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In this episode, Sarah, Julianne and I put our creativity to the test and had a lot of fun! To get the most out of this episode, you must first listen to Episode 5 of Season 2 in which I explain the importance of teaching children a rich vocabulary to help them better understand the subjects taught in school, especially at the junior and secondary levels, and to better understand the literary vocabulary found in books.
The goal of this episode was really to demonstrate that it is possible to teach a rich, level 2 vocabulary, even when fun and silly activities are chosen. The chin-face is an activity that will surely make the whole family laugh. Even during difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic that we are currently experiencing, it is important for children to have fun and have a few laughs. The vocabulary selected for this activity is as follows: Créatif ou créative: Creative S'allonger : to lie down Suspendre : Suspend À l'envers : Upside down Peindre : Paint Rigoler : giggle Divertir : Entertain Vêtir : Clothe Trait facial : Facial trait or feature (Remember that the direct translation does not always give a level 2 word in English, but trust that it is a level 2 word in French). Items required for the activity : Black eyeliner or costume make-up (e.g. Halloween make-up) Lipstick White page to draw the face A phone or a smart tablet to record the face chin (N.B. it is important to film with the device upside down for it to work). A good imagination A good sense of humour You can search Google engines to find ideas for chin-faces: 
Here are the steps for this activity:
During the episode, Sarah mimics the voice of Miranda Sings, a fictional character you can find on YouTube. Here is the link for those who are curious. Here are also some videos of our chin faces:
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During this episode, I invite you into my kitchen to show you how to teach your child robust vocabulary words in French while following a delicious banana and chocolate chip muffin recipe. You can find the link to the French recipe here and the English recipe here.
Nine words from Level 2 (see S2 Ep.5 for more details) were targeted during this activity: Tendre: Tender Moelleux: soft or chewy Agréable: Enjoyable Irrésistible: Irresistible Douceurs: Sweets Préchauffer: Preheat Incorporer: Incorporate Homogène: Homogenous Concassé: Crushed However, I do mention other level 2 words that can be selected during the episode. Example: Insérer: Insert Refroidir: Cool Hermétique: Airtight Mûr: Ripe Conserver: Store Have fun during this activity! Sarah and Julianne had a lot of fun and they sure enjoyed the treats! 
This and future episodes have been recorded during these moments of social distancing due to COVID-19, to help you enrich your children's vocabulary while they are at home. It's not rocket science! You can do it and have fun doing it! This first episode is for you, the parents, to explain the different levels of vocabulary and how you can easily enrich your children's vocabulary during daily activities. Future episodes can be listened to WITH your children to introduce them to the new French vocabulary words targeted during the episodes. My two daughters, Sarah and Julianne, accompany me during the episodes to demonstrate how this teaching can be done. I hope you will enjoy these activities which vary: recipes, hiking, crafts, board games and others.
I am referring to the book by Beck et al. (2013). Here is a link to this book if you are interested. I also mention other episodes which explains more about Developmental Language Disorder. Episodes 2 and 10 touch on this topic. You can also find more information here. 
March is Brain Injury Awareness month and I am thrilled to be able to release an episode on the topic! This podcast will have you rethink the way you see social communication and pragmatics. Join me as I interview Dr. Lyn Turkstra. Lyn is a speech-language pathologist by training, and her research focuses on links between cognitive function and social communication in individuals with acquired brain injury. I was very excited to have her as a guest on this podcast. You will quickly discover her breadth of knowledge and experience in this vast and often obscure field.
Lyn starts off the episode by talking about a review paper that was published in 2017 from a joint committee from ASHA and the American Psychological Association (SLPs and neuropsychologists) which is a bit of a primer for what SLPs do in terms of pragmatics in relation to other health professionals and how communication goes beyond vocabulary and syntax. Here is the link to this paper: Pragmatic communication abilities in children and adults: implications for rehabilitation professionals
Lyn talks about a study she co-authored about pragmatics and makes reference to the “Lack of practice” problem. Here is the article:
Warner-Czyz, A. D., Evans, D., Turkstra, L., Scheppele, M., Song, C., & Evans, J. L. Effect of auditory status on visual emotion recognition in adolescents. Cochlear Implants International.
During the episode, Lyn talks about a tookit that can be used to assess the environment of those who have dementia and who live in long term care facilities. Here is the link to that resource:
Jennifer Brush, Margaret Calkins, Carrie Bruce and Jon Sanford; what supports communication environment? Environmental communication assessment toolkit (ECAT) I also make reference to the Episode with Tanya Nesterenko, SLP and executive coach. You can find it here. Lyn talks about a study by Meulenbroek, Bowers and Turkstra (2016). The focus of this study was to examine successful return to sustained employment after brain injury. They discovered that social communication skills was number the number one skill required for sustained employment: Characterizing common workplace communication skills for disorders associated with traumatic brain injury: A qualitative study. We also talked about available resources for anyone who might be interested in finding out more about social cognition, pragmatics, brain injury and communication. Here are some of the resources discussed during this episode: Medbridge Webinar: Social Cognition: Populations at risk, Assessment and Intervention. Lyn is also the co-author of a book that offers guidelines on how to teach new things to people with memory problems. The book also provides strategies for executive functions, but the focus is on memory. The authors are currently working on a new edition of the book which should be released next year. Sohlberg, Turkstra, & Wilson (2011). Optimizing Cognitive Rehabilitation: Effective Instructional Methods. The Guilford Press. New York. 
Additional resources :
Paul, R., Norbury, C. F., & Gosse, C. (2018). Language Disorders from Infancy through Adolescence. Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Communication, 5th edition. St. Louis : MS, Mosby Elsevier. Murray, L. & Clark, H. (2014). Neurogenic Disorders of Language and Cognition: Evidence-based Clinical Practice; Second Edition. Pro Ed S. McDonald, L. Togher, & C. Code (Eds) (2014). Social Communication Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury (2nd Edition). Psychology Press: London. Anderson, V. & Beauchamp, M. Developmental social neuroscience and childhood brain insult: Implications for theory and practice. Guilford Press: New York.
If you would like to hear more about Dr. Lyn Turkstra’s work, she has a webinar coming up in the fall that you could tune-in to:
Oct 14 2020 SAC Webinar: Intervention for Adolescents and Adults with Cognitive-Communication Disorders after Acquired Brain Injury |
Your host:Chantal Mayer-Crittenden, Speech-Language Pathologist and researcher, hosts a bevy of guests on the topic of communication at large. Archives
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