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2018 PAL Awards
Play on Words speech and language expert Sherry Artemenko recognizes exceptional toys, games and books that encourage language, spark fun and invite creative play.
all PAL Award winners
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Win a PAL Award for toys, books & games:
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video toy reviews
Video reviews of our PAL Award winners with tips on how to advance language through play • see PAL tips... ►
See more video reviews... ► Thank you Sherry! You are a BIG help and Max adores you.
Maria, mother of a 5 year-old boyFairfield, CTSherry, thank you so much for working with my girls for so long. Your kindness, thoughtfulness, insight and professionalism made our experience so meaningful. My husband and I appreciate all you have done for them. Let’s keep in touch. Thanks again.
Mother of 3 and 5 year-old girlsGreenwich, CTSherry, thanks for giving us back our son. We are so grateful for everything you did for Ben and our family. Not seeing you every week makes me feel that something is missing… but we look forward to a summertime walk! We miss you,
Nicole, mother of 2 year-old boy who was dismissed from therapyWestport, CT
Category Archives: Elementary School Age
Getting Ready for Kindergarten, Speech and Language
I was in a meeting last week, consulting on a 5-year-old child who has taken an extra year of preschool before entering kindergarten, due to language deficits. One of the teachers asked me what kinds of stories and books should … Continue reading
“Beautiful Oops!” For the Perfectionist In All Of Us
Driving around in my car with the radio droning on in the background, I perked up when listening to an author’s interview on CBS radio with Barney Saltzberg, who just wrote “Beautiful Oops!” A fascinating topic for anyone who dabbles in … Continue reading
Inspiring “The Junkyard Wonders” by Patricia Polacco
I love it when a favorite author comes out with a new book and it is just as satisfying as the last one. Patricia Polacco delights her audiences with her delightful stories as well as her warm and inviting characters, … Continue reading
Figurative Language in “Atlantic”, Speech Therapy
Are you doing a lesson on figurative language? Here is a terrific book to use in Speech Therapy, the classroom or just enjoy reading it to your child. “Atlantic” by G. Brian Karas, is beautifully written and illustrated with clever … Continue reading
Halloween Costumes, Books, Fun in Speech Therapy
Well the countdown has begun to many kids’ favorite holiday, Halloween! I blogged about the Halloween Calendar which was great fun to make. I used the little pieces (windows and secret messages for each day) as reinforcers with a child … Continue reading
Countdown to Halloween, Speech Fun
As I was leaving one of my favorite gift stores, I passed their Halloween exhibit of spooky Silly Banz and glow in the dark ghosts, and my eye caught “Countdown to Halloween” which was a Halloween calendar, much like an … Continue reading
Videos in Speech Therapy for Autistic Kids
This week I used some great videos with my autistic kids. One little boy has a heightened interest in ospreys so I found a video of an osprey hunting for trout, grabbing one, and returning to feed his babies in … Continue reading
Using “Rory’s Story Cubes” in Speech Language Therapy
Many times our goal in speech therapy is for children to learn to build stories, adding details, descriptive words and generating a beginning, middle and end. We can use picture cards, photographs, objects and now “Rory’s Story Cubes” to generate … Continue reading
“Rory’s Story Cubes” by Gamewright
Kids love to roll dice–now they can toss nine picture cubes with clever images on each of the six sides and tell a story using the face up images. Set a theme ahead of time–“On our vacation we…” or just … Continue reading
Play “Order’s Up” in Speech Therapy
Games make speech therapy fun but carefully selected games can also advance a child’s progress toward their IEP goals. “Order’s Up” by Gamewright, is not only loads of fun, but it can have language benefits too: kids learn categories of … Continue reading
