Pediatric Speech and Language Therapy

Up-to-date information about Children's Village services

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, many services and supports at Children's Village have been paused or changed to accommodate our current staffing volumes. This is due to many factors, including the transition, or deployment, of Children's Village staff to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital to care for patients in the hospital setting. Our hope is this will be short-term, and our staff will be back serving 'Village' families soon. But until then, Children's Village staff are doing their part to care for the most critically ill in our community. Thank you for your support and understanding. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Cindy Carroll, Clinical Director- 509-574-3228
Laura Crooks, CEO- 509-574-3596

While You Wait . . . Speech and Language Learning Activities

The following are videos providing speech and language learning activities you may enjoy watching and then sharing with your child.

COVID-19 Parent Support - Speech Therapy Exercises You Can Do at Home! - YouTube

Speech therapy exercises to do at home using readily available materials.

Speech Therapy Techniques: Speech Therapy with a Non-verbal Child - YouTube

Tips and strategies on what to look for when communicating with your non-verbal child. Sometimes it is easy to overlook how our non-verbal children communicate with us because we are focused so hard on wanting them to use words. The therapy here is not magical in any way but very strategic and specific in nature.

Speech and Language Therapy activity with Peppa Pig - YouTube

If your child is learning to make simple requests and using some single words, then this will give you some ideas you can try out at home. It doesn't have to be Peppa Pig, of course! What would you choose to put in that exciting box?!

Using PLAYDOUGH for Speech and Language Therapy - YouTube

Playdough is such a fun and flexible activity, it’s useful for children of all ages and stages. Here's 5 ways to use playdough to support speech, language and communication.

Building attention skills in children: THE BUCKET! - YouTube

Building shared attention is a key aspect of developing your child to learn and develop communication skills. In this video a simple practical approach to teaching children to pay attention is shared. 

How to improve your child's attention span - YouTube

Five suggestions to help you build your child's attention and concentration in the early years.

How to help speech and language development with a simple puzzle - YouTube

Five ways to use inset puzzles to encourage language learning.

How to turn snack time into speech and language practice - YouTube

We want to give you child a reason to communicate! Snack time is often a great opportunity to teach your child some key vocabulary. 

How to use STACKING CUPS for speech and language development - YouTube

Stacking cups are an incredibly useful and flexible toy for helping children learn to talk In this video you'll get ideas for how to use stacking cups to help your child learn new words.

Building Language Through Play - YouTube

These tips will help you learn ways to build your child's language at home by incorporating language skills, such as spatial concepts, sequencing, and building vocabulary into play and everyday activities.

Word games for speech and language - YouTube

There are two main aspects of word knowledge that we can teach children: 1) the sounds that make up the word 2) the meaning of the word. This video shares six simple games that you can play with your child to help them explore and get familiar with the sounds and meanings of words. No prep required!

SKETCHNOTES to help language processing - YouTube

Lots of people use doodles and drawings to help them process and retain verbal information.

5 ideas for STORIES in SPEECH THERAPY - YouTube

Sharing stories together is a great way to target speech and language therapy goals.

Speech & Language ideas: things to do with a cardboard box - YouTube

Kids love playing with big cardboard boxes! This video shares activity ideas for three stages of language development: first word learners, simple phrase talkers and those talking in conversations.

How to teach taking turns - YouTube

Does your child struggle to share their toys and take turns with others? It can be a tricky thing to learn, especially if you have difficulties communicating. Here's a step-by-step plan to help your child learn how to take turns.

How to use objects of reference - YouTube

Using objects of reference is a simple and effective tool to help children feel more settled and confident when moving between activities. This video will give you a summary of how you can use this strategy to help your child understand spoken language and make requests.

Use BALLOONS to BUILD ATTENTION and TEACH NEW WORDS - YouTube

The simplest toys are often the best! Balloons are a fun simple way to build your toddler's attention skills and teach them some motivating words.

How to use choices to get your child talking - YouTube

Offering choices within everyday activities is a simple way to encourage your child to use more words and to build their language skills. It may be simple, but there are some common mistakes.

How to play Ready, Steady, Go - YouTube

Ready, Steady, Go is a fun and effective way to build your child's early attention and communication skills. This video shares my 3 top tips to make this an effective (and fun!) way to build your child's language skills.

Using visuals to support LANGUAGE and ATTENTION - YouTube

Visual prompts are a great way to boost your child's understanding and participation in everyday activities. BUT sometimes it feels a little hard to get started. This video shares with you 5 super-quick ways to start using visual support with your child TODAY!

How to use a Schedule Board.wmv - YouTube

This is a short video that demonstrates how to implement a PECS Schedule Board in your home for your child with autism or other communication delay. PECS is short for Picture Exhcange Communication System.

Eye contact and social skills: a quick game to play - YouTube

Eye gaze is a significant way that we communicate nonverbally. This video shares a fun activity to build awareness of eye gaze to support social understanding.

Why teaching action words is so important (and how to do it) - YouTube

Being able to understand and use action words is a key step in language development. This video shares some ways to help children learn verbs within everyday play, and books.

Routines to make you SMILE, build MEMORY and VOCABULARY - YouTube

With so much change and uncertainty, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. So the small things we do every day become even more important! This video shares a quick routine you can use with your child to spread some positivity PLUS build auditory memory and vocabulary.

Speech Exercises for Kids | Kit Explores Childhood Speech Apraxia - YouTube

In this video children learn how to say different sounds, strengthen lips, and strengthen the tongue. Games and play that help promote speech are demonstrated.

SPEEDY SPEECH SOUND HAND CUES FOR SPEECH THERAPY AT HOME: Speech Sound Tactile Cues For Articulation - YouTube

Why use Speech Sound Hand Cues?! Visual, Tactile and Verbal cues are some of the MOST effective ways to teach speech sounds!

Children's Village offers a range of therapy services, all which strive to improve the quality of life and developmental progress of children with special needs ages birth to 18-years-old. Speech therapy can take place in an individual or group setting, at Children's Village, at the child's school or in the home.

Pediatric Speech and Language Therapy may focus on:

• Communication and language development
• Articulation, fluency, resonance, and voice
• Feeding and swallowing
• Play, social skills, and cognitive language development
• Oral motor development and control
• Augmentative and alternate communication

If you have a concern about your child's development, talk to your primary care physician about a referral or start by taking this simple online developmental screening or call Children's Village at (509) 574-3200 or (800) 745-1077.