Empower Therapeutics, San Angelo, TX (2026)

03/31/2026

Pragmatics communication 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Teaching Polite Interruption: A Pragmatic Skill for Young Communicators

Young communicators are often so eager to share their thoughts that they pipe up like an excited puppy that can’t sit still. This enthusiasm is wonderful, but it can lead to interruptions during conversations.

In my time in a Montessori classroom, I learned a simple tip that I’ve used in my practice and at home. If a child needs to interject but it’s not an emergency, they hold the hem of my shirt or the edge of a pocket. I then place my hand over theirs on the hem or pocket to acknowledge them while I finish speaking. Once I’m done, I thank them for waiting and ask what they need.

Why It Matters: Pragmatic skills, like waiting your turn in conversation, build social awareness and reduce frustration in group settings. Mastering these helps children become effective communicators who value others’ words.

Try these steps at home to teach polite interruption:
Observe: Notice when your child interrupts and gently remind them to wait for a pause, explaining why conversations flow better that way.

Model: During a chat with another adult, show the child how to hold your shirt hem or pocket edge if they need to speak. Place your hand over theirs and say a quick “I see you, just one minute.”

Practice: Role-play conversations where the child practices holding the hem or pocket edge, then waiting for their turn. Place your hand over theirs, thank them for waiting, and ask what they need. Praise patience with “Great waiting!”

Build Independence: As they get the hang of it, expect them to use the cue on their own. Remind with “Hold my shirt if you need to talk,” and celebrate when they do.

Sometimes pragmatic skills like this need a little extra support from a speech-language pathologist. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to Empower Therapeutics, we’re here to help.

Have you tried the shirt-hem trick for polite interruptions? Share your experiences in the comments, we’d love to learn together!

03/27/2026

Digraph TH - tongue-biting sound 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Teaching the Tongue-Biting Digraph [th]

The digraph [th] is one that many children need extra help with, especially bilingual English-Spanish speakers because [th] does not exist in Spanish. It is typically mastered by age 6–7 for monolingual English speakers. A little more exposure and playful practice usually does the trick.
And yes, now that Thanksgiving has just passed, some of us probably heard “Tanksgiving” at the table more than once. That little mix-up is actually the perfect reminder that [th] is worth working on.
In my years as an SLP, the easiest way to explain [th] is simple: it is the tongue-biting sound. We stick the tongue out just a bit and lightly bite the tip while air comes out. There are two kinds: voiceless [th] (quiet, as in think, thumb, thank, bath, Thanksgiving) and voiced [th] (noisy, as in this, that, the, mother, brother).

Try these steps at home to teach clear [th]:

Mirror Play: Sit together at a mirror. Say, “Let’s bite our tongues, but not too hard, we still want to keep them!” Make it silly and fun while showing the tongue peeking out between the teeth.

Start Voiceless: Practice the quiet [th] first in isolation, just blowing air while lightly biting the tongue. Celebrate every clear puff of air.

Teach the Difference Between Voiceless and Voiced:
• Tongue tickle: Tell your child, “When we make the noisy [th], your tongue gets a tiny tickle, like a butterfly landed on it. Try it and see if you feel it!” (Most kids love this part and start giggling right away.)
• Hand on throat: Place a hand on the front of the neck. Voiceless [th] has no buzz, voiced [th] has a gentle vibration. This trick works for any voiced versus voiceless sound.

Build Up: Move from the sound alone, to syllables (th-ee, th-ow), to single words (think, thumb, thank, this, that, the), to short phrases, sentences, and finally conversation.

Keep practice targeted, fun, and simple to get the most without frustrating the learner. A few quick rounds several times a day beats one long, exhausting session every single time.

Model and Recast: When you hear “fank you” or “dis,” calmly repeat the word or sentence the right way (“Thank you!” or “Look at this!”). Auditory bombardment, hearing the correct sound over and over in natural conversation, is what provides the strongest natural cues and drives real change.

Sometimes the [th] digraph needs a little extra support from a speech-language pathologist. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to Empower Therapeutics, we’re here to help.

Have you tried the tongue-tickle trick or the hand-on-throat cue for [th]? Share your experiences in the comments, we’d love to learn together!

