Seasons Greetings

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season

and best wishes for 2012

Mrs. Marilyn DeYoung

Speech-language Pathologist

Center Cass District 66

When Children Stutter (8 tips for teachers)

More tips from the Stuttering Foundation www.stutteringhelp.org
to help children who stutter or stuggle talking.

1. Don’t tell the child “slow down” or “ just relax.”

2. Don’t complete words for the child or talk for him or her.

3. Help all members of the class learn to take turns talking and listening. All children — and especially those who stutter — find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions and they have the listener’s attention.

4. Expect the same quality and quantity of work from the student who stutters as the one who doesn’t.

5. Speak with the student in an unhurried way, pausing frequently.

6. Convey that you are listening to the content of the message, not how it is said.

7. Have a one-on-one conversation with the student who stutters about needed accommodations in the classroom. Respect the student’s needs, but do not be enabling.

8. Don’t make stuttering something to be ashamed of. Talk about stuttering just like any other matter.

Compiled by Lisa Scott, Ph.D., The Florida State University

7 Tips for Talking With Your Child

These suggestions are provided by the Stuttering Foundation www.stutteringhelp.org for parents of children who stutter, but the ideas apply for any children who are having difficulty communicating.

1. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes speaking before you begin to speak. Your own slow, relaxed speech will be far more effective than any criticism or advice such as “slow down” or “try it again slowly.”

2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child. Instead of asking questions, simply comment on what your child has said.

3. Use your facial expressions and other body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of her message and not to how she’s talking.

4. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child. This quiet, calm time can be a confidence-builder for younger children.

5. Help all members of the family learn to take turns talking and listening. Children, especially those who stutter, find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions.

6. Observe the way you interact with your child. Try to increase those times that give your child the message that you are listening to her and she has plenty of time to talk.

7. Above all, convey that you accept your child as he is. The most powerful force will be your support of him, whether he stutters or not.

Compiled by Barry Guitar, Ph.D., University of Vermont, and Edward G. Conture, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Parent Teacher Conferences

Mrs. DeYoung will be meeting with parents during the week of November 28-December 3. To request a conference, please contact her by email mdeyoung@ccsd66.org or telephone: (630)783-5157 by November 28th.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

English Language Learners (ELLs)

ELLs are the fastest growing segment of the student population. The highest growth occurs in grades 7–12, where ELLs increased by approximately 70 percent between 1992 and 2002. ELLs now comprise 10.5 percent of the nation’s K–12 enrollment, up from 5 percent in 1990.

ELLs do not fit easily into simple categories; they comprise a very diverse group. Recent research shows that 57 percent of adolescent ELLs were born in the U.S., while 43
percent were born elsewhere.

ELLs have varied levels of language proficiency, socio-economic standing, expectations
of schooling, content knowledge, and immigration status.

ELL students are increasingly present in all U.S. states. Formerly, large ELL populations were concentrated in a few states, but today almost all states have populations of ELLs. States in the Midwest and Intermountain West have seen increases in the number of ELL students; in Illinois, for example, enrollments of Hispanic undergraduates grew by 80 percent in the last decade. Nationwide, approximately 43 percent of secondary educators teach ELLs.

ELLs sometimes struggle academically. In 2005, 4 percent of ELL eighth graders achieved proficiency on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) versus 31 percent of all eighth graders who were found to be proficient. Non-native English
speakers 14–18 years old were 21 percent less likely to have completed high school than native English speakers.

For more information see the National Council of Teachers of English www.ncte.org

Increasing Your Child's Vocabulary

Helping your child increase his or vocabulary is often the first step that helps your child become comfortable with using words.

1. Ask 'Do you know what this means' when your child reads an unfamiliar word. This is critical to helping your child improve his or her reading comprehension. Too often kids are more concerned with properly pronouncing words instead of understanding word meaning.

2. Talk to your child about a variety of things using new words. Be sure to push your child by using higher level words. Try to use words in a context that will enable them to deduce the meaning of the word. Then ask them to define the word.

