I love foreign accents. The lyrical rhythms of different languages are beautiful to hear, but there are times when a heavy accent interferes with people’s ability to comprehend communication, that is when accent reduction/modification is beneficial. For the professor, who speaks English as a second language, it can be frustrating to have to continually repeat what has […]
Posts in category Speech
Second Language Acquisition: To Learn or Not to Learn
Second language acquisition for students with language-based learning disabilities is sometimes difficult. Logically it makes sense, students who have trouble learning their dominant language, it’s assumed, will have trouble learning a second language. However because learning a second language can be difficult does that mean students with language-based learning disabilities should not learn one, maybe, maybe […]
Communication Problems: Fighting Back
Did you know that last month was National Poetry Month? An amazing young client of mine is pen pals with this year’s National Youth Poet Laureate. My client also earned an honorable mention for her haiku in this year’s National poetry competition. She does not let communication challenges stop her. Amanda Gorman says, “I’ve been pen-palling […]
Fostering Growth Mindset: Speech/Language Disabilities
Early on in my career working with middle and high school students, one of my biggest challenges was working with students who were so disheartened by learning they were not motivated to try. Carol Dweck’s work on “growth mindset” supported my work as a speech-language pathologist because it talked about the difference between and fixed and […]
Aspie’s may Clutter, not just Stutter
“People …. say they can’t understand me. I am fine when I read or make a presentation but when I am talking just regularly people say they don’t know what I’m saying. My parents and friends have suggested that I work on my communication, but I don’t know what that means, says a new client. He […]
Language: The Foundation for Academic Part 1
The foundation of language chart above provides a simplified view of language development to show how early language development supports future academic achievement. Because we so often take language for granted and schools often downplay the impact of speech and language challenges after the third grade, it is easy not to realize, that even small speech […]
Is accent reduction enough?
“Why don’t people understand me? People are always telling me to repeat myself especially on the phone,” says one client. ”I don’t hear the difference between some sounds, and I have a hard time getting my ideas together when I give presentations at work,” says another. What do these clients have in common? They both […]
Speech and Language: Therapy is Play
“SORRY, I win!” Wow, perfect /s/ pronounciation! YEAH! Play is the key to speech and language therapy when working with children and teens on developing new language skills. SORRY for this child the game of SORRY by Hasbro provided him with the motivation to work on the articulation of the /s/. Finally, as he won the game […]
Accent Modification 30% Non-Verbal Language 70%
My client was concerned that she was passed over for a much deserved promotion because of her accent. She said that she often avoided eating lunch with her co-workers because she rarely understood their jokes or references and she thought this might have hurt her opportunity to advance. Accent modification she felt would improve her […]
Expressive Language Disorder or English as a Second Language
“I have problems expressing my thoughts: Ever since the day I was born, I’ve always had problems expressing my thoughts and getting out what I wanted to say,” says the writer on psychologist Kristina Randle, Ph.D., LCSW, blog on PsychCentral.