03/24/2026

Easter is around the corner! Here is some help with those tricky R’s

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Working on the Tricky /r/: Two Ways to Shape It
The English /r/ is one of the most complex sounds in our language. It is a resonant sound with many variations, prevocalic “red”, postvocalic “car”, vocalic “ear”, “air”, “ire”, “or”, and more, and can be produced two main ways: bunched, tongue pulled up in the back, or retroflex, tongue tip curled back.

In my experience as an SLP, the quickest early trick, even before the sound is age-appropriate, is a big smile. Smiling naturally pulls the back of the tongue up and gives an instant approximation of /r/.

When children are ready for real work, usually after good tongue elevation and lateral control, we use verbal directions, mirrors, recordings, and tactile cues to build the correct tongue tension and resonance.

Why It Matters: Weak or inconsistent shaping leads to “wabbit” for “rabbit” or a “slushy” sound. Untreated /r/ errors can affect reading and spelling later on.

Try these /r/-focused steps at home to teach clear production:

Big Smile Trick (early or anytime): Practice saying “rrrr” with a huge smile, the cheeks pull the tongue back automatically. Use it for “red”, “rabbit”, “roar” and celebrate the growl!
Auditory Discrimination Game: Record yourself saying words correctly and incorrectly, “wed” vs. “red”, “caw” vs. “car”. Let your child be the judge: “Which one was right?” No pressure on them to produce yet.
Mirror + Recording Practice: Sit together at a mirror. Model the tongue shape, bunched or curled, while keeping tension in the back and sides of the tongue. Record attempts and play back to hear the resonance.
Build Up: Start with growly /r/ in isolation, syllables, single words, phrases, conversation, always checking the mirror or recording for that clear resonance.

Sometimes the /r/ sound needs a little extra support from a speech-language pathologist. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to Empower Therapeutics, we’re here to help.

Have you tried the smile trick or recordings for /r/? Share your tips in the comments, we’d love to learn together!

03/17/2026

Two Ways Children Learn to Talk: Analytic vs. Gestalt Language 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Two Ways Children Learn to Talk: Analytic vs. Gestalt Language
As parents, we equip our children with tools to communicate effectively. Most of us picture one path: children start with single words (“ball,” “milk,” “more”) and gradually combine them into sentences. That’s called analytic language development, and it’s the most common.

But many children follow a different path called gestalt language. They learn language in big chunks first: favorite songs, movie lines, or whole phrases (“Let’s get out of here!”, “It’s time for bed”). These chunks, called gestalts, are used as single units. Over time, they naturally break them down and mix-and-match parts to create their own original sentences.

Here’s something I always tell parents: gestalt language isn’t just for kids. Even analytic learners—and adults!—use it every day. Think about the perfect moment when you drop a movie quote that fits exactly (“Here’s Johnny!” or “May the Force be with you”). That’s gestalt language in action: a whole chunk we pull out ready-made. It’s normal, it’s fun, and it’s proof that both paths are natural ways to communicate.

Recognizing your child’s natural style makes all the difference. Forcing a gestalt learner to “use one word” can stall progress, while leaning into their chunk-based style often leads to a language explosion. Our aim is to empower effective communication skills by meeting each child on their own language path.

Analytic: “dog” → “big dog” → “the big dog runs”
Gestalt: “Look at the big dog running!” (whole line from a show) → “look at the truck running” → “look at the ___ running”

What Parents Can Do
Observe: Does your child repeat long phrases or songs before single words? That’s a strong clue they’re a gestalt processor.
Mirror & Expand: Echo their exact gestalt with natural excitement and model a new whole-language phrase that’s similar (“We’re going to the park!” → “We’re going to the playground!”).
Model Whole-Language Gestalts: Narrate daily life with fun, repeatable phrases (“This is the way we brush our teeth”).
Trust the Process: Give rich language input and time. The chunks will naturally break apart into flexible speech.

Not sure which path your child is on? Reach out to Empower Therapeutics — we’re speech-language pathologists who support children along either language journey with individualized plans. www.empowertherapeutics.us

Have you noticed your child learning in big chunks or one word at a time? Share your observations in the comments—we’d love to learn together!

03/12/2026

Working on back sounds /k/ and /g/ 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Mastering the Back Sounds /k/ and /g/

As parents, we equip our children with strategies to speak clearly and confidently. The back plosives /k/ and /g/ are two sounds that often need extra attention. Plosives are made by briefly blocking airflow and then releasing it with a burst, like /p/ or /t/.

