My name is Pat Rakovic and I am the speech language therapist at Frenchtown school. I will be using this page to give you some ideas to assist your child with speech and language. If there is anything in particular that you would like to see featured here please feel free to email me! 
What sounds should my child be saying? 
You can help your child build sound awareness skills, and provide ways
to help pronounce the sound correctly at home. Showing how the sound
is produced, compared to how they produce it, will often help. This can be done by talking about the differences in the sound, without pointing out that they are doing it wrong. Most children try to imitate what an adult does. You model, they copy. Providing opportunities to explore the sound and to use it in a fun way will increase their knowledge of how to say it, and their ability to listen for it. Increased awareness often results in a gradual increase in the use of the correct use of the sound. It is important to maintain your child's self esteem through use of with sound without drilling, nagging, correcting, or pointing out the child's difficulties. When you use and discuss the sound frequently while reading or playing a game, your child will independently and willingly practice it. 
Some suggestions for ways to increase awareness and practice sounds:
Reading aloud and keying into the words with the sound is very important
Use stories with alot of emphasis on the sound- help to sound out
written words Find pictures together in books or stories that have the sound
Talk about how different sounds are made with your mouth
Gradually lead up to the sound and show how it is said differently from the sound used incorrectly.
Associate the sound with an object , action or noise to help practice it in a fun way
Develop a secret code with the sound to use at home
Play " I'm thinking of a word that starts with: st, sp, thr," (identify picturesin books)
Make matching picture cards with the sounds to play fish or memory or lotto.
Find objects with the sound/ start a collection
Play "I'm thinking of a word that starts (or ends) with ______(make the sound)"
The below information was taken from the website : Help for Kids Speech http://www.helpforkidspeech.org/articles/detail.cfm?id=59 A helpful practice strategy is to combine each sound with the vowels (a, e, i, o, u), as in bay, bee, buy, bow, boo. | /b/ | close lips together; gently pinch fingers together at lips (either your lips or child?s), blow bubbles Target words:
ball, baby, big, byebye, bow | /p/ | close lips together, then pop them open; once again, use fingers to demonstrate lips squeezed together; also you can use powder on your hand, demonstrate lip popping (blow powder off your hand as you say, ?Puh?). Target words:
pay, pie, pea, pop, pig | /t,d/ | show child tongue tip tapping behind teeth; use mirrors, have them look right in your mouth; also, tap your index finger on front/bottom of chin to elicit /t,d/ sound. /t/ is quiet sound, /d/ is made with your voice on. Target words:
tie, die, toe, doe, day, tip, dip | /k,g/ | talk to your child about the tongue scraping on the back of the throat; tap your hand on either your adam?s apple area (or theirs), to give them cue to pull their tongue back to scrape; you may also use tongue depressor to train feeling of the tongue being pulled back. Target words:
kookoo, googoo, cookie, go, gas, kick | /f,v/ | talk to your child about and demonstrate top teeth biting bottom lip and air flowing over bottom lip; remind them to bite their lip; push on bottom lip so it goes under top teeth (fee fie foe fum sound). Use the phrase "bite and blow" to remind your child what to do. Target words:
far, fun, fast, van, vest | /th/ | talk to child about putting tongue between teeth and blowing Target words:
think, thank, that, this, Thanksgiving | /s,z/ | talk to your child about closing teeth together and letting a little bit of air they have a hard time with this, have them bite down first, and then try to send air through their teeth. Remind them to keep their tongue in the cage, hide it. Once they get tongue placement, they may still have trouble with airflow. At this point, drag your index finger gently along the outside of their cheek towards their mouth to stimulate airflow. Target words:
