Traditional Therapy Funding Sources

​Encouraging Prelinguistic Skills (Before Words)

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• Imitation Games: Copy your child's sounds and actions, and encourage them to copy yours (clapping hands, waving). How-to: Make it a back-and-forth interaction. Targeted skills: Imitation, turn-taking.

 

• Using Mirrors: Practice making different sounds in front of a mirror so your child can see how their mouth moves. How-to: Describe the mouth movements (e.g., "See how your lips go together for 'm'"). Targeted skills: Visual feedback for articulation.

 

• Joint Attention Activities: Focus on the same object or activity together, pointing and commenting ("Look at the doggy!"). How-to: Follow your child's lead and comment on what interests them. Targeted skills: Shared focus, early communication.

 

• Pointing and Gesturing: Encourage your child to point to things they want or are interested in. Use gestures along with your words. How-to: Model pointing and gesturing. Targeted skills: Non-verbal communication, expressing needs.

 

• Turn-Taking Games: Play simple games with clear turns (rolling a ball back and forth, stacking blocks). How-to: Verbalize whose turn it is. Targeted skills: Understanding turn-taking, social interaction.

 

• Vocalizations and Babbling: Respond positively to your child's babbles and vocalizations, imitating their sounds and expanding on them. How-to: Have "conversations" using sounds. Targeted skills: Vocal exploration, early sound production.

 

• Playing with Wind Instruments (Simple): Blow bubbles, whistles, or party blowers. How-to: Encourage your child to imitate the blowing action, which can help with oral motor skills needed for certain sounds. Targeted skills: Oral motor control, breath control.

 

• Peek-a-Boo: Play peek-a-boo to encourage anticipation and interaction. How-to: Use your hands or a blanket to hide your face and then reappear, saying "Boo!". Targeted skills: Object permanence, anticipation, vocalizations.

 

• Simple Action Songs with Gestures: Sing songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Wheels on the Bus" and use the corresponding gestures. Encourage your child to imitate the gestures. How-to: Make the gestures clear and repetitive. Targeted skills: Gesture imitation, connecting actions with words.

 

• Cause and Effect Toys: Play with toys that have a clear cause and effect (e.g., pushing a button to make a sound, stacking blocks that can be knocked down). How-to: Verbalize the cause and effect ("I push the button, it makes music!"). Targeted skills: Understanding cause and effect, intentional communication.

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Encouraging Speech Sounds (Articulation)

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• Animal Sounds: Make animal sounds together ("Moo," "Baa," "Woof"). How-to: Imitate the sounds and encourage your child to copy you. Targeted skills: Early sound production, imitation.

 

• Vehicle Noises: Play with toy cars, trucks, and airplanes, making their associated sounds ("Vroom," "Beep," "Whoosh"). How-to: Emphasize the initial sounds of the words. Targeted skills: Sound imitation, associating sounds with objects.

 

• Sound Scavenger Hunt: Look for things around the house or park that make specific sounds (e.g., a clock that "ticks," a bird that "tweets"). How-to: Point out the sound source and say the sound clearly. Targeted skills: Sound identification, linking sounds to the environment.

 

• Silly Sounds Game: Take turns making funny sounds with your mouths, like lip pops, tongue clicks, and raspberries. How-to: Encourage experimentation and imitation. Targeted skills: Oral motor skills, sound exploration.

 

• Rhyming Games: Say simple rhyming words and encourage your child to finish the rhyme (e.g., "Cat, hat, ___"). How-to: Emphasize the ending sounds of words. Targeted skills: Phonological awareness, sound patterns.

 

• Singing Songs: Sing simple songs with repetitive sounds and words (e.g., "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"). How-to: Sing slowly and clearly, encouraging your child to sing along. Targeted skills: Rhythm, sound imitation, memory.

 

• Sound Matching: (For kids 3+ years old) Use picture cards of objects and say their names, focusing on the initial sound. Ask your child to find another picture that starts with the same sound. How-to: Clearly articulate the initial sounds. Targeted skills: Phonological awareness, sound discrimination.