The most common error is fronting: the child replaces the back sound with a front sound (/t/ or /d/), so “cat” becomes “tat” and “go” becomes “do”. In my experience as an SLP, many children struggle because they have underdeveloped tongue proprioception (knowing where the tongue is without looking) and limited auditory feedback skills. That’s why mirrors and recording devices become game-changers.

Why It Matters for Literacy: Persistent phonological patterns like fronting affect a child’s ability to hear and represent the difference between sounds in words. This makes it harder to connect sounds to letters (phonemic awareness), which is a key predictor of reading and spelling success.

Try these steps at home to teach clear /k/ and /g/:

Awareness & Model: Say the word slowly (“caaaat”). When the child says “tat”, smile and say, “I heard ‘tat’—let’s listen together.”

Recording Device Trick: Record yourself saying “cat”, then let the child record their attempt. Play both back. Most children laugh and immediately hear the difference—no arguing “that’s what I said!”

Mirror + Visual Cue: In front of a mirror, show /t/ (tongue tip up front) vs. /k/ (tongue back up). Say, “Your tongue is sneaking to the front for /t/. We need it to go way in the back for /k/.”

Tactile Cue (when needed): Tell the child, “Your tongue is going to fight you and try to come forward, but you’re the boss!” Have them open wide, use one finger to gently hold the tongue tip down, and push the back of the tongue up to make /k/. Praise wildly the first time a clear /k/ pops out!

Build Up: Move from isolated /k/, to syllables (ka, ke, ki), words, phrases, sentences, and finally conversation. Start with voiceless /k/, then add voice for /g/.

Have you tried mirrors or recordings to help with /k/ and /g/? Share your tips in the comments—we’d love to learn together!

03/09/2026

Teaching /l/ with mandible stability 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Mastering the /l/ Sound: Teaching Tongue Strength and Jaw Stability

As parents, we aim to equip our children with tools to communicate effectively. The /l/ sound is one of the trickiest phonemes in English, often mastered later than most others, whether English is their first or second language. When children struggle, they commonly substitute a /w/ (“wight” for “light”) or produce a distorted, “slushy” /l/.

In my years as an SLP, I noticed a clear pattern: many children rely on jaw movement to “help” the tongue reach the alveolar ridge instead of using tongue strength alone. This reduces space in the mouth and creates that unclear sound. The fix? Teach mandible (jaw) stabilization so the tongue does the work independently.

Why It Matters: Correct /l/ production needs tongue tip elevation to the alveolar ridge with steady airflow and voicing, while the jaw stays relatively still. Jaw stabilization trains precise articulation and prevents compensatory habits.

Try these jaw-stabilization steps at home to teach clear /l/:

Mirror Setup: Have your child stand or sit in front of a mirror and open their mouth wide.

Hold the Chin: Ask them to gently hold their chin with their hand so the jaw stays open and stable. Tell them: “Your jaw wants to close and help the tongue, but you’re stronger than your jaw—hold it open!”

Tongue Stretch: With jaw held, stretch the tongue tip to the alveolar ridge (the bumpy spot just behind the upper front teeth).

Practice “La-La-La”: Say “la-la-la-la” like a dancing tongue. If the jaw tries to close, look in the mirror and win the fight—hold it open! Celebrate every clear /l/!

Build Up: Once stable, practice syllables (la, le, li, lo, lu), words, phrases, sentences, and conversation, always checking jaw stability in the mirror.

Have you tried jaw stabilization for /l/? Share your experiences or tips in the comments—we’d love to learn together!

03/05/2026

Building social skills for our teens 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series

Next up… Building Social Skills: Strategies for Teenagers

As parents, we aim to equip our teenagers with tools to communicate effectively. Socialization concerns arise in many settings, homeschooling, public school, or community life, due to limited peer interaction, cultural exposure opportunities, etc. By joining groups, taking hobby classes, role-playing situations, organizing peer gatherings, or traveling, we create opportunities for real-world practice. These experiences build cultural fluency, the ability to communicate confidently using your own language and traditions while respecting and adapting to others in their space, such as knowing your family’s greeting and using a different one when visiting a friend’s home.

Brain development in teenagers strengthens the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps with decision-making and understanding others. Language and communication skills grow through peer interactions, improving pragmatic language, the social rules of conversation, like taking turns or seeing another’s point of view. Our aim is to empower communication skills through structured social experiences for independence and cultural fluency.

Social Development Benefits: Peer interactions strengthen brain pathways for empathy and flexible thinking, supporting advanced language use in debates or negotiations.

