By: Easterseals Central Illinois Occupational Therapy Department

Using pillows provides proprioceptive and deep pressure to the sensory system. Proprioception provides input to muscles and joints.  Proprioception and deep pressure both calm the sensory system.

• Pillows squishes:

Use pillows to provide squeezes to your child’s body.  Great for deep pressure and calming. You can pretend you are creating a sandwich, tacos, or a hamburger.  Add more pressure with each topping.  Take turns and have your child “squish” you or a sibling.  This will provide good proprioceptive input. Use this game to playfully engage your child.

• Pillow pushes:

Hold pillows up and push against each other.  Great for deep pressure, calming, and proprioceptive input. Try in sitting, kneeling, or standing. 

• Pillow crashes:

Pull couch cushions or pillows into a pile, jump, and crash.  Try rolling off the couch onto the cushions or pillows.  Try jumping off a trampoline or a stool into the pillows.

• Make a pillow boat:

Fill a cardboard box, tub, laundry basket, or large container with pillows and blankets to provide deep pressure and calming input.  This can serve as a “safe spot” or a space to “take a break”.  Try reading a book, doing a puzzle, singing a themed song, or pretending you’re sailing off to sea. 

• Floor is lava:

Place pillows on the ground and jump or step from one to another without touching the ground.  Try crawling, wheelbarrow walking, changing your speed, adding obstacles, or playing “red light”/”green light”.

Children should be supervised when completing all suggested activities.  Parental discretion is advised to ensure safety.

by Kelsey Lutes, MS CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist

Sound effects are a fun and effective way to help young children learn to talk by developing vocal imitation skills, transitioning from pre-speech to speech sounds, moving the articulators, developing prosody (the melody of speech) and transitioning from automatic to voluntary sounds. Pair these
sounds with actions when possible. For example, pretend to beep a horn with your hand with “beep beep!”. Be silly and extra animated!

Vehicle Sounds

___ Airplane (ahhhhhhh or ffffffff)

___ Car (beep beep, honk, brmmmm)

___ Fire truck (woo-eee—woo-eee)

___ Police car (siren)

___ Motorcycle (vrooooooom)

___ Train (choo choo or woo woo)

Animal Sounds

___ Dog (panting with tongue out / woof woof)

___ Cat (meow)

___ Pig (snort /oink oink)

___ Horse (neigh with head shaking “no”)

___ Sheep (baa baa)

___ Duck (quack quack)

___ Chicken (bak bak bak)

___ Fish (mouth popping sound or kissy sound)

___ Airplane (ahhhhhhh or ffffffff)

___ Car (beep beep, honk, brmmmm)

___ Fire truck (woo-eee—woo-eee)

___ Police car (siren)

___ Motorcycle (vrooooooom)

___ Train (choo choo or woo woo)

___ Owl (hoo hoo)

___ Cow (moo)

___ Bird (tweet tweet)

___ Lion / Dinosaur (roar)

___ Snake (ssssss)

___ Bee (zzzzzz)

___ Monkey (oo-oo-ah-ah)

___ Mouse (eee-eee)

Exclamations

___ weeeee!

___ boom!

___ Uh-oh!

___ Pee-u!

___ Ouch! / Ow!

___ Boo!

___ Ta dah!

___ Yay!

___ Whoa!

___ Yuck!

___ Wow!

___ Oh no!

___ No no!

___ Ick / Icky!

___ Oops

___ Ewwwww!

Exclamations Other Sound Effects

___ Drinking/slurping sound

___ Loud Exhale after drink (ahhhh)

___ Eating sound(num num num)

___ Mmmmmm!

___ Ah-choo!

___ Fake Cough

___ Snore

___ Yawn

___ Sigh sound

___ Shhhhhh (quiet sound)

___ Ughhhhh (grunt with effort)

___ Blowing raspberries

___ Kissing sound

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s speech and language development contact Easterseals Central Illinois today! (309)686-1177 – Eastersealsci.com.

by Hallie Johnson, M.A., BCBA

Model Positive Language

Tell your child exactly what you want them to do, not what you want them to stop doing.
Examples:
I like how you are sitting in your chair! vs. Don’t do that!
Good job walking! vs. Stop running or No! Don’t sit down!
I like how you are using an inside voice vs. No yelling!

Provide Choices

Provide choices of two desired behaviors but allow them to choose.
Examples:
You can sit in the red chair or the blue chair
You can walk by yourself or hold my hand
You can color or play with play-doh

Use First/Then Instructions

Provide your instruction using first/then structure.
Examples:
First sit, then play doh
First stand up, then “toy”

Don’t Respond Directly to the Behavior

It is best not to directly respond to your child saying “NO” – giving it little to no attention. Ignore their “NO” and continue your original instruction either providing choices or using a
first/then instruction (see tips #3 and #4).

Reinforce! High levels of praise!

Provide your child with A LOT of praise and attention when they follow your instruction or exhibit the desired behavior! This will increase the likelihood that they are going to do it again in the future!

Easterseals Central Illinois is here to be your partner in raising
healthy, happy children. If you have questions about your child’s
development contact us today at (309)696-1177.