Blue Heron Speech

04/12/2022

I would like to start by "reintroducing" myself. Welcome back! I'm Andrea and I am a registered Speech Language Pathologist. Back when I started Blue Heron Speech in 2015, I was an eager and energetic 20 something who was passionate about working with families with diverse needs. I continue to be this eager and passionate human, but with a newer and brighter lens. As a mother of a five year old and nearly three year old, I can say that my greatest lessons and experience have occurred since becoming a mother. I have learned more strategies for embedding speech and language practice into a living room than I ever imagined, and have learned how to provide functional supports in a home setting that were nothing like I could have imaged five years ago. I had to step up my game as a mom and an SLP, and I rose to the challenge with my whole heart. Now I am here, ready to support you and your family. I am looking forward to seeing clients in person in Nanaimo and surrounding areas or via teletherapy in BC. My goal is to provide holistic and family-centered therapeutic practices that are as unique as each little human that I encounter. Welcome back to Blue Heron Speech. I am so glad WE are here!

03/26/2019

If your child is a mouth breather, this is a great read from a mom who struggled to figure out why her little tyke was struggling so much. Happy reading.

If your child has these symptoms, it’s worth going to a doctor and checking it out.

03/18/2019

This is something that resonates with me on a personal and professional level. If a child has a speech and/or language delay that is left untreated, the risk factors are tremendous. Everything can be affected, from social to literacy to academic to confidence challenges. Early intervention sets up a child and family for earlier success and less risk of persistent challenges. If you aren't sure if your kiddo has a speech and language delay, call a professional. Yes, Dr. Google is great, but nothing replaces someone meeting your child and family. It's worth the time and energy for sure. I say this as an SLP and a busy mom.

I see this ALL THE TIME in mom groups! While these comments are well meaning, they can actually have some really negative outcomes for a family. I always say, “If a child had a 30-40% chance of having cancer, would you recommend that a parent wait it out? HECK NO!" Early Intervention is key for many kids, and will only help a child- there are no negatives to seeking help and intervention does NOT mean something is "wrong" with a child. It's also important for those whose kids are "just fine without intervention" (and doctors!) to know that there are SO MANY parents who wish they had sought intervention sooner. Parents, if you could go back in time, would you have gotten intervention sooner?

03/03/2019

Sunday March 3rd is World Hearing Day. This one hits close to home for me, on a professional and personal level. Mild hearing differences can have HUGE impacts with speech, language, classroom learning, social communication, and so much more. If your child has never had their hearing screened and demonstrates even a mild speech or language delay, please have their hearing checked. Not sure where to go or how to go about a hearing screening, message me and I'd be happy to send you in the direction of an audiologist. Happy world hearing day! 💕👂

12/29/2018

I really enjoyed this read that Speech and Hearing BC shared, so figured I'dshare it too. Instead of "what's this"...

When we comment to toddlers, they hear the words associated with the exact thing they are paying attention at that exact moment.

12/03/2018

I always emphasize speech and language learning through play when working with little ones. Science has just given me yet another reason the emphasize functional and meaningful learning through play.

08/30/2018

Despite my lack of posts, I have been busy at work seeing clients this summer. I saw this a few weeks ago, and have been trying to do this with my 20 month old to elicit some more speech and language. Poor little guy has a Speech-Language Pathologist for a mommy, so I am always on him to use his words… and he doesn’t have very many words, so he gets to do activities with SLP mommy.

I have always loved using the “what’s in the bag” activity with little ones. It’s fun and easy, and virtually free to do. Did I use a pillowcase to do this at home? You bet I did! I put a variety of items in the pillow case, shook it around and pretended that it was the MOST interesting bag of goodies I had ever seen. I tried to take turns pulling items out of the bag and labeling them, but to be honest, speech sessions never go as planned, whether it with your own child or not. For the most part, my little guy pulled the items out one at a time, while I labeled them. I used some of the same items the next day and some new ones, to keep him on his toes. For more information on this strategy, here is a blog post that beautifully outlines the “what’s in the bag” activity.

