Positive Speech | Speech therapist

Positive Speech

Phone: +61 2 4872 2286

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24.01.2022 The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year awards have been released. Great ideas for that Christmas stocking (I know, I know, only 53 days away.eek! Where did the year go?) The winners are: Birth to 3 years - Noisy Nature written by Mandy A Kuhne, ilustrated by Alex Kuhne Three to 5 years - Me and You written by Deborah Kelly, illustrated by Karen Blair... Five to 8 years - Somewhere Else written and illustrated by Gus Gordon Eight to ten years - Artie and the Grime Wave written and illustrated by Richard Roxburgh Indigenous children - Mad Magpie written and illustrated by Gregg Dreise. Check out the SPA website for more information, or head to your bookstore!

24.01.2022 It has been a while since I popped up a Facebook post. I’ve fallen out of love with Facebook recently (with so many scams, scandals and subversive spying) and I just needed a good time away. I’m sure it has not got any better with my absence, but I thought it is probably time to start contributing again. There is a great deal of information out there relevant to speech pathology, and I do enjoy sharing that. To start off, why not something about reading, language and speech pathology all rolled into one. Some food for thought:

24.01.2022 I have to admit, I am, unashamedly, a grammar nerd. I guess that’s probably a good thing, considering I’m a speech pathologist. There has been some talk recently of ridding our language of the innocent apostrophe (the 27th letter of the alphabet, no less). I needed to sit down when I read that. What the? Apparently texting on a phone (where inserting the apostrophe requires too many taps on the keyboard), website domain names and other computer text requirements just make ...for a cumbersome apostrophe, and it’s likely to disappear from the language altogether anyway. Really? Or is it due to ’incorrect, lazy, ignorant and appalling’ apostrophe catastrophes, which John Richards, the former sub-editor of the Apostrophe Protection Society (yes, it really does exist!) believes to exist amongst English-speaking humans? As Mary Norris, the Comma Queen of the New Yorker suggests, It just is not that hard. Too right. What are your thoughts?

23.01.2022 Positive Speech is offering Online Therapy to keep your speech pathology treatment on track! Our physical practice is temporarily closed, but we can provide services via a Telehealth video-call. It is business as usual, but in the virtual space! All from the comfort of your own home. Don’t hesitate to call or email for further information.

23.01.2022 There are two types of children’s books that are important in the development of spelling and reading skills. The first is the decodable type: books that have numerous repetitions of a certain speech sound on a single page, spelt in a number of ways. This supports the most evidenced-based means of learning to spell and read a phonics approach. In this case speech sounds (also known as phonemes) are aligned with their spelling choices or letter combinations (known as graphe...mes). These books are very useful when children are in their early years of school and are learning to read and spell, or to support older children whose spelling and/ or reading skills need intervention. The second type of book is the predictable type. These are books that focus on meaning and information, language structure and vocabulary, rather than spelling. They generally rely on pictures to get their message across and are better for children who have a strong sound-letter knowledge. This article from theconversation.com explains in more detail these two types of children’s books and when they should be used. As the article says, A child’s early experiences with books both at home and later in school have the potential to significantly affect future reading performance.

23.01.2022 So many adolescents struggle to read for pleasure, and as a parent there is a lot you can do. The phenomenon is called 'expired expectation', according to Margaret Merga from Curtin University, where some teens think that once they have learned to read, they don't need to continue. "If we really want out teenagers to continue to read, we really need to be careful not to transmit the idea to them that once they know how to read it's not something they need to do anymore," says Dr Merga. There are 5 helpful steps that parents can take to encourage their children to read. I quite like all of them!

18.01.2022 Vocabulary is the best single indicator of intellectual ability and an accurate predictor of success at school. W.B. Elley Teaching vocabulary is important, both on the part of parent and teacher. The following article is directed more at classroom teachers, but parents can benefit from reading it, too, and helping their children to develop a robust vocabulary. Vocabulary instruction shouldn’t just be limited to the classroom. We think with words, therefore to improve thinking, teach vocabulary. A. Draper and G. Moeller.

