Category: General (Page 1 of 4)

DLD Awareness Day – October 17, 2025

Today is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day! Developmental Language Disorder is a hidden, but common, disability that affects 1 in 14 people. DLD causes difficulties understanding and using language for no known reason. Try this quiz from RADLD to test your knowledge and learn more about DLD.

Grammar Skills Spotlight

Children with DLD may have more difficulty with grammar skills than their peers. Check out this handout to learn about expected grammar skill development for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students, as well as for information about spotting DLD in English Language Learners (ELL).

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

As the school year draws to a close, students across Burnaby are eagerly anticipating the arrival of summer. This transition period offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the progress made throughout the year and to plan engaging activities that can help students continue developing their communication skills during the summer break.

Reflecting on Achievements

The end of the school year is a time to celebrate the hard work and achievements of our students. Whether it’s mastering new speech sounds, improving social communication, or enhancing language skills, each milestone is a testament to our student’s dedication and hard work at school. Take a moment to acknowledge these accomplishments, this positive reinforcement can boost their confidence and motivate them to keep practicing over the summer.

Summer Activities to Support Communication Skills

Summer in BC is filled with opportunities for fun and learning. Here are some activities that can help students maintain and develop their communication skills:

Ideas for daily language fun!

SLP Activities Calendar – July 2025

SLP Activities Calendar – August 2025

1. Burnaby Community Summer Activities:  The City of Burnaby Recreation and Arts have a wide range of exciting summer activities. You’re sure to find something unique for you and your student!
   •   Burnaby Summer 2025 Activity Guide
2. Outdoor Adventures: Families are encouraged to explore local parks, beaches, and hiking trails. These outings provide a natural setting for practicing descriptive language, storytelling, and social interactions.
3. Community Events: Many communities host summer festivals, fairs, and markets. Participating in these events can help students practice conversational skills, learn new vocabulary, and engage in social exchanges.
4. Reading Programs: Local libraries often offer summer reading programs for children. Joining these programs can enhance literacy skills, expand vocabulary, and foster a love for reading.
5. Creative Arts: Activities like drawing, painting, and crafting can be great for developing fine motor skills and encouraging expressive language. Students can describe their creations, tell stories about them, or even create a summer scrapbook.
6. Sports and Games: Team sports and group games are excellent for practicing turn-taking, following instructions, and using social language. Whether it’s soccer, baseball, or a simple game of tag, these activities promote physical and communicative development.

Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Continue reading

May is Speech & Hearing Month. Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) dedicates the month of May to raising public awareness about communication health. The 2025 theme, “S-LPs & Audiologists: Doing More Than You Think”, highlights the vital yet often overlooked role of S-LPs and audiologists. From helping stroke survivors regain speech to supporting those with tinnitus, these professions provide life changing care.

In schools, S-LPs work with students to strengthen their communication skills — from building speech sounds and language to developing social communication and supporting alternative ways to communicate. By partnering with students, families, and school teams, S-LPs help students build confidence and succeed both in school and in everyday life.

This month, let’s recognize the power of communication and the many ways it helps us connect, learn, and grow.

To access resources, learn more, and spread the word, visit: http://speechandhearing.ca.

Thank you to the parents and caregivers for joining us at yesterday’s articulation workshop. We were excited to see a full house!

We hope you enjoyed the workshop and learned some helpful tips. This is the beginning of a fun speech journey and we encourage you to practice the techniques and activities we explored together. Practicing speech sounds can be enjoyable and stress-free with a few fun activities and a bit of imagination. Remember, every small step counts, and your consistency and support makes all the difference!

We hope you and your child will have a blast with speech practice. Don’t forget to check out the Articulation section of this blog for more ideas and resources. If you have any questions, please reach out to your school’s speech-language pathologist. We are here to support you.

Happy practicing!

Winter is a magical time filled with opportunities to engage children in activities that can enhance their speech and language skills. Here are six fun and effective winter activities that can help elementary-aged students develop their communication abilities, inspired by strategies from speech-language pathologists. 

