In a recent article in Newsweek, “The Creativity Crisis,” it is reported that for the first time American creativity scores are declining. Children have been tested for creativity and then followed by scholars to see if there is a link between original scores and future proof of creativity lived out in their adult accomplishments. According to the article, “the accepted definition of creativity is production of something original and useful.” Professor Paul Torrence uses a creativity index to predict kids’ creative accomplishments as adults–artists, entrepreneurs, etc. He found that “the correlation to lifetime creative accomplishment was more than three times stronger for childhood creativity than childhood IQ.”
So are our kids destined to be less creative adults since our kids’ scores are declining? How can we encourage more creativity?
I work with parents every day, encouraging them to provide great toys and open-ended props for play–a blank cardboard box and markers, a scarf, a stick or a Kleenex box. I love when I come to a home and am greeted by a child in a home-made costume by the child himself. Duncan had watched a TV show about a disc jockey and had a Kleenex box taped to a belt around his waist, which was his boom box. Yesterday I was with Christopher who loves Toy Story characters and looked at me in the middle of play and said, “We need the rocket!” He went over to the dining table and brought back a lantern that he unlatched to open and let Buzz and Woody in for a ride!
If parents allow kids to have more unstructured time, give them some props and even play a little along side them to get the play going, we may see some creativity scores on the rise.
It’s exciting watching kids assemble their new school supplies, get their backpacks together and compare who is in what class. Some of my friends are teary as they launch their college kids and prepare to drop them off and return to a slightly empty house.
Speech therapists and teachers have been busy preparing their rooms, lists, and making schedules. When I was working in the schools for 20 years, the first two weeks were crazy–finding kids, making a schedule and changing it multiple times. I feel for all of you who are in the throws of that right now. It’s funny, even in private practice, I have to make a whole new schedule at the beginning of each summer and each school year, so I don’t even escape that. At least I don’t have schedule around gym, art and music classes!
As a private therapist I have a unique opportunity to coordinate with classroom teachers and therapists at a child’s schoool. I have several children whom I see every few weeks at their nursery school to communicate goals and progress with teachers. This fall I am waiting a few weeks for kids to get adjusted and then will go into their preschool classes and assess whether their language skills are carrying over into the classroom. Often with preschool children, they might offer more language and seem more advanced in an individual session than when they are in a group setting of peers and adults. I worked with one child from 2-3 years of age and as his language improved, he still didn’t apply his skills in talking with peers. I ended up working with him in his preschool setting to prompt his interactions with peers. For some reason he was very comfortable engaging with the adults, “Sherry, your orange purse is on the table.” By the end of summer camp, he was starting to initiate dialogue with peers and I was able to dismiss him.
Back to school means many things, but for me it means I have another venue in which to watch and assess a child where he is comfortable and among familiar peers and adults. I just have to wait a little while until he is adjusted and it feels like home.
In today’s New York Times there is an article about the increasing movement to hold your child back and start kindergarten a year after they are eligible. Parents site reasons like their kids will do better in high school sports, to they have a better chance to be at the top of the class academically because they are one of the oldest.
One of the problems is that with parents holding their kids back just to give them a leg up, it creates an environment where there is a year and a half age span as well as a wide range of social emotional development within a class. That is tough for kids and teachers to deal with. Also, some districts are strict about the cutoff date and don’t allow parents such an option. Not every parent can afford an extra year of preschool.
Certainly it is important to look at each individual child and assess, with the help of their knowledgeable preschool teachers, whether they are “ready” for kindergarten. Readiness comes in many areas. If you talk to kindergarten teachers they will tell you that they would rather a child have some of the emotional maturity and social skills than know their alphabet or even be reading. “I’ll take a child who can sit and raise their hand over one that can show off academic skills any day,” said a psychologist who worked in a public elementary school. In the past I have been on both sides of kindergarten screening–as a speech therapist who assessed kids’ language readiness skills, and as a parent whose kids were screened in 5 areas to counsel parents on their child’s readiness. One of my three “failed”–my November birthday was assessed as needing more time to mature socially. I took their advice and watched his friend of the same age begin kindergarten and then repeat it the next year. Perhaps I made the right decision.
