fact that music has evolved as a tool that promotes bonding and social interaction.

So how can we use music to help our children do just that?

Children learn by repetition, so choosing a song with a repeated verse or chorus is very helpful! Also, changing your tone of voice, facial expression, and actions keeps children interested. Remember to sit face to face, so your child can see exactly what you’re doing, and you can see how your child is reacting.

First your child must learn the song, but once they have heard it about five times, you can give them an opportunity to take a turn in the song by stopping and giving them time to fill in the blanks. It’s a great idea to stop at a repetitive part of the song, or a part that they know, look at them expectantly, and wait about 3-5 seconds so they have an opportunity to do their part. If they don’t take a turn, that’s okay! Just keep singing, make it fun, and try again later.

Here’s an example of how we can use the song Old MacDonald to increase verbal and/or non-verbal communication and interaction.

For the non-verbal child:

If your child isn’t talking yet, they can participate in the song by using actions, or making sounds.

“Old MacDonald had a farm

E-I-E-I-O

and on his farm there was a chicken

E-I-E-I-O

with a bok bok here and a bok bok there, her a bok, there a bok, everywhere a bok bok

Old MacDonald had a farm

E-I-E-I-O“

Repeat with other farm animals

• you can do a chicken dance action with your arms during “bok bok”, at the final “bok bok” wait to see if your child imitates this action
• you can make a big circle with your arms for each “O” and at the last “O” wait to see if your child imitates this action
• you can even make a circle with your mouth during the “O” and wait to see if your child attempts this too!

For the verbal child:

If your child is already saying some words, they can participate in the song by singing along with words, sounds, and actions. They can even build their vocabulary!

“Old MacDonald had a farm

E-I-E-I-O

and on his farm there was a chicken

E-I-E-I-O

with a bok bok here and a bok bok there, her a bok, there a bok, everywhere a bok bok

Old MacDonald had a farm

E-I-E-I-O“

Repeat with other farm animals

• you can sing the song and at the final “bok bok” STOP. Wait to see if your child fills in the blank with “bok bok” or something similar. If they don’t fill in the blank within 3-5 seconds, keep singing! It’s important to ensure that singing is a fun and low pressure activity, not a chore.
• you can sing the song and at the final “O” stop and wait to see if your child fills in the blank with “O”
• If you’re working on vocabulary you can use a farm animal book or puzzle. When you get to the “chicken” stop, point to the chicken and wait to see if your child will say “chicken”

You can try this with any songs and any actions! Just remember these three important points:

1. Be face-to-face and be animated
2. Singing should be fun! Try not to pressure your child to participate in the way that you want. Wait and see what they like and what they do.
3. Repeat, repeat, repeat!

Written by Alicia Katz, De Silva Kids Clinic

Can you believe your baby is turning 3?!? Not a baby anymore! So what can you expect for their speech and language development over the next 12 months? You know that feeling where you think “is my child on track? Or is there something he/she is missing? I wish I knew what to expect for this age group!”

As a speech and language therapist, this is probably the most common question asked of me by parents at the clinic. So… I have developed a quick and easy to read checklist for the norms for a 3 year old’s speech and language so you can have something to refer to. By having the criteria to work from, you can be in control of picking up any red flags for possible delays and target them as soon as possible. Because after all, the earlier the intervention the better.