By Hanna Bogen, M.S., CCC-SLP 2015 is now upon us, and with the New Year often comes a resolve to set lofty goals. At Communication Works, we are rooted in the belief of growth mindset over fixed mindset, and with that the assumption that we are never “stuck” in life. The New Year can be…
Read MoreBy Elizabeth Sautter At a family gathering, your ten-year-old ends up seated next to Uncle Joe and their conversation is going nowhere fast. You watch your child mumble one-word responses to Joe’s questions and ask nothing in return. Eventually Joe gives up and the two of them stare at their plates as others at the…
Read MoreBy Elizabeth A. Sautter, M.A., CCC-SLP Author of Make Social Learning Stick! Gratitude is on the front burner around Thanksgiving, but it’s a mindset worth fostering year round. UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center reports that gratitude plays a major role in adult well-being and that grateful young adolescents (ages 11–13) are happier, more optimistic,…
Read MoreMake Social Learning Stick! Therapists and Parents as Partners By Elizabeth Sautter, M.A. CCC-SLP At Communication Works, we’re passionate about partnering with parents and caregivers in the treatment process. When it comes to social learning, many children struggle to carry over learned skills from therapy or school to their home environment. Parents and caregivers are…
Read Moreby Hanna Bogen, M.S., CF-SLP Speech Language Pathologist, Clinical Fellow With April being National Autism Awareness Month, it may be simply coincidence that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement on April 2nd, 2014 announcing a readjusted estimate for autism prevalence. The statement began with the following staggering numbers: “CDC estimates that one…
Read MoreThis little post packs a big punch! Hanna Bogen, one of our CW therapists, has created a short video tutorial that describes collaborative problem solving. Ross Greene’s approach has been hailed by therapists, social workers, counselors, and parents as a fabulous way to engage children in collaborating to solve problems, even if the child is…
Read MoreAs parents, we frequently neglect ourselves and focus the majority of our energy on our families. Yet, our children often recognize and respond to the anxiety we convey when we become overwhelmed and exhausted. “Filling your bucket” is a phrase that’s used to describe the process of taking time for things that help you feel…
Read MoreValentine’s Day is a great time to remind your child about the importance of showing others you are thinking about them. Rather than focus on store bought valentines and candy, encourage your child to make his/her own valentines with simple, personal messages. The Activity: Homemade valentines with celery hearts, from www.howweelearn.com How It Works: Cut…
Read MoreThe brain uses sleep as an opportunity to complete numerous critical tasks for our development: memories get transferred into long-term “storage,” our thoughts from the day get arranged and rearranged, and we continue to build strong neural pathways. Too little sleep can trigger emotional regulation challenges during the school day, behavioral outbursts, attention difficulties, challenges…
Read MoreMedia can be such a great way to engage students of all ages in working on therapy objectives. We can help students recognize that all people and characters are engaged in social decision making by using their favorite movies and shows as teaching opportunities. Below are different ways that Pixar Animated Shorts are used to…
Read MoreTeachable moments to support social learning and executive functioning with children are scattered all throughout our daily routines. Cooking is a common household activity that can embed skills like following directions, sequencing, taking turns, joint attention, waiting, flexibility and conversation. As winter settles in, you can start a new tradition of cooking family-friendly recipes that…
Read MoreHalloween is right around the corner and there are so many teachable moments to encourage social and emotional development with children. Wonder Questions: This is a great way to get to know your friends better. Start by having your child ask their friends what they are going to dress up as for Halloween. They can…
Read MoreThe school year brings transitions, changes, and the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. In our social groups at Communication Works, there are often new children joining the groups or some coming back from a summer at camp or traveling. Seeing new faces in a group brings the opportunity to practice getting…
Read MoreTeaching your child and helping them through their speech and language development can be fun. While playing and communicating with your child, find the right tools that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. A toy is a toy but adding the family’s love and attention is a must. For children with speech &…
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SCERTS® is an innovative educational model for working with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. It provides specific guidelines for helping a child become a competent and confident social communicator, while preventing problem behaviors that interfere with learning or the development of relationships. It is also designed to help families, educators and…
Read MoreThis is a quick and easy game to help your child learn to recognize positive qualities in others and gives him or her an opportunity to hear positive things about him or herself from others. Catch the Compliment is an easy-to-learn game that can be played with all ages. Here’s how: Gather a selection of…
Read MoreIt’s that time of year where most parents are gearing up for the new school year to begin and also face the big transition from preschool to kindergarten. The question has been asked time and time again by all parents: “Is my child really ready for kindergarten?” All kids are different so there is no…
Read MoreFather’s Day is a wonderful time for to think about and focus on Dads, grandparents, uncles, significant others and friends. Encourage your child to step in the shoes of the person you are thinking about and develop a social story from that person’s perspective. Prior to Father’s Day, guide your child to start thinking about…
Read MoreSummer can be a blast but without a schedule or fun things planned, boredom can kick in and cause kids to act out. SomeWhatSimple.com came up with a “Summer Schedule For Kids” that gives parents theme days throughout the week. Here are some great ways to keep your child entertained throughout the summer while learning…
Read MoreThe first five years of a child’s life is a critical time for development and discovery of their speech, language, social, sensory and motor development. Identification and timing of early intervention (EI) services is essential for children as soon as they are demonstrating delays or deficits in their development. Although more than five million children…
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