Teenager Technology Overload – How Much is Too Much?

Teenager Technology Overload – How Much is Too Much?

Parents' Corner
Ways to avoid teenager technology overload

Avoid Teenager Technology Overload. Image source: whatisspeechtherapy.com

Your teen seemingly goes from his laptop, to his tablet, to his smart phone as if it’s a full time job. Sound familiar? Sure, technology today is “essential,” but honestly, at times it seems like teenager technology overload. In this age where our children don’t know a world without technology, families with teenagers are struggling to find out the appropriate balance. Technology is an excellent resource, especially for use in a speech therapy setting, as long as the appropriate rules and limits are followed. As our teenagers have access to more information than ever before, it’s important to realize that their brains may not be able to process it as easily. A study from Loren Frank of the University of California suggested,

Downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories.

However when our brains are constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.”

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Four Online Speech Therapy Sites for Preschoolers

Four Online Speech Therapy Sites for Preschoolers

Apps Games and Activities
Online Speech Therapy Resouces

Online Speech Therapy Resources for Your Preschooler

Do you find that your preschool-aged child is lightning fast with those computer games and tablet apps? Amazing, huh? We sure didn’t know how to do that way back when… Why not take advantage of your little computer genius’ technology proficiency by offering educational apps and games for him to play? And he can improve his speech and communication skills at the same time. Parents and teachers both can utilize the educational games, activities, and videos that support learning goals for kids at all levels. There are many apps and online resources available for your preschooler and we’ve taken the guessing game out of which ones work well.
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The Best Apps for Apraxia of Speech In Children

The Best Apps for Apraxia of Speech In Children

Apps Parents' Corner Speech Therapy Techniques
Apps for Apraxia of Speech in Children

Apps for Apraxia of Speech in Children. Source: onlinegrad.marygrove.edu

As we discussed in an earlier blog, Apraxia of speech in children, or Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder where the child has a problem saying sounds, syllables and words. She knows what she wants to say, but her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. Many children are able to hear the words, and are able to understand what they mean, but they can’t turn what they hear into the fine-motor skill of combining consonants and vowels to form words. Fortunately, apraxia of speech in children is usually treatable with appropriate techniques.

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5 Ways to Use Technology for Speech Therapy at Home

Apps Articulation Disorders At Home Ideas Language Development News Parents' Corner Speech Disorders

 

Using Technology for Speech Therapy at Home

5 Ways to Use Technology for Speech Therapy at Home

This week, Microsoft made a big announcement that it will soon be offering Office for the iPad! This is great news for those looking to create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations on the iPad or mobile device. This latest announcement further demonstrates the prevalence of technology in our lives presently and in the future. Can technology help dedicate time to working on speech therapy at home? Absolutely!  If you have access to mobile device such as an iPad, there are many free apps and online resources that can help your child improve his or her communication skills with speech therapy at home.

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Speech Therapy App Review – Articulation Test Center by Little Bee Speech

Apps Parents' Corner Pronunciation & Lisps

Review of Articulation Test Center, by Little Bee Speech

I had the opportunity to demo and review the speech therapy app Articulation Test Center, a recently published diagnostic app developed by Little Bee Speech, the makers of Articulation Station.

First, a little background: Articulation Test Center is intended to be the diagnostic corollary to Articulation Station, the company’s flagship app and a one-stop shop for all of your articulation-related treatment needs. Articulation Test Center is that one-stop shop for all your articulation-related diagnostic needs and includes two main assessment tools: Quick Test and Full Test, the former being a screening tool either to rule out a possible articulation delay or disorder, or to use an ongoing, dynamic assessment tool throughout therapy; the latter is a more comprehensive assessment instrument that would more definitively suggest the presence or absence of an articulation delay or disorder.

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