What Is The Growth Mindset?

The Growth Mindset

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Amazon affliate link) by Carol Dweck is a book I read a few years ago. A friend told me I might like the book, and explained to me it defined a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. While I initially thought this book would be helpful on a personal growth front, I quickly realized it would make an even bigger difference in my work life. Most notably, this book changed how I speak to my clients about their own growth and encourage their development potential.

A Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset is when we believe our skills and abilities don’t change. For example, we are either good at drawing or we aren’t. Consequently, learning that we aren’t good at drawing can make us believe we aren’t good at drawing. Then, we adopt an identity of being a person who isn’t good at drawing (or art in general). This may cause a person to give up before they have truly attempted (and practiced) a new task.

A Growth Mindset

What is a growth mindset? A growth mindset is the belief that our skills and abilities change over time with practice as we try new tasks. So we may not be good a drawing when we start, but our skills can improve with practice. Our identity is focused on being a person who learns and practices new skills. The growth mindset philosophy suggests that by continuing to practice a task, we get good at it. However, we need to really believe our skills will improve with practice. With that outlook, we can put hard work into learning a new skill. From there, we improve and then excel.

The Fixed Mindset in Education

As I read this book, I began to think about my students, clients, and the education system at large. I’m not the only one – there is a Growth Mindset book for teachers, which you can find here.

How have I seen a fixed mindset in the children I work with? I have seen children:

• Avoid challenges (even shutting down when children perceive a task as difficult).

• Give up soon after beginning a task (they start a task, and then shut down and don’t return to the task).

• Ignore feedback or perceive most feedback as negative

• Become competitive and may shut down when others excel

• Make statements like “I’m just not good at that.”

The Growth Mindset in Education

How have I seen a growth mindset in the children I work with?

• A positive outlook on challenges or trying new tasks

• A positive outlook on feedback and trying again

• Seeing others succeed and feeling inspired by that success

• Believing their intelligence and skills can change with hard work

Changing Your Mindset

Is it possible to change your mindset? Yes! We can encourage children in their own growth potential. First of all, we can use language that encourages the growth mindset. In addition, we can describe to children how attempting hard tasks is helping their brain grow. Finally, we can give encouraging feedback to foster persistence.

My next post will outline specifics on how to encourage the growth mindset. Remember, we can help children shift from learned helplessness to empowerment and growth. The words we use matter. These words are powerful, and shape what children think about themselves. With this in mind, speaking the language of the growth mindset can be a great place to start.

I hope this post has been helpful as you learn more about the growth mindset. If you’ve already read the book, I’d love to hear about how it changed you as a parent or educator. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it here or research the ideas online. In addition, there are specific growth mindset books written for educators and parents. It’s a gold mine of new ideas, and I’m enjoying the process as I work to incorporate this more in my own work. 

Helping Late Talkers at Home

Welcome to the Late Talkers series. Please check out my previous two articles if you want more information on this topic. In my first post, I discuss suggested speech therapy goals for late talkers. In addition, you may want to read more on the last blog post about evaluations for toddlers who are late talkers.

Today’s discussion centers on a frequently asked question: how can parents help their children who are late talkers?

Today, I’ll share 5 things you can do at home to help your child build language if he or she is a late talker.

1. Any Communication is Good Communication

Does your child point to communicate? Gesture? Turn towards an object he/she wants? Vocalize or babble? By treating all communication (even communication without words) as true communication, and responding to those requests, you are already building language skills.

2. Wait it Out

Perhaps your child has a preferred snack. Let’s say it is a favorite cereal. Give your child a few pieces of cereal, and then wait for him/her to ask for more. Waiting for several seconds (counting seconds helps to know you are actually pausing for long enough) allows your child time to process and decide what he/she wants to do next.

Does your child point or gesture? Use a vocalization or a babble? That is communication! Since we just learned all communication is good communication, reward your child with the rest of the cereal when any communication is attempted.

Of course, we are not punishing children or withholding items they need. Forcing a child to talk is one guaranteed way to stall that skill! However, waiting several seconds for a communication gesture can build language skills.

What if there is no communicative act? Perhaps your child didn’t want the cereal. Maybe they need more support (like guiding their hand to point to the object).

This probably goes without mentioning, but this step should be completed under the guidance of your speech language pathologist. It’s a tricky one to achieve the right balance of challenge and reward.

3. Sabotage

Sabotage is a playful (and fun) way to build communication by introducing a goofy or funny communication hurdle to jump. By sabotaging – or delaying – the next step in a routine, an opportunity for communication develops.

How can you use sabotage to help your child build communication skills? Using the same cereal example, how could you use sabotage? One example would be to place your child’s bowl upside down in front of them. Or, give your child a straw instead of a spoon. This one involves more planning, but one parent froze the cereal in the milk bowl the night before. This resulted in laughter, fun sounds, and taking turns attempting to eat the cereal the next morning. Of course, after your toddler tires of this, the real bowl would be promptly brought out!