3. Take your child to places and talk about what you see. If you go on a tour at a museum or zoo, be sure to ask your child what they learned. This will help them to get in the habit of listening in preparation for retelling what they learned

4. Explain everyday activities using vocabulary specifically associated with those activities.

5. Play games that involve vocabulary, such as Scrabble, Boggle, Charades, and Crosswords. This investment will pay off large as your child develops their vocabulary and excels in school. Plus it's fun and the whole family can benefit.

http://vocabulary-vocabulary.com/Tips-for-Improving-Your-Childs-Vocabulary-and-reading-comprehension-skills.php

Happy Halloween

Enjoy these Halloween Speech Games and Activities!

www.speechtherapygames.com/FREEBIE.htm

www.speakingofspeech.com/Thematic_Materials.html#Halloween

Daily Speech Activities

Speech therapy is most successful when parents become involved and reinforce target speech skills at home. It may be helpful for parents to pick daily routines as a good time to have their children practice using their "new" speech. Meals and bedtime occur regularly and can provide great learning moments. Associating speech with familiar routines helps children to generalize developing articulation and fluency skills. Other possible activities could include cooking, riding in the car, doing chores, and playtime.

Remind children that they will be focusing on using clear speech during the activity. Have them think of words or phrases related to the activity that they can concentrate on pronouncing. Listen carefully and praise their efforts and success. ("That was a great 's' in 'spaghetti'!") Give a gentle reminder if you hear an error and ask them to repeat the word. (" I heard 'paghetti.' Can you say it again?") Have them repeat it only once even if they still pronounce it incorrectly. Try to praise more often than you correct. The goal is to have them become aware of their speech production and reinforce the target speech pattern so it will increase. Most importantly; Have Fun!

Focus on Text Strategies

All students at Prairieview and Lakeview are learning to comprehend, discuss, and write a variety of texts. The two basic types of texts are narrative and expository. The main purpose of narrative text is to tell a story. Narrative text has beginning, middle and end, characters, plot or conflict, and setting. Usually, narrative texts are written from the authors imagination. The main purpose of expository text is to inform or describe. Authors who write expository texts research the topic to gain information. The information is organized in a logical and interesting manner using various expository text structures. The most common expository text structures include description, enumerative or listing, sequence, comparison and contrast, cause and effect and problem and solution.

In speech and language classes throughout the year we will practice identifying text types and parts of narrative and expository selections, use appropriate vocabulary to describe reading passages, and develop our own oral and written texts. Academic language activities like these will provide wonderful opportunities to practice articulation and foundational receptive and expressive language skills. Comprehension and production of text is imperative for school success as well as becoming lifelong learners.

Speech Fluency Program

A few of Mrs. DeYoung's students are receiving speech therapy to increase speech fluency. The speech fluency program involves six steps. In the first step children have been discussing the terms fluency and disfluency. Next we have identified different types of disfluencies. No one is perfectly fluent all the time. Some disfluencies are normal. The goal of therapy will be to reduce atypical stuttering disfluencies that interfere with communication. In the third step we are practicing easy forward flowing speech in the therapy environment. The children may need to be introduced to some techniques to begin words in an easy relaxed manner. The fourth step will be practicing easy speech in the presence of disrupters. Later the students will practice easy speech in real-life situations. Finally, students will maintain the use of easy speech with less intervention from the therapist.

Students are encouraged to review therapy handouts and practice using smooth easy speech
at home.

SQ3R Strategy

SQ3R is a stategy to help learners understand and remember information in textbooks. It is a great tool for reading a text or studying for tests that parents can use with their children. SQ3R stands for

• Survey: Look over titles, headings, illustrations, and summaries to get an overview of the chapter.


• Question: Think of questions that may apply, that a teacher might ask, or that may appear on a test. (Students can develop good questions by turning subject headings into questions.)


• Read: Read one section at a time, finding answers to those questions.


• Recite: Say answers aloud (or in writing).


