all about sunshine circle
Providing education & support for parents/caregivers
Educating parents about language development enables them to identify potential language delays or difficulties in their children at an early stage. Parents who understand the importance of language development are more likely to create language-rich environments at home. This includes talking to their children frequently, reading books together, and engaging in activities that promote language learning, all of which are essential for language acquisition.
When parents have the support of a speech-language pathologist to help them understand typical language milestones and how to facilitate language learning, they feel more empowered to actively engage in their child's language enrichment.
Meet Melissa
Melissa has been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) since 2014, working in schools full-time, part-time and contract. She has worked with children ages 3-18 on articulation, phonology, apraxia, receptive/expressive language, speech fluency, and social/pragmatic language. She has a special interest in preschool-age language development and her favorite part of her time working in schools was planning and facilitating preschool language groups for students. Melissa truly believes that family education is the key to helping this population develop and carryover skills in their everyday home environment.
In 2022 Melissa and her family moved from Illinois to Lakeland, Florida, where they are enjoying the sunshine! She now focuses her time on a growing TPT store (selling speech therapy resources), Little Learners Groups, and private speech therapy.
Melissa holds a professional license in speech-language pathology in the state of Florida, as well as the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
In her free time, Melissa enjoys doing yoga, going for walks, baking, spending time with family, hanging out with her two dogs, and relaxing on vacation.
Fun fact: Prior to getting her master’s degree, Melissa was a graphic designer.
Benefits of small group language enrichment
Increased Interaction: In a small group setting, each child gets more opportunities to engage actively in conversations and activities, fostering language development.
Personalized Attention: With fewer children in the group, the SLP can provide more personalized attention to each child's language needs. Activities can be targeted to specific language skills that each child may need to develop.
Enhanced Social Skills: Working in a small group encourages social interaction, cooperation, and teamwork. Children learn how to take turns, share, and collaborate with their peers, all of which are essential skills for effective communication.
Increased Confidence: Small group settings can be less intimidating for children who may feel shy or hesitant to speak in larger groups. They will gain confidence in expressing themselves within the safety of a smaller group..
Peer Learning Opportunities: Children can learn from each other in a small group setting. They may pick up new vocabulary or language structures from their peers, and they can practice using the language in real-life contexts through group activities.
Feedback and Support: The SLP can provide immediate feedback and support to children and parents as they engage in language activities. This timely feedback helps facilitate more effective learning.
Long-term Language Proficiency: Research suggests that small group settings can lead to better long-term language proficiency compared to individual instruction or large group settings. The combination of increased interaction, personalized attention, and peer learning creates an optimal environment for language acquisition and retention.