see, say, sigh, so, sue, zee, zay, zie, zoe, zoo | /sh/ | talk to your child about making lips rounded, keeping teeth together, and letting more air out; put your finger in front of your lips (?Shhh?, be quiet sound; gently pull child?s cheeks forward to make their lips round and direct airflow. Target words:
shay, she, shy, show, shoe | /h/ | Have child take deep breath and then let lots of air our; put your hand in front of your mouth to feel the air hitting your hand; then have child feel the air hitting their hand; you can also use a mirror, which will fog up when you let the air hit it. Target words:
hay, he, hi, hoe, who | /w/ | tell child to make lips into a circle; move your index finger in a circle in front of your rounded lips as a reminder; gently pull cheeks forward to round lips Target words:
way, we, why, woe, woo | /m/ | have child close lips together, then feel vibration in their nose (or yours), as you or they make the /m/ sound Target words:
may, me, my, moe, moo | /n/ | show child tongue position behind top teeth, then have them feel vibration in nose (yours or theirs) Target words:
neigh, knee, nigh, no, new | /ch,j/ | have child round lips, keep teeth close together and push the air out; gently pull cheeks forward to obtain lip rounding; remind child to keep tongue against top of mouth Target words:
cheep, chop, church, chat
Jeep, job, jot, jog | /y/ | start with ?eee? sound, then slide into whatever vowel follows the /y/ (you = eee-you) Target words:
yee, yeah, yie, yoe, you | /r/ | This is one of the hardest sounds to teach. Correct production of /r/ requires appropriate tension and placement, all of which are mostly invisible to a child. We suggest that if your child is having trouble with /r/ that you take them to a speech-language pathologist who can shape the correct production and teach you how to best help your child. | /l/ | teach child to move tongue tip to top of mouth; remind them to keep tongue inside of teeth; put peanut butter or candy at top of mouth right behind teeth, tell child that that is where you want their tongue to go to make the sound (lalala) Target words:
lay, lee, lie, low, loo, light, lollipop, lip, lap |
 We have been reading some amazing books. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long, David Shannon: Fun story with wonderful illustrations. The story is about a boy at the beach with his family when pirates enlist him to help them bury their treasure. Once there was a bull--- frog / by Rick Walton ; illustrated by Greg Hally: A bullfrog in the Old West loses his hop in this lively tale where each page must be turned to complete the previous image. Have your chld try to guess what each of these compound words will be as it takes two pages to complete the rhyme. Pig, Pigger, Piggest by Rick Walton This is a great story to practice comparatives. It is a twist on the three pig story with a very happy ending. R is for Rhode Island Red : a Rhode Island alphabet / written by Mark R. Allio ; illustrated by Mary Jane Begin This is a great book that has each letter of the alphabet represent a very Rhode Island feature Did you know that diners first started in Rhode Island? D is for Diner Eats shoots & leaves : why, commas really do make a difference! / Lynne Truss ; illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. This is another great book! It demonstrates through fun illustrations how the placement of a comma change change the meaning of a sentence. I also use it to assist children in understanding ( comprehension) language structure.
How can I help my child develop phonological awareness? I have a link to a game that has the child listen to the sound that the bear makes and then the child choses a sound from a group of three. When they make their choice the bear wears that shirt. Point out sounds in your child's environment. While driving say some words and ask your child to say what sound you are making. 