• Review: Go over the main points by explaining them to someone in your own words.

The SQ3R strategy encourages students to think about what they are reading and focus on main ideas and important concepts. Try it!

Read Together

Shared book reading is a literature based language intervention that works well with children with language difficulty. Literature based intervention is an effective way of teaching students language and literacy skills. Speech-language pathologists who use this method don't actually teach reading skills, or decoding skills. Instead, they focus on the underlying language that underpins all literacy. Text-based intervention has a strong contextual base. This is important, because learning abstract language concepts within a familiar context helps to alleviate the problems associated with decontextualized language.

Shared book reading's primary goal is for an adult to use a story book as a therapeutic tool to improve language knowledge and use. This is done by using the text and illustrations in a picture book as the source of language stimulation. The language is essentially examined and parsed in detail using the text and pictures in a children's story book. The number of language goals that can be gained from one passage in a well written children's book is quite amazing.

It's enjoyable to use text-based language intervention. The students tend to enjoy it too. That's because they get to think and learn about literacy and language in a new way that is interesting to them.

For more information, see www.Speechlanguage-Resources.com

Speech RtI

Students at Prairieview who have previously received Speech Response to Intervention (RtI) have been rescreened. Parents are being notified by letter if their child continues to qualify for the Speech Sound Improvement groups. Please complete the consent form included in the letter and return it to Mrs. DeYoung. Lakeview Speech RtI students will be rescreened next week.

Speech/Language Homework

Dear Parents,

I have begun to see students with IEPs for speech and language services. Many of the speech/language students at Prairieview will receive a Speech pocket for their binders and be expected to bring their binder to therapy sessions. Children who have IEP goals for improving articulation, grammar, or increasing speech fluency will often be assigned activities to practice at home. These students benefit from frequent repetition and reinforcement of target skills that may not be available in their regular education setting. The activities are designed to provide additional practice opportunities outside of the Speech room. Please check your child's binder each week to see if he (or she) has received any handouts from speech/language group and review it at home with your child. They will also receive a sticker chart to keep in the binder and be given a sticker when homework is completed, signed by a parent, and returned to Speech class. Upon earning five stickers, students may select a reward from our prize box.

Please contact me if you have any questions about speech therapy. I am looking forward to an exciting and successful year.

Sincerely,

Marilyn DeYoung MA. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist

Good Communication Skills

In Speech-Language classes students practice good social communication and conversation skills as well as work on target speech or language goals:

• Listen


• Take Turns Talking


• Look at the Other Person


• Stay on Topic


• Watch Facial Expressions


• Read Body Language

Speech-language therapy: Building Better Communication

Welcome Back

Mrs. DeYoung is meeting students at Prairieview and Lakeview who are new to District 66 to screen their articulation skills and determine if further speech/language intervention may be needed. Parents will be contacted if the screening suggests that further service is appropriate.

Students who received Speech/Response to Intervention (RTI)service last school year will also be rescreened next week. Parents of students who were previously enrolled in Speech RTI will be notified with the results of the screening.

Any parents of students at Prairieview or Lakeview who would like to request a speech screening may contact Mrs. DeYoung at (630)783-5157 or email: mdeyoung@ccsd66.org.

Finally, any students who currently have an IEP for speech services will also be scheduled for therapy. Those children with IEP's will begin Speech in the next two weeks.

Please email Mrs. DeYoung if you have questions regarding speech and language therapy services.

Have a wonderful year!

Carryover Activities

The goal of many students in speech therapy is to maintain or improve carryover of articulation skills. Here are some activities that promote carryover. Remember to practice using clear speech as you communicate with family and friends.

Talk with friends about common interests

Call someone over the telephone

Interview a neighbor or relative

Read Poetry aloud

Have lunch with a friend and use clear speech

Order food on the telephone or in a restaurant

Introduce yourself to someone

Read your faorite book out loud

Tell a good joke

Complete some madlibs on the "Whacky Webtales" website and read it someone

Sing along with your favorite song on the radio

Proofreading Checklist

Students at Lakeview have been writing short essays and editing their work. Mrs. DeYoung uses the following checklist to develop proofreading skills:

Proof reading Checklist
Introduction
Does the essay have a topic sentence?
Is the topic sentence clear?