Anyways, it is such a delicate subject and needs to be addressed on a personal basis with input from professionals who know and work with your child whom you can trust to guide you.
Most parents think of bubbles as a summer activity–kids chasing down the clear, multi-sized spheres to pop in delight. Certainly they are a great source of outside entertainment, but speech therapists use bubbles all year round and bubbles are one of the first things we bring out of our bags to engage a toddler or preschooler. There is something magical to a little one when a liquid becomes three dimensional. Bubbles can be used to gain attention, reward vocalizations, or for modeling certain sounds like “p” or “b” in “pop” and “bubble.” I can get a lot of language out of a child, just by holding back an action like opening the top of the bubble container. Kids just learning to talk, often vocalize something just to get me to continue my routine of getting ready to blow bubbles. For older kids, blowing bubbles strengthens oral motor muscles for speech, and encourages lip rounding.
When I attended “Time To Play’s Spring Showcase of Toys,” Their no-stain, no-dye, nontoxic bubbles really do work better and last longer in the air, which leads to more fun time and language expression. Here are some of the products that I liked for therapy and just plain fun:
“No-Spill Bubble Tumbler:” This is perfect for portable therapy and play since it really doesn’t spill, I like the one that has multiple wands so three kids can play at once.
“Jelly Belly Scented Bubbles:” Only a few inches long, this portable bubble toy holds scented bubbles for a child to blow.
“Big Bubble Friends” produce their own bubbles, so the child doesn’t benefit from the oral motor action of blowing their own bubbles, but my big cow was a load of fun. Tip back the head of the cow and as he lets out a “Mooooo,” a stream of bubbles is emitted and kids are mesmerized. Use the toy as a motivator, modeling sounds or words for them to repeat and rewarding them with a stream to chase. Toddlers and preschoolers loved this toy and played independently for up to 20 minutes.
Have a few of these portable bubble entertainers ready to delight kids summer or winter.
The opinions expressed in this review are soley those of the author. The above products were provided for review by “Little Kids’”
I was at a planning meeting this week with a team that I collaborate with as a private speech pathologist. My client is on the autism spectrum and I had just completed a diagnostic evaluation. I shared my results of language testing and talked about what I learned from observing his behaviors during the tasks. One one test, the first portion gave a field of four drawings to chose the answer from. During the second half there were no visual cues to help him with his answer. He got every item wrong after the visual cues were not given.
On the concepts section of the test, he failed several items that I know he knew in other contexts. It was hard for him to pick out the correct line drawing from a field of four that represented simple concepts.
After sharing these observations, the team started to develop goals for his upcoming year based on the testing. One of the members of the team said, “Well, we don’t want to teach to a test but I think we should teach him test taking skills–how to scan several pictures for an answer, how to listen to a paragraph and stay focused to answer a question, and how to be more familiar with two dimensional drawings for his answers.
I thought that was a great point. Many children with special needs will be tested at least yearly to determine progress and goals. How helpful for them to learn strategies like, “Look at all the pictures and then pick the one that answers the question.”
When I find a book I really like for using with my speech and language special needs kids, I usually see what else that author has written.
My journey with author and illustrator Valerie Gorbachev, began when I grabbed Red Red Red from the library. It was a prefect book to use with a language delayed child as well as a child on the autism spectrum–the illustrations were colorful and simple, the story was engaging but not complicated, and there was a simple action on each page that invited wh-questions. Turtle is in a hurry to find something read and as a result, all the friendly forest animals start a line behind him guessing what could be his red prize–maybe racoon’s roses, goat’s red socks, fox’s red roof or a firefighter’s truck. This little parade of animals finally arrives at Turtle’s destination, a beautiful red sunset. The book lends itself to prediction questions, why? questions, brainstorming other red items and descriptions.
In Chicken Chickens Go To School, our little chicks are a bit timid about their first day at school. As they venture toward friendship by saying hello to classmates, they are stopped with a “Sssssssh” from Beaver, Rabbit and Frog who are busy making a tower, listening to a story and trying to sing respectively. These responses lend themselves to talking about emotions and brainstorming on what the chicken’s might do to gain a friend. Finally, during a trip to the meadow, the chicks are faced with crossing the stream alone. Guess which 3 animals offer assistance? Again, before reading the page, ask your child to predict how the animals might help the chicks get across. Talking about the beginning, middle and end and how the characters changed is a good activity for sequence and memory.