For more information or strategies specific to your child, email andrea@blueheronspeech.com or check out www.blueheronspeech.com. Have a wonderful long weekend.

https://thesltscrapbook.blogspot.com/2017/03/whats-in-bag-fun-activity-for-language.html

05/29/2018

THE SPEECH BANANA...

This is a real thing! Attention all parents whose children may have HEARING LOSS, you should check out the speech banana! I want to clear something up - hearing loss CAN significantly impact speech sound development, and HEAR is why. The ears work together to hear sounds at different frequencies. Some speech sounds are considered "low frequency" sounds, such as "j", "z", "g", "L", "m", "n" and "ing". A low frequency hearing loss may impact this set of speech sounds. Some high frequency sounds could include "k", "f", "s", and "th". A high frequency hearing loss may impact these sounds. There are also a lot of sounds in between the lowest and highest frequency sounds.

For our littlest learners, a mild hearing loss can have a big impact when they are learning to speak. The most common strategy that I give parents is "get down on your child's level" and "show them your mouth" when you are talking to them. Having them watch your mouth, while speaking slowly and overemphasizing your speech may help children to see that your tongue, lips, teeth, and jaw are doing for certain sounds. The other piece that is SO important is knowing which sounds your child should be saying and by what age. I've attached a link to the Speech Banana below.

For more information on speech and language services and strategies, email andrea@blueheronspeech.com or call 250-618-9135.

FIRST YEARS -- a certificate program committed to enhancing the knowledge and skills of professionals practicing in the fields of deaf education, speech-language pathology, audiology, and early intervention.

05/07/2018

Did you know that one in six people in Canada have a speech, language or hearing disorder? May is Speech and Hearing Month.

Play-based speech and language learning can seem daunting to parents, but there are easy ways to enhance speech and language using toys. Alberta Health Services put together these "toy cards" and I love them. You can check out some different ideas for using toys that you already may have at home, for speech and language development. Enjoy!

For tips and tricks specific to your child, or if you simply have a question, email andrea@blueheronspeech.com or call 250-618-9135. Happy Monday.

04/21/2018

I am a huge supporter of early intervention and inclusion. This is such a well-spoken man. Enjoy.

04/17/2018

FLASHCARD FUN!

Often I provide a variety of flashcards to the parents of my speech clients. I try to share game ideas and ways to make practice FUNctional, but am always learning new ways to make flashcard work fun. I adore my "ball popper" and always have a pair of dice in my bag, but this post is a great read, for SLPs and parents. Don't be afraid to get inventive - no bowling pins, use empty pop bottles, or how about being frogs and hopping from card to card. Flashlights, playdough, bubbles, or cars can also be incorporated readily into practice. Follow your child's lead and incorporate their interests.

For more ideas or to book an initial sessions, e-mail andrea@blueheronspeech.com or call 2506189135. Happy Monday!

Articulation therapy can be boring and repetitive! Here are low-prep ways to keep your students motivated with articulation cards!

03/21/2018

I can't say this enough- I LOVE BUSY BOXES! Having busy boxes can help keep kids busy but can't also be used to target areas that may be challenging for a little one. Fine motor challenges- there are busy box ideas for that.

Speech challenges- fill a box with activities and tasks to target specific sounds. For example, I have a print out with "bugs" that have speech words on them. I put these in a clear sleeve or baggie and we use playdough to "squash" them (covering each bug as we say the target word). Little objects with specific sounds are also awesome. I have a set of "s-blend" mini objects in a bag (e.g., SNail, STar, SPoon, SLime, etc.).

Language challenges- of course we could set up a busy box for that.

For basic busy box ideas, visit the link below.

For more ideas on creating a busy box specific for your child's speech and/or language, contact Blue Heron Speech at andrea@blueheronspeech.com or call 250-618-9135.

Learn how to make a busy box for toddlers. They're perfect for keeping toddlers busy at a restaurant, on a plane, while mom is nursing and more!