Supporting Details
Are there at least three supporting details?
Does each sentence support the topic sentence?
Do you provide examples or explain each detail?
Are there any sentences that do not relate to the topic and should be removed?
Are some transitional words used?

Conclusion
Does the essay have a conclusion?
Does the conclusion sentence use different words to restate the main idea?

Mechanics
Spelling
Capitalization
Apostrophes
No run-on sentences
No fragments
Subject-Verb Agreement
Commas in compound sentences.
Commas in complex sentences
Punctuation (end marks)

Helpful Hints for a Healthy Voice

With the coming of spring, many individuals may be experiencing a hoarse voice due to seasonal allergies or cheering for their favorite teams. Here are some suggestions for taking care of your voice from www.ucdvoice.org.

Increase fluid intake 4-8 ounces of water per day

Avoid excessive or frequent throat clearing-try sipping water instead.

Frequent throat-clearing or coughing can be injurious to the vocal cords.
Excessive cough, mucus production, or throat clearing may be an indication of an underlying disorder such as Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.

Get plenty of sleep. Fatigue can cause the voice to sound hoarse.

Use plenty of breath support. Your lungs are the generator of the voice. Take advantage of them.

Minimize caffeine, alcohol and dairy intake. These can dry out the vocal cords and/or create thick mucous.

Avoid menthol throat lozenges. These can dry the throat.

Avoid smoking, people who smoke, and noxious fumes. These are irritating and damaging to the vocal cords.

Be aware of background noise. Raising your voice above others in a loud environment can cause straining and vocal abuse.

Watch volumes and posture of head/neck while on the telephone. This can cause uneven pressure and strain on the vocal cords.

If it seems speaking takes extra effort, you have throat discomfort or pain after using your voice, experience vocal fatigue or experience "cracking" of the voice, … consult with your physician.

Cause and Effect

A Mini Lesson by Diana Dell, Ed.S.
A cause is something that makes something else happen. Out of two events, it is the event that happens first. To determine the cause, ask the question "Why Did it Happen?"

An effect is what happens as a result of the cause. Of two related events, it’s the one that happens second or last. To determine the effect, ask the question "What Happened?"

Practice pairing causes and effects with these activities:http://www.quia.com/mc/94601.htmlhttp://www.quia.com/mc/20632.html

At times connecting words are used to link the cause and effect. Examples of connecting words are:
because, so, consequently, therefore, due to the fact, since, as a result, the reason for, thus, nevertheless

Practice selecting connecting words for sentences with this activity:http://www.smccd.net/accounts/sevas/esl/gramcheck/8-7.html

Spring into Speech

Over the past several weeks, Speech/Language groups at Prairieview and Lakeview have been focusing on conversation, carryover of articulation skills, and applying vocabulary strategies. As the school year winds down Mrs. DeYoung's third, fourth, and fifth graders will be practicing speaking in front of a group. These students will share favorite poems, prepare oral presentations, and complete story-telling activities. Jr. High students will complete a final written essay as well as practice oral presentation skills.

Carryover Practice

Here are some ideas for carryover activities that you can try with your child: • Ask your child to read out loud from a story book, cartoon or magazine that he chooses. • Let your child talk on the phone to a friend or relative. • Play a game together or with a group of people. • Role play an interview with someone your child admires. • Trade roles with your child and let him correct you. • With your child, choose a special time each day that he will use good speech, for example, at lunch or dinner time every day or every time he is in the car. Your child may want to tie a string around his finger or use other prompts to remind him to speak well. • Ask your child to tell a story he knows in his own words. • Have a conversation together.