 

• "I Spy" with Sounds: "I spy with my little ear something that goes 'meow!'" How-to: Focus on identifying objects by their sounds. Targeted skills: Auditory attention, sound-object association.

 

• Reading Rhyming Books: Choose books with lots of rhymes and emphasize the rhyming words as you read. How-to: Point to the rhyming words and say them with emphasis. Targeted skills: Phonological awareness, exposure to sound patterns.

 

• Echo Game: Say a simple word or sound, and have your child repeat it exactly. How-to: Start with single sounds and progress to short words. Targeted skills: Auditory processing, sound imitation.

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Encouraging Receptive Language (Understanding)

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• "Where's the...?" Game: Ask your child to point to familiar objects ("Where's the ball?"). How-to: Start with one object and gradually increase the number of choices. Targeted skills: Object identification, following simple directions.

 

• Body Part Identification: Name body parts and ask your child to point to them ("Show me your nose"). How-to: Make it a fun game with songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." Targeted skills: Body part vocabulary, following directions.

 

• Following One-Step Directions: Give simple instructions ("Give me the cup"). How-to: Use clear and concise language. Targeted skills: Understanding simple commands.

 

• Following Two-Step Directions: Give slightly more complex instructions ("Pick up the toy and put it in the box"). How-to: Ensure your child understands the first step before adding the second. Targeted skills: Understanding multi-step commands, sequencing.

 

• Picture Identification: Show pictures of familiar objects or actions and ask "What's this?" or "What's happening?". How-to: Use clear and colorful pictures. Targeted skills: Vocabulary understanding, understanding actions.

 

• Pointing to Pictures When Named: Say the name of an object or action, and ask your child to point to the corresponding picture. How-to: Ensure the pictures are distinct. Targeted skills: Vocabulary comprehension, auditory-visual association.

 

• "Yes/No" Questions: Ask simple "yes/no" questions related to the immediate environment ("Is this a ball?"). How-to: Encourage verbal or non-verbal responses (nodding, shaking head). Targeted skills: Understanding basic concepts, responding to questions.

 

• Categorization: Group objects together and name the category ("These are all fruits"). Then ask your child to find another fruit. How-to: Start with obvious categories. Targeted skills: Understanding categories, vocabulary.

 

• Spatial Concepts: Use prepositions while playing ("Put the toy in the box," "The ball is under the chair"). How-to: Act out the prepositions. Targeted skills: Understanding spatial relationships.

 

• Story Comprehension: Read simple stories and ask basic questions about what happened ("Who went to the park?"). How-to: Start with short and repetitive stories. Targeted skills: Listening comprehension, recalling information.

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Encouraging Expressive Language (Talking)

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• Labeling Objects: Name objects around the house and encourage your child to repeat the names. How-to: Point to the object as you say its name. Targeted skills: Vocabulary development, word imitation.

 

• Asking "What's This?": Point to objects and ask your child "What's this?". How-to: Be patient and provide the answer if needed, encouraging repetition. Targeted skills: Object naming, initiating communication.

 

• Using Simple Phrases: Model and encourage the use of two-word phrases ("More juice," "Big ball"). How-to: Expand on your child's single words. Targeted skills: Combining words, early sentence structure.

 

• Requesting: Encourage your child to ask for what they want using words or signs ("Want juice," pointing and saying "up"). How-to: Model the desired phrase. Targeted skills: Communicating needs, using language for a purpose.

 

• Describing: Encourage your child to describe objects using simple adjectives ("Big ball," "Red car"). How-to: Ask questions like "Tell me about the ball." Targeted skills: Expanding vocabulary, using descriptive words.

 

• Answering "Wh" Questions: Ask simple "who," "what," and "where" questions ("Who is that?", "What are you doing?", "Where is your shoe?"). How-to: Start with questions about the immediate environment. Targeted skills: Providing information, understanding question words.

 

• Narrating Actions: Talk about what you are doing ("Mommy is cooking"). Encourage your child to narrate their own actions ("I am building"). How-to: Model simple sentences. Targeted skills: Using verbs, forming simple sentences.

