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Social Stories – What are they?   A Social Story is a short story written in a specific style and format. A social story normally describes what happens in a specific social situation. This may be something that is obvious to us but not to a child with impaired social understanding.   Social stories aim to improve understanding of social situations and encourage appropriate responses. Social Stories can include a combination of writing / pictures / symbols in order to facilitate the communication levels of the child they are intended for, i.e. level of understanding, vocabulary knowledge etc.   Who uses Social Stories? Social stories were originally developed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder but they have also proved beneficial to children with learning, emotional, cognitive and communication impairments. Social Stories are versatile and easily tailored to meet a variety of needs. A social story should be unique and written for […]

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The use of language in social contexts is called pragmatics. Pragmatics includes, but is not limited, to initiating conversation, requesting and responding, topic relevance, maintenance, asking and answering questions. It is not just the words that are used when speaking but, also refers to the subtleties such as, what the speaker implied, how something is said, appropriateness and the use of eye contact, body language and intonation. Pragmatic language skills are very important to allow clear communication of feelings, thoughts and ideas. The development of these skills occurs in conjunction with general language development. We use our pragmatic language daily. Components of pragmatics such as eye contact and smiling develop at an early age. The unspoken conversation rules are learned through watching other’s interaction. Children learn about taking turns, engaging others and communicating important information. Those who present with pragmatic language difficulties demonstrate difficulty with both non-verbal and verbal communication […]

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Children who present with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome can have difficulty with their speech, language and feeding. The frequent co-occurrence of hearing loss, oral-motor problems, memory and auditory processing difficulties can compound communication difficulties. Despite these difficulties, many children who present with Down Syndrome are sociable communicators. Most children with Down syndrome can understand much more language than they can express. To maximise language development and support of communication language therapy intervention is best started as early as possible. A Speech and Language Therapist can assess and provide individualised intervention for the speech and language difficulties with which each child with Down Syndrome presents. When therapy commences goals are set with parents. Early intervention goals are client centred and meaningful, focusing on the individual’s communication priorities, in addition to building pre-verbal communication skills such as shared attention, listening, engagement and use of gesture. Exercises may be provided to increase […]

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Does your child struggle to understand the concept of time or find transitions difficult? The Time Timer may help When the red is gone…the time is up!The Ti me Timer is a very useful tool which reinforces the concept of time. It provides a way of visualising time as a measurement. For those who learn differently, the concept of time can create a high level of stress and anxiety. This visual timer allows you to see, at a glance, how much time is left. It supports focus, especially when completing challenging activities in challenging learning environments. It reduces the stress of transitions. There is no ticking, no distractions and no set up required.   An invaluable tool!   Written by Elaine Baldwin, Senior Speech & Language Therapist at Sensational Kids, Clonakilty   Where Can I Purchase The Time Timer? The Time Timer is available from Sensational Kids Child Development & Learning […]

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According to the Chinese Proverb; I hear, and I forget, I see, and I remember, I do and I understand. Can any one of us imagine a life without our smartphones or to-do lists? As adults, we use visuals, lists and reminders to help us manage our daily lives. These prompts keep us on track and help us monitor our schedules. Lists and phones are visual aids which are forms of visual strategies. Using such aids helps us, not only to accomplish tasks one by one, but reduce stress in our daily lives. We all learn in different ways at different rates. Even though learning styles vary, many of us learn visually. Seeing something allows a greater opportunity to engage in experiential learning. We learn or remember because we have seen. Many children who present with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) learn visually. However, regardless of diagnoses, many children can similarly […]

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The dummy, the soother, whatever name you prefer to call it, it’s that time- honoured baby accessory and valued tool. At one point or another, most children have had a dummy in their mouths, to comfort or calm them. Some children really “take” to their dummy and can find it very difficult to part with it; others show little interest despite exposure and many attempts by parents to use one to help their baby settle. But why do we really give dummies to babies? From the perspective of a Speech and Language Therapist, dummies have a valid function outside of soothing a child. Did you know that dummies, when used sparingly, can even help babies to develop their mouth and oral skills for breathing and speaking? During a baby’s early months, a dummy can be useful to comfort. Most babies have a very strong sucking reflex and therefore the sucking […]

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Would you like to support your child’s ability to tell a story? If so, Rory’s Story Cubes could help   The ability to understand and express stories or narrative is a vital skill for children to develop. Rory’s Story Cubes is comprised of 9 six-sided cubes which all have a unique, detailed and easily distinguishable image. You roll the cubes and tell a story. With each roll of the cubes, new possibilities emerge. The number of stories that can be created are infinite. Even though it is a game, it offers a great opportunity for children to learn the important components involved in story telling such as planning, creating the setting, sequencing events in addition to higher level skills such as discussing feelings, understanding actions and consequences and creating resolutions. It also helps children to understand and use “wh” question words (what, who, where, when and why). These cubes provide […]

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