Tips for Parents of Children Who Stutter

• You must be aware of your child’s worry and discomfort. Your child will try not to stutter. But the harder he tries, the worse the stuttering is apt to get.
• You probably make remarks about your child’s stuttering from time to time. It is understandable for you to want to help. Perhaps you don’t find it easy to listen to the stuttering and would like it to stop. When you say or do something to help your child, you should observe carefully. If your help results in his becoming more relaxed and calm, you will be doing the right thing. His talking will get easier, too.
• It is quite possible your child does not want to be helped when talking. Then it is no use trying to do so. He or she will only get more tense. (Maybe because he gets the message that he is not allowed to be imperfect?) The more the child tenses up, the harder it will be for the words to come through. Better than any stranger, parents know whether their child is tense or relaxed. That is why we ask for your help. Because you know your child best and can gauge his or her feelings, you give the most valuable support of all.
• It is important to state that parents’ behavior never is the cause of stuttering. Your child was born with a hereditary tendency to stutter. This means the area of speech is a weak point in his general make up. Stuttering manifests itself when demands (in whatever area of life) become too heavy. This stuttering is harmless in itself. But if your child thinks others do not like his stuttering, he will try to talk “better” and to hide or stop the stuttering. That makes the stuttering worse, and it is the reason he still suffers because of it.
• So remember you are not the cause of your child’s stuttering, but you are the nearest and best supporters on his road to talking more easily.Your child may feel angry as well as hurt and discouraged because of his speech problem. What he needs most are parents who allow him to be resentful or sad about it and who show they understand.

These tips are from Sometimes I Just Stutter by Eelco de Geus.

The Stuttering Foundation has many excellent books, articles, and DVDs for parents of young children who stutter. You can access their website for this and other free resources at www.stutteringhelp.org

When Children Stutter:

The Stuttering Foundation Offers Tips for Teachers

1. Talk with the child privately and explain that talking is just like any other skills we learn and that making mistakes is okay, and with practice it will improve.

2. Until the child has had adequate time to adjust to the class, ask questions that can be answered with a few words.

3. Call on the child that stutters early in the discussion. Waiting and not knowing if he will be called on allows the child time to worry and tension to build making it even more difficult for him to respond orally.

4. Explain to the whole class that you want them to take their time and think through their answers, not just respond quickly.

5. Don't tell the child who stutters to slow down or "relax".

6. Don't complete words or sentences for the child.

7. Emphasize the importance of listening when others are speaking. It is much easier for everyone, especially the child who stutters, when distractions and interruptions are kept to a minimum.

8. Maintain a relaxed and accepting attitude, speaking in an unhurried way with appropriate pauses.

9. Expect the same quality of work from the child who stutters as you do fro all students.

10. Assure students you are listening to the content of the message and not just how it is said.

11. Maintain a strict no teasing rule in your classroom that addresses teasing for any reason. Don't single out teasing of the stuttering child as any different than any other form of teasing. Teasing is not allowed.

12. Reading aloud may pose problems. Many children who stutter can read fluently when they read with a buddy. Try choral reading or buddy reading with all children in the class until the child gains experience with reading aloud.

The full brochure, The Child Who Stutters at School: Notes to the Teacher is available from The Stuttering Foundation. Call toll-free 1-800-992-9392 or visit their web site at www.stutteringhelp.org to download the brochure.

The Stuttering Foundation, located in Memphis, TN is a nonprofit organization that offers books and DVDs on stuttering, including a new DVD, Stuttering: Straight Talk for Teachers, available free online with video streaming. Source: The Stuttering Foundation http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=147

Teaching Conversation Skills

Developing good conversation skills is both one of the most helpful and the most difficult skills you can help your children acquire. You can help your children become better conversationalists and at the same time brush up on your skills as well. Here are some you and your children can do together.

Practice contributing to discussions by:

• Looking at the people who are talking.
• Waiting for a point when no one else is talking.
• Making a short, appropriate comment that relates to the topic being discussed.
• Choosing works that will not be offensive or confusing to others.
• Giving other people a chance to talk.

