The Abbey of the Holy Rose : Ziggy's Free Little Speech Therapy Tips: By Sigrid Countess von Galen

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Ziggy's Free Little Speech Therapy Tips: By Sigrid Countess von Galen

Ziggy's Free Little Speech Therapy Tips:

By Sigrid Countess von Galen

Tip 1

As a parent/carer simply take all exercise with your child in a relaxed pace and as a play activity.

Life is stressful enough, so take one step at a time and play it by ear -literally- to correct your child only after he or she tried a sound or movement exercise a few times but offer praise for each time a sound was understandable.

Tip 2

When you do practice sounds bear always in mind that everybody's physiology is different, and avoid strenuous movements but increase the effort and muscle tonus gradually but never with locked joints, i.e. in the jaw.

Tip 3

Gentle chewing movements that are done without gnawing and yawning by lowering the jaw
are also good warming up exercises for the lower face muscles and increase blood circulation and strengthen the facial muscles.

Tip 4

For strengthening the tonus in the upper facial muscles (cheeks to eye area) practise gentle smiles alternating with ever increasing grins with open and closed lips. Note: Make sure that you never freeze in a position but that you relax the muscles again after each stretch. Again, make sure that none of your joints in the body get locked. Whilst focusing on the quality of the movements and sounds keep also the rest of your body in your inner eye, as any locking of joints disrupts the blood circulation and over- tenses the vocal folds, which could lead to nodules.

Tip 5

You do not need to wait for a speech therapist appointment to have some fun activities combined with learning sounds and breathing playfully. There are plenty of free occupational apps available and many professional and excellent speech and other complementary therapy sessions available for free access on youtube. Just choose, what suits your child best.

Tip 6

Never forget to pronounce your words also clearly and in a pace your child can easily understand them. When you practise sounds lead by example in a playful way, don't out your child or yourself under pressure. Rather engage and enjoy in the interaction between you and treasure it as a unique precious moment that you share! Believe me, some moments hold all of heaven's joy in them, when a child is beaming and recreates the sound that used to be so very hard!

Tip 7

We learn all the time in everything we do. Simply use your daily routine as a way to practise sounds and words or movements and involve your child as much as possible in little tasks and let the child lead you to engage in questions and answers, even, when the child cannot say them or complete them. Again, praise from your heart is good for you both. Life is an ongoing lesson and even more so, when we are willing learn to see things from a different perspective, which elevates us beyond the fairways off a set course, even, if we might feel lost or disorientated at first. There are more mysteries hidden in a skill not yet mastered or that seems out of reach than in a quickly and by chance fulfilled and clinically measured thrill achieved by some external frill, as the real achievement is, if an experience does our life in the heart and soul lastingly enhance.

When we look back to the good times in life, then it is those precious moments, in which we received a smile or gave one to somebody dear to us unconditionally that sustains us even in times of sorrow and sadness. It is these countless selfless acts hidden as most precious treasures deep in our hearts that give us in life the right perspective and dimension, and they shine forever always in the dark in right moment of time again, when we are lost for words or in an environment that is vile and hostile towards anything out of a box.

A Jewish proverb says: 'To raise a child in holiness gives numerous people numerous chances to redeem themselves, as children need countless selfless acts and praise but also in the right moment a clear stand by their parents or carers, as they need to know that a caring human being is to them near, and takes from them any worry or and dries their tear.'