Putting Therapy Into Practice
Talk with your child about the upcoming school year. Discuss the emotions they are feeling by asking questions such as: What are you excited about? Is there anything you are nervous about? Are you happy to go back to school? Are you sad summer is over? Are you anxious about meeting your teacher? Are you worried your friends won’t be in your class? Are you glad your best friend is in your class?
Monthly Activity
School Year Calendar
You will need:
- a sheet of poster board
- printed out calendar pages (September-December, September-June)
- creative art supplies
- pencil or pen
- stapler
Have your child decorate the area on the poster board that will not be covered by the calendar pages. Staple the calendar pages onto the poster board. Once completed, talk with your child about future events to place on the calendar.
- First Day of School
- Practices (sports, clubs, music lessons etc.)
- Holidays
- School Pictures
- Early Release Days
- Teacher Work Days
- Vacations
- Birthdays
As you add events to the calendar talk about when the event will occur, who will be there, what will happen, where it will take place, how you will get there. Over the weekend, review the calendar with your child to discuss what happened last week and what will happen this week.
Deena’s Recommended Game
Zingo is a great learning game that children of all ages love to play! The game encourages pragmatic language, vocabulary enrichment, following directions, pre-reading skills and attention to task.
- Pragmatic Language and Attention to Task: Ask your child Who goes now? They can respond You (do), I do, me, your turn, my turn. Praise your child for waiting patiently until it is his/her turn. Reinforce appropriate in-seat behavior.
- Vocabulary: When the tiles appear you can ask your child What do you see? Or, Show me the _____ to expand his/her vocabulary.
- Pre-Reading Skills: Before moving the tiles to his/her board, ask him/her to Touch the tile that starts with the letter/sound ___; Touch the tile that ends with the letter/sound ___; Touch the tile that rhymes with ___.
- Motor Speech Control: Speak with your PROMPT© trained clinician to determine which words in the following lexicon are appropriate for your child at this time: Me, you, need it, I need it, I don’t, I don’t need it, I have a match, Do you have it? Do you need it?
Upcoming Events
- September 5th: National Book Festival
- September 5th: Annual D.C. Blues Festival at the Carter Barron Ampitheatre
- September 12th: Rosslyn Jazz Festival
- September 19th: Fall Into Fall at the Tudor Place
Ongoing Events
- AMC Theatres offers sensory friendly films once a month on Saturday at 10:00 AM
- Meet a Farm Animal at the National Zoo every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00
- Special Needs Night at Flight Trampoline Park on the first and third Tuesday of every month from 5:00-7:00