You know what would be fun (versus frustrating) for your child, so plan accordingly. With sabotage, there shouldn’t be a requirement to speak. Instead, the point of sabotage is to offer a shared experience. Memorable, shared experiences are ones we can talk about when they are happening and long afterward.

4. Out of Reach

This example goes with #2 (Wait it Out). For example, place the cereal on top of the refrigerator, just out of reach. This can invite communication, since a toddler will need help to get the desired item, and this can encourage communication. Out of Reach also goes with #1 (Any Communication is Good Communication). The point is to not make Out of Reach frustrating but to offer an opportunity to ask for an item and practice communication.

5. Develop a Communication Routine

A communication routine can be anything you do that is fun and has multiple steps. For example, building a tower and then knocking it down could be a two-step play routine (I always make sure to say “boom” when I do this, and many clients will imitate this). Creating a play routine means there is repetition for children to practice anticipating a routine and communicating. Learn With Adrienne (who I recommend as a resource) has an awesome video teaching a communication routine called the dramatic sneeze.

I hope these suggestions have helped you get started with some activities to build vocabulary with your child. Remember, speech language pathologists are here to support you in your journey. The load is lightened when you don’t have to go it alone. If you are looking for a speech language pathologist in Southern Oregon, contact me for more information. If you live outside of the Rogue Valley area, I recommend using ASHA Pro Find to find a qualified SLP near you.

Using The Growth Mindset: A Script To Provide Specific Feedback

In this space, we’ve been exploring the growth mindset. This idea is based on Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. (Amazon affiliate link)

A quick review on the growth mindset: 

What is a growth mindset? A growth mindset is the belief that our skills and abilities change over time with practice as we try new tasks. So, we may not be good a drawing when we start, but our skills can improve with practice. The growth mindset philosophy suggests that by continuing to practice a task, we get good at it. How? By believing that your skills will improve with practice. By putting hard work into a skill, we improve and then excel.

Using The Growth Mindset: A Script To Provide Specific Feedback

In previous posts, we’ve discussed and defined the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. Also, we’ve listed helpful tips for encouraging the growth mindset. Today, we are going to make this process even easier by proving you with a script.

In my last post, we discussed how to give specific feedback. For example, instead of saying “good job,” we can say “I could tell you worked hard on that!” Giving this type of feedback praises effort instead of ability. The goal is to praise effort because it is through effort and practice that we improve and excel.

So, what does this specific praise sound like, exactly? How can we use specific praise in real-life situations? Read on for a few ideas.

1 | “I like the way you kept trying even when those problems were difficult”

Instead of more generic praise (such as “good job”), this encourages effort and the hard work it takes to keep doing a task when it gets harder.

2 | “I like how you went back to check your work, what a great idea!”

Instead of using more generic praise such as “great, you finished the assignment,” this praise acknowledges your child for a specific step they took to finish the assignment.

3 | “All that practice made a big difference!” Or, “Doing those extra practice problems paid off!”

When your child gets a good grade, instead of praise for the grade alone, notice a step they took to get there. Acknowledging specific effort helps your child remember to do that step next time for success as well.

4 | “That is so interesting! Tell me more.” Or, “That’s such an interesting idea. How did you learn more about that?”

This feedback is ideal for when your child wants to tell you something about what he or she has learned in school or about an area of interest. By showing your interest (instead of praising your child for being smart), you are encouraging their curiosity. Also, you are and letting your child know that you are interested in what interests them.

5 | “If you catch yourself saying I’m not good at math, just at a yet to the end of the sentence. Maybe you aren’t good at math yet. But, we can get good at math by practicing.”

This is good for when a child feels like giving up in an area. Reminding your child practice is the magic ingredient to getting better at a task and offering help can make a big difference.

6 | “When you learn a new spelling word, it grows your spelling brain!”

This encourages your child that their intelligence isn’t fixed, but can grow in areas with practice.

7 | “That feeling of math being hard means your math brain is growing!”

Whereas the last example talked about praising effort, this one takes an extra step. This example acknowledges the task is difficult and offers encouragement.  This is an another important part of reminding your child that his or her intelligence isn’t fixed, but will grow.

I hope reading these ideas for giving specific feedback was helpful. This is a skill I’m still practicing, and having a script can help. Eventually, I hope using specific feedback becomes automatic. Until then, seeing examples helps me to get started. Have you tried using specific feedback (including any of the above)? If so, how did it go?

Should My Late Talker Have a Speech and Language Evaluation?

A late talker is defined as a child who is 18 months or older who uses 20 or fewer words. Late talkers typically have an expressive language delay, while other areas of development are within the typical range.

Should My Late Talker Have a Speech and Language Evaluation?

If you have concerns about your child’s language development, you should pursue an evaluation with a speech language pathologist (SLP). You know your child best. You talk to your child every day, and  you play with your child every day. When it comes to your child’s language, you are the person who interacts most with your child. If you have a concern, schedule an evaluation.

Ultimately, only an SLP can make the determination to see if your child would benefit from speech therapy.

What Happens at a Speech and Language Evaluation?

An evaluation will use a variety of measures to determine if your child’s speech and language skills are delayed or not. An assessment involves many data sources, including interviews, play and games, questionnaires, checklists and/or standardized assessments.

