Adolescents and reading and expired expectation…

Adolescents and reading and expired expectation…

So many adolescents struggle to read for pleasure, and as a parent there is a lot you can do. The phenomenon is called ‘expired expectation’, according to Margaret Merga from Curtin University, where some teens think that once they have learned to read, they don’t need to continue.

“If we really want out teenagers to continue to read, we really need to be careful not to transmit the idea to them that once they know how to read it’s not something they need to do anymore,” says Dr Merga.

There are 5 helpful steps that parents can take to encourage their children to read. I quite like all of them!

Our speech pathology and psychology clinic is located in Braddon, ACT, in Canberra’s CBD. Call us on 5117 4890 or email reception@inpositivehealth.com to get in touch.

In Positive Health, Canberra. Nel MacBean Speech Pathologist Canberra. Campbell MacBean Psychologist Canberra.

Reduce screen time!

Reduce screen time!

More = physical activity

Less = screen time

The research is out!

This week “The Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (birth to 5 years)” was released, encouraging parents and caregivers to limit screen time greatly (actually NO screen time for kids under 2) and devote a minimum of three hours of physical activity per day. It gives parents “a strong framework to set up their child’s day, spelling out precisely how much sleep, physical activity and sedentary time kids should have in a 24-hour period.”

Our speech pathology and psychology clinic is located in Braddon, ACT, in Canberra’s CBD. Call us on 5117 4890 or email reception@inpositivehealth.com to get in touch.

In Positive Health, Canberra. Nel MacBean Speech Pathologist Canberra. Campbell MacBean Psychologist Canberra.

SPA Book of the Year Awards 2017

SPA Book of the Year Awards 2017

The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year awards have been released. Great ideas for that Christmas stocking (I know, I know, now only 25 days away….eek! Where did the year go?)

The winners are:
Birth to 3 years – Noisy Nature written by Mandy A Kuhne, ilustrated by Alex Kuhne
Three to 5 years – Me and You written by Deborah Kelly, illustrated by Karen Blair
Five to 8 years – Somewhere Else written and illustrated by Gus Gordon
Eight to ten years – Artie and the Grime Wave written and illustrated by Richard Roxburgh
Indigenous children – Mad Magpie written and illustrated by Gregg Dreise.

Check out the SPA website for more information.

Boost your vocabulary!

Boost your vocabulary!

“Vocabulary is the best single indicator of intellectual ability and an accurate predictor of success at school”.  W.B. Elley

Teaching vocabulary is important, both on the part of parent and teacher. This article is directed more at classroom teachers, but parents can benefit from reading it, too, and helping their children to develop a robust vocabulary (and thereby improve expressive language output and receptive language input). Vocabulary instruction shouldn’t just be limited to the classroom.

“We think with words, therefore to improve thinking, teach vocabulary”. A. Draper and G. Moeller

Our speech pathology and psychology clinic is located in Braddon, ACT, in Canberra’s CBD. Call us on 5117 4890 or email reception@inpositivehealth.com to get in touch.

In Positive Health, Canberra. Nel MacBean Speech Pathologist Canberra. Campbell MacBean Psychologist Canberra.

Boost your vocabulary!

Boost your vocabulary!

“Vocabulary is the best single indicator of intellectual ability and an accurate predictor of success at school”.  W.B. Elley

Teaching vocabulary is important, both on the part of parent and teacher. This article is directed more at classroom teachers, but parents can benefit from reading it, too, and helping their children to develop a robust vocabulary. Vocabulary instruction shouldn’t just be limited to the classroom.

“We think with words, therefore to improve thinking, teach vocabulary”. A. Draper and G. Moeller

Our speech pathology and psychology clinic is located in Braddon, ACT, in Canberra’s CBD. Call us on 5117 4890 or email reception@inpositivehealth.com to get in touch.

In Positive Health, Canberra. Nel MacBean Speech Pathologist Canberra. Campbell MacBean Psychologist Canberra.

Do you read to your children?

Do you read to your children?

Do you read to your children? Even if your children know how to read independently, this doesn’t mean you need to stop. Why?

  • You can teach your child more words to increase their vocabulary and promote optimal learning, language and literacy skills…
  • You can help your child reduce his or her anxiety around reading aloud in the classroom…
  • You can help turn your child into a life-long, positive reader…

And the research suggests that “more than one-third of Australian respondents aged six to eleven whose parents had stopped reading to them wanted it to continue.”

Don’t believe me? Read the article yourself!

Our speech pathology and psychology clinic is located in Braddon, ACT, in Canberra’s CBD. Call us on 5117 4890 or email reception@inpositivehealth.com to get in touch.

In Positive Health, Canberra. Nel MacBean Speech Pathologist Canberra. Campbell MacBean Psychologist Canberra.