Winnie Shum Speech Therapy

05/19/2023

Who said therapy can only be done with toys and games? Today a client and I baked egg tarts together.
Reasons why this worked well: 1) Food is a HUGE motivator and interest for this client 2) Lots of opportunities for communication and commenting on his communication device as we navigated through the recipe - actions such as mixing, pouring, baking, items such as eggs, milk, whisk 3) It was functional. He has been learning to cook to increase his independence and to learn new life skills.

This session brought me so much joy as it was yummy and so effective!

11/12/2022

🎄With Christmas just around the corner, parents often ask ‘What is the best toy I can buy to help my child with their speech and language skills?’. Well, sometimes it’s not just about buying the best toy or game, but how you use it to interact with your child. Swipe to see more of my thoughts 👩🏻‍🏫👉🏻

08/16/2022

In speech therapy, we play! But it’s not just for the fun and games, there are reasons behind it all. Swipe to learn more 👉🏻

07/26/2022

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝘼𝘼𝘾?
There are often many questions surrounding AAC; from what it is, to misconceptions as well. Scroll through to learn more! 👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻

07/13/2022

𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨

By popular demand, we have put together this snapshot of speech and language milestones from birth-age 2.5. It is crucial to ensure our kiddos are on track so that they can recieve the early intervention they may need. Drop me a message for questions and inquiries or reach out to an SLP near you!

Huge shoutout to my amazing volunteer for putting this together with me!

06/30/2022

Parent: ‘Sometimes my child says words and it sounds nothing like the real word!’

You’re not alone! This is how my son pronounced ‘sausages’ for the longest time! Multisyllabic words can be tough at first when kiddos are learning to put all the sounds and pieces together. Try clapping out each syllable and practice on repeat. For example, sau👏🏻sa👏🏻ges👏🏻. Or you can tap the table for each syllable, stomp your feet, count with your finger, eat an m&m for each syllable, get creative! Also, don’t forget to be face to face when modelling these words for your child so they can see every movement your mouth makes.

06/23/2022

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰?

Children should learn at least 16 gestures by the time they are 16 months old. Gestures include clapping, waving, pointing and much more. Good communication development is more than just words. Making sure your child is on track with these milestones is key in ensuring they have the support they need early on! For more info check out the First Words Project. Link in bio 👆🏻

06/07/2022

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮…

I’ve been MIA…busy with this baby (and a real baby too!). Information about our services are now all in one place!

Thank you to my friends for helping me out with this website and for all your feedback!

Go check it out! www.winnieshum.ca

05/26/2021

So true!

So many times I’ve heard ‘Our past SLP just ‘played’ with my kid’. We do use a lot of toys and play in therapy...but keep in mind, there’s always a ‘purpose’ behind that game/activity!

Yes Graceful Expression, Speech-Language Pathologist! SLPs do so much more than play and work on R! ❤️❤️

05/15/2021

I get a lot of questions about the impact of the pandemic on children’s speech and language development. While I don’t think we will know right now what the nature of this impact is like and to what extent, there are some strategies which can be used to help minimize any potential impact on development. Check out the post below for some tips and ideas!

05/11/2021

My nickname is ‘Auntie Cookie’ 🍪

Today, one of my kiddies called me ‘Auntie Cookie’ and it reminded me of how this puppet has been my therapy-partner-in-crime for 7 years now. This puppet has been a miracle worker not only during the in-person therapy days, but even in virtual therapy. He always pops in to play peek-a-boo with the kiddies on Zoom and helps break the ice.

If you are nervous about whether virtual therapy or any form of speech therapy works for you and your child, rest assured that SLPs have a lot of tricks and magic up their sleeves which will help engage your child and help them feel comfortable.