3 ways to use Duplo and Lego to boost communication skills!
Ever wondered how to use your little one’s interest in lego & duplo to boost their communication.
Here are my 3 top tips!
Boost your little one's attention skills by asking them to copy you!
For this you will need some matching pieces (e.g. 4 red bricks, 2 windows, 6 yellow bricks).
Create a Lego structure (e.g. make a tower: red brick, yellow brick, window, 2 yellow bricks, red brick).
Place the remaining (matching) Lego pieces in front of your little one and ask the to make the same as you!
Your 'model' structure can be as simple or as complicated as your little one needs, and after they have finished let them be the 'master builder' and you have to copy what they have built!
Take the opportunity to model concepts while you play!
I wouldn't recommend doing this at the same time as the above activity, but instead while your little one is happily building and playing away.
While they are building label what they are holding and where they are putting the bricks.
Lego lends itself nicely to working on concepts: positional language, colours, size, shape. Model single words or short sentences to describe what your little one is doing (e.g. "put the brick on", "red square brick").
Grab a dry-wipe marker and use Lego to work on speech sounds!
For this one you will need a marker and preferably bigger Lego bricks!
Write your little one's target sound on the side of a Lego brick, and a variety of other mastered/ easy sounds on the other bricks. Have fun building a short tower with your little one.
Once you have made your 2-3 brick tower, read the nonsense word you have 'built' by blending together the sounds on the side of the tower!
Looking for some Lego & Duplo inspo?
Check out the Amazon list below for my top picks, and let me know if you give any of these suggestions a go!
* Disclosure: some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Speech vs. Language - what is the difference?
What are the differences between speech and language skills and why should you care as a parent about these differences?
The first thing you might be wondering is, is there a difference between speech and language, aren’t they just the same thing?!
Well, no they aren’t the same thing. Although we use the words interchangeably in day to day life, in the speech & language world we think about speech skills and language skills as two separate things. Perhaps I should start by defining these two concepts and then explain why the differences are important…
Speech vs. Language
Commonly we use the word 'speech' to describe anything that we say but this is not actually what it is! "Speech" only refers to the sounds we make.
Language is usually what mean when we say 'speech'! "Language" refers to the words we use and understand. It also refers to the order in which we use these words and the way we show things like plurals, tenses and pronouns.
Ok that’s pretty pedantic, why does the difference matter?!
The reason that we care about the difference is because it affects what we do. We choose different therapy approaches depending on what the underlying difficulties and strengths are. In the same way you wouldn't want an asthma inhaler if your problem is with your heart! We wouldn’t want to choose a speech intervention if the difficulty is with language!
For many children, the difficulty is with both speech (sounds) and language (words), but for some it's one or the other! Have a think about your little one. Does this make you think differently about their communication skills?
Top 10 questions I get asked as a Speech and Language Therapist. From SLTs-to-be!
Speech and language therapy student questions!
Each month over on the sw_speechtherapy instagram page I go live and answer questions from speech and language therapy students, and prospective SLTs.
We cover a lot of different topics, so I thought I would give you the run down of the top 10 questions I get asked as a paediatric speech and language therapist!
Where do Speech and Language Therapists work?
Essentially anywhere communication (or eating and drinking) happens we could work! That being said the vast majority of therapists work in hospitals, clinics, schools or clients homes.
How can you become a Speech and Language Therapist?
Speech and Language Therapist (SLT)/ Speech Therapist is a protected title. This means that you can only call yourself this if you have the appropriate level of training and ongoing supervision to do so. Currently the only way to become a SLT is through undertaking an undergraduate or masters degree program. From Autumn 2022 Essex University will also be offering a degree-level apprenticeship. For full details of how to become a SLT have a look at the RCSLT Website.
What do you love the most being a Speech Therapist?
Being a part of a families journey, and supporting their little one to become a confident and competent communicator. I also love that playing hide and seek is legitimately a part of my job!
What you find the hardest as a Speech and Language Therapist?
Meeting little ones and their family who are really struggling, for whatever reason, and wishing I could make it all go away in the wave of a magic wand.
How did you choose your specialism?
I chose to work in early years as this is where I felt I could make the most impact. It also allows me to work on lots of skills in a play-based way, as opposed to “traditional” sit-down-at-the-table speech therapy.
Who is involved in the Multi Disciplinary Team?
I am answering this from a paediatric perspective but please know this will differ depending on what is going on with the child. I also want to add here that although family are not professionals they are one of the most important parts of a little one’s team, so I am putting them at the top of this list. In terms of other professionals involved, their team may consist of; teachers, special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo), Occupational Therapists (OT), Physiotherapists (PT), Play therapists, dieticians, audiology, GP, paediatrician, behaviour analysts, other/ specialist speech therapists.
How do you get children to engage with you in therapy sessions?
Building a connection with little ones is one of the most important things you can do as a therapist. This enables children to feel safe with us and allows them to attempt things that are tricky for them (like talking, following instructions, playing in new ways). I always spend a good chunk of time building rapport with children before I ask anything of them. This may mean following their lead, it may mean offering toys ‘for free’, it may mean modelling play with zero expectation placed on them.
Top tips for learning the IPA?
In case you don’t know the IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet is a collection of symbols SLTs use to transcribe speech. We use this because the English alphabet is not fit for this purpose! How would we know which sound another therapist meant when each letter is produced so differently depending on the other letters around it?! If they wrote “e” did they mean the “e” in ‘bed’ or the “e” in ‘equal’ or the “e” in ‘cafe’! (Ok that last one is an anomaly but you get the point!)
If you are a SLT-to-be learning the IPA my top tip is to practice. A Lot. Download the IPA app so you can hear the sounds and set up a little group with a few others on your course where you transcribe sentences and compare notes.
What books do you recommend?
Children’s Speech Sound Disorders - Caroline Bowen
From Birth to 5 Years - Mary Sheridan
English Phonetics and Phonology - Peter Roach
Grammar, A Student’s Guide - James Hurford
What should you pack in your bag for your first clinical speech therapy placement?
Water bottle (& snacks!)
Notepad & black pen
Ipad/ Laptop
Stickers
Small bag of fun toys (windup, sensory toys, bubbles balloons)
Tools to make data collection easier: stop watch, clicker
For more Q&As follow me on instagram @sw_speechtherapy where I answer SLT-to-be questions each month live!