A Tweak Here and There Can Make a BIG Difference!
Over the weekend I received this email from a mom who had previously contacted me about what she should do to help her nonverbal 2 year old. Treating toddlers with speech delays can be hard for parents at home, but with a few tweaks here and there, parents can make a BIG difference. Here’s an update that I LOVE…
Hi Laura,
I received my DVDs and therapy manuals today and I have been watching your therapy tip of the week videos. I have started reading through “Teach Me to Play WITH You” (as much as I could get through today with my toddler and newborn), and I began implementing some games IMMEDIATELY. I am AMAZED at how well he is responding! For the first time I was able to FULLY engage his attention with me vs him trying to play by himself in his own agenda.
At bath time, we got him some animal toys to practice animal sounds while in the bath because he seems more focused then. Well, usually he wants to play with them by himself so this time, in an attempt to get his attention and eye contact, I put the animal on my head and made a very exaggerated fake sneeze and let the animal fall off my head and splash into the tub. He thought this was the funniest thing in the world. He immediately started asking “again!” (Which he never said before) and after a few more times, he started copying me and putting the animal on his own head and making is own (super adorable) fake sneeze and letting the animal fall into the tub and splash. I made sure to narrate to him , “YAY!!” and “SPLASH!!!” With a lot of clapping. He then started clapping too and later in the evening was saying “YAY”. We did not get into working on animal sounds, however we did have a good time interacting and playing which comes first. I am so proud of him!!
I really get it now that I just haven’t been fun enough!
My husband and I will be watching the DVD ” Teach Me to Listen and Obey” part 1 tonight and every spare minute I have I will be reading more and more of your manual. (By spare minute I mean when my son is napping or sleeping and I’m not nursing my newborn or changing poppy diapers.) Dishes and laundry will just have to wait, momma’s on a mission!! I really can’t thank you enough, I have so much hope now, and I feel like I have the proper tools.”
Wow!! Talk about SUPER FAST progress!! Tweaking a routine (like bathtime) can be MASSIVELY SUCCESSFUL for parents. Look for the next post in this series as this same mom asks me how to help with transition issues for making getting OUT of the bathtub (hahaha!) easier and providing a few more tweaks for more opportunities for language learning.
Until next time….
Laura
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Resources to work with her toddler with speech delay this mom found helpful are: .
Teach Me To Play WITH YOU – a book with step-by-step instructions for creating FUN games with late talkers
Teach Me To Listen and Obey 1 – a DVD especially for parents of toddlers who have difficulty understanding what you’re saying
Therapy Tip of the Week Videos
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Happy Therapists, Teachers, Parents & Children
"I just want to thank you for the invaluable information you’ve given me in helping my grandson to talk (which I have passed on to his parents). We’ve ve learned patience, appropriate expectations, and fun and effective strategies that we had found no where else. He is exploding with conversation! Sometimes I struggle to interpret his articulation, but all I have to do is say, “Show me”, and he’s excited to do so. He and I both want so badly to communicate with each other, and your strategies have made it so much easier and non-threatening. Once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Stacey
"My little guy is taking off like a rocket!! We’ve been working through your Autism Workbook for a few months and he has had an explosion of skills develop. YOU are AMAZING! THANK YOU!" Laura Q, Mom
"Dear Laura Mize and Team,
Thank you so much for all your hard work and publishing books! Our 17-month-old toddler suddenly exploded into speaking and imitating everybody's gestures and sounds, just a week or two after we 'completed' all activities that are listed under 11 pre-linguistic skills! Your method really works!"
Grateful customer.
"Hi Laura!
I absolutely LOVE all of your workbooks, especially your Autism Workbook. Starting with Social Games has been a game changer for many of my littles with ASD and their families. It's been the best way for them to finally connect and sustain shared attention and engagement, leading to longer social interactions, through play!"
Jodie, Dev, Therapist
"Hi Ms. Laura,
Thank you so much for the videos you have posted on your youtube channel. They are so direct, informative, and helpful. Thank you for being a resource for me to become a better therapist."
Dianne
"Gosh, I love all of your emails/podcast/website, just everything!! I work in early intervention as a behavior analyst and am learning so much from you!"
Thank you!
Hailey
"Laura,
I love your work! I am a professor of early childhood special education and a speech language pathologist! I have worked to help children learn to communicate and I know how valuable the information you share is for both early interventionists and pediatric speech language pathologists!
Thank you for systematically organizing and explaining essential steps for young children to learn and develop. You are having a great impact on our profession, the ECE profession and families!"
Sincerely,
David
"Thank you.
If this is Laura herself reading this email let me take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have put forth for us professionals. I own every manual (except the autism manual) and have watched every course on DVD. I have listened to countless podcasts. All of what I’ve come to be as an Early Intervention speech therapist was absolutely to your credit. With your resources at my side I have never needed to scramble for answers and strategies and above all the clear language I use when communicating with parents. My fun, animated affect and key phrases I use have been learned through watching your example. So….thank you! May you be blessed."
Chaya
"I just wanted to thank you so much for your incredible help! You are so kind and lovely and every time I implement something you've taught in your manuals or videos it is always a success, I cannot thank you enough. I really appreciate how specific you are in giving us examples of wording to use and how to use a toy in therapy with your videos, it is exactly what I need to properly help my little students. I also really appreciate your list of books of list of toys. I have seen my little students make significant progress thanks to you. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos, taking more of your CEU's, and reading more of your materials. From the bottom of my heart: thank you so much again!!"
Lauren
Laura thank you so much. Btw, you have transformed my therapy- I have become such a competent and strong therapist after watching probably like 350 of your videos and podcasts over the past few years. And I am a seasoned therapist with almost 25 years experience. (Yes prob 350 episodes ha!) But there was still a lot I learned from you. I have such a thorough understanding of birth to 3 development and how to properly incorporate appropriate therapeutic goals, techniques and strategies now, thanks to you. Kelly