What is the expected speech and language of 5 year olds? 5 years old: ¨ Can use many descriptive words spontaneously-both adjectives and adverbs ¨ Knows common opposites: big-little, hard-soft, heave-light, etc ¨ Has number concepts of 4 or more ¨ Can count to ten ¨ Speech should be completely intelligible, in spite of articulation problem ¨ Should have all vowels and the consonants, m,p,b,h,w,k,g,t,d,n,ng,y (yellow) ¨ Should be able to repeat sentences as long as nine words ¨ Should be able to define common objects in terms of use (hat, shoe, chair) ¨ Should be able to follow three commands given without interruptions ¨ Should know his age ¨ Should have simple time concepts: morning, afternoon, night, day, later, after, while, tomorrow, yesterday, today ¨ Should be using fairly long sentences and should use some compound and some complex sentences 
At age 6, most first-graders can: - Read and retell familiar stories
- Use a variety of ways to help with reading a story such as re-reading, predicting what will happen, asking questions, or using visual cues or pictures
- Decide on their own to use reading and writing for different purposes
- Read some things aloud with ease
- Identify new words by using letter-sound matches, parts of words, and their understanding of the rest of a story or printed item
- Identify an increasing number of words by sight
- Sound out and represent major sounds in a word when trying to spell
- Write about topics that mean a lot to them
- Try to use some punctuation and capitalization
Here are some great ideas to develop language. They are from the "Cranium" website:
Choose one of the dishes being served for dinner. Work together to spell the name of that dish backwards on the first try without writing it down. Everyone takes turns, adding one letter at a time to spell the word in reverse (F-A-O-L-T-A-E-M). Feel free to pronounce the foods by their backwards spellings for the rest of the meal. "Could you please pass me the RETTUB?"
Everyone agrees on a category, then takes turns saying words that fit that category. Each word starts with the last letter of the previous word. Can you link together five different words in one minute? Can you link six?
Here are a few categories to get you started: things at school things you eat things inside the house
Decide who will go first, then ask the classic dinner table question, "How was your day?" The first person begins with one sentence about their day. The game moves around the table with each person adding a sentence to the story. How silly will your story get? How many times around can you go? Can you find an ending?
While sitting around the table, try to get others to guess what kind of food you're thinking of by "acting" like that food. For example, in a high-pitched voice, you might say "I'm very small. I wear a cap. I live on the ground. I can be stuffed or put on pizza." Can you get them to guess, "mushroom"? Take turns acting as different foods, and award high-fives to the best actor and the best guesser.
Have everyone count how many times they chew one bite of food. Next, everyone guesses who they think chews the most and the least; reveal the results to see who chews the most and who chews the least and see if anyone guessed right! Try a few rounds with each of the different foods on your plate. How many times do you have to chew mashed potatoes? ( math calculations)
Auditory Memory And It's Relationship To Classwork What is auditory memory? This is a term used in a speech and language that means the ability to remember information by only listening. No words, or pictures are used. This is also called short term auditory memory.
Throughout the day, students are given directions, read to, told meanings or definitions, and given explanations. These all involve the process of remembering the information long enough to immediately participate in a discussion, follow directions, or complete paperwork. This language based skill also helps us to make comparisons, infer, and draw conclusions as we hold the information in our head to reason.
As students move up in their grade, the information becomes longer, harder to understand, and the teachers provide less visuals to help follow along and remember. Many students need ways to help their ability to remember. The teachers provide many ways to help all students take full advantage of their memory skills. Some of the techniques available include writing word banks, making a visual chart to follow called a graphic organizer or web, repeating the information, and restating difficult information in a simpler way. Working memory allows a student to follow directions, to remember a question while raising her hand to answer it, and to hold on to new information she needs to apply to her work. In reading, working memory aids our comprehension, making it possible to organize and summarize the text and connect it with what we already know. In writing, it lets us juggle the thoughts we want to get on paper while keeping the big picture in mind. In math, working memory lets us keep track of numbers and operations throughout the steps of a problem. The stronger a child's working memory - the longer she can retain and work with new material - the better her chance of remembering it, for the next hour, the next day, or longer. Gaining access to the filesDoes it sometimes seem that your child no longer knows something at school that he seemed to remember well when he was at home? His problem may be that of retrieving information - pulling it out of long-term memory. Without the ability to build on material learned in the past - vocabulary words, math facts, the sequence of events in a story - learning new material is frustrating and slow. Many teachers and students naturally use pauses between groups of information. This is called "chunking" the information, just like you do with your social security number. The smaller units are easier to remember than the one long group. Another way some students help their ability to remember is to subvocalize, which is to restate or practice the information quietly to themself. Reauditorizing is slightly different, in that they quietly repeat what is said. These are considered a rehearsal techniques. The more you say something, the better you will remember it-like that shopping list you repeat to yourself!