If your child can’t sit for a standardized test, that is OK. For young clients, many SLPs use a combination of play and checklists to get more information about your child. If your child is very wiggly, do not worry! Many young children are, and an evaluation can still be completed.

What if My Child Doesn’t Need Help?

After the evaluation, your SLP may determine your child does not need speech therapy. If that is the case, your SLP will likely share suggestions for working with your child at home for continuing to build language skills.

What if My Child Does Need Help?

If after the evaluation, your SLP determines your child does need speech therapy, your SLP will tell you how often he or she suggests you and your child participate in speech therapy.

If your child does need speech therapy, goals will be developed. These goals will be measurable gains you and your speech language pathologist (SLP) will help your child make in the next several months. If you want more information on suggested goals for late talkers in speech therapy, see my last post.

A Great Video to Review and Share

If you are still deciding if you want to pursue a speech and language evaluation, watch this video. Learn With Adrienne is a great source for activities to build language skills with your toddler, and she made a Facebook Live video on this very topic. Check it out!

Moving Forward

If you aren’t sure if you want to pursue an evaluation, consider this post to be some encouragement. Speech therapy can be an interactive, fun way for toddlers to build language skills. SLPs have Master’s degrees and are typically very, very good at what they do. All you have to do is reach out. We are here to help!

If you are looking for an SLP, search online for the ASHA Pro Find, which will connect you with someone who is certified in your state and has national certification from ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association).

Best of luck as you continue on this journey. Taking first steps in any journey can be intimidating, but once you start the process, you may be surprised at how much fun and learning happens in speech therapy sessions. All the best to you!

Goals: Late Talkers

Is your child a late talker? Do you want to help them, but aren’t sure where to start?

Are you a speech language pathologist who works with late talkers? Would you like to boost your goal writing and target just what they need in therapy sessions?

Late Talker, Defined

A late talker is typically defined as a child 18 months old or older with 20 words or fewer. They typically have only an expressive language delay (a delay building vocabulary and grammar). But all other areas of development are within the typically developing range (other areas of development could include: social, adaptive, play skills, cognitive skills, fine and gross motor skills).

The First Step

If you think your child may be a late talker, the first step is to complete a speech and language evaluation. First of all, a speech language pathologist (SLP) will assess your child’s language skills. After the evaluation, your SLP can tell you if your child’s language is developing typically. If not, speech therapy will be recommended. After that, your SLP will develop goals for your child’s time in speech therapy.

A Popular Goal for Late Talkers

A goal I see written often for late talkers is (we’ll be using an imaginary toddler named Susan for this exercise):

Susan will use 50 new vocabulary words within a six-month period of time.

How do I feel about this one? Meh.

This is certainly attainable for many children. Even so, how do you know how many of those words your child knows already? How do you know how many of your child’s words are newly learned? Can it be tracked? Absolutely. However, it would be difficult. What about something more specific and measurable?

For the purposes of this blog post, I won’t write the accuracy or timeline of these goals, since those should be determined by a speech language pathologist based on your child’s needs. Hence, these are draft goals that could be edited (with more information added) for a variety of children.

Suggested Goals for Late Talkers

Why Not Only Focus On Producing Words?

Not all children jump to words. Often, imitation skills will be targeted before (or with) activities to promote learning more words. I wrote a post about imitation in toddlers here.

Therefore, I suggest working on imitation first. In the beginning, any attempt at communication will be rewarded (sign, picture, gesture, babble). Over time, those skills will be shaped into verbal language whenever possible. Remember this takes time and patience.

Goals: Parent Input

As a parent, share your goals for your child. After all, you see your child’s communication on a daily basis. Your SLP should write your child’s goals, but your input is important.

For example, perhaps your child has a favorite food. Maybe your child would love to request her favorite cereal every morning. In that case, let your SLP know that “cereal” would be a helpful word to target. By sharing words your child might frequently say, your SLP can include those targets in speech therapy. This is a big win for everyone: your child, your SLP, and you. After all, our goal is to make what happens in speech therapy be as practical as possible in your child’s day-to-day life.

Keeping Focused on the Important Things

Are goals the most important aspect of speech therapy? I would argue that they are not.

Most of all, it is important that you find a clinician who you trust. Feeling comfortable in speech therapy is important.

Equally important is feeling like you know what your child is working on in speech therapy. Typically at the end of each speech therapy session, you will learn what to work on at home for the following week. Since you will be working with your child at home, this is an essential part of your speech therapy session.

Do You Know Your Child’s Speech Goals?

There are many more great goals for late talkers out there that haven’t been listed in this post. This is not an exhaustive list. Even so, I’ve found this list has been a great start and an excellent reference in my own practice. I hope this list has been helpful for you, too.

If you are currently working with an SLP, make it your goal this week to learn more about your child’s speech therapy goals. This will help you, your child, and your SLP. As an SLP, I love it when parents I work with want more information about what is happening in speech therapy. I hope this post has given you the information you need to feel confident looking at your child’s speech goals and giving input on the process. All the best!