1. Baking Holiday Treats 

Baking is not only a delightful winter activity but also a fantastic way to work on language skills. Following a recipe helps children practice sequencing and following directions. You can also introduce new vocabulary related to ingredients and cooking actions. For example, ask them to describe the texture of the dough or the taste of the cookies. 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-baking-recipes 

2. Winter Storytelling 

Encourage children to create and tell their own winter-themed stories. This activity promotes creativity, narrative skills, and vocabulary development. You can provide prompts such as “Imagine you are building a snowman that comes to life. What happens next?” This helps them practice structuring their thoughts and using descriptive language. 

https://woojr.com/christmas-ad-libs/ 

https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/winter-writing-prompts/ 

3. Holiday Scavenger Hunt 

Organize a scavenger hunt with winter-themed items. Provide clues that require children to use descriptive language and follow multi-step directions. For example, “Find something that is white and cold” or “Look for an item that jingles.” This activity enhances listening skills, vocabulary, and the ability to follow instructions. 

4. Carol Karaoke 

Singing holiday songs can be a fun way to work on articulation and fluency. Discuss the lyrics to help children understand the meaning of new words and phrases. This activity also encourages expressive language as children sing and perform the songs. 

5. Building a Snowman 

Whether you have real snow or use craft materials, building a snowman can be a great language activity. Have children describe each step of the process and the materials they are using. You can also incorporate social skills by having them work together and communicate their ideas. 

https://pjsandpaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Build-your-own-snowman_Pjs-and-Paint.pdf 

 6. Winter-Themed Role-Playing 

Set up role-playing scenarios such as a visit to Santa’s workshop or a holiday market. This allows children to practice conversational skills, use new vocabulary, and understand social interactions. Role-playing helps them develop pragmatic language skills in a fun and engaging way. 

These activities not only make the winter season enjoyable but also provide rich opportunities for language development. By incorporating these fun and festive ideas, you can help children enhance their communication skills while celebrating the joys of winter. 

Activities: 

https://woojr.com/christmas-ad-libs/  

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-baking-recipes  

https://iheartcraftythings.com/christmas-coloring-pages.html  

https://www.communicationcommunity.com/christmas-themed-scavenger-hunt/ 

https://www.communicationcommunity.com/hanukkah-themed-scavenger-hunt/ 

https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/winter-writing-prompts/  

https://pjsandpaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Build-your-own-snowman_Pjs-and-Paint.pdf  

Many of us reflect on Halloween as being an exciting time in our childhood. The costumes, the candy and the parties can conjure up wonderful memories. However, for some children Halloween can be a time of over stimulation, unpredictable events and frightful masks or costumes.

For those children, some suggestions for Halloween night include:

• Front loading your child about trick or treating. Showing them clips from a children’s television show of what to expect and/or provide them with a social story detailing the events of the night.
• Costume Ideas: Parents/caregivers can suggest costume ideas that are comfortable, especially for children with sensory needs. Encourage them to try the costume on, to help ensure they feel comfortable.
• Trick or Treat: Model and rehearse the sentences that will be used when trick or treating. For children that use AAC, ensure that they have a means to express themselves on the night (i.e., adding a Halloween page to their touch chat and/or Halloween picture symbols etc.). Practice and rehearse these prior to Halloween night.
• For children that may be overwhelmed by trick or treating, consider having a small gathering with a familiar friend(s) instead of trick or treating. In addition, you can also check with your local mall for Halloween events.

Halloween Activities

1. Spooky Storytelling

Encourage kids to create their own Halloween stories. This can help with narrative skills, vocabulary, and sentence structure. You can use prompts like “Once upon a time, in a haunted house…” to get them started. Continue reading

October is Autism Acceptance month in Canada.

Autism Acceptance month is a time to celebrate neurodiversity and increase our understanding of Autism. This helps to reduce the stigma and discrimination that Autistic people experience, and it empowers Autistic individuals to express themselves confidently.

Did you know?

 In September 2024, the Public Health Agency of Canada published a new framework for Autism in Canada.

“The purpose of the Framework for Autism in Canada (framework) is to promote the health and well-being of children, youth, adults and older adults on the autism spectrum, their advocates, families, and caregivers; and to provide a common direction for autism in Canada that lays the foundation for collaborative and complementary action to be taken by all sectors. The framework was created in response to the Federal Framework for Autism Spectrum Disorder Act” (Government of Canada, 2024).

To read and learn more about this framework for Autism in Canada click here.

The SLPs at the Burnaby school district value the unique perspectives, strengths, and talents of Autistic individuals, their families/caregivers, and the Autistic community.  We are excited to celebrate Autism acceptance Month with you! To learn more about The Role of Speech-Language Pathologists in Supporting Autistic People click the link.

Reference

Government of Canada. (2024, September 26). Framework for Autism in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/framework-autism-canada.html#a3.1