A technique is called mneumonics, which may or may not be used purposefullyin the classroom. This is making a relationship to something meaningful. It can be through, rhyming, visual likenesses, or finding another way the information is alike. This can be silly or serious, but the silly ones are the easiest to remember. For example, some of you might remember "Every good boy deserves fudge" in your music class for the scale -E G B D F. Let your child know when he's about to hear information he needs to retain. You can say, "I want you to remember this," or "Put on your thinking cap." Teachers might say " This will be on the test." " This is information that you will need to know to complete your work. Provide a count of the details to be remembered. You might say, "There are 10 new vocabulary words." " We need to remember 5 character's names." Provide a framework for information. Help your child see how new material is relevant to her life or related to things she already knows. In math, for instance, create word problems to show how subtraction can help her determine how much candy her allowance can buy. If a science lesson focuses on how animals adapt to their environment, remind her that whales have blubber to protect them from the cold, and chameleons change color to blend in with their surroundings.
As a final note, a fun game to play in the car to build memory skills is a "round robin". Pick a topic and everyone names one item, remembering all the items before it. Try "picturing the list in your head, making silly associations between the words, and "chunking" the list to help you remember. The first one to forget a word is out. The best memory builder is keeping educated and reading often to build your knowledge. The first sessions with the students I work on " Listening Rules" . These rules serve as a transiton from one activity to another and help the students "get ready" for learning. The rules are - Eyes are looking
- Ears are listening
- Hands in lap
- Feet on floor
- We have a positive attitude!
The book "On the First Day of Grade School" by Emily Brenner was read to many of the students. In this cumulative rhyme base on the Twelve Days of Christmas, a teacher receives an array of animals from her adoring students. It is a great book to work on math skills, sequencing, predictions, and language skills. You might want to show your child the pictures and have them tell you a story about them. 
What are some ways I can help my child in language ?
Consider input vs. intake. Input refers to all the language to which a child is exposed. Intake refers to whether the child notices, hears and listens to the input and how the child interprets the information. The goal of improving communication is to adjust the input for maximum intake.
Gain the child's attention by using alerting cues and signs, such as calling the child's name or by a gentle touch.
Monitor the child's comprehension. Periodically ask the child questions related to the subject under discussion.
Restate material by rephrasing what has been misunderstood rather than repeat the information.
Use brief instructions. Reduce complexity of the message.
Pretutor. Familiarize the child with new vocabulary and concepts to be covered in class. Parents can be particularly helpful in this activity.
List key vocabulary before dealing with new material.
Present information in several formats. The children need to interact with information in a variety of ways, such as in small groups, individually, collaboratively with others, and to have different opportunities and ways in which to express themselves.
Multisensory approaches are helpful.
Write instructions on the board.
Provide visual aids. Jotting key words on the board or providing simple written/picture outlines may be useful.
Auditory attention can be enhanced by having child listen to tapes, transcribing from tapes, and playing games such as Simon Says.
Provide breaks since children with auditory processing expend more effort in paying attention and in discriminating information than other children
A Rhyme in Time
"Mary had a little lamb it's fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go" Nursery rhymes are a part of everyone's childhood, and are an essential element and building block to many listening and reading skills. The gentle rhythms and the predictable words that rhyme help build memory. sound association, sound awareness, and sound sequencing skills that are necessary for reading as well as other language based skills such as spelling. Children are never too old to hear and practice rhymes, and to help finish the words or lines of the nursery rhymes. Poems are also an excellent source for older children to repeat and listen to. Reading them to younger siblings is an ideal way to reintroduce these familiar stories. Taking turns to recite the rhymes while doing chores or riding in the car can be a fun challenge. So pull out the old Mother Goose Book and share your favorites with your children, for your never too old to build on your memory skills!
