Seminars which target caregiver audiences, will provide a basic foundation of the chosen topic, a limited account of the theoretical framework underlying appropriate therapeutic strategies, and functional techniques which can be easily implemented within one’s natural environment.

Duration of seminar and level of instruction (beginner, intermediate, advanced) can be altered depending on your needs.

Current Seminars Available to Caregivers:

Strategies to Improve Your Child’s Language Right Now!

This seminar focuses on improving receptive and expressive language skills of pre-verbal and minimally verbal children.  Fourteen language facilitation strategies are defined and implementation of each is thoroughly explained.  The strategies are presented in a hierarchy beginning with strategies that require the most caregiver support to strategies requiring the least amount of support to illustrate the simple changes caregivers should implement as their child’s verbal communication skills improve.

Seminar Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:

• Explain 14 different research-based language facilitation strategies that can be implemented in any environment to encourage language development of young children.
• Identify which strategies are used for nonverbal children and which strategies to use for minimally verbal children.
• Describe the positive effects of repeated and interactive book reading on language development.

Stuttering: What’s Normal, What’s Not 

The primary focus of this seminar is to explain the myths behind dysfluencies (i.e. stuttering), describe the typical period of dyfluency most children experience, identify the differences between typical and atypical dysfluencies, and recount a number of simple techniques caregivers can implement in their home environment to facilitate fluency.

Seminar Objectives:  

Attendees will be able to:

• Name five myths about stuttering and the facts underlying those myths.
• Describe the typical period of dysfluency most children experience.
• —Identify typical vs. atypical dysfluencies.
• List a number of techniques that can facilitate fluency in the home environment.

Typical Communication Skills: Birth to 3 years 

This seminar is a caregiver-friendly presentation on the typical hearing, speech, language and cognitive milestones children are exhibiting between the ages of birth to three years.  The purpose of this seminar is to educate caregivers on typical development during a child’s early years, while increasing awareness of atypical or delayed development and the appropriate procedure to determine the possibility of an existing delay.

Seminar Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:

• Identify typical hearing, speech, language and cognitive milestones in birth to three year old children.
• Explain the appropriate steps caregivers should take if they suspect possible communication deficits in children birth to three years of age.

Typical Communication Skills: 3 to 5 years

This is another caregiver-friendly presentation explaining the typical hearing, speech, language and cognitive milestones children are exhibiting between the ages of three to five years.  The purpose of this seminar is to educate caregivers on typical development during the preschool years, while increasing awareness of atypical or delayed development and the appropriate procedure to determine the possibility of an existing delay.

Seminar Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:

• Identify typical hearing, speech, language and cognitive milestones in three to five year old children.
• Explain the appropriate steps caregivers should take if they suspect possible communication deficits in children three to five years.

Typical Communication Skills:  Birth to 5 years

This seminar takes a comprehensive look at the child development before school-age years.  It is a caregiver-friendly presentation on the typical hearing, speech, language and cognitive milestones children are exhibiting between the ages of birth to five years.  The purpose of this seminar is to educate caregivers on typical development during a child’s early and preschool, while increasing awareness of atypical or delayed development and the appropriate procedure to determine the possibility of an existing delay.

Seminar Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:

• Identify typical hearing, speech, language and cognitive milestones in birth to five year old children.
• Explain the appropriate steps caregivers should take if they suspect possible communication deficits in children birth to five years of age.

For additional information, please contact Maria Del Duca, via the phone  number or email address listed on this website.