This is my first year as a blogger – so be kind to me. Naturally this blog will be:
- Mostly about speech pathology,
- Sometimes about being a parent
- And a lot about being a child.
2018 was a tragic year for me as both of my parents passed away. It was also extremely busy. In 2019, I have decided to focus on the little things, take things slower and be more present. I had forgotten that moments matter. After many years practising speech pathology, I have learnt a few truths….
It is not just how well prepared I am that makes therapy work – it’s above all how much I am focused on the child during the interaction.
When I go slow and follow the child’s interests patiently, the magic really happens, the connection is made, and the rest takes care of itself.
This brings me to the theme of my blog for this year which will be about CONNECTIONS – connections make us feel loved, part of a community and gives our life meaning (hence the lure of social media). It will not be about connecting with technology but focusing on simple connections between parents and children.
When designing this blog, my 11-year-old came to read what I was writing and said “Mum, your job seems pretty basic to me”. That’s why you will see that I have entitled my article pieces “It’s not rocket science” – look out for the rocket symbol. I guess it’s not rocket science, but I have seen how the simplest ideas can change things dramatically for families.
From time to time, in the early hours before dawn, (not likely I hear my husband say) I am reading important articles – catching up on research. The trouble with reading research is that it takes a long time to read and can be confusing if you have not been trained to understand the terminology. Sometimes ideas or myths about communication spread because nobody knows what the research really says. So, I am including in this blog some articles that I have entitled “The Evidence in Dot Points” which will be my attempt to translate what the research has found into simple bits for you. I hope it helps.
If you want more … I will direct you to longer articles that are still written in a family friendly way.
To get us started, I have included a lot about interaction itself. What is interaction? Interaction is a two -way thing. Why is it important? Read on and find out. There will be a section on observing children during play and communication. Feel free to download some checklists to help you understand more about your child’s communication. Also see the useful website section for some useful links e.g. how to track your child’s development and some information posted on my own resource section. Lastly, we will talk about playing fair and not dominating all the talking time …. Let your child have a turn at talking. Just a little bit of information to get you started.