Verbal Organization Strategies We work on our expressive language skills to improve our ability to use language efficiently and in an organized way. This includes using the vocabulary and information from classroom lessons or units when possible.
Some of the activities include retelling stories, discussing events, making inferences, comparing, and giving opinions, making up new events, or associating events together. We also make explanations for what happened, what is happening and what will happen by describing what
might happen and why .
The children are encouraged to use full sentences and to elaborate upon what they have said. This is done by asking for more information, or by providing a word which would encourage additional information. The words that I say include: because, when, so, that, since, if, but, and other words that tie a cause or effect to the answer. Many children very simply continue their thought when provided with the starter word.
The major expectations of each grade vary. My guidelines , in general
are as follows:
Grade 1: To Listen to information, recall what was heard, and to answer simple questions based on specific details , often with pictures to help. The basic who, what, where, when, and why questions are asked.
Grade 2: All of the above should be fairly easy for the students. In addition they learn to master determining what the beginning, middle, and end of a story are and start to make guesses about what, where,and why events happen. Details remain somewhat concrete, however inferences or guesses about why thing did or will happen are becoming easier.
Grade 3: The students at this stage should be able to determine the main idea of a story and the basic outline of beginning, middle and end on with minimal help. At this stage the ability to figure out out it all fits together and what events caused the next stage of a story are learned. Creative writing is starting to emerge. ( Although I'm sure many of you KNOW your child uses creative story telling !)
Those student who have difficulties recalling details and organizing their thoughts are provided with ways to help remember and develop information. We may use Maps or Webs, which are basic outlines. Other means of help included sentence starters, word lists, providing a question or a comment to help recall specific details and use of pictures and word lists.
The best way to help at home is to read to your child and discuss what happened in the story We have been reading some amazing books. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long, David Shannon: Fun story with wonderful illustrations. The story is about a boy at the beach with his family when pirates enlist him to help them bury their treasure. Once there was a bull--- frog / by Rick Walton ; illustrated by Greg Hally: A bullfrog in the Old West loses his hop in this lively tale where each page must be turned to complete the previous image. Have your chld try to guess what each of these compound words will be as it takes two pages to complete the rhyme. Pig, Pigger, Piggest by Rick Walton This is a great story to practice comparatives. It is a twist on the three pig story with a very happy ending. R is for Rhode Island Red : a Rhode Island alphabet / written by Mark R. Allio ; illustrated by Mary Jane Begin This is a great book that has each letter of the alphabet represent a very Rhode Island feature Did you know that diners first started in Rhode Island? D is for Diner Eats shoots & leaves : why, commas really do make a difference! / Lynne Truss ; illustrated by Bonnie Timmons. This is another great book! It demonstrates through fun illustrations how the placement of a comma change change the meaning of a sentence. I also use it to assist children in understanding ( comprehension) language structure.
Stuttering FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO STUTTER(ED) | Moses | Anthony Quinn | | Aesop | Winston Churchill | | King George VI | James Earl Jones | | Isaac Newton | Ben Johnson | | Charles Darwin | Bruce Willis | | Clara Barton | Greg Luganis | | Lewis Carroll | John Updike | | Marilyn Monroe | Carly Simon | | Jimmy Stewart | Bo Jackson |
DID YOU KNOW... - Over three million Americans stutter.
- Stuttering affects four times as many males as females.
- People who stutter are as intelligent and well-adjusted as non-stutterers.
- Despite decades of research, there are no clear-cut answers to the uses of stuttering, but much has been learned about factors which contribute to its development.
- As a result, tremendous progress has been made in the prevention of stuttering in young children.
- People who stutter are self-conscious about their stuttering and often let the disability determine the vocation they choose.
- There are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. Therapy is not an overnight process.
- Some 25 percent of ALL children go through a stage of development during which they stutter.
- Some four percent may stutter for six months or more.
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