Practice keeping the conversation going by:

• Maintaining a relaxed but attentive posture. Nod your head to give ongoing encouragement.
• Asking follow-up questions that pertain to what the other person has just said.
• Avoiding fidgeting, looking away or yawning.
• Not interrupting
• Taking turns in the conversation and saying excuse me when interruption of others occurs

Closing the conversation by:

• Changing topics only when everyone appears to be finished talking about a particular issue.
• Changing to a topic that somehow relates to the previous one.
• Allowing everyone a chance to talk about the current topic.
• Waiting for a comfortable break in the conversation to leave.

For this and other tips for parents go to:

www.boystownpediatrics.org/ParentingTips/Pages/TeachingChildrenConversationSkills.aspx

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher conferences for the second trimester will be held February 28-March 3rd. Mrs. DeYoung will be sending home conference letters this week. Parents who did not meet with Mrs. DeYoung after the first trimester are encouraged to schedule a meeting. The conference schedule forms need to be returned by Monday February 28th, or parents may contact Mrs. DeYoung at mdyoung@ccsd66.org, or call (630)783-5157 to set an appointment.

Using Prefixes

Some of the fourth and fifth graders at Prairieview are reviewing prefixes as a strategy to discover meanings of unfamiliar words. We are learning these prefixes:

Prefixes
Prefix

ir, il, im, in, un means not
aqua, means water
uni means one
bi means two
tri means three
pre means before
post means after
multi means many
co, con, com means with, together
inter means between
re means again
geo means earth, land
sub means below
dis means opposite
trans means across
mis means wrong

Oral Motor Exercises for Tongue Elevation

Many students enrolled in speech therapy are working to improve articulation of the "r" sounds. The following exercises are designed to improve tongue elevation. Raising the tongue to the palate improves the child's ability to produce a clear "r" as well as other palatal phonemes like "sh" and "ch." Students are encouraged to practice the exercises at home.

• Bite on a toothbrush as you move your tongue to different places in the mouth. Do not drop the toothbrush.
• Practice licking popsicles or pretzel sticks. Move your tongue, not the stick!
• Put peanut butter on the roof of the mouth and try to lick it off
• Put a small piece of food (cheerio, raisin, etc) on the tongue. Hold it there for 5-10 seconds. Lift the item to the hard palate (roof of the mouth).
• Click your tongue 5 times.
• Say “kkk” “ggg” a few times. Watch the back of the tongue go up.
• Brush the sides of the tongue with a toothbrush. Then raise your tongue so the sides of your tongue are spread along the top teeth. Slide your tongue back and forth against the teeth.
  

More Vocabulary Tips

Here are some more vocabulary tips from www.improvingvocabulary.org

Making a word personally relevant will dramatically enrich your learning. Studies show that our memories are actually geared to "forget" or "block out" information that isn't perceived as relevant. The same studies also show that your memory improves when information is made personally relevant

Tips for learning vocabulary:

Make up your own examples When you learn a new word, think of common examples in your own life where the word would apply.

Define it in your own words Another way to make a word personally relevant is to define it in your own words. When you look up a word, first read the definition presented in the dictionary. After you have closed the dictionary, try making up your own definition

Encourage students to think of personal examples of new vocabulary, formulate sentences using the words, and to generate definitions. This will help them to retain what they have learned.

Vocabulary Practice

The old saying "practice makes perfect", rings very true for vocabulary building. Studies show that rehearsal dramatically improves long term memory. In fact, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions to make a word part of your vocabulary. What's even more surprising is that rehearsing a word, even after you believe you have mastered it, can double the effectiveness of your learning, greatly reducing the chance that you will forget the word in the future.
www.improvingvocabulary.org

Students at Lakeview continue to practice using adjectives that describe personality traits. This week they reviewed some words from the word wall, sorted the words according to meaning, and formed sentences using new vocabulary. We will continue to think of examples of various traits and incorporate the new vocabulary in reading and writing activities.