Blog Post #12

For this blog post I tried to focus on things that could get children's mouths going. Interacting with children who can't talk is a good way to build up courage and a friendship so that they will be more open to talking and learning with you.

The first site I found was called Play at Home Mom which incorporates activities that parents can do at home to simply teach children about shapes, numbers, colors, animals, and many other things. I thought this site was really neat because some parents don't realize the importance of learning at a young age. Learning starts the day you are born and I don't believe it ever stops.

The second site I found is a site that advertises for a tool called Speech Buddies. This set of tools actually allows the child to feel how their tongue is supposed to move while making different sounds such as the s, sh, r, i, and ch sounds. At first I didn't understand how these tools worked then I watched the video off to the side and it made it all clear. The child puts the device into their mouth and then says the sound they have trouble pronouncing. The device then guides their tongue into the correct position to make this sound come out. I was skeptical at first but then I started saying the sounds myself and I realized that my tongue does exactly what the devices make their tongues do. It was really neat and I can not wait to get my Masters in Speech Pathology so I can get my hands on these and help children find their voices and be heard!