18.01.2022 Do you read to your children? Even if your children know how to read independently, this doesn’t mean you need to stop! Why? You can teach your child more words to increase their vocabulary and promote optimal learning, language and literacy skills...... You can help your child reduce his or her anxiety around reading aloud in the classroom You can help turn your child into a life-long, positive reader And the research suggests that more than one-third of Australian respondents aged six to eleven whose parents had stopped reading to them wanted it to continue. Don’t believe me? Read the article

17.01.2022 Ready for some Christmas stocking ideas for the kids? The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year awards have been finalised for 2018, and here are the winners: Indigenous children: Sorry Day by Coral Vass (Illustrations by Dub Leffler)... Birth to 3 years: Heads and Tails by by John Candy (Illustrations by John Candy) Three to 5 years: Rodney Loses It! Written by Michael Gerard Bauer (Illustrations by Chrissie Krebs) Five to 8 years: Danny Blue’s Really Excellent Dream by Max Landrak (Illustrations by Max Landrak) Eight to 10 years: The Grand Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler by Lisa Shanahan. Check out the Association’s web page for the complete list, along with a list of shortlisted books.

17.01.2022 After much resistance, procrastination and excuses, we have finally created a Positive Speech Instagram account!

16.01.2022 I was interested in an article in InPsych magazine recently (Feb 2019, Vol 41, Issue 1), which is the bulletin of the Australian Psychological Society Limited. The article on pp. 48 - 53, entitled Reading Controversies by Dr Catherine Scott, outlined the international prevalence of reading difficulties. Estimates for the rate of occurrence in Australia vary from 10 16%, and in the US and Canada from 5 20%, whereas in China (3.9%), Italy (3.1 3.2%) and Germany (1.9 2....6%) they are considerably lower. English speaking countries seem to rate higher in reading difficulty/ disability. Language itself may contribute to these difficulties, alongside some neurological basis, according to the author. What is definitely concerning is that literacy may be declining with every generation in Australia. According to Professor Angela Morgan at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Aussie kids’ speech and language skills were the worst they have ever been, and we are raising a generation of children who may not be able to read instructions or hold down a job. If you are interested in reading more, check out the online article below.

16.01.2022 Welcome to 2018! With the kids now back at school, Positive Speech is open for appointments. To start the year off, I thought I'd share the wealth of Resources for the Public from Speech Pathology Australia, the national association for the profession. ... Included in their resources is a number of Fact Sheets on important topics related to Speech Pathology. Click on the link below to be taken to these Fact Sheets, and navigate around the site using the menu to access other interesting resources and information. I look forward to seeing many returning and new clients very soon.

15.01.2022 Vocal overuse can be caused by many things, including infection and psychological trauma, and voice-laden professions such as teaching are particularly affected. The overarching term for voice disorders or problems is ‘dysphonia’ and losing your voice can be devastating. It can have a huge effect on your quality of life, including economic, social and emotional tolls, but most people don’t seek treatment as it is a highly under-diagnosed and under-treated disorder. Listen t...o the audio segment on the ABC for more information. If you have a voice disorder and need support, the Australian Dysphonia Network is worth connecting with.

14.01.2022 Interest + Engagement = Future Success While this article isn’t specifically about speech pathology, it does talk about an important key to success - engagement. Whether a child is learning in the classroom, or receiving intervention, his or her motivation to learn, to improve, and to develop is the key. ... If students can be engaged by curriculum, through the mode of delivery, through a rich variety of learning experiences and through the way teachers relate with students, then this is going to pave the way for achievement in adulthood, says Lead author Joan Abbott-Chapman, University Associate at the Menzies Research Institute Tasmania.

12.01.2022 Positive Speech is offering Online Therapy to keep your speech pathology treatment on track! Due to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) situation at the moment, our physical practice is temporarily closed. We recognise that many clients still want ongoing therapy, and we are able to provide this via a TeleHealth video-call. It is business as usual, but in the virtual space. ... To do this, we use Zoom video conferencing from the comfort of your own home. All you need is a laptop or PC with a camera. Zoom is a secure online platform and is easy to use. Don't hesitate to give us a call for further information. Call us on 4872 2286 or email at [email protected]. Stay well.

11.01.2022 "A Four Corners investigation finds there are growing fears among education experts that screen time is contributing to a generation of skim readers with poor literacy, who may struggle to gain employment later in life as low-skilled jobs disappear."

09.01.2022 More = physical activity Less (or even zero) = screen time The research is out! ... This week The Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (birth to 5 years) was released, encouraging parents and caregivers to limit screen time greatly (actually ZERO screen time for kids under 2) and devote a minimum of three hours of physical activity per day. It gives parents a strong framework to set up their child's day, spelling out precisely how much sleep, physical activity and sedentary time kids should have in a 24-hour period.

09.01.2022 Happy Speech Pathology Week! This week, 20th 26th August, Speech Pathology Australia seeks to promote the speech pathology profession and acknowledge the work done by speech pathologists across Australia. This year’s theme is Communication access: everyone gets the message!... Because..Communication is a basic human right. If you’re interested in finding out more, check out the SPA website at http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au.