Vol.
II, No. 1 |
In
this issue:
My
Ear Hurts!
Self-Talk
From
The Mailbox
My
Ear Hurts!
If only our infants and toddlers could tell us
when their ear hurts! Otitis media (fluid in the middle
ear) is the second most common illness for preschool-age
children. If not detected, it can cause hearing loss
which can affect the child's speech and language development.SIGNS
OF OTITIS MEDIA
• Fever
• Scratching the ears
• Irritability
• Misunderstanding directions
• Listlessness
• Needing the TV louder than normal
If your child has symptoms of otitis media, consult
your pediatrician, audiologist and speech pathologist.
Self-Talk
Young children need to HEAR language to LEARN it. We
can help them by SAYING the words for objects and actions
by using self-talk:
Use short sentences to talk about what you are doing
while the child watches. For example: As you tie your
shoe, say "I'm tying my shoe. Tie the shoe.Make it tight.
Tie the knot." Or, as you wash the dishes, say "Wash
the dish.Dry the spoon. Put the plate away."
Self-Talk is most helpful to children 12-24 months
of age.
FROM
THE MAILBOX
Dear TLC:
I am a kindergarten teacher and by noon, my voice
was weak and breathy. An examination by an ENT specialistrevealed
that I had nodules on my vocal cords. The doctor removed
them surgicallyand I was ordered to produce no speech
for 2 weeks. I am now beginning totalk again and the
doctor recommends that I receive speech therapy to learnhow
to talk correctly to prevent a recurrence of the vocal
nodules. My school contract may not be renewed if I
can't show full recovery. Can speech therapy help me?
Desperate
Dear Desperate:
Short-term speech therapy can teach you a new
way to talk so that you do not abuse your voice. We
often get into habits of increased volume and hard glottal
attacks, paired with improper breathing patterns. These
learned behaviors can cause the vocal cords tomake abnormal
contact and produce vocal nodules. Voice therapy is
a mustto insure that the nodules do not recur. Good
luck. TLC
|