 

• Pretend Play with Talking: Engage in pretend play scenarios (e.g., playing house, doctor) and encourage your child to use language to act out roles and scenarios. How-to: Model language appropriate for the situation. Targeted skills: Imaginative play, social communication, using language in context.

 

• Finishing Sentences: Start a simple sentence and encourage your child to finish it ("I see a ___"). How-to: Use repetitive sentence structures. Targeted skills: Sentence completion, anticipation.

 

• Telling Simple Stories: Encourage your child to tell simple stories about their day or experiences, even if it's just a few words or phrases. How-to: Provide prompts and support. Targeted skills: Sequencing events, narrative skills.

 

• "Would You Rather?" Questions (Simple): Ask simple "would you rather" questions to encourage choices and explanations ("Would you rather have a cookie or a cracker? Why?"). How-to: Encourage them to verbalize their reasoning. Targeted skills: Expressing preferences, providing reasons.

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Encouraging Early Literacy Skills

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• Looking at Books Together: Make reading a regular and enjoyable activity. How-to: Point to pictures, name them, and talk about the story. Targeted skills: Book awareness, vocabulary development.

 

• Pointing to Pictures and Words: As you read, point to the pictures and then to the words. How-to: Help your child understand that print carries meaning. Targeted skills: Print awareness, visual tracking.

 

• Singing the Alphabet Song: Sing the alphabet song together and point to the letters if you have an alphabet book or blocks. How-to: Make it interactive and fun. Targeted skills: Letter recognition (auditory and visual).

 

• Playing with Alphabet Toys: Use alphabet blocks, puzzles, or magnets to expose your child to letters. How-to: Name the letters as you play. Targeted skills: Letter recognition (tactile and visual).

 

• Drawing and Scribbling: Provide crayons and paper and encourage your child to draw and scribble. How-to: Talk about their drawings and label them. Targeted skills: Fine motor skills, pre-writing skills, associating symbols with meaning.

 

• Identifying First Letter of Their Name: Point out the first letter of your child's name whenever you see it. How-to: Make it a personal connection. Targeted skills: Letter recognition (personal significance).

 

• Environmental Print: Point out familiar signs and labels in your environment (e.g., "STOP" sign, cereal box). How-to: Read them aloud together. Targeted skills: Understanding that print has meaning in the real world.

 

• Retelling Simple Stories: After reading a story, encourage your child to retell it in their own words. How-to: Provide prompts if needed. Targeted skills: Narrative skills, comprehension.

 

• Making Predictions About Stories: Before turning the page, ask "What do you think will happen next?". How-to: Encourage critical thinking and engagement with the story. Targeted skills: Comprehension, inferencing.

 

• Acting Out Stories: After reading a story, act out simple parts together. How-to: Encourage imaginative play and language use. Targeted skills: Comprehension, expressive language, dramatic play.

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Encouraging Social Skills

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• Parallel Play with Commentary: (For kiddos under 3) Play alongside your child with your own toys and narrate what you are doing ("Mommy is building a tall tower"). How-to: Model social interaction and language. Targeted skills: Awareness of others, language exposure in a social context.

 

• Turn-Taking in Play: Engage in games that require taking turns, like rolling a ball or building with blocks. How-to: Emphasize "My turn," "Your turn." Targeted skills: Turn-taking, sharing.

 

• Imitation in Social Games: Play games like "Simon Says" to encourage imitation of actions. How-to: Focus on copying movements. Targeted skills: Imitation, following directions in a group.

 

• Role-Playing Social Scenarios: Act out simple social situations like greeting someone, sharing a toy, or saying "thank you." How-to: Model appropriate language and behavior. Targeted skills: Understanding social expectations, using appropriate language.

 

• Playdates (Even Short Ones!): Arrange short playdates with one or two other children to provide opportunities for interaction. How-to: Supervise and gently guide interactions. Targeted skills: Peer interaction, sharing, cooperation, conflict resolution (with guidance).