Try these social-focused steps at home to teach communication and independence:

Join Groups: Enroll in interest-based groups (e.g., church youth, cultural clubs, organizations, etc.) to practice conversations and respect diverse traditions.

Take Hobby Classes: Sign up for classes (e.g., art, coding, language) to initiate interactions and learn cultural norms in new settings.

Role-Play Situations: Practice real-life scenarios like small talk with a store clerk or asking for help in a community space, using scripts to build confidence.

Organize Peer Gatherings: Host same-age meetups for projects, games, or cultural exchanges to encourage turn-taking and idea-sharing.

Explore Through Travel: Visit local cultural events or new places to practice greetings, questions, and adapting to different social norms.

Have you tried group activities or role-play to boost social skills? Share your experiences or tips in the comments—we’d love to learn together!

03/04/2026

Breath and voice hygiene 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent (But Learned as an SLP) Series
Next up… Breath and Voice Hygiene/Strengthening: Supporting Airflow for Clear Speech

As parents, we teach our children daily habits for independence. As an SLP, I learned that breath and vocal hygiene are equally important for strong, clear speech. Verbal speech needs steady airflow from the lungs to vibrate vocal folds and keep words flowing. Weak airflow leads to low projection or vocal fry—raspy, creaky voice as air fades at the end of phrases.

Strong breath health ensures lung capacity and airflow control. Without it, speech loses volume or clarity. Breath-focused activities expand lungs and build endurance. Our aim is to strengthen communication skills through targeted airflow practice for sustained, clear speech.

Airflow for Speech Benefits: Breath supplies subglottal pressure for vocal fold vibration in the larynx. Consistent airflow prevents vocal fry and allows projection, enabling clear connected speech.

Try these breath-focused steps at home for speech hygiene:

Humming Songs: Hum Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Happy Birthday twice to practice steady airflow and vocal control.

Blowing Bubbles: Blow bubbles with consistent, long airflow to make a large bubble, building lung capacity.

Breathing on Back: Lay flat on the ground. Inhale filling the lower belly to the upper chest. Exhale lowering the upper chest to the lower belly to practice deep breathing.

4-6-8 Breathing: Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds (quickly). Hold for 6 seconds. Exhale slowly for 8 seconds (through pursed lips) to control airflow.

Loud Voice Practice: Use a teacher or loud voice when speaking to build projection and breath support.

Have you tried breath activities to support speech? Share your experiences or tips in the comments—we’d love to learn together!

02/26/2026

Visual tools for communication 🧰

Things I Wish I Knew as a Parent, But Learned as an SLP Series

Next up… Managing Big Emotions: Using Visual Tools for Communication

As parents, we aim to empower our young children with tools to communicate effectively. Big emotions—behavior as communication—can spark tantrums or overwhelm, disrupting tasks. Visual tools like First/Then visuals and schedules, paired with offering choices, help children calm emotions to express themselves clearly. See prior tips on Dr. Daniel Goleman’s “I feel” statements and Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breathing for more. These work alongside Maria Montessori’s method of controlling the environment, not the child.

Visual tools and choices create a structured environment for young children. First/Then visuals and schedules guide tasks with clear steps, while choices give children control within boundaries. These support communication by calming emotions. Our aim is to empower communication skills through visual tools for emotional regulation and independence.

Self-Regulation Benefits: Visual tools like First/Then charts and task lists, paired with choices, build self-regulation through practice, fostering emotional balance for communication and task completion.

Try these steps at home to teach communication and independence with visual tools:

Model Choices: Offer two options: “Would you like to put your shoes or toys away first? I’ll help—choose!” to give control within acceptable boundaries.

Practice with First/Then: Use a First/Then visual (e.g., “First shoes, then play”) or First/Then/Then (e.g., “First shoes, then toys, then snack”) to show task order leading to a reward.

Start Small: Introduce a visual schedule or task completion list (e.g., picture chart for morning tasks like “brush teeth, get dressed”) to guide one task independently.

Build Independence: Praise the child for choosing a task, following the visual, and/or completing it independently to finish the sequence.

If your child feels overwhelmed by a task but wants to try, reach out to Empower Therapeutics for a fully customized visual based on their individual needs at www.empowertherapeutics.us or message us directly!

Have you tried visual tools to support communication? Share your experiences or tips in the comments—we’d love to learn together!

Empower Therapeutics

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