Chicken Chickens introduces the chicks to their first day at a playground. All the fun action drawings are great for description–mother hen rocking her babies, the pigs swirling on the merry-go-round, and the cats swinging high. Talk about cause-effect in regard to the chickens’ fear of each piece of equipment. They might get dizzy on the merry-go-round or fall off the swings. Finally, let’s solve the problem of their fear of the slide. How could the different animals help them down? What could they say to the chickens? How did Beaver solve the problem?
Other favorites are:
The Big Trip
That’s What Friends Are For
What authors of picture books do you like for using with kids with special needs? Let’s get a list going to help others.
Today was my last day with little Reagan. I have really enjoyed my sessions with her because she tries so hard, her mom encourages practice, and her little brother pulls up a chair when I come, thinking he is part of the session!
As a goodbye gift I brought “Groovy Scrapbook” by Alex toys. Since Reagan and her family are moving out of state, I thought it would be fun to chronicle her adventure through a scrapbook. Being the little girl that she is, she wanted to start right in on the scrapbook. Her first page was entitled, “Goodbye Sherry.” She loved decorating around the bare spot in the middle of the page, reserved for a picture of us on her last day of therapy. She especially liked the zig zag scissors, sequins, stickers, borders, buttons, 
ribbons and a floppy flower to glue on. The project lent itself to speech therapy, as she practiced her sounds while creating her page.
I was reminded of my old scrap-booking days when I chronicled my activities from middle school through college. It was fun to watch a 5 year-old enjoy the collection of goodies in the box to select for her remembrances.
Goodbye little Reagan. I loved my time with you.
Some kids work harder in a less structured setting, moving and learning as they go. Summer is a great opportunity to take these kids outside to explore and work on speech and language goals on the move.
My friend, Nathan, is such a kid. He is so happy to explore, expecially with Duke, my dog, and will practice his articulation, language structures, answering questions and following directions best in a less restricted environment.
Last week we discovered that when we walked down to the creek to view water bugs and look for frogs, we actually found little tree frogs hopping out of the leaves under our feet. We could only detect them from their movement but managed to catch one in a cup and watch him climb out. Our next outing was the pond. No frogs there but 
we identified cattails, and were visited by a beautiful butterfly who followed us along the edge of the pond. We spotted an elegant egret and family of geese.
When we returned we wrote Mom an e-mail letter, including pictures of our outings. Nathan had to supply the words under each picture to recall what we had done. This is hard for him but with the visual cue, it was made easier.
Honestly, it’s fun for me to get a change of scenery too.
As a speech language therapist, I use commercial board games all the time–sometimes to teach language concepts and sometimes as a reinforcer to take a turn after articulation practice. Since I have a relationship with fantastic companies who are coming out with new games all the time that are fun and educational, I like to share them with parents, therapists and teachers. Here are two new games introduced by Gamewright that are loads of fun and winning awards for their creativity:
“Orders Up” is all about the race to get your guest check filled with food cards while eating at the Ring-a-Ding Diner. Everyone gets two cards to fill with matching food selections, so roll the die and see if you get a match. Kids love to roll the image of the bell so they can race to hit it and take a turn. You do have an opportunity to discuss language concepts as you talk about categories of food–desserts, main courses and drinks. Even the concept of a wild card, “Special of the Day,” that can be used for any match, is abstract for some kids with language disabilities. I was playing this with a child on the autism spectrum and he didn’t want to use that card (the most cherished card in the deck) because it was outside of his concrete realm of understanding. You could use the bell to expand play after the game and create a little pretend diner with your food cards. Get some play money and you are set to go. (Age 6 and up)
“Take the Cake” is a great starter game for preschoolers who will love to decorate their colorful cupcakes. Simple but inviting, this game reinforces shapes, colors, and 
numbers. Roll the dice and see how many times you should shake the sprinkle shaker filled with colorful shapes to decorate your cupcakes. Place the sprinkles on your cupcake cards when there is a match. When all the sprinkles are covered on a card, you get to keep that cupcake. Yum! Expand on the game by making and decorating your own cupcakes, adding sprinkles or using tubes of frosting to decorate with shapes or objects. Take pictures of your sequence of making the cupcakes, put the pictures in order, and narrate a caption to Mom or Dad under the pictures. Using words like first, next, and last builds language skills. (Age 4 and up)
The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author. These games were provided for review by Gamewright.
Wow, Toy Story 3 has only been out a few weeks and I am seeing products everywhere. I even went to the grocery store and saw Toy Story cookies and cakes. How do parents sift through all the offerings and get toys that will have staying power and encourage an afternoon of play? What toys can children with special needs use to encourage language development? Here are some of my recommendations to start your child telling their own story:
Buzz, Woody and other poseable figures: Probably the most flexible toy for play are the figures. After seeing the movie, I have watched my little friends clutch the figures and take them everywhere they went–the beach, grocery store, park and of course, nap. Buzz and Woody saved the day, rode in cars, went to a Play-doh beach, and camping. The figures represent a persona that the kids can activate, using dialogue and building their language skills.
“Toy Story Ultra Blast Gauntlet:” Little Buzzes strap on their wrist blaster, press the red laser button and surprise–a triple shooter with side weapons pops up, ready for action. Equipped with 5 darts with suction tips, a sight scope, and laser blasting sound effects, this space weapon will scare any alien. Pull on the purple ring and your weapon snaps back in place, ready for the next battle. The darts project far, so take care in setting up rules for use.
I kept being surprised by kids rounding the corner and setting off the laser zapping noise. Intended for kids 5 years and up, this toy can be adapted to the younger three and four-year old if you remove the darts. There was plenty of fun for preschoolers, just pushing the red button and acting out Buzz’s amazing feats. Again, pretend play builds creative thinking, story telling and language. (Age 5 and up)
“Toy Story 3 Action Link Stunt Sets”: At first I wondered if these “links” of action that can be mixed and matched were open-ended enough for repeated play, but kids convinced me otherwise. I tried out “Jessie to the Rescue,” “Buzz Saves The Train,” and “Junkyard Escape.” Set Jessie loose on her scooter and she hits the railroad sign, which flips open the sides of the train car. Attach the 
next set and as the runaway train falls into the canyon, and Buzz flies to the rescue. The garbage set lets Woody ride the conveyor belt and tosses Lotso from the the garbage tower to set off the stunts in this set. Kids quickly learned that the stunts can be connected in a different order before activating the chain reaction. After completing our first run through, a five-year-old boy said to me, “Do you mix it up? I wanna mix the whole thing up!” He even realized that some reactions were quicker and some slower (the conveyor belt) and designed the order so things didn’t happen too fast at the start. Note: the garbage set does not include all the characters to complete the stunts. Adding extra Buddy Pack Figures will enrich play as children have more opportunities to animate characters and expand their story.The trick is getting the links set up and pieces cocked before someone accidentally pushes a blue button and starts the action! (Age 5 and up)
“Toy Story the Great Train Chase” by Lego Duplo:All aboard for some fun with Duplo’s chunky figures–Buzz, Woody and Jessie–as they save the day. With movable and interchangeable parts, this set continues to offer new play options. The tops of the train cars swing open so Woody and gang can peer out or sit down. Combine this theme with more Lego blocks and make the houses, a train station or deli for a snack. There is unlimited fun and opportunity to be creative and build language skills. (Age 2-5 years)
Buzz Lightyear Costume: Children feel empowered when they put on a costume an assume the role of a hero, like Buzz. This costume designed for toddlers, lets the little siblings get right into the act, re-
living the story and becoming fearless as they save the day. Buzz’s costume was slipped on first thing in the morning over pajamas! When I saw my little friend breeze by, I pressed his red button and Will’s arms shot up, ready for takeoff “to infinity and beyond!” Comfortable for takeoffs and landings, this costume took a little boy through rescues and adventures, tumbles and flights.
The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author. “The figures, Ultra Blast Gauntlet, and Action Links” were provided for review by Mattel. “Buzz Lightyear costume” was provided by Jakks Pacific.
