Why isn't 'Mama' a first word for many children with Autism, yet it is for their neurotypical peers? There are four underlying physiological causes for this difference. Let's dive in to explore these four reasons why 'Mama' is not just naturally developing and what we need to do differently to encourage the development of this pivotally important word. Ready to work more effectively with children with autism by treating the whole child with done-for-you, ready-to-use activities delivered weekly in your inbox? Don't delay and learn about the SIS Membership at https://www.kellyvess.com/sis

Looking forward to seeing you at the SIS drawing board,💚Kelly

How can speech-language pathologists determine whether a child’s communication challenges are due to a language difference or a language disorder—and then choose the most impactful language intervention strategies?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin, one of the leading experts in culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) populations. With over 70 scholarly publications and 16 books, she has dedicated her career to ensuring SLPs can assess children fairly and provide evidence-based interventions that truly change outcomes.

You’ll get research-backed, Monday-morning-ready tools you can use right away to evaluate students from under-resourced backgrounds and target goals that will boost both communication and academic skills.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why standardized tests often misrepresent abilities in children from economically diverse backgrounds
• How working memory and nonword repetition tasks can reveal developmental language disorder (DLD)
• Fine and gross motor skills as powerful screening indicators
• Practical dynamic assessment techniques that reduce cultural and linguistic bias
• How parent responsiveness speed drives early language growth
• Goal-setting priorities from infancy through school age for maximum impact
• Building phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and narrative skills
• Why tier 2 vocabulary and paper books improve long-term literacy outcomes
• Free and low-cost strategies any caregiver can implement—no matter their literacy level

If you’re ready to put these strategies into practice, join the SIS Membership. You’ll get weekly, empirically based language and literacy activities that improve phonological awareness, literacy, and print skills—all ready to use for therapy every week. Perfect for working with preschoolers, early elementary students, and children from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds.

🎯 Start improving outcomes today → www.kellyvess.com/sis

Connect with Guest Dr. Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin:

TikTok: @celesteroseberry

Instagram: @dr.celesteroseberry

YouTube: Celeste Roseberry

Dr. Celeste's Website: www.lovetalkread.com

Download Dr. Roseberry-McKibbin's Supplementary PowerPoint Handout

Unfortunately, verbal cues are often the last to be faded in speech therapy. What are the drawbacks of providing a verbal model in speech therapy? This episode covers the three major areas negatively impacted by the persistence of verbal cues. Check out this episode to learn what to do instead to improve self-efficacy, executive function, and mastery through the automatization of accurate speech patterns.

To learn how to effectively cue, check out "Speech Sound Disorders: Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment"

To put the latest cues and targets into practice this week, join the Sparkle in